It was me’ birthday last week I was one year older than I was last year and will be a year older next year if I’m spared. How time does fly. “Would I want to be young again”? “Not a chance!” When I look at whats ahead for the world and compare my life, born in World War one brought up in strife ridden’ Britain, the 1926 strike the Great Depression. The growth of totalitarianism, Facism, Socialism, pride pox and poverty – the second world war, I still figure my life will be infinitly better than this fat cat future world. The changes have been immense, but we had flying machines, hydro, radio and electric transportation when I was born.

I remember the heavy trucks with solid tires and I was born in a period when the switch from horse power to gasoline power for transportation was happening, horsehold stables converting to garages, but horse —- underfoot was our daily life yet.

After 60 years of living I still hate change. I’ve always fought change but many of the changes were for the better and made for less effort in our lives. Although I’m a landed immigrant, there aren’t a helluva lot of the original families surviving on our street. When I first farmed there were 18 farmers shipping milk between Cherry Valley and Salmon Point, now there are seven of us and we ship more milk than at that time. The road by our place was dirt in them days hydro hadn’t been strung into the back concessions yet and there were only half a dozen tractors and water pressure systems in the Township of Athol 30 years back.

Anyways, I was surprised by an unexpected birthday party, had a good time, the empties and quart mix bottles lined up to prove our affluent society, inflation or no.

Harry Brewers shrimp was really something but the pots and pans used for the ingredients drew a few comments from our kitchen drudges. Was hungover the first time since Geneva Park but the hair on the dog and a couple of Aspirin next morning straightened out the situation.