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Family Farming Frances Looking Back Podcast TTT Storytelling Wendell Berry

Episode 34: Frances on Two Sisters Look Back

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia.

Good morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening!  Wherever you are, thank you for listening in.

Frances & Rebecca

In one of my last conversations with my Father before he passed several years ago, he asked me to tell the stories.  I gave my promise, without having a full understanding of what telling the stories meant.  Since that time, I have come to know that Dad meant a broader definition of narrative.  There are many stories held in the folds of history that must be heard.  This thought became the genesis of the podcast, Tea Toast & Trivia

Today, I am joined by my mother, Frances, as we look back to farming in the 1930’s and 1940’s.

The United Nations designated the year 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF).  This year, on May 29, 2019, the United Nations launched  the Decade of Family Farming from 2019 – 2028.  My mother was a farmer’s daughter.  She knows first-hand the importance of family farming in providing food.

So put the kettle on and join in the discussion. Frances and I look forward to your insights on TeaToastTrivia.com.

I am your host Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

Thank you for joining Frances and me on Tea Toast and Trivia.

My grandparents were farmers, but very few of their offspring became farmers.  We have lost touch with the land and have placed reliance on our efficient food distribution services.   There is a growing awareness that we need to find our way back…

One last thought comes from Wendell Berry:

“For the true measure of agriculture is not the sophistication of its equipment the size of its income or even the statistics of its productivity but the good health of the land.”

Until next time, dear friends, safe travels wherever your adventures take you.

By Rebecca Budd

Blogger, Visual Storyteller, Podcaster, Traveler and Life-long Learner

16 replies on “Episode 34: Frances on Two Sisters Look Back”

Always a pleasure to hear your mother tell her stories. My ancestors were farming people or involved in trades associated with farming, such as blacksmithing. Unfortunately, their stories are mostly gone.

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Thank you, Gallivanta! I am enjoying my conversations with Frances (Mom). I confess, that these stories are new to me too. I agree – there are so many stories that are lost in the folds of history. We live extraordinary lives, but rarely envision that we are living history, that our narratives are invaluable, now and in future. Consider that we were the generation that saw mankind reach the moon, the polio vaccine, fashions of mini-skirts, jeans and elephant pants, the beginning of the internet, personal computers, cell phones, microwaves, the rise of AI. We were the first – and this is our time, our story, our watch. We live in exciting times.

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Rebecca, It’s so fascinating listening to your mom about her dad and how much he enjoyed doing new things and encouraged his daughters to love to work. I loved listening to the topic about the importance of family farming in providing food, etc, and how very much the old ways are relevant to us today. Great. 😊

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Thank you for your heartwarming and joyful comments! There is so much history that has been lost simply because we have not recorded the narratives. In our age of technology, the question becomes, what format should this take – digitally, written, Word Doc. I remember when we had VHS videos of our son, which we transferred to DVDs and now what next? I am becoming more interested in archiving and information management, which is the current hot topic. How do we preserve knowledge so that it can be retrieved. Knowledge is collecting at a faster rate than ever before. But your comment “how very much the old ways are relevant to us today” is a profound acknowledgement that we transform was was known before to what we have today – that we build upon knowledge and hopefully give knowledge for the next generation. Sending warm greetings to you and Carina!

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Good point about preservation of knowledge. That brings me to the subject about extinction of certain digital formats. This is quite a predicament as far as our movie collection is concerned. Years before we started collecting movies in DVD/Blu-ray formats, we had started off in video and thereafter in CD formats – which have by now lost their past glory. With our collection of more than 7000 movies (and growing) in DVD format, you can imagine the bad spot we will be in if the DVD also took the path of Video or VCD formats…. We hope our collection has survivor skills!! Carina sends her regards and love. Rebecca, now that’s something that will be stable, no doubt! 😊

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What an amazing collection! I can only imagine the treasure trove of movies. What fun to explore. We have stacks of DVDs that include all the old John Wayne films. Today, with access to streaming and on-line movies, there is always something to watch. But, and it it a big BUT – some movies will disappear or will be unavailable on on-line channels. So I am with you when you write: “we hope our collection has survivor skills.” I hope so too!! Big hugs and love back to Carina – yes, that is something that will be stable.

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I will pass along your regards to Frances (Mom). In fact, she knows all about your amazing designs. Just last week we completed a podcast on sewing which will be a shout-out to you. We are perfecting podcasting from a distance – stay tuned. Will be in touch…

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I could listen to Frances sharing her memories and stories all day long. How marvellous to see your comment to Resa about the forthcoming episode on sewing – I can’t wait! Sending much love and many hugs to you both and the boys of course xxx

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Oh Liz, I can hardly wait to podcast with you again. We have a better mic setup now that will make our voices sound like we are only 500 miles apart now!!! One day, they will make an app that will beam us back and forth from Edinburgh to Vancouver.

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I enjoyed the podcast of your mother’s memories of family farming and the comments they generated. What particularly struck me as I listened to the podcast in the car was that all of the farming techniques from the 1930s I already knew! I’d learned about them in social studies in the middle grades. The knowledge had been in my head all along and just needed your mother’s stories to jog it loose.

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I share your thoughts on looking back into family history because it is more than just our personal history – it belongs to everyone. We live in a forward moving timeline so it is easy to relegate the past to the mists of time. What we are left with are pieces of story that we must put together much like a jigsaw puzzle. We lose the nuance of diversity that comes from location, culture, migration. No one see all of history. When we choose to remember, even write down thoughts, we are adding to the breadth and depth of the narrative of humanity. Where would be without those who wrote about their time. Just finished a short session with Frances on “Milking the Cows.” I continue to learn and learn and learn….

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