Meet Someone Special

We'd like to introduce . . . Auntie Rose.

Introduction

Picture a portly woman -- the wife of a farmer. Her face is very pale and clean. A touch of wrinkles caress her brow. Lovely black hair, a little gray at the temples -- worn in a bun at the nape of her neck.

A clean, pale saffron yellow apron with tiny white polka dots covers her dark navy blue calico dress. The calico print is made of small white and pink flowers. A white lace collar decorates the neckline.

You have the impression you have stepped back into the 1940's. The kitchen is very large, with clean white walls. A massive wood burning stove dominates the room.

The delicious aroma of fresh baked bread greets you as you enter the doorway. In the middle of the room is a large table -- higher than normal, with flour decorating the edges. This is the "working table", where bread is kneaded, pie crust is rolled; and the most delicious strudel is fashioned.

To the right of the back door is a hand-crank milk separator. Inside the separator is a bell. As you begin to crank, the bell rings -- ding, ding, ding. When you get up to the proper speed, you no longer hear the bell . . .

The garden is directly to the left of the back porch, and protected by barbed wire on 2 sides. A small wooden fence in need of white wash protects the other 2 sides. This fence is just high enough to keep the turkeys and chickens out. Any other small pests or rodents are handled by "Charles" the gopher snake.

The garden is a fair size -- approximately 75 yds. by 35 yds., with lush green vegetation and nice dark black Saskatchewan top soil. Today we'll gather new potatoes and peas.

In the kitchen near the back door is a small wicker basket. As you step onto the porch, you pick up the basket for the potatoes. You also grab the well aged and well dented galvanized bucket. The bucket is just the perfect size for those peas. Oh -- don't forget to grab the trowel that leans against the bench!

About 20' down -- just past the squash -- we find the new potatoes. Using your trowel, you dig in the soil and gather 15 or 16 potatoes. The potatoes are cool in your hand, and the aroma of fresh turned soil fills the air.

Now we travel to the end of the row and turn right. There we find peas growing over a wire tent trellis. With an aggressive SNAP of the thumb, you gather the pea pods; and just to verify that it is a good crop -- you sample a few. The taste of sweet fresh peas fills your mouth, and you think of dinner.

So with goods in hand, you hurry to the back porch, putting the trowel back against the bench. The pea pods are put in a paper sack. The bucket is then rinsed out, and filled with around 5" of clean water. You add 5 potatoes.

Now, hold the bucket at arm's length and agitate it. The rough dents on the bucket take the peal right off your potatoes! Once all the potatoes are peeled, you rinse them and take them to the kitchen. There you put them in a large pot of water on the stove to boil.

Now you need to prepare the peas . . . You sit on a wooden kitchen chair and snap the pods, placing the peas in the big colander. No sampling allowed ~~ after all, these are for dinner.

While you snap the peas, Auntie Rose begins the cream sauce. The aroma of roasting chicken from the oven mingles with the smell of the cream sauce, boiling potatoes, and the fresh peas. You realize how very hungry you are.

Susie was a "gift" from a local university -- part of a breeding experiment. When she first arrived, she was a dainty 300 lbs. She eventually grew to a more delicate 3,000 lbs.

Susie arrived one weekday in a special truck and crate from the university. She had to be separated from the other breeds. Her pen was about 3 ft. high, and made out of wooden 4x4's. Part of her pen extended into the back of the barn -- allowing her to go inside to stay cool and dry.

One of the more negative aspects of Susie was keeping her pen clean; after all, a one ton sow leaves quite a mess! (Please note -- rubber boots are essential to this task!)

Once a day, Auntie Rose would brew up "Susie's Slop", a concoction composed of anything that resembled "left-overs" -- nothing is wasted on a farm. Susie's favorite treats were fresh carrots and corn-on-the-cob, fed by hand.

Carrots and corn were usually given in the late afternoon. After that, you would grab the stiff bristled brush that was hanging in the back of the barn, and give Susie a good brushing -- especially the back of her neck and her ears. As you brushed, Susie would emit a low, "rumble-y" grunt that could not be mistaken for anything but pure pleasure.

In the south side of Susie's pen were two zinc galvanized pipes, filled with concrete, and tightly anchored to the ground. In between brushings, Susie would "visit" these pipes and give herself an all-over body scratch. The epitome of cheap entertainment for those who watched.

Susie also had - for those occasions when she got really muddy - a narrow area of her pen that had a textured concrete floor and metal pipes for the sides. You would entice Susie into this area (maybe with an apple); turn on the hose, and fill a bucket with soap and water; grab the long-handled brush from the wall, and scrub Susie clean as a whistle. She would squeal and grunt with great delight.

During her stay, Susie gave birth to twelve roly-poly little piglets. She was a good mother, and the big challenge was to make sure she didn't roll over and hurt her little ones.

At the end of the summer, Susie and eight of the piglets were returned to the university. The other four piglets inherited Susie's pen and Susie's slop. They enjoyed treats of carrots, corn and apples, received a daily scratching, those most necessary baths; and provided great entertainment as they slopped in the mud, scratched on the pipes and did all the things that growing piglets do!

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