I'm sitting here wondering how the pioneers ever did it. Yesterday was the coldest day in 8 years in Manitoba, and broke records where we live, and this Jan. is breaking all kinds of records. We have energy efficient furnaces, warm insulated homes (for the most part), vehicles that have command start and warm heaters. btw - with the windchill yesterday, it was -56C (-57F).

They had homes that were poorly built, horse and buggy, wood stoves (more than one to keep going) and they had to haul and split their own wood.

They had worse winters than we've ever experienced, with blizzards so bad, they couldn't see their barns or at times, even get to them. They had ropes tied to their home and their barn, and if they should lose grip on the rope, many froze to death. They always had to be concerned with fires breaking out in their homes from the wood stoves. They hauled their water from wells, often not even near their homes.

Many, if they had 2 storey homes, didn't have heat upstairs. At once time, our home had 3 wood stoves heating it. When they got up in the morning, it was cold and often their water was froze. (Even when we were first married we had that in a couple homes we lived in.)

When the kids went to school, they walked often or went in horse and buggy. They sat around the stove and tried to keep warm. We on the other hand, have buses that aren't running, schools are closed and the kids are inside. Many of their kids were doing chores at the coldest part of the day.

How on earth did they do it? I can't even begin to imagine. Its so cold here, I haven't even ventured outside in the past week. I'm so soft, I even left our garbage go until next week, because I wasn't going outside to put it out in -56F weather.

Prairiemaid, how are you doing in this cold weather? I'm thinking of you, knowing you have animals and chickens to feed.

Hi CJ. I was telling the kids the other day how they had a rope from the house to the barn in the old days. They shook their heads in disbelief. They couldn't understand how they could get lost going from the house to the barn. Dh and I explained how back then when you are a farm standing on the wide open prairie, there is nothing to block the wind and snow during a blizzard. You couldn't see the barn from the house. With the wind strong enough it would push you off course and you could miss the building by a few feet and not even know it.

I've been wondering how the pioneers do it too but not for the same reasons you are. I'm getting serious cabin fever!!! How did the pioneers live so close in one or two room cabins? Not near as much to entertain themselves as we have today. And larger families!! I would have been a crazy person!!!

We've had school cancelled yesterday and again today. DS and I are a little concerned about the goats. We made sure they have lots of straw to bed down in and we take them lukewarm water to drink. Frozen buckets have been a pain! We sprung leaks on 4 already. These were the heavy duty rubber pails but they are 18+ years old. I got 2 from Princess Auto yesterday. I have never bought pails and was afraid what I would have to pay but they weren't bad, $10 for 12 litre size. I was wondering how the pioneers dealt with frozen water buckets for the animals? I'm sure they didn't have these nice rubber ones that you can kick and stomp on. Maybe they had two pails? One in the house thawing and the other outside? I was wondering what they did on PQ when it was so cold. How did they water the chickens? My chickens are in a heated barn so they are snug. There is no power at the goat barn or else I might hang a heat lamp. Heat lamps can be dangerous around goats anyway. So it's probably best I don't have one in there.

Our driveway is full of snow since it came just before the cold. Dh is waiting for a warmer day to run the snowblower. I need to make chop for the chickens too. I use the tractor's pto to run the hammermill. But things break in these cold temps.

So here I sit trying not to go :yoyo:

I'm with you on getting cabin fever Margret. I'm not sure how they did it either and they had much smaller homes than we do, and little entertainment. Last Sat. I made dh drive me into Brandon because I had to get out. This week, I haven't even been outside.

Interesting you should mention the water pails. Dh has a small heater that you plug in and its called a magnetic heater. Have you ever heard of them? Well our friend here who is a horse rancher needed to keep his water pails from freezing up as well. Bob loaned him the magnetic heater so now his horses have fresh water that isn't frozen. It does the trick!!

Hey there friends! I always think of LIW during the long winter. With Mary sitting next to the stove holding on to the younger child. It must have been so hard seeing your kids so cold. They didnt' have many books to read or things to keep your mind occupied.
Good thread.

We stopped at the LIW homestead (at least one of them ;) ) in South Dakota, and I thought about that as we went through the different types of homes they had, upgraded from the last house they lived in, but even the newest one wasn't that tight. I thought about how cold it must have been for them during the coldest months (and we went through in the summer) and how boring it must be :mwhistle: we made the little string button toy that the kids played with to occupy their time, but it would have gotten boring awfully quick. There were ropes to the barn and outhouse for the winter walk so that they wouldn't get lost when they had to hit the potty or go check on the animals, the barns roof was made from hay, I wondered how that would hold up to the winds and snow?