Page 23 - 1st Anthology 2011

Another time we were cleaning the basement, and we were cleaning the vegetables, and
my mom had the short handled fork. We were cleaning out the old vegetables. The fork

was small and flat. We had to crawl through the window. I had to go out and pick the
stuff up. I used the wheel barrel. I used the children’s wagon to haul stuff around. We
would throw the stuff outside through there. When we were working down there I should
have known my mom was a chicken. There was a rat down there, something like a rat,
must have been a big mouse. I told her its right over there where you’re going to dig. You
just watch it. I was going to tell her to be careful. Here I said it the wrong way and she got
scared. She poked my leg and she said you get in there and kill it. I did what I was told. So
I just grabbed one of the small shovels and I killed it. I picked it up with the shovel and
showed it to her. I was told to get away with it. That’s all I know how we lived.

We also had to milk cows. My dad was beginning to milk young cows. That was my chore
was to milk cows in the mornings and in the evenings. She said you start milking young
cows. You watch it, you tie the hind legs first. Of course I didn’t tie it well because she
kicked that pail of milk into my face. My dad laughed, he said I told you what to do. You
don’t listen. Now you know that why we tell you these things. After awhile I didn’t have
to tie her legs because she got used to me.

My youngest son he survived on raising pigs and selling them in High River or some
place. One time he was taking them on his truck, he had a little black truck. The end gate
came off and the pigs got out. They got all over the farm where he was. He was running
around trying to catch them. After catching them all he took them to the slaughterhouse.
The next time when he traveled with pigs he was going to nail his tailgate.

That’s how the animals survived. The coyotes whatever they can hunt they eat it. Hawks

and eagles they survived on mice, gopher and they enjoyed chickens. I found out, the
hard way too because I lost a lot of chickens that way.

Animals are smart. They’re smarter than humans. They know how to survive. Like you
talk about bears hibernating. You don’t see mice or any animal running around when
there’s bad weather.

Right now in my house, I have no basement it’s just cement flooring. On the edge of the

floor and the wall, there must be openings. The house inspector came and he didn’t do
anything about it. He said there were holes on the outside where the boards meet. That’s
why ants and different color worms come inside my house. It used to be my job by
putting raid around the house, now it’s my daughter’s job. She’s smarter then me. She
even puts it on the outside of the house. So it’s not too bad now. We didn’t have any

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