Chapter 26
Adapting To Change

In June 1978 I had asked Howard and Graham Rosengren to come out when they could find time to castrate and vaccinate calves and yearlings. I never was any good with a knife or syringe. Gene Gosselin was along also. The work was finished and they went their way home. I started walking to the house when I was half way I suddenly discovered I had a severe pain in my leg. I made it to the house and told Zellie I had a problem. I could still drive and went to see Dr. Fong in Weyburn. After an examination. he said to go home and have someone bring me back and be prepared to stay in the hospital a few days, and quick. Zellie took me to the hospital and we were told I had a blood clot in my leg. I was in the hospital 14 days the latter part of June. When I left to go home, I had an interview with Dr. Fong about the future. He said, "Can you go home and find a way to cut your work in half?" "Well," I said, "I guess so." "Do you have cattle?" "Yes, I do." "Can you get along without them?" "Well, yes, if I'm not able to do the work, I guess that's the way to go." "Yes, I think you should plan on doing that."

So that summer I didn't put up any hay. I sold it standing. I didn't bale any straw either, Oh. I tell you it was a lot less work. In July I told Walter Rosengren I wanted to plan for a cattle sale in September at the Estevan Auction Barn. It was arranged to advertise the sale at each weekly auction and a sale sheet with identification was made up and given out the day of the sale. The regular auctioneer was away helping with harvest so an experienced auctioneer from Virden, Manitoba did the selling. We had a good sale and I was kind of glad to have it done with. Zellie's son-in-law and wife from Prince George, Jim and Adele Compstone came prepared to buy what they wanted and they bought six of the Limousin individuals. That was the end of chores. I hadn't heard a horse around since 1972.

In July 1979 Zellie decided to leave the community and move to Govan where Gordon and Jean were still living. I had been wanting to quit farming for the last couple of years. Robert helped me on the farm through seeding and harvest of 1979 but said after the crop was harvested that he was not enthusiastic about farming. He and his wife Linda were living in Weyburn that summer. That was the year we had a cousin from Sweden visit us for a few days. Robert and Linda met her in Regina and she stayed with them. She was Eva Augustsson a fourth generation cousin on our Grandma Truman's side of the family. During the winter of 1979 and 1980 Charlie and Fadiah, who were living in Edmonton at the time, decided they would try their luck at farming. Charlie would come down and help put in the crop and they would move down in July. I stayed on the farm all that summer and helped with the harvest. It wasn't a big crop but we had a good season for harvest and we were done in August.

During the summer Zellie and I had been negotiating a reconciliation agreement and I moved quite a bit of furniture to Govan when I left the farm. Zellie had been living in a low cost housing unit. I tink there were eight units in Govan. We moved into a house owned by Gordon Braun and we were paying rent for almost a year when we decided to buy it. It was basically a good buy since it was in fair condition for an old house. It wasn't easy to get acquainted in a different community but I found the people much like the people of any small town community. We associated with many good people and attended church at the United Church. I joined the Senior Citizens group, the hall was next to Gordon's Red and White store. Zellie was not that interested in the Seniors' activities, it seemed that working full time, five days a week was enough to occupy her time. We did go to community suppers, dances and took part in political activities. I eventually felt satisfied and settled with living there and we helped at the store, more or less in the store warehouse. It was something useful and I enjoyed meeting the people that were steady patrons. It was often in winter that some elderly people kept closer to home, and I delivered groceries to individuals who needed help to get supplies home. It seemed that our environment was just as good or better by being removed from the farm.

I did go to the farm both spring and fall to help, partly because it was a change and because I still enjoyed doing work that I had done all my working years. It wasn't that I was needed.