Hello Agrivillers.

[parsley]

Thanks so much for thinking about me.

It has been a busy spring. Einkorn. Sainfoin.

The old barn, built in 1925, is needing some work, and at the present time, I'm cleaning the loft. Sorting lumber in it. Dumping things that should have been thrown away a decade ago. And fighting raccoons. Miserable, destructive critters. All the neighbors are invaded by them as well. The wind has been vicious, too. A young carpenter is coming soon to stabilize and paint the air vents on top of the barn. I hope they don't blow down before he gets here.

Built of fir, the barnboard thickness is amazing. And the industry that was required to build a structure of that size has me impressed. Grandad was 18 years old when he homesteaded in 1900. Think about your kids homesteading at that age. I find it mind boggling.

My family homestead, north of this homestead, was built 1883. Not a lot of take-out snacks in those days.

I'm grateful for the hard work that was done in "the good old days." And enjoy the maintenance work.

We had 1/2 inch of rain this morning. And it poured for a short while this afternoon. The garden is up. And needed moisture. The worms have chewed up and spit out out entire area. Except our yard. Perhaps too many evergreens for their liking.

Just a bit of chat to let you know all is well.

My best, Parsley.

[sumdumguy]

Happy to hear all is well and you lucky duck got some nice rain. You must live right👍

[burnt]

Good to hear from you, Parsley. And the snapshot of history is fascinating to me. These stories are so important to remember.

I have often been amazed at the determination shown by our ancestors in taming this entire country - mostly with hand tools - and turning it into a world-class, food production powerhouse. They faced the same challenges we do today, and with far fewer resources, as you implied!

I am a 5th generation Swiss immigrant, but I won't claim, like someone famous recently did, that it gives me an understanding of what immigrants today encounter, LOL!

However, I am told that my ancestors took their land up from the Crown between 1820 -1830 (seems too early a date to me), cleared the massive timber from it. and built the houses and barns with hand tools and back-breaking labour as well.

Without retelling these stories, we tend to forget what it took to bring it into the productivity that has been its hallmark ever since.

Thanks for sharing yours.

[stonepicker]

Good to hear you're doing well as always also parsely! We tend to take for granted and forget the hardwork the pioneers did to settle this country, lots of great stories out there.

[parsley]

[QUOTE=burnt;347522]Good to hear from you,

I am a 5th generation Swiss immigrant,

That is unusually impressive. Do you have a familial successor to take over where you left off? Your family ties to the land are so established it would be quite a fascinating study to record successive generation's genes change, to include the land location in the DNA ; similar to birds migratory instincts!

Congratulations on your 5 generations of continuity. I'd love to physically see your farm. Pars

[parsley]

Good to hear you're doing well as always also parsely! We tend to take for granted and forget the hardwork the pioneers did to settle this country, lots of great stories out there.

Oh, Stone, I'm lugging long boards. Tongue and groove. Hand lathed. Now I've used a bucksaw in my lifetime, but grooving those boards was a real skill, and pride in the work. And it's not as if there was a long steel building in which the pioneer could plane them...

And then, there are the hand-tools. Created before the work could actually begin....

Last year one of the old buildings that housed the original well on our farm got a face uplift. Straightening. Painting. Roofing. The bottom rotten tongue and groove boards got replqced with original but sound tongue & groove. A labor of love to restore a building that is still nearly a hundred years old. Not a money maker... but happy with the 'investment' in it, ; & now I got to thinking it will need a plaque...

Compared to the pioneers, I am lazy. I've learned that much. Pars

[parsley]

Who else is out there with an old heritage barn they are working on?

Thirty years ago, I repaired, double pre-coated, and then painted all the windows in the barn. Either 32 or 37 window in all. I'll have to count them. Took an entire winter to get the job done. The last two years, the wind has been so hard on the old barn. And blew out several windows. Smashed them. I used a wood-rot compound on one in March; took me a week to restore it, but I'm pleased with the result. Now all the rest have to be painted and broken windows fixed. Again.

Saskatchewan wind is a bully.

[blackpowder]

I look at our barn everyday and regret I dont have the resources to repair something I dont use. Dont yet have the heart to tear it down.It was built in 26 and milk house in 75. Neither are in real great shape. Cupola soon to blow off. Original lightning rod etc on it.

[parsley]

I look at our barn everyday and regret I dont have the resources to repair something I dont use. Dont yet have the heart to tear it down.It was built in 26 and milk house in 75. Neither are in real great shape. Cupola soon to blow off. Original lightning rod etc on it.

Find an old barn that has tumbled. Salvage the boards, with permission. The biggest investment is the time.

5 boards at a time.

You can also go to a recycle center where ppl have tuned in their leftover paint cans. Free. There's your
pre-coat. Paint them before putting them up.

You'll be surprised how a bit every day surprises you. lol. Pars

[parsley]

Black, do you have any original pics of the building of the barn? pars

[Horse]

Glad your back, nice to have some different opinions.
Hope you enjoy your heritage and appreciate the hard work and commitment that went into building something because some day the BTOs will have it and it will be gone so they can grow another bushel of canola, the only thing they seem to appreciate is profit.

[parsley]

Glad your back, nice to have some different opinions.
Hope you enjoy your heritage and appreciate the hard work and commitment that went into building something because some day the BTOs will have it and it will be gone so they can grow another bushel of canola, the only thing they seem to appreciate is profit.

Thanks, Horse.

BTO = Big time operator? Don't forget feeding the family comes first!

The old saddle sits in the barn. And I've claimed it as my job to spruce it up as it's old and cracking. I bought some leather softener. Any advice?

[Braveheart]

Old saddles need two lubricants. Saddle soap and elbow grease. Some Neatsfoot oil after the saddle soap would help as well.

[parsley]

Old saddles need two lubricants. Saddle soap and elbow grease. Some Neatsfoot oil after the saddle soap would help as well.

Thanks Brave. I grew up on a horse, but never rode on a saddle! This is apparently a rather unique saddle, so I bought several brands of softener. I'll get some Neatsfoot. And I do have the elbow grease.. thanks so much. Pars

[Braveheart]

I love old saddles, especially western type. As a boy I rode in an old slick fork with a high cantle and pommel. It was so comfortable and was a real vintage saddle. My Dad traded it for a modern roping saddle that was like riding on a brindle of shingles.