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The floor was laid ready for the dance, and the women all brought food. Wood-cutting bees and sugar-making were all good get-togethers, not to mention the summer picnics at the Narrows. My mother said that they used to travel 6 or 8 miles in a sleigh drawn with oxen to attend a square dance or wedding. As there were no hospitals or doctors the children were all born at home. Aunt Sarah Ralston and Grandma were midwives to the surrounding district and were often away all night. At one time the closest doctor was Dr. Harcourt at Powassan, a full day's trip. It took 2.5 hours to go to South River, 8 miles away. Ard's general store, run by Mr. Christian, was a busy place. It was later owned by Elliot's and is now closed. Tobacco, smoking and chewing, was MacDonald's Plug and came in lead-covered caddies. Other commodities.were flour, sugar, oatmeal, salt in 100 pound cotton bags, soda, baking powder, and pepper in drawers in bulk. You brought your own bottles or pails for vinegar and molasses tapped out of a 40 gallon barrel kept in the back room. Coal oil was pumped into 5 gallon cans; candles were good sellers. There used to be about 12 lamps and lanterns to clean and fill at Grandma's. Each morning I was "Joe". My other job was to get the cattle in with the help of old Buller who lived to be 17. Picking potato bugs saved Paris Green. Marguerite and I were paid per hundred, learning to count in the process. There was a good demand for raspberries and blueberries in South River. When we had picked enough to buy a bag of sugar we were treated to a banana split at Ryan's Ice Cream Parlour - 3 scoops 15cents. A double deck cone was 5cents. Sugar was about $5.00 a bag in 1914 and $24.00 a bag in 1922. Both times it took the same amount of berries! ANOTHER ERA 1920 - 1930 Times really started to change with the appearance of the first Model A Ford. I think Dad had about the third car in South River. Other early owners were Mr. W. J. Ard, Dr. McCombe and Charlie Ralston who had the livery stable. Dad and I learned on the same car on the straight sandy run to Sundridge. We could get up to 15 miles per hour on a straight stretch.