It made me smile and warmed my heart when I saw a literary challenge posted this week. The prompt, write about what it is to gather a harvest, immediately took me to the place that I am passionate about, writing about and sharing - our western heritage, the farmers, and the ranchers.
The story begins a few generations ago. A time when land could be purchased for the simple sum of brawn, tenacity and the want of something to call your own. Clearing fields, building dwellings, planting crops and raising livestock. It was called proving the land, homesteading. It was the start of our western heritage.
The life of a sod-buster was not an easy one. Neighbours were few and far between, but you knew who they were and they were the people you could depend on. They would come from miles away to help put up a barn, bring in the harvest and gather the cattle. The distance didn’t matter between neighbours back then. There was an unwritten code that you would help each other survive. You bartered for things you didn’t have for things they did have - flour, vegetables, harness, chickens, cows, and horses.
The story begins a few generations ago. A time when land could be purchased for the simple sum of brawn, tenacity and the want of something to call your own. Clearing fields, building dwellings, planting crops and raising livestock. It was called proving the land, homesteading. It was the start of our western heritage.
The life of a sod-buster was not an easy one. Neighbours were few and far between, but you knew who they were and they were the people you could depend on. They would come from miles away to help put up a barn, bring in the harvest and gather the cattle. The distance didn’t matter between neighbours back then. There was an unwritten code that you would help each other survive. You bartered for things you didn’t have for things they did have - flour, vegetables, harness, chickens, cows, and horses.
Life in the farming and ranching community is still challenging; however, the deep seeded values that have been passed from generation to generation keeping the soul of their existence in place. The times of technology have replaced some of the old ways, but there is a sense of camaraderie that has never disappeared from the days their ancestors took the journey to prove the land. Neighbours are still important and yes, even far away ones will make every effort to be on hand when they are needed.
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If you were to have a conversation with the people who are the backbone of our country, a.k.a. the farmers and ranchers, their humble reply would be only a bit of the iceberg as they explain their life. They won't dwell on what they do and have done for our country, that's not their way. But you will hear pride in their voice when they tell you . . .
“The outsider sees it as a glamorous life until they take the time to do some digging and find out we spend most days racing Mother Nature. Sometimes it’s to get the crops planted and sometimes it’s to get them harvested. Calving doesn’t wait for sunny days and neither does fall round up when an early snow can blizzard its way across the range. We are not immune to floods, wildfires, and droughts, so why do we do this ritual year after year? It’s simple, it’s what we do. It’s part of us. It’s our life. It’s our livelihood.”
“The outsider sees it as a glamorous life until they take the time to do some digging and find out we spend most days racing Mother Nature. Sometimes it’s to get the crops planted and sometimes it’s to get them harvested. Calving doesn’t wait for sunny days and neither does fall round up when an early snow can blizzard its way across the range. We are not immune to floods, wildfires, and droughts, so why do we do this ritual year after year? It’s simple, it’s what we do. It’s part of us. It’s our life. It’s our livelihood.”
These quiet, unassuming, people share their heritage every day by providing the food we eat and through their stewardship of the land. The dedication to this lifestyle enables the stories of gathering the harvests to continue for generations yet to come.
Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Prompt - September 21, 2017 - write what it is to gather a harvest.
Ann Edall-Robson
Author, Photographer, Lover of Life
"Capturing moments others may never get to experience."
Author, Photographer, Lover of Life
"Capturing moments others may never get to experience."
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