The Rural Voice, 2019-08, Page 18I spent the other Sunday afternoon
at Conestogo Lake and I got caught
in a traffic jam just outside
Wallenstein. For me, it was a traffic
jam like no other. I was surrounded
by dozens and dozens of horses and
buggies needing to cross Highway
86. It was a beautiful day and even
though I was in a hurry to get
somewhere (of course!) I crawled
along at a snail’s pace and calmly let
them in. It was spellbinding to see,
actually. It was a glimpse into
another world that exists just minutes
down the road.
If I had been born just 20 minutes
away, into this community, I would
have an entirely different view of the
world. As I was crawling through
Wallenstein, I tried to imagine what
my life would have been like and I
felt a sense of gratitude and respect
for this community and how they
have protected their culture and
worldview over the generations.
But, deeper than that, and
seemingly out of nowhere, I really
got the importance of having
alternative worldviews exist side by
side. It was suddenly very important
to me that this community be
completely free to practice their
religious beliefs. It didn’t matter that
I would never see the world that way.
It only mattered that they could.
I’ve been doing a summer food
series that I’m really (really!)
enjoying. Last month I got to meet
part of a small Pakistani community
from the area. This month, I got to
meet Jay and Jackie: two friends
from Thailand that run a Thai
restaurant, in Drayton of all places!
For me, small towns just got a
whole lot bigger. Not only do I get
access to more diverse foods but also
to new people with different
languages and diverse cultures.
Here in rural Ontario, there is a
culture and way of being that we
hardly recognize. It’s just normal.
The most incredible experiences in
my life have been traveling to places
where I wasn’t normal. Places where
faces, language, tastes and music
were strange and unfamiliar. I
especially love experiencing holidays
and knowing that for the people
around me, this novel moment is
nostalgic and familiar. It is their
turkey and stuffing, their Canada Day
fireworks, their Christmas morning.
I’m curious about other
worldviews and what the people in
them see. It feels like stepping into a
new room, understanding that new
ideas only make sense relative to
other concepts from within the room,
not evaluated as right or wrong from
the perspective of the outsider.
And we don’t have to go very far
to get a taste of this diversity. My
University friend Adrienne, an
American who loved the Royal
Canadian Air Farce more than
anyone, gave me the most
memorable day in Toronto. We
popped up from the subway train to
see Poland, China, Korea, Ecuador,
Tibet, Italy, Greece, etc. and had the
most delicious food.
It was a fun day, and I love
travelling, but this is serious, folks.
“Culture is not trivial,” writes
Wade Davis, renowned and Canadian
anthropologist, in The Wayfinders.
“It is not a decoration or artifice, the
songs we sing or even the prayers we
chant. It is a blanket of comfort that
gives meaning to lives. It is a body of
knowledge that allows the individual
to make sense out of the infinite
sensations of consciousness.”
Davis argues that every culture,
coming out of the jungles of South
America or the plateaus of Tibet or
the swamps of Europe, is a different
response to our world. He reminds us
that “the world in which you were
born is just one model of reality.
14 The Rural Voice
Culture is like
blanket of
comfort in our
lives
Mel Luymes
works in
agriculture
and conser-
vation and
blogs at
headlands.ca
Mel Luymes
EQUIPMENT SPECIALS
8th Line East,
Harriston
Established 1986
519-338-2688
Denman Backhoe Tire, 10 ply, 19.5x24, good shape..................$475.
John Deere AW 13 ft. Disc, on wheels, good blades................$1,475.
Massey Ferguson 12 Hay Baler, with thrower, good shape.....$1,650.
Mac-Don Hay Crimper, fits 7,000, 9,000 swather, steel rolls....$1,650.
Hopper for Vicon Fertilizer Spreader, funnel-type.....................$275.
Wobble Box, for NH 479, 488 Haybines, wrecking parts..............$675.
John Deere 30 Thrower, for 24T, 336 balers, pump included...$1,250.
John Deere 213 Combine Head, 13 ft., quick attach, hyd. reel..$2,600.
Round Bale Spears,for loaders or 3 PH...........................$275. to $375.
Auger for Danuser Posthole Digger,18 in., good for planting trees...$375.
Massey Ferguson 212 Thrower,electric controls, hyd. tension.....$2,200.
IH 55 Chisel Plow,10 shank, good shape, hyd. lift...................$3,800.
New Idea 327 Corn Picker,2 row, 36 inch, husking bed..........$2,200.
Westfield 742 Grain Auger, 7 inch, 42 ft. on wheels...............$1,450.
Hesston 7020 Forage Harvester, 2 row corn head......................$3,600.
Leinbach 3PH Posthole Digger, 12 inch auger, adjustable................$675.
John Deere 29B 100 Gal. Trail Sprayer,30 ft. boom, hypro pump.....$975.
Nuffield Suitcase Weights,75 lb., two only..........................pair $150.
International 10 Seed Drill, 18 run single disc, works good............$1,650.
Fox Forage Box, Martin 10 ton gear, used last season....................$1,250.
Gear Box for Eastern Forage Wagon, worm drive, durst model......$475.
Versatile 400 Swather, 12 ft., 2 reels, new canvasses, hydrostatic...$3,600.
Wrecking NH, JD, NI Haybines, MF 36 Rake, NH 352 Mixmill.....Call
MF Combine Head
Massey Ferguson swath pickup head, 6 ft. finger tooth,
for small combine, gauge wheels.
JOHN DEERE
2 ROW CORN
HEAD
John Deere two row
narrow corn head for
harvester. Used last
fall.
Price $1,650
Price $675
DAN SEIFRIED
EQUIPMENT
SOLD
TRACTOR
CAB
Tractor cab, good
glass, side doors, 4 ft.
wide, 66 inches high,
36 between fenders.
Price $675