The Rural Voice, 2004-09, Page 47room, and the platters of food were
passed around at the table. At first
the conversation was minimal as the
hungry men attended to their food.
But as the edge was taken off their
hunger the joking and ribbing began.
When one neighbour who had a
reputation for tall tales was offered a
second or third cup of tea, his answer
was "Just a mouthful."
A swift response came from the
other end of the table "You had better
fill his cup and overflow the saucer
because he sure has a big mouth!"
A roar of appreciative laughter
came from around the table. At the
appearance of the second group of
men, the first sitting thanked my
mother for the meal, grabbed up hats
and was gone. The next diners
included my father and the machine
operator. The discussion then turned
to whether they would be able to
finish that day, and most importantly
for my mother, whether we had to
start preparations for the supper meal
after all the dishes were washed.
The same large assortment of food
would be served before the men
turned the teams homeward, where
they had evening chores to do.
Around
1947 the man who did
our threshing was killed in an
accident. This may have
been the reason that my father bought
a second-hand Case combine. That
combine had a little platform where
my older brother and sister worked
bagging the grain surrounded by the
swirling dust and chaff.
That was the end of the threshing
crew for us, and around that time
farms all over Ontario were shifting
over to combines. Farmers became
more self sufficient but there was a
loss too, the loss of that fierce
camaraderie that brought neighbours
together to achieve a common goal.
The memory I have of those
harvesters eating from my mother's
fine china and sharing jokes and
laughter is one that I cherish.
To learn more about threshing
machines, log on to
www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca
A taste 'of threshing days can be
relived at the 43rd Huron Pioneer
Thresher and Hobby Association
Show at Blyth, held on September
10, 11, and 12. (www.blythsteam
show.on.ca).0
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Times Are A Changin'
Times are changing in agriculture and family farms.
Some tough decisions may have to be made.
• Do you figure out an exiting strategy while
making the best of a situation? •
• Should you downsize?
• What about your son or daughter who
would like to take over the family farm
but cannot see the Tight at the end of
the tunnel?
1
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For answers to the above questions, call ;
Nancy Ackert 1-866-396-8108
Nancy has an understanding of where you are coining from
as she has an agriculture and
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CaII today 1.866.396.8108
Aiand ask Nancy to book an appointment
Nancy Ackert, Life Insurance Advisor
BERKSHIRE
SEPTEMBER 2004 43