The Way It Was

The sleigh trip to get there was long, but this traditional visit to Grandma and Grandpa was worth it!

February 22nd was my Grandpa and Grandma Martin’s wedding anniversary and, every year there was a standing invitation to be at their place for supper, regardless of the weather. Chores were done early and we struck out as soon as school was over at 4 p.m. The five-mile trip going south was not usually very exciting as it was still daylight, and our horse Maude pulling the cutter always seemed to make better time on the way there. We would arrive by 5 p.m. just as it was getting dark.

Mom, my sister, Marjorie, and I would hurry to the house to get warm, while Dad unhitched and put the mare in the stable and covered the cutter in case it snowed.

Supper would be ready by the time Dad got to the house. Usually we had roast chicken with dressing (stuffing) and cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, turnips or carrots and of course apple pie and cheese for dessert. Grandma was a good cook and we’d always eat more than we should have.

After supper, the dishes were washed, then the four adults often played a game of cards or Crokinole. Dinner and entertainment always seemed so different because they did not have electricity and all was done in lamp light. We kids enjoyed looking at pictures in the viewfinder or cranking up the victrola to listen to music. Before long it was time for a cup of tea and a plate of cookies. Then it was time to get dressed to go home. Dad and Grandpa would light the lanterns and head for the barn to get the horse hitched to the cutter.

Grandma would rake down the coals in the kitchen stove and put the charcoal, which

Dad always brought for the foot warmer, on to get it burning. By the time we had our coats, caps and mittens on, ready to go, Grandma would take the tongs and carefully lift out the burning. charcoal and place two

or three pieces in the tray of the foot warmer, close the drawer and turn the button so it would not open. There wasn’t much air in the tray so the charcoal just barely kept burning.

When the horse was hitched, Grandpa would come to the house with his lantern and we would follow the path from the house to the barn. Dad would have the horse blanket folded and placed in the bottom of the cutter for Marjorie and me to sit on with the foot warmer between us. Then at least one blanket would be put over us. After Mom and Dad got in, they covered their knees and us with the buffalo robe. There was a hook on the side of the cutter from which the lantern hung. Before we headed off for Tweed, Grandpa always went around both sides of the cutter with his lantern to make sure the blankets and robe were well tucked in.

During winter, we never used the lane because it was always full of snowbanks so we drove across the field to the highway at the top of the hill.

Home at Last

When the horse walked, all you could hear was the squeak of the cutter shoes sliding across the frozen snow, but when she finally trotted, the snowballs from her hooves would hit the dashboard and we kids, in the bottom, felt every ball. Sometimes the moon would be shining brightly and we could see where we were, but often it would be snowing and we kids were glad to sit low and trust Maude and Dad to get us home. Maude would trot briefly and then walk, but would soon take off trotting again, all the while the chime bells on her back kept us entertained. The heat from the foot warmer kept us fairly warm and sometimes we would doze off because it was well past our regular bedtime.

Finally, we would make it home, and if we were awake, we would hurry to the house to enjoy the heat, but if we were asleep Dad would carry us in. After firing up the stove, Mom would undress us. Dad would return to the barn to put Maude in the stable and the cutter in the shed, which he would cover to keep it dry and free of snow. Then it was off to bed to get ready for the next day.

Many have asked why we didn’t take the car, but you must remember those old cars didn’t have a decent heater for winter driving and the highway was only a gravel road which was not ploughed. The possibility of getting stuck crossing the field or on the road ruled out that idea. The horse and cutter was slow and uncomfortable, but the outing and the delicious meal made all the effort worthwhile.