My great grandfather's farm was built on a cigar-shaped hillock which can be see in the background of this photo. The house and barn are no longer there as they burned down some years ago. My Dad used to tell me how every spring the water would rise and surround their house and barn, but as they were built on the top of the hillock they stayed high and dry :-) They had a row boat to take them to the nearest dry road.

These spring floods were good for the land as they brought in a fresh supply of nutrients every year. My great grandfather, James "Jim" Johnston, was a canny farmer and did quite well by his family. During the Great Depression in the 1930s several of his daughters came home with their children while their husbands struggled to find work and to stay alive. In spite of the Depression, Dad said that they ate well at the farm. The old house got crowded with 4 to a bed, and all of the floor space was taken up too with sleeping children, but they were family, and they all found time to laugh. Of course no one wore their shoes in the summer time except to go to town. They did have to watch their pennies.

Rest in Peace, Great Gramps. You did a great job.