The Rural Voice, 2002-10, Page 8"Our experience
assures lower cost
water wells"
102 YEARS' EXPERIENCE
Member of Canadian
and Ontario
Water Well Associations
• Farm
• Industrial
• Suburban
• Municipal
Licensed
by the Ministry
of the Environment
DAVIDSON
WELL DRILLING LTD.
WINGHAM
Serving Ontario Since 1900
519-357-1960 WINGHAM
519-664-1424 WATERLOO
CANADIAN
CO-OPERATIVE
WOOL GROWERS
LIMITED
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Now Available
WOOL ADVANCE PAYMENTS
Skirted Fleeces
Well -Packed Sacks
For more information contact.
WINGHAM
WOOL DEPOT
John Farrell
R.R. 2, Wingham, Ontario
Phone/Fax 519-357-1058
4 THE RURAL VOICE
Carol Riemer
One fine fall dag
Carol Riemer
is a freelance
writer who
lives with her
husband and
two
children near
Grand
Valley.
Ontario.
Wood smoke lingers in the crisp
autumn air, the days grow short and
chilly nights bring the first hint of
frost. In vibrant hues of red and gold,
the maples along the driveway stand
in stark contrast to the dark cedar
woods in the distance.
It's Saturday morning, and after
tossing a cozy down comforter on the
bed, I pull my favourite sweater from
the closet. Outside, my husband is
busy splitting and stacking firewood.
"That should be enough to get us
through the winter,” he proudly.
announces, leaning back to survey the
scene.
I nod in agreement. Tomorrow,
we'll be busy cleaning up the garden,
planting the rest of the bulbs and
turning over the compost pile. Today,
however, I have other things in mind.
Amid the swirling rustle of leaves,
there is a faint, but familiar sound. If
you listen carefully, you will hear the
orchard calling. It's apple season,
once again.
After a quick lunch, we collect the
kids and head off to a local "pick
your own" apple farm. Climbing
aboard the old wooden wagon, we
settle back to enjoy the view. The
tractor slowly chugs its way along a
narrow dirt path, down past the river
that wanders silently through the
valley. Already, others are returning
with bags of freshly picked apples,
laughing and jostling their way back
to the wagon.
As we reach our destination, 1
remind•the kids that the proper way
to pick an apple is to hold it in the
palm of your hand and then, turn it,
bottom up, to the sky. This ensures
that the branches and leaves will
remain undamaged, helping to
maintain a bountiful harvest next
year.
Disappearing up the tree row, our
enthusiastic group gathers enough
apples to bake a dozen pies, make
several quarts of homemade
applesauce, with enough left over to
neatly tuck into school lunches. Crisp
McIntosh, Courtland and Empire
apples are great for fresh eating,
while Northern Spys are famous for
making the best pies. With varieties
such as Spartan, Wealthy, Granny
Smith, and Delicious, there's an
apple to please every taste.
The afternoon wears on, and as the
wind begins to pick up and the sky
turns an ominous shade of gray,
we're grateful that the wagon has
returned to rescue us from an
impending rainstorm. Happily, we
retreat to the barn for a
cup of hot apple cider. Inside the
century -old bank barn I can't help but
notice the massive beams overhead.
They support an ageing structure that
was once home to herds of dairy
cattle.
These days, an antique grain mill
sits silently in the corner, next to a
venerable old tractor, long retired
from active service. Cider barrels and
a turn -of -the -century horse sleigh
bring the romance of yesterday to
life.
Rough-hewn wooden shelves
display tempting jars of homemade
jams, apple butter and local honey.
Tins of pure maple syrup and maple
candy accompany fresh-baked fruit
pies, blueberry muffins and gigantic
oatmeal cookies. Over by the door,
bins of pepper squash, and pumpkins,
along with colourful gourds and
Indian corn help celebrate the harvest
season.
The sun suddenly peeks out from
behind a dark bank of clouds, as the
day slowly draws to a close. A cool
evening breeze signals it's time to
pick up a home -baked apple pie, still
warm from the oven, and head home
for supper.
Despite the inevitable change of
the seasons, and the bitter cold yet to
come, I know we'll warmly
remember our time in the orchard. It
was a fine fall day, filled with enough
sweet memories to take home and
share.0