RD gold, savoured
RD: I have so enjoyed receiving my Rural Delivery magazine for many years. In our small town of 100 Mile House, B.C., I was happily surprised to see my first copy – way back then. My mother was from LaHave, N.S., and my husband and our family were small ranchers in this area – so Rural Delivery drew me like a magnet.
Thank you for such excellent, interesting, informative, and often humorous articles. Love it! However, I am now in my 90s and my eyesight has failed – a lot. I will soon be moving from my home (my husband “went on ahead” a few years ago) and feel I can no longer renew my subscription. Others could read to me – but cannot afford “extras.”
Thank you for your excellent work. I am sorry to have to make changes again – but guess that’s life. Just please know how much pleasure you have given me. And all the great recipes too!
P.S. The town of 100 Mile House is so named because it was/is 100 miles up the Cariboo Trail to Barkerville and the Gold Rush mining in the late 1800s.

Eileen Kyle
100 Mile House, B.C.

(We really appreciate your kind words about the magazine, Eileen, and that it’s touched you for all these years. We’d hate to stop now, so Santa has arranged a gift subscription for you for when you settle in your new home. DL)

Trickle-down economics
RD: I loved your article about the hospital lottery (“Fully furnished,” RD Nov., page 6). I gave up buying tickets because of all the money the organizing company spends on advertising – full-page ad in the paper when they are SOLD OUT! I think the company gets more of the money than the hospital. I said this to someone at the hospital and was told, “If we did not do it, we would not get any.” I guess they do have that point.

Jennifer Bowers
Dartmouth, N.S.

Homing in on rare-breed breeders
RD: Our family has been getting Rural Delivery for several years now, and I decided I should write a letter once, as I figure you enjoy hearing from your readers.
The most interesting articles (to me, anyhow) are Trevor MacDonald’s articles on poultry. The only complaint I would have is that I wish he would include some contact information of breeders that would be willing to sell offspring. The reason for this would be for those of us that live totally off the grid and don’t have computers, etc., there is basically no way for us to find breeders of very rare breeds, and if Trevor already knows of someone, it would be a simple matter of including an address or phone number – of course, with the breeder’s permission.
I enjoyed the salmon article in the past issue (“Do we still call it salmon,” by Zack Metcalfe, RD Nov., page 28). It was an eye-opener to me, and I hope they do something about it before it is too late.
How about writing an article on homing pigeons sometime?

James Gerber
Woodstock, N.B.

Quilters framed, need help
RD: I am a member of Middleton United Church in Middle Musquodoboit, N.S. A number of years ago, after their mother passed, a family gave our women’s group a quilt frame made by Hinks, but the instructions on how to set it up were not included. I wrote a letter to Jim Hinks, in Head St. Margarets Bay, N.S., but my letter was returned to me. We have experienced quilters in our membership but were not able to figure out how to set it up. So, I was wondering if any ladies in your readership could send me the instructions. The leaflet that came with the frame doesn’t give us enough information.
My husband and I enjoy Rural Delivery and have been reading it for a long time. Very interesting articles, and the recipes are the first pages I go to as soon as we receive the magazine.
Thank you, and I hope someone will be able to help our group of quilters.

Avis Fox
Middle Musquodoboit, N.S.
avisfox@gmail.com

(Thanks for the note, Avis. We have lots of fibre artists among our readership, so maybe someone can help you out. We’ll send you anything we receive from our readers. DL)

Tip o’ the hat to Fred Isenor and Echoes
RD: I read your column every issue it appears in, and “Bye Bye Love” (RD Nov., Echoes, page 48) was one of the best. I was a teenager and new to Canada – from England – at that time, and was in “heaven” with Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats (Domino), and Elvis. I’ve settled into blues and jazz, but also enjoy country music, especially the storytelling songs mentioned.
As to your question regarding stations that play the older stuff, I recommend “Radio Garden” on the internet. Google it and pick a town and city, and enjoy! I picked Austin first, and wasn’t disappointed. I have listened to Chicago, Memphis, and others. Let me know what you think. All the best.

David Walmark
Kingsburg, N.S.

RD: Loved your column on Tom T. Hall (“Bye Bye Love,” RD Nov., page 48). I’m always happy when you mention dear old Wilf (Carter) in your features in Rural Delivery. You use 1955 as sort of a cut-off date to Wilf’s song writing, and his greatest stuff was written then, as you say … of course he wrote songs after 1955. I believe there are two generations of Carter fans, your generation who loves the old 78 rpm recordings and guys like me who only got to know his music in the late 1950s. I love the LPs best because they hold lots of his music compared with the old 78s. But we are all Wilf Carter fans, and lots of the 78s were recorded on some of the LPs.

Laurent D’Entremont
Lower West Pubnico, N.S.