My folks were young when they married. They lived in a small tag-a-long camper while pregnant with me, their first child. My dad bought an old country school-house that had been turned into a barn. When my mother and I returned from the hospital, we moved into the old school-house. It was drafty and cold.
My dad worked hard, always looking for jobs, while running various business adventures. He was gone a large portion of my childhood, working on the trans-Canada pipeline. My mother worked hard to raise me and my brothers, but she was overwhelmed with living in poor circumstances. This left my brothers and I to our own devices for much of the time. I strayed here and there, often spending time at my grandmother's house.
Gramps always being out in the field working, I would visit with Grandma. She was a kindly woman to her grandchildren, but definitely strict, and very sassy to anyone else. She would feed me, but would also expect work out of me. Sometimes the amount of work did not make up for the food she fed me. But, I loved being a part of things, and loved the stories she would tell. Grandmother taught me many things, and I miss her.
I loved living on the land, and never wanted to leave.
