32. Hard Times It was during the Great Depression* years when Alphy and Margurita were married and started their family. There was very little money, and paid work was scarce. Families in rural areas were quite self-sufficient, as they raised/grew most of their food supply. Alphy was a blacksmith, but when work was scarce he also did farming on a small scale to keep the family fed. He raised chickens, pigs and dairy cows. This was a traditional family, in which the role of breadwinner was primarily that of the husband, and the care of the children and the household chores was primarily the responsibility of the wife. Alphy made sure there was enough to eat, and enough wood stored for the winter to keep the family warm. Margurita took care of the children, and did the household chores, including carrying water for the family's daily needs. During the child rearing years, Alphy took a special interest in helping the children with their homework, and teaching them their prayers. Margurita also helped clothe the children by sewing, knitting and mending. She helped with the manual chores of milking the cows. Both Alphy and Margurita worked as a team, taking care of the children, and each other. The couple complemented each other, for example - Alphy sometimes had high expectations of the children, sometimes expecting them 'to be seen and not heard'. Margurita would chide him saying, "You were a child once," reminding him that," You were not always on good behavior." There was no doctor in the community of DeBlois and . The nearest community with a doctor was Tignish , and during the depression years, most folks could not afford to pay for medical needs. Out of this need, there emerged the role of the midwife (femme sage). Alphy's stepmother, Mary Anne , developed this skill and helped deliver many babies in DeBlois and surrounding areas. So this was the case, when Margurita and Alphy were expecting their first child.... * The Great Depression was between 1932-1939, a time of mass unemployment, which was worldwide in scope. 63