I’ve been working on this project for quite some time and finally have a cover to share. This may or may not be the final cover. Let me know what you think.
This is the blurb for You Can Take The Girl From The Prairie
A collection of short stories inspired by growing up on a prairie farm in the fifties and sixties. Some humorous and others sad, but all heartfelt. Stories about family life, cowboy wisdom, immigrant grandmothers, an inspiring teacher, and the arrival of a new sibling are part of this collection of tales from another time and another place. Proof that you can take the girl from the prairie but you can’t take the prairie from the girl.
I am hoping to publish this collection of short stories soon. Watch this space.
The best way to remember the past is through photographs and I’m fortunate to have some great ones. I shared a few here and promised to share more from my collection. These all feature my dad and his friends and family over the years.
Family life often centred around the kitchen on the farm. This is where we ate, chatted, played cards and board games, and often took pictures.
A typical get-together on the farm in the 1960s, with the men visiting over coffee. My dad on the left and my cute little brother hanging over the back of the chair.
Another kitchen get-together, probably after a game of cards. My dad is seated.
Happy family, early 1960s. Another kitchen picture.
Dad as a young boy on his father’s the farm n the 1930s
My dad, (centre holding a bowl) worked at Medalta Pottery in the late-1940s
My dad, far right, with his parents and younger brother, mid-1940s.
My favourite picture, taken in the early 1940s. Dad is on the right with his younger brother and best friend. These three were buddies to the end.
I had to include this picture from 16 years ago of the same three when they were in their eighties. My dad is in the middle, his brother to the right, and his friend to the left.
Dad on his horse in the 1940s
Just a snippet of life on a Canadian farm in the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s and ’60s.
Since this series began in January 2018 there have been over 1200 Posts from Your Archiveswhere bloggers have taken the opportunity to share posts to a new audience…
The topics have ranged from travel, childhood, recipes, history, family and the most recent series was #PotLuck where I shared a random selection of different topics.
This series is along the same lines and is a celebration of Christmas and New Year.
I do appreciate that this is not a religious festival for everyone but it is a time of year when families and friends come together and our thoughts turn to our hopes and wishes for the coming year. At the end of the post you can find out how to participate in this festive series.
Today children’s author Darlene Fostershares a delightful true Christmas story….do you believe in Santa?
As much as I love to travel and visit my family and friends, I always miss my two doggies Dot and Lia. Fortunately, there are pets at many of the places I visit. Here are a few pictures of the pets I spent time with while in Canada in September.
Brandy, a Golden Labrador/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. A real sweetheart.
Brandy in her yard playing ball.
Come on, throw the ball.
Grandpuppy Petite on Mudge Island
Grandkitty, Bimbay on Mudge Island
Lexi, the oldest of my Granddaughter’s pets, enjoying a sunny day.
Mandy the Newfoundland dog. A big cuddly teddy bear.
Mandy, the guard dog.
Roni, another of my granddaughter’s pets. Those eyes!
Me and my buddy Roni
And there are many cats as well. This is Earl Grey. The coolest cat ever and I love his name.
We can’t forget the goats. Did I mention my granddaughter loves animals? I didn’t get pictures of all of them either.
Beelzebub, my grandson’s newly acquired pet who seems very happy with his new home.
Lola, my son’s family pug. Another cutie.
Willow, an Australian Shepherd. A special dog for a special girl in Vancouver.
Well, not really a pet, but my great granddaughter’s badger Halloween costume.
How about an awesome cake that looks like a pet?
So you can see I had many pets to keep me company until I came home to these two.
I am pleased to be featured on Judith Barrow’s blog where I share a memory of a different time and place. Judith is an accomplished writer of family sagas and runs this wonderful “places in our memories” series on her blog.
There are places that remain in our memories, the details may become slightly blurred, nostalgia may colour our thoughts, but they don’t fade. And how those places made us feel at the time is the one thing that remains.
Today I’m welcoming Darlene Foster, a friend I’ve known online for quite a while, and had the great pleasure in meeting and getting to know her in real life at Barb Taub’s writing retreat on Arran, a few weeks ago.
Darlene is here to tell us about the time her baby brother was born during the blizzards at her near Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada.
I remember when my brother, Timothy, was born. It had been a typical cold and snowy prairie winter. Blizzards created impassable road conditions. Mom expected the third member of our family to arrive in early February. Dad was concerned that when the time came, the…
The second Monday in October is Canadian Thanksgiving, typically a time for family. Although I’m thankful every day, this is an opportunity to reflect on the many blessings that I have in my life. Since I just returned from a fabulous visit to Canada, I am especially thankful for my many friends and family. I thought I would share some recent family moments with you in honour of Thanksgiving.
You can click on the images to enlarge them.
Spending time with my daughter on her island in BC is always special.
Spending time in Alberta with my son and his amazing family is always fun!
Always great to see my brother in Calgary
And then there are the many cousins I was delighted to see, as well as a dear aunt and uncle
Yes, I am blessed with many cousins and these are just a few of them.
I am so happy and thankful to have a huge, loving and supportive family.
My blogging friend, Beetley Pete, has been running a series of posts featuring photographs from post-war Britain. They are fascinating, a great look back at another time and another place. I would suggest you check them out here.
I love old photographs and am so pleased that my family is a family of picture takers. Over the years I have accumulated some wonderful old pictures from the Canadian prairies. So I thought I would post a few of them from time to time as others may enjoy them too. Many will be of family and some will be poor quality. The following are from the 1950s.
This four-generation picture is one of my favourites. Seated is my great-grandmother, and on the left is my grandmother holding little me (and teddy). My mom is on the right. These three women were a huge influence in my life. The shadow of my dad taking the picture makes it even more special.
Another favourite with special women in my life. From left to right, my aunt with my cousin, Mom holding my little brother, me (with teddy), my paternal grandmother, a close family friend I called Aunty and her two children (who I’m still friends with).
Now here is one I just love. I am on the right with my aunt and my brother. We were playing wedding and needed a bridesmaid so we put a dress on my younger brother. He looks so happy because we actually let him play with us. We look a bit guilty, I think. He is not fond of this picture but has forgiven us. I think he looks so cute!
Two farm kids from the 1950s at Hilda, Alberta. One now lives in Thailand, the other in Spain. Who would have thought?
Here I am on the farm with my brother and a snowman we had just built; our dog lurking in the background.
My next little brother with my mom’s teenage sisters, my dear aunts. Another favourite picture.
There you have it, six pictures from another time. I have more to share later.
Thanks for joining me on my trip down memory lane.
The Year I Discovered Santa Claus by Darlene Foster
Most children dream of seeing Santa Claus. I stayed up as late as possible every Christmas Eve but always fell asleep, only to wake up in the morning to see the jolly fellow had visited and left gifts.
***
It was to be our last Christmas on the farm. Mom and Dad had purchased a house in the city and planned to move in the next spring. The whole family was gathering at the farm one last time to spend the holiday with them.
We lived in Calgary at the time, a three-hour drive away. The morning of the 24th, Hubby was busy loading luggage as I pulled gifts out from under the tree to take with us. We had a couple of stops to make before arriving at the farm. It was important that the gifts that were to be dropped off first, went into the trunk last. Crawling under the tree to retrieve the carefully wrapped packages at the very back, a searing pain shot up my spine. I couldn’t move forward, backward or sideways. Paul came in for another load only to find me under the tree on all fours and in tears.
“I’ve put my back out and I can’t move,” I croaked.
He managed to lift me out from under the tree and lay me on the couch. From there I gave him instructions as to where to place each gift.
My ten-year-old daughter panicked when she saw me. “Does this mean we can’t go?”
“Are you sure you can manage the drive?” Paul asked.
I assured both of them I would be OK. I was not missing the last Christmas on the farm. So I took medication and hobbled to the car. I managed fine on the three-hour drive. Paul dropped off the gifts we needed to deliver on the way, while I stayed in the car. Once at the farm, getting out of the car proved difficult, but my dad and brothers were soon there, giving me a hand. Dad put me in his comfy chair and immediately put a heating pad behind my back. My brothers helped remove my boots and Mom made me a cup of tea. I was feeling the love, and happy to be home.
The kids of all ages, bundled up and went for a sleigh ride, a tradition in our family. Instead of using horses as he did in the past, Dad used a tractor to pull the open sleigh over the snow. I wished I could have gone along as it wouldn’t happen again, but didn´t want to risk it. I stayed back with Mom who prepared food for the evening meal and the big feast the next day. She wouldn´t let me help with the cooking preparations either.
I took more medication and by dinner, I felt better. We had a great meal as always and played a rousing game of marbles. We are a competitive family, so there was shouting and grabbing and perhaps a bit of cheating. All good fun and no one got hurt. Once the children were put to bed, Mom and I kept everyone out of the living room while we filled the stockings and arranged them around the tree. After a midnight drink, we all turned in. The beds at my parents´ house were comfy but old. The one we were given to sleep on had a very soft mattress and I kept rolling into the middle. Every time I did, the pain in my back worsened.
In spite of the extra dose of medication, I wasn´t getting much sleep. I finally grabbed a quilt, took my pillow and moved into the living room to sleep on the nice firm couch. Mom always left the tree lights on all night on Christmas Eve, which I found comforting. I felt like a kid again and soon fell fast asleep.
All of a sudden, I was woken up by someone switching on the bright overhead light. My brother, bare-chested and wearing a pair of beige jogging pants, popped things into everyone´s stocking. He obviously didn´t see me as he went about playing Santa. Then he left the room, switching off the light behind him. I smiled and fell back to sleep with no problem.
The next morning as we stuffed ourselves with pancakes, Dad asked me, “Did you sleep all right, dear?”
I replied, “I moved to the living room and slept just fine. And I saw Santa. He came into the room while I was sleeping and filled the stockings. And – he was stark naked!”
My brother turned red and shouted, “I was not. I had my jogging pants on.”
That was the one and only time I saw Santa Claus.
Enjoy the season, and if you’re lucky, you just might see Santa!
I am very happy to present a guest post from the lovely Darlene Foster. Blogger, and published author of the popular ‘Amanda’ series of books, Darlene is from Canada, and lives in Spain.
Babies and Blizzards
By Darlene Foster
I remember when my brother, Timothy, was born. It had been a typical cold and snowy prairie winter with blizzards creating impassable road conditions. Mom expected the third member of our family to arrive in early February. Dad was concerned that the inclement weather might stop him from getting her to the hospital sixty miles away, when the time came. So he took mom and my younger brother, Lorne to stay with our grandparents in the city well before her due date. Since I had school, I stayed with my great-aunt and great-uncle in the small town near our farm.
I was excited about this as I loved Aunt Elsie and…
After two long years, I finally made it back to Alberta, Canada. As I landed in Calgary and saw the prairies unfold below me, I burst into tears. It was so good to see my family and friends again. I was given comfy beds to sleep in, yummy meals, pets to snuggle and great conversations. Four generations of women spent valuable time together at my granddaughter´s place. We celebrated mom’s life at a local park by talking about her life and how much she meant to each of us, and by sharing food, conversation and laughter. She would have liked that. Here´s just a few photos of the trip.
Mom’s sister and brother along with my brother and I celebrating mom´s lifeThree generations of amazing women, all mine!Grandkids and grand dog. Love them to bits. With number one daughterWith number one sonMy excellent chauffeur in Medicine Hat, the youngest grandson with his first car.
And I woke up to goats outside my window!!
Goats on the prairie. Wiener, Pickle and BeanWith my grand goats
I did a book signing event at a wonderful bookstore in Medicine Hat, called Unlimited Characters.
A book signing at Unlimited Characters in Medicine Hat, Alberta. A great turn out.It was so great to see the prairies
A good friend took me to Banff for a day trip. What a treat. I had forgotten how amazing those Rocky Mountains are. I will do another post just about Banff soon.
The road to BanffWith a good friend at Bow Falls, she treated me to a fabulous day in Banff. Those Rocky Mountains make a great backdrop.
And I got to see cousins I hadn´t seen for a long time.
Cousins are the best!A dear cousin in her lovely back yard. She gave me a place to sleep and drove me around Calgary. And I found the most amazing outhouse! I need to put this in a story somewhere.
It was time well spent and I have all these wonderful memories to keep me going.
Darlene Foster's Blog 