The Wander Years

I grew up in the southern part of Manitoba in the village of Schanzenfeld. (shon-zen-felt for those who are wondering how to pronounce that nasty German-type word.)

My parents had purchased about 10 acres of land in the late '60's, mostly pasture land, and it was prime wandering-around-looking-for-frogs-and-snakes territory. The house on the property was built in the early 1900's and was originally an old grainery, I am told, but the old place did it's purpose in keeping a roof over our heads. Mom and Dad made it a place for our family to call home.

I was very young, maybe four years old, when my mom would allow to me explore the yard on my own. I'd be out there for hours.

Tony was a few months older than me and he died when we were 14 years old.

My dog Tony, a surviving mutt from a litter of pups whose mother had been quite promiscuous in our neighbourhood, would follow me everywhere. Fortunately Tony was very loyal and extremely protective because, thanks to him, I never wandered onto the road or fell into a well. I shudder when I think about what was on the property at that time. I could have been on the six o'clock news......many times! I've never asked her, but I will assume my mother checked on me as I was roaming about.....although I wondered about those days when I'd come in the house after exploring the yard and she'd be having a nap. Hmmmm. Whatever. I survived.

I had several pets over the years. My favorites, besides my dog Tony, were a couple of cats by the name of Charlie and one by the name of Cookie. (I didn't have them at the same time.) Both of these cats grew well into old age. But, alas, one day Charlie just never came home, presumably hit by a car, and Cookie met her demise by the barrel of a gun. Cookie was a very irresponsible feline and was "in the family way" too many times to count so my dad told me one day that she had to go. Any animal on the yard that was more trouble than it was worth just had to go and that's just the way it was. No questions.

Cookie

Charlie

I had rabbits and several other cats throughout the years as pets but our family also had chickens, ducks, pigs and slightly further back than I can remember we apparently also had a turkey. The latter animals weren't considered pets. They were food and so I was informed to not give them names.

Later in the summer, any time I felt peckish, all I had to do was wander out into the yard and find something to munch on. No, not animals but something much better. We had raspberries, gooseberries (which were the most sour berries I've ever tasted in my life), strawberries, plums, choke cherries and many different kinds of apples. What I wouldn't do to have that luxury now! Mom always planted a large vegetable garden too so I could pick as many fresh peas and carrots that I could fit into a scooped shirt and lay under a shady tree and enjoy my harvest.

I made plenty of friends while growing up in Schanzenfeld. I had no choice. That's just the way it was. I probably had more friends in the little community of a few hundred people than my kids have in a city of almost 100,000. It was a different time and I'm happy to have been a part of that era.

I'm pretty certain that when my kids hear my stories about the good ol' days, they would like to roll their eyes or at the very least, give a big sigh. I know I would. They're polite enough not to. I tell my offspring that it really was a time when we had lots of freedom and yes, moms would just yell out the door and from out of nowhere, their children came running to the house. I often wasn't even questioned about what I'd been up to when I'd come swinging through the door, but if I had been doing something naughty, my mom knew. I think my children believe my stories but it's hard to tell. Hearing myself talk about my young life sounds like fiction to me now.

Schanzenfeld is now a suburb of the city of Winkler. The area is filling up with new houses, built close together with little character.

Oh, what a life I led! *Sigh* Then I grew up and life got stressful. Oh well, all good things must come to an end I suppose. When I was a little bambino, I used to tell myself "I can't wait until I grow up!"

What was I thinking? I had it all!

For all of you camera fanatics, my photos were shot with
the Kodak Instamatic 126 (or something like that??) similar to the one shown above.
Note the optional cube flash bulb for enjoyable indoor photography.
And to think, it would only take about a week (or two) until your photos were
processed at the local pharmacy!