I don’t remember what mother fed us. Sometimes we were fortunate enough to catch a rabbit when we would have a feast. Rabbits were plentiful but rather difficult to catch. The worst thing that bothered us were the rains, especially at night. Our roof leaked and the water would eventually get under our beds, wetting our blankets, as well as everything else in the house. Besides all of the inconveniences mother had to put up with, she suffered from sore eyes and this lasted for about six weeks. We had no light of any kind in the house. The light of the moon was a help. When it was very dark, we enjoyed watching the lights of the fireflies which were very plentiful at that time. Dark nights were not monotonous because we could also listen to the howling of coyotes all around us. We heard them but never saw them.
Illustration: fireflies over the hut on dark nights.Illustration: the leaking bark roof at night.Archival photograph
Interior of a Ruthenian home in Alberta, 1911, photographed by Miriam Elstor. Another household, not the Hryhorczuk hut. The mount is lettered with that title.
Source
Illustrated online edition. The memoir text follows the 2011 copy compiled by Rene Nicholas Bilodeau.
