WINTER AND ITS HARDSHIPS

In days gone by, winter caused more hardships than it does at the present time. In the early forties, there was so much snow, one could stand on the bank and touch electrical wires. Maritime Electric often sent out warnings to students to stay away from the wires.

The snow on the main highway was often so high, the snow plow was not capable of breaking a track through the banks. Often the men in the district would have to get out and shovel a path so that the machine could go up the hill. The snow plows today are much larger and more powerfiJl when opening the roads.

' In that era the driveways were not kept open, because the residents did not have snow blowers to do the job. The vehicles were parked on the road, and we had to climb over huge snow drifts to reach the driveway. If you arrived home after dark, it was even more difficult, for you could not see the house or the outside light, so one did not know where the driveway was. At times, the farm fences had to be removed and the fields became highways for the horse and sleighs.

Joe encountered some difficulty when he transported feed and other commodities from the mill. When he arrived home to the driveway with his cargo, the load had to be transferred to the horse and sleigh, taken to the barn, and unloaded there.

There were no buses to transport the children to school, so the parents had to hitch up the horse to the sleigh and drive them when they had inclement weather.

On stormy days, school would not be cancelled. There were no announcements on the radio. If the teacher and students could get there, they would have school. Sometimes there were only a few students present, and that gave the teacher more time to work with a student who was having difficulty.

Sickness caused a great deal of anxiety if it occurred during the winter. Phones were not available to contact a doctor if someone was extremely ill. Instead, someone had to hitch up the horse to the sleigh and go to Souris to see if the doctor was available to make the journey to the country. There were times when someone arrived at the doctor’s office only to find out

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