When I was a kid in the 1950s, it was common for my dad to stop and give the horse a rest beside the line fence and our neighbour would do the same.
This was not only appreciated by the horses but it gave a couple of farming neighbours a chance to have a chat about how good the horses looked and worked hard, but also catch up on neighbourhood goings on.
They chatted about everything from that new variety of oats that Russell grew last year to those red Tamworth hogs that Harry finished on buckwheat, to what the new preacher’s sermon was about and how long-winded he was last Sunday.
Those quieter friendlier times have been replaced by tractors that don’t need a rest, cell phones that give you the weather, prices of grains and beef and news from friends half a world away.
The biggest and fastest change in my lifetime so far has been . . .
forced on us by a little bug called COVID-19. Within days back in mid-march of 2020 we quit socializing completely except by phone or computer.
No more big wedding receptions to get together at. No more face-to-face annual meetings to attend and watch expressions on the faces, which told as much as what people said. No more live hockey or baseball games to enjoy. Shopping in the local stores and chatting with neighbours as we shopped ended within days. All work except essential services ground to a halt. No more coffee breaks at work to socialize. Even attending church in person abruptly stopped for most.
We have had to learn and adapt to new technology that was only a pastime or thought to be a high-tech toy before. Words like FaceTime, WebEx, or Zoom were only known by those young computer geeks.
Farmers were used to taking a broken part into a dealership and after close inspection by the parts man, a new replacement part was ordered. Now we take a picture of the part with the camera on the cell phone and send the picture directly from the field or farm shop to the parts man. This not only eliminated the chance of spreading the COVID bug but is both cheaper than taking an hour drive and a lot faster.
Half of our work force has adjusted to working from home by computer. Many college students have had to take classes from home by computer. Most meetings and even church services are now efficiently done by Zoom, WebEx or Facebook.
Many of the musicians have adjusted to performing from the comfort of their living room and getting their music out by Facebook. We have discovered some great musicians that were previously unknown. The local county fairs had to shut down for at least another year and are struggling to survive financially. Some bars, restaurants and even small music events had to close their doors. Restaurants are surviving on take-out. The little Friday night Hooley music event had to close the door indefinitely and is experimenting with a virtual Friday-night Hooley on Zoom where entertainers can get together virtually, sing, play music or dance. Anyone can join in and watch and listen to local entertainment.
This past summer at open meetings sponsored by our Pontiac MRC, commonly known as our county council; the future of our county was openly discussed. The most talked about and asked for item was internet and cell phone reception for every resident, and high speed internet that could support Zoom or WebEx. Our politicians, local, provincial and federal have been listening to the public and are putting high-speed internet at the top of the list right after trying to lead our citizens through this COVID-19 crisis.
We don’t all like some of these changes being forced upon us but in many cases these changes are forcing us to be safer, more efficient and give us a more relaxed lifestyle.
Sometimes it was a surprise and a bit of a shock when we found out that the wife got pregnant, but we had nine months to adjust. Our lives were changed forever, but we wouldn’t want to change back!
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family for generations. gladcrest@gmail.com
