Making Merry out west.

Western folks have a whole different slant on thing than we eastern folks do. The land is broad. The work hard. Rarely did they gather together 'for a night on the town' unless it meant business in the "Big City". But folks found ways to bring families together.

Ranching and farming brings its on special charm. You can't just put the animals out in the field and expect them to take care of themselves. Neither could you put the seeds on the ground and stand around waiting for them to sprout. These life styles were labor intensive. So just what did the men and women of yesteryear do for fun?

Believe it or not, hide and seek, tag, ring around the rosie were common things played by children once chores were completed. As always, chores came first. At night, chess or checkers might be played. Young girls might sit at their mother's knee and learn embrodiery stitches, quilt, crochet, or knit. These were things that came in handy when a house and family of their own were in the future.

Harvest and round ups provided families with the ability to join together and help out with the work. Neighboring ranches might blend their hands together to brand cattle for trail drives. Once the animals were taken care of, a barbeque with dancing and music might add to the festivities.

Farmers might work together to bring in the crops. Rotating between different farms would make the labor easier for all included. Of course, many might bring along their mouth harps, a fiddle or two, and once the dishes were done, they would play a couple of tunes to stretch out the meetings. Loneliness proved to be the biggest enemy of all. 

Our lives seem filled to near bursting today, but when we think about the way of life just a meer century ago, we have it so easy.