I descend from a strong agricultural background. On my mom’s side of the family, my generation is the first to grow up off the farm. You have to go back a few generations on my dad’s side to find it, but it’s there, too.
We moved into the city when I was a child, I feel a strong affinity towards dusty roads, fields of crops and wide open spaces. It’s not uncommon for people to say that the prairies are boring because there is nothing to see. I love them because you can see everything!
As I think about this heritage, I imagine sheaves of wheat running across the bottom of the carpet. Or maybe other crops like corn or canola. They may still make an appearance, but I’ve decided my carpet will pay tribute to the grain elevator, an emblem of the prairies.
In 1933, there were as many as 5,758 elevators across the Canadian prairies. They were found in hamlets, villages and towns, a declaration of a community’s economic viability. Sadly, these towering wooden structures are slowly disappearing and there are now fewer than 400 left in Canada.
I feel a wave of nostalgia when I see a grain elevator. It reminds me of family and simpler times.
