Why I live where I do.

pitw · #1 12-05-2010, 07:24 PM

I guess part of the reason is I got the freedom to do more than most people in the world. Yesterday I got to be out in the trees getting a load of firewood for hog butchering today.

Nothing fancy around here as we like to keep it simple.

Take a couple of these.

And make them look different with the whole family helping and learning in my school.

The crew as it were.

Even get to try and tell the weather by looking at a pigs spleen[looks good for awhile but there is a definite bad spell later on].

Tomorrow the young lady and I will cut and wrap all the chops, roasts and get the bacon and hams curing for later smoking. With this help we managed to do one hog in 33 minutes from shot to hanging halves[the first one took a little longer but not much].

pitw · #2 12-05-2010, 07:25 PM

Then it was off to our local hamlet where the area residents put on a yearly Christmas concert. The school closed here in I believe 84 and we turned it into a community hall. No church so it is just the effort of a community staying together by doing together. I've never saw a performance by any paid actors or singers in my life that could make a person feel as good as the people there today made me feel.
Started out with my boy Bobby playing our national anthem and the whole crowd sang.

Then an 88 year old former teacher[started teaching there in '64] played Joy to the world while the crowd accompanied with voice.

The youngsters did a couple skits with song.

Then my other lad Donny played a solo for the crowd, I wish you a Merry Christmas.

The local ladies did a skit they made up.

Followed by Santa bring toys and sweets for the youngsters[idiot on the camera blew this part]. This followed by more food than the 100 attendees could have eaten in a week and the fellowship of the best neighbors to be found. Hope you all can find this type of joy for yourselves and have a great holiday season.
Barry

sourdough doug · #3 12-05-2010, 07:44 PM

I really hope that we all can too, Barry. It appears that you and yours already have and a lot of people are sorrily envious of that. May the Christmas spirit start as of now and be felt by all..

Fisherpeak · #4 12-05-2010, 07:44 PM

Now that`s nice old fashion fun,congrats to you and thanks for the reminder of what life is all about!

TreeGuy · #5 12-05-2010, 07:59 PM

Great thread Pitw. It makes me nostalgic for 'back home'. From my family to yours, have a very merry Christmas.

Oh.....can you explain the spleen thing? Never heard of that before.

fat cat · #6 12-05-2010, 08:09 PM

Good on you. Old fashioned, traditional, family work get togethers are great. I love getting together to butcher, and make sausauge. To get wood ready for winter, etc. It is a great time. I just need to know what you look for in that speen, to tell the weather? Lenght, width, colour? Very interested in how it is done, and how it has been done, for the last hundred years.

2 Tollers · #7 12-05-2010, 08:18 PM

Barry, great job posting this up. Love the small town and rural friendships.

Hugh

KegRiver · #8 12-05-2010, 08:22 PM

We don't have a hog to butcher, and for us it's grandkids with parts in the show. But the community gatherings are about the same.

We have a purpose built hall and a skating rink for the kids. Other then that pretty much everything is the thing same here.

There is no life like it.

Merry Christmas to you and your neighbors. Your family and friends.
May the rest of this year be kind to you all, and may the next be better the the last!

Great thread!

horsetrader · #9 12-05-2010, 08:49 PM

Merry Christmas to you and your family Barry

From mine. Kim

pogo · #10 12-05-2010, 09:00 PM

I'll give you even more reason to be happy about where you live.

In the city, Christmas concerts (can't even say the 'C' word) have been replaced with an "Integrated Studies Expo". In January. Doesn't that conjure up butterflies in your stomach, and excited anticipation? Visions of "studies" dancing through your head?

Merry Christmas! ; ))

pitw · #11 12-05-2010, 09:05 PM

Thanks guys. The spleen thing was told to a neighbor and I about 15 years ago by an old timer who lived without running water, TV and many other essentials[now deceased]. Basically he said that you take it out and look at it's entire length, dividing it into sections for the months of winter. This one showed wide[bad sign] for the start[we had the cold spell] and then nice and even for a couple months that will be followed by wide again[sounds like a late winter miserable time]. We always check and it's actually amazing how often it works out. Kinda/sorta like the hawk sitting on a flat fence post facing due East thingy. Just some of the past down lore that always intrigues me as there is no science to it that I know of.

fat cat · #12 12-05-2010, 09:28 PM

Thanks. I love, and believe the old way. Nature can tell us way more than the modern scientific crap. I have heard about the spleen before, never heard about the hawk. I think you should start a thread about good old fashion beliefs and traditions. Have you got anymore?...no wait save them for a new thread..it will be great! Thanks again.

hayseed · #13 12-05-2010, 09:38 PM

PITW, great thread, makes me long for my youth.

We had a community hall west of Breton AB, and hosted Christmas concerts for many years, memories galore...choir, theatre, summer/winter camps, dances.... man... how time flies..

Thx for sharing, and keeping smalltown alive....

deanmc · #14 12-05-2010, 09:40 PM

Nice thread. Reminds me of growing up on the farm. Thanks Pitw

BobLoblaw · #15 12-05-2010, 09:49 PM

Now it all makes sense!
We used to have a pet pig; he used to turn on the T.V. and switch to the weather channel. Now I see that he was just trying to keep us from ripping out his spleen!!!

Rocks · #16 12-05-2010, 11:41 PM

Great stuff Pitw, I enjoyed that. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

pat84 · #17 12-05-2010, 11:51 PM

http://www.pigspleen.ca/modules/content/index.php?id=7
I grew up not to far from the fella that this song is about.

super7mag · #18 12-06-2010, 06:10 AM

Reminds me of the farm, we used to always butcher hogs in late fall., I got a good chuckle over the spleen and the weather as my ol' man was just nasking if I knew anyone that done some hogs and how did the spleen look. I told him I had no idea, but I will pass on your forecast now. The ol barrel and loader thats how we done it aswell. We had 20 lb ceramic crocs for curing the bacon and the hams, there is really nothing as good as opening up the ol smoker to check the bacon, I always slice off an end piece and eat it right outta the smoker mmm good. merry X-mas to you and your family.

bb356 · #19 03-10-2011, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pitw

Thanks guys. The spleen thing was told to a neighbor and I about 15 years ago by an old timer who lived without running water, TV and many other essentials[now deceased]. Basically he said that you take it out and look at it's entire length, dividing it into sections for the months of winter. This one showed wide[bad sign] for the start[we had the cold spell] and then nice and even for a couple months that will be followed by wide again[sounds like a late winter miserable time]. We always check and it's actually amazing how often it works out. Kinda/sorta like the hawk sitting on a flat fence post facing due East thingy. Just some of the past down lore that always intrigues me as there is no science to it that I know of.

I think the pig is pretty close !!!