Author Archives: Chris Boyle

Soon after we moved here, we joined the Manitoba Woodlot Association. They did a walk-thru and made a number of recommendations. One recommendation was that we should harvest the mature jack pine forest. The recommended approach is to “clear cut” a fairly large section at a time. The reason is to flood the forest floorContinue reading “The Woodlot”

Here is our water well, cleverly hidden by a miniature grain elevator that I had made for this specific purpose (thanks Uncle Al!). Many rural wells have creative covers which serve two purposes: 1) to make them look better; 2) to help prevent them getting run over since they are often in the open. OurContinue reading “The Well”

This old barn has fabulous wood, both structurally and well aged siding. However, it appears to have been re-shingled only once since the original shingles were put on almost 100 years ago. Moisture is causing problems in a couple of areas. So, here we are, a few hours ago (in 2016), adding sheet steel roofing.Continue reading “Renewing the 96 Year-old Barn”

This barn was built in 1920. It is in five distinct sections. The far end (the small door) has a concrete floor, and I suspect it was designed for pigs. The next section (bigger door) has got a raised floor, just like the milking section of the barn where I grew up. The next sectionContinue reading “96 Year-old Barn”

This rose is quite historic. About 20 years ago, Bev dug it up from the garden at the Boyle Homestead near Colgate. I remember that it was at the west end of the garden, and I think that Mom actually acquired it herself (an accomplishment in a yard filled with things acquired by my grandmother).Continue reading “Yellow Rose”

We also brought this wagon from the Boyle homestead in Saskatchewan. This design was used very widely in the U.S. and Canada during the 1800’s and early 1900’s. I have no memory of seeing it in use. However, I like to think that it was part of my grandfather’s homesteader’s effects. My grandfather, C.J.(Charlie) Boyle,Continue reading “The Wooden Wagon”

This hay rake came from the Boyle farm in Saskatchewan. At some point it was modified from the original in order to be pulled by a tractor. I remember my Dad using it in the 1950’s with a rope pull in order to trigger it to form the windrow. Originally it would have had aContinue reading “The Hay Rake”

When we first moved here we began to meet people in the community: at the store; auction sales; community events … We discovered the easiest way to describe where we lived was “On The Klann Place”. We had purchased this farm from a Klann estate. That summer one of the members of the family cameContinue reading “The Klann Place”

In Southern Manitoba lakeshore property is coveted. Here is ours! However, property values plummeted when the lake suddenly drained after a dam failed due to ‪#‎GlobalWarming. I should note that this incident occurred about ten thousand years ago when an ice dam on Hudson Bay broke and Lake Agassiz emptied very quickly. At that timeContinue reading “Lakeshore”

We have several places that have sunk about 2 feet below the surface of the surrounding area. These were caused by chunks of ice that were trapped in the mud and sand as the glaciers receded. These chunks subsequently melted causing a sink hole. It is interesting to note that big, powerful glaciers also hadContinue reading “Glacial Depression”