- 2 months ago
Two couples assume the lives of early settlers to the West. Using only the resources and tools of the period, they will attempt to build homes, raise livestock, hunt and grow crops.
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00:25I think the spot is the first time we had snow and the first time it was really winter
00:41out here.
00:42I was walking this path and everything was ice and snow and it was so beautiful.
00:45And I think now it's kind of like when you're at home and you put your little solitudes
00:49music on or when I used to play my Enya and just kind of get in this other world where
00:53I get relaxed and kind of forget about life for a while.
00:56I feel like this little path is a piece of that out here because it's always beautiful
01:00and I don't regret at all not putting our houses closer because I always like walking
01:03this piece and I've never once thought, wow, that's too far between our houses.
01:07So it's kind of nice just to have a little nice walkway, I guess.
01:11Keep going.
01:12Keep going.
01:13Keep going.
01:23It's early November and like most years on the prairies, winter has already settled
01:34in for a long stay.
01:37It's time to park the wagon because the wheels just aren't working well in the snow.
01:42The pioneers have been looking for a sleigh and the search has taken Tim to the Smith Farm,
01:47a few kilometers south of the homestead.
01:51Ian, what would be the chance of this, uh...
01:53Braking?
01:54Yeah.
01:57Slim to nail.
01:59Huh?
02:00Slim to nail.
02:01It's got a bolt here.
02:02How about if we were to put another bolt right through there?
02:03Ian Smith has agreed to rent an antique that's been in pieces for decades.
02:07Ian and Tim are putting it together to see if it will work.
02:11Nope.
02:12Go bigger.
02:13Bigger?
02:14Oh, my God.
02:20Two guys.
02:21Yeah, my foot.
02:22Yeah.
02:23The whole thing is we were told two guys could do it, but it's way too heavy for two guys.
02:29I don't know how we'll ever get her back on.
02:32Just slide it off now.
02:34It's hitting there.
02:36The box turns out to be heavier than anyone imagined.
02:39Other neighbors are recruited to help with the lifting.
02:42And everyone is wondering whether it's going to work with the sleigh.
02:46Just about.
02:47There.
02:48Come to it.
02:49Here, Arnie.
02:50Here you go.
02:51Rub it.
02:52Look at that.
02:53And it fits perfectly.
02:54Absolutely perfectly.
02:55Like it was...
02:56What should get along?
02:57It was totally made for this sleigh back in however many hundred years ago or something.
03:06Original Christmas bells.
03:07Original brass bells.
03:08Hard to find.
03:10When the work's done, Ian has a surprise for tin.
03:14They're antiques, all right.
03:17Each little bell has a different sound.
03:19These bells will play an anthem for old times.
03:24A symphony of brass and hooves and leather.
03:29But for the pioneers, the sleigh is anything but sentimental.
03:33It will be an important tool for the five months of winter that lie ahead.
03:38You'll find old sleighs like this in barns and back pastures everywhere on the prairies.
03:43Tucked away not because they're needed, but because they carry so many fine memories.
03:49Oh, this is really nice.
03:54It's smooth, quiet.
03:59I can hear myself talk in the wagon.
04:02You can't hear anything as soon as the wheels start to go.
04:05It's like a dream.
04:08I can't explain it.
04:11It is really a beautiful, peaceful feeling.
04:15Trying to see what Deanna's reaction to the bells.
04:20There you go.
04:21Cool.
04:22Very lovely.
04:23Not like Christmas.
04:24Ever cool.
04:25We just take walks and look in the trees.
04:26Frank said when he saw that one, he kept looking and he saw a kind of...
04:40At this time of the night, yeah.
04:41This is the time of the night.
04:42Yeah.
04:43Yeah.
04:44This is the time of the night.
04:45I have to get my glasses out.
04:46It's here.
04:47Make sure you put your glasses on.
04:48Yeah, I know.
04:49What's up here?
04:50Marjorie.
04:51Come.
04:52That's what she's supposed to do.
04:53Sit.
04:54Come on.
04:55Give me.
04:56Good doggy.
04:57Rat up.
04:58Rat up.
04:59Rat up.
05:00Come.
05:01Come.
05:02That's what she's supposed to do.
05:03Sit.
05:04Come on.
05:05Come on.
05:06Here.
05:07Good doggy.
05:08Rat up.
05:09Rat up.
05:10Rat up.
05:11Come.
05:12Get the blood away from me.
05:13Here.
05:14Let's see.
05:15Good shot.
05:16What is it?
05:17Cartridge.
05:18Come on, Lana.
05:19This is your job.
05:20No way.
05:21Raw meat.
05:22Keep away.
05:23Nice.
05:24Big top hang in there.
05:25Yeah.
05:26There's the grass too.
05:27It's still hot.
05:28I was coming out to the well and I saw parches sitting up in the tree.
05:42They're really obvious now all of a sudden.
05:44Now that we have a lot of snow and there's no grass, there's no leaves.
05:47So I called Deanna and she brought her gun out and blew it out of the tree.
05:51Look at that.
05:52Ah.
05:53See boys, I can do it.
05:57My boys.
05:58There we go.
06:00We'll clean her all up.
06:02We can make a whole meal out of one of these.
06:05Yeah, that was delicious.
06:06Yeah, we got rice.
06:07How many do we have now?
06:08Five.
06:09Great.
06:10Hey, we did it without those guys.
06:13Let's go deer hunting.
06:18Yeah.
06:40Let's go deer hunting.
06:41Let's go deer hunting.
06:46Everywhere now on the homestead, there's a Christmas card scene to enjoy.
06:51It makes it easy to forget this is a working farm.
06:54And while most of the labors of summer are finished, with winter, there's new work to do.
07:00And old debts to settle.
07:02Okay, this summer we had one of the neighbors come over with his moor.
07:06It was a horse-drawn moor, period appropriate.
07:09And we had him mow our hay for us so that we could rake it and put it into haystacks.
07:14And in turn for that, we bartered that we would come back to his property and clear out all of the deadfalls that are in the area
07:23so that he could eventually make it into pasture land as he has over here on the other side.
07:29So the neighbors are happy, we're happy.
07:32While just about everyone else in Canada is moving inside, pioneering is continuing in the great outdoors.
07:39There's no choice.
07:41Every passing week inches them closer to the bitter depths of winter.
07:45In the outside world, heating fuel is brought to your house by a high-tech pipeline.
07:55Here, staying warm is a matter of making your woodpile grow every day.
08:00It helps to be young and newly married to your sawmate.
08:04It also helps to be older and still in love with your sawmate.
08:19But being older means it hurts a little more by the end of the day.
08:23And in the back of your mind, there's always the worry that your partner will wear out before the woodpile is ready.
08:30This is Frank's latest obsession. He plays warrior log cutter. I came out and found him here. So watch him, he's a freak.
08:51He does a little thing and sees how many he can get.
08:57Ow!
09:01Oh, honey, you man, you!
09:04Look at that!
09:07Things are getting a little boring out here.
09:09The old reliable woodblock just doesn't cut it anymore.
09:12There's more going on than warrior log cutting.
09:17Tim has bagged a deer.
09:19Now Frank is determined to get one, too.
09:21They need the meat.
09:23But dusk is coming early these days, and the deer have retreated into the bush.
09:28It's become a test of their tracking skills.
09:31We've just been following the tracks.
09:33There's lots of tracks they found in here.
09:35We've got a bed here.
09:37One was laying down probably last night.
09:40Up ahead here where I'm going to sit there's a whole bunch of trails that all come together.
09:45And they're pretty frequently used.
09:47Just got to be careful because on the other side there's regular rifle hunters over there.
09:52So I just like to stay enough in the bush to stop any stray bullets.
10:00Well, tonight I went out hunting and I went to a spot I've never been before.
10:05Just before dark a doe came out.
10:08And I got ready right about to shoot at it.
10:12And the buck stepped out.
10:13This huge, huge buck.
10:15So I waited until it got within range and it was a perfect shot.
10:20I set up my gun.
10:22I fired.
10:23And I just went click.
10:25The cap didn't go off.
10:27The buck took off.
10:29The doe took off.
10:30I didn't get either.
10:31So it really pissed me off.
10:33It makes you, you know, think of when you go home.
10:39You want to use every modern convenience you can that makes life easier.
10:44In a way.
10:45Like especially when something comes to hunting or something like that.
10:48It makes you kind of pissed off you don't get to use the technology other people get to use.
10:54Well, I was just walking back from deer tracking with Frank Indiana and I noticed my husband's been thinking about me.
11:03It's pretty sad.
11:04It's pretty sad.
11:0530 kilometers per hour.
11:10High minus 26.
11:12Extreme wind chill near 2200.
11:15With hazardous frostbite conditions.
11:17For tonight, mainly clear.
11:20Low minus 35.
11:22Very high wind chills near 2100.
11:25For Monday.
11:26A little chilly.
11:27It was cold night last night.
11:28Yeah, it was a chilly night for them too.
11:31Nice in the cabin though.
11:33Really nice.
11:34We had, we only stoked up once.
11:36We tried an experiment last night with the wood stove.
11:39And we were told if we've piled the ashes and the coals right all over on top of the wood.
11:43When we put them in, just pack it right in.
11:45That it drives the heat down in your stove.
11:48Doesn't let it go up the chimney.
11:50And I think it worked.
11:52Because it was really nice.
11:53Yeah, it stayed.
11:54It got a little cool this morning but we hadn't stocked up.
11:57For about five hours I guess, eh?
11:58Yeah.
11:59So it was really cold when we got up this morning.
12:01Seven hours actually.
12:02But it's warming up in there now.
12:03Um, the wind was fine.
12:05Yesterday we worked inside all day on the horse shelter.
12:08And we pretty well froze all day because of the wind.
12:11The minute we'd step out of the wind out of the trees we'd just freeze.
12:14So we nearly had frostbite and everything yesterday.
12:16But we warmed up so we're okay.
12:18We were lucky because a lot of it was in the trees.
12:20We found out this weekend and less people were just teasing us.
12:32But I don't think they were.
12:33They said Farmers' Almanac is wrong for the first time.
12:35I don't know how many years.
12:36They're admitting they're wrong.
12:37And predicting the coldest winter in how long?
12:39Four years?
12:40Twenty.
12:41No, twenty-six years or something.
12:42They've actually like redone their schedule for the winter.
12:44And they noticed that it's going to be the coldest, not the warmest winter.
12:47So, normally we'd cry about something like that, but we just started laughing because
12:51that's just something we would expect out here.
12:53You know, they said there's probably average temperatures of minus forty-five.
12:56So this whole thing is like just a weather challenge.
12:59That's what this year is all about.
13:00One big extreme to the next.
13:02So what are you doing?
13:05Um, we realized that down below the bottom of the house here,
13:09where the floorboards meet the outside, um, cold air has been getting in.
13:14And you can see the light from the inside at night.
13:17So I'm just stuffing little bits of moss.
13:18It's kind of hard to get out in here just to plug it up.
13:21And it should help a lot.
13:22And it should keep the floor from getting so cold, too.
13:24You'll notice that I just put a tarp down under the bed.
13:27I nailed it down.
13:28And I thought that will stop some drafts from coming from under the bed.
13:31It's really cold under there all the time.
13:33Our fridge, um, I pulled some beets out.
13:35And they're frozen.
13:37So I cut up a wool blanket and put a couple layers on the bottom of the fridge and one
13:41in the back wall.
13:42You can see along the back wall here all the ice that's starting to form.
13:47This is the corner that's far away from the stove.
13:49We were contemplating even putting wool blankets lining the entire inside of our cabin with wool
13:54blankets to stop the drafts.
13:56And we might do that if...
13:57Well, probably just around the bed.
13:59We're thinking...
14:00See, we got a lot of cold air, like, back here.
14:02And our pillows freeze.
14:03Like, last night, you'd turn your head and you'd touch a part of your pillow and you'd
14:07just freeze, so...
14:08Oh, it was so cold.
14:09If you had a spot, you didn't want to leave it.
14:11Yeah.
14:12But see, that's why the tuque was nice.
14:13I didn't get cold ears.
14:14I just pull it down further.
14:20This is the Belmore Elementary School.
14:23Um, these are some of the students that I take to school every day.
14:27Part of them.
14:29Good morning.
14:30Good morning.
14:31How are you doing?
14:32Are you getting to be very skinny?
14:34Hey, that's where I started when I came here.
14:37You are skinnier.
14:38Yeah.
14:39But you're probably healthier.
14:40Are you?
14:41Yeah, I'm really healthy.
14:44It's wonderful.
14:46Just about this...
14:48The homestead is closed to the general public.
14:50But for one morning, it's open to these special visitors.
14:54Because a part of this is a part of them.
14:57How was it?
14:58That was weird.
14:59These school kids all live just north of the homestead.
15:04But for most, this is as close as they will ever come to the life lived by their great-great-grandparents in the 19th century.
15:17Can you do without your horse?
15:18No.
15:19Like for hoeing?
15:20Yeah, not too far.
15:21Maybe from near the well.
15:24I love my horses, so I kiss them to get them going.
15:27You don't believe it?
15:28You don't believe it?
15:29It...
15:30Oh.
15:31What?
15:32What is that?
15:33You don't believe that?
15:34Yeah.
15:35Let's see you kiss them.
15:36It's cool.
15:37It's cool.
15:38It was very good.
15:39It wasn't what we expected.
15:40Yeah, this is cool.
15:41What do you think about these guys?
15:42Um...
15:43Hard workers.
15:44What is it a lifetime experience?
15:45Head want.
15:47And it was cool.
15:55What do you think about these guys?
16:02It was cool.
16:04What do you think about these guys?
16:05Um...
16:06Hard workers.
16:08What's it a lifetime experience?
16:09Head point.
16:10And it was cool!
16:13Now I know that it's really hard.
16:22Behind the scenes, there's trouble.
16:24Tim never complains.
16:26But today, he says he's sick.
16:28In fact, he says it feels like someone is kneeling on his chest.
16:33Early the next morning, Dr. Tim McDowell arrives.
16:36He works in the emergency room of Winnipeg's Grace Hospital.
16:40At the production company's request,
16:42he's dropped everything to take a look at Tim Treadway.
16:45A search of the bush leads him to the pioneers.
16:48They're celebrating. Frank has just shot a deer.
16:51We think there's something wrong with it.
16:53Could you please maybe give us a diagnosis?
16:55It's not moving.
16:57So you got one?
16:59A long wait for this one?
17:01Yeah, we've been hunting forever, I think.
17:04August 25th.
17:06August 25th.
17:08Well, at least it's worth all the cold nights.
17:11All the cold times we spent sitting in a blind, freezing.
17:15Well, Deanna and I ended up walking almost to the same area.
17:18And we started giving each other hand signals of where each other should go.
17:21Yeah, Deanna was giving me this finger,
17:23and so I knew I was supposed to go in the other direction.
17:25And then she pointed to one that she thought there was one there,
17:29and it ran through the bush.
17:31And as it came through the bush,
17:32it stopped just inside the trees,
17:34and I shot.
17:35So I was really surprised I got it.
17:40So it was good.
17:41Congratulations.
17:43Full-fledged hunter.
17:45There we go.
17:46We eat this winter.
17:47Mom, I won't starve now.
17:50Don't have to worry anymore.
17:53Well, we were going to just continue on hunting.
17:55Yeah.
17:56Crump this one up and go do another one.
17:58You better see the doctor.
18:00I got the doctor here.
18:02I'll just have him follow me along.
18:04When he collapses, you can do something better.
18:07I wasn't feeling good at all.
18:09Well, I went to bed about 6, 5 o'clock our time,
18:14and I just had this real, like someone was kneeling on my chest.
18:21And I didn't know if I had fever or if I had,
18:25well, I knew I had a fever.
18:27And then chills, and you just don't know whether you're supposed
18:31to be warm or cold.
18:33And it wasn't pain.
18:35It was just a pressure.
18:37It's a slow walk back to the homestead.
18:41Tim has to stop and rest.
18:43He can no longer hide just how sick he's feeling.
18:46And with each pause,
18:48Dr. McDowell becomes more and more concerned.
18:54Get me before I die.
18:57How far could you walk without stopping?
19:0250 feet?
19:03Something like that.
19:04What did you feel like?
19:06Um, just winded.
19:09I know right now I'm feeling sweaty,
19:11and I shouldn't be.
19:12I mean, it's a cold wind,
19:13and I'm not dressed overly warm.
19:15I've just got a little bit on.
19:18Now what would happen if we waited for, say, a week?
19:21I just kind of rested around the cabin.
19:24I don't want to predict what would happen.
19:26Reluctant patience.
19:27I don't want to predict what would happen.
19:30I don't want to predict what would happen.
19:34Reluctant patience.
19:36There's enough concerns I have from what's been going on that I don't think it's necessarily
20:02just from an infection, and I think we should get you checked out in the hospital.
20:06Today.
20:10And hopefully it's just an infection that we can clear up with some antibiotics, but I
20:16think we need to check it out.
20:20Well, it's quite an emotional thing to leave.
20:27Okay, I understand.
20:32The reality is, in the 1870s, people would get like this and they would die.
20:44That's not acceptable these days.
20:46As much as you guys want to be here and do this, I don't think it's worth dying for, or
20:53worth getting really, really sick for.
20:55I've got some concerns about one of the guys out here.
20:58He's been having some exertional chest pressure.
21:01He said I want you in today.
21:03He said there might be something more serious than is happening.
21:07Can I go?
21:08Nope.
21:09I don't want you to go.
21:10No.
21:11You're not coming.
21:12Bye-bye.
21:13See you.
21:14Yep.
21:15It's hard.
21:16This feels so strange.
21:22I'm in a different world.
21:27He's a pretty tough guy.
21:28I mean, was he giving you a rough time about coming out?
21:34I know it's not happy about that.
21:37I'm sure he'll be...
21:38He's not happy about that.
21:39He's quite emotional about it, actually.
21:42But I think as stoic as Tim is, the fact that he's agreed to come without too much arm twisting,
22:03I think he really feels worse than he's letting on.
22:07What's the verdict?
22:17Well, at this point in time, they had a little bleep on the EKG, so it didn't look too good.
22:22But they did another test, and I think it was just my muscles that were contracting because of my coughing and lungs.
22:30That's what I'm hoping.
22:32And then right now I'm just hoping that doctors will find nothing and they'll say,
22:37get out of here and go back to where it's healthier.
22:40Too many germs around here.
22:42And so they haven't found anything really definite yet, so hopefully they'll be able to send me home soon.
22:50I guess you can see why people would just, as homesteaders, they don't want to leave.
22:57Yeah, I'll die here, but I don't want to leave that idea.
23:01I remember my grandfather, my actual grandfather, the story about him when he was about 45.
23:09And he was, when he went to the hospital for the first time, he walked to the hospital and he turned to his friend that walked him there and he said,
23:21you look after my family, I won't be coming back.
23:25And nobody knew that he was so sick and he died.
23:28Well, he's going to the intensive care unit so that they can keep monitoring him overnight to make sure that nothing serious has happened and that there's a possibility of a viral infection.
23:46I feel badly for him because I know this is not something he's going to be happy about at all.
23:53He will feel he's failed somehow and, of course, he hasn't at all.
23:59And I know that's not something that he will feel good about at all.
24:07Oh, man, when he left, I think part of my heart left.
24:12I didn't realize, I mean, that he might just be there a day or two, we don't know.
24:17But I've really come to realize how much these last few months have meant to both of us, how we've really bonded as a team.
24:26And it's a lonely night for me tonight to be here all by myself.
24:34And, my goodness, it must have been really hard for people back then when somebody did get sick.
24:41And, of course, they didn't have hospitals like Tim was able to go to today or medicines that we have.
24:47And, uh, anyhow, I don't know what the next few days will bring.
24:54But, uh, you can bet your boots they'll be praying for my husband tonight.
25:05Poor Deanna, she's just waiting right now.
25:07It's, what, maybe 11 in the morning?
25:09And we're just waiting for news.
25:11Really frustrating.
25:12Yeah, she doesn't know anything.
25:13I mean, that's all she heard.
25:14I don't think her boys know what's going on yet.
25:16They were going to wait and maybe let them know today.
25:18Find out when they know what's going on with him.
25:21I mean, I feel terrible about it and it's weird not knowing.
25:25I can't imagine how she feels right now about it.
25:27It's got to be really tough.
25:28So, you know, I guess we just wait now and see what happens and hope he's okay.
25:34They said he was laughing and joking and kidding around yesterday, of course.
25:37I hope he's giving the nurses a hard time.
25:41I'm sure he is.
25:43And we were bugging him saying, get a bed bath if you can, too.
25:48Eat all the jello you can.
25:50So.
25:51I mean, we probably eat better than the hospital food anyway, so.
25:55Yeah, Deanna and I were saying, I bet you he'll miss our food.
25:58Imagine that.
25:59He'll miss my scrambled eggs and pancakes.
26:02So hopefully he gets better and then he gets back here soon.
26:06Back to the four of us again.
26:11Hi.
26:12Hi.
26:13How are you doing?
26:15By yourself, eh?
26:17Well, what can I say?
26:18I found the doctor this morning and the doctor told me they haven't made a diagnosis yet.
26:27What?
26:28No.
26:29And they want to do two tests and the two tests will keep him there till the middle of the week.
26:36What kind of tests?
26:39Um, he didn't tell me what the tests are, but they're tests to make sure that there's no heart problem.
26:44He was not feeling well and he still had chest pains.
26:47Uh, but he was feeling a lot better.
26:50But he's still coughing.
26:52And, uh...
26:53So does he have a viral infection?
26:55Well, that's the other thing.
26:56He may well have one, but that would not keep him away.
27:00Great.
27:01Um, they haven't found out yet whether he has one or not.
27:06So these two tests are important.
27:09And, uh, uh, if he doesn't get through them, then he would not be allowed to come back.
27:15Period.
27:16So, because it would mean there was a heart problem.
27:20So...
27:21Why couldn't he come back?
27:23The settlers had heart trouble?
27:25Well, they wouldn't want him to.
27:28Because they, you know, they wouldn't want to treat it.
27:32Or he would have to do certain things to treat it.
27:35And the stressful environment here would not be good.
27:41I can work.
27:43Milk the cow this morning.
27:46Uh...
27:47No way, we're not leaving.
27:49That's what he said.
27:51No, we're not.
27:52You can have that on camera.
27:53We're not leaving.
27:54I mean, this is hard.
27:55I mean, now I'm not only separated from my kids.
27:58I know my husband.
28:00And you kind of wonder what you're doing out here.
28:07But hopefully he'll be alright.
28:09And I'm sure he probably will be.
28:12What about leaving?
28:14Never.
28:15No.
28:16It's not in our minds.
28:17No.
28:18It's not in our minds.
28:19No.
28:20No.
28:21We committed ourselves for this and, uh...
28:24No matter how hard it is, we'll stick it through.
28:27The settlers had to do whether the people got sick or not.
28:32You know?
28:33Just because somebody's sick, you don't just throw in the whole towel.
28:39And I'm still strong.
28:41And, uh, we'll still be able to do what we have to do here.
28:45So, no.
28:46Not even thinking about it.
28:48Right now.
28:49Tim has been in the hospital for five days.
28:59And the doctors are hinting that he may be too sick to come back.
29:03Frank and Alana are wondering whether they'll be left alone on the homestead again.
29:07They keep the Treadway's wood stove going while the production company takes Deanna to the hospital.
29:13She wants to see Tim and get the story from the doctors firsthand.
29:17Yeah.
29:19If it turns out that there's a problem there, he's got to be prepared to deal with that as well.
29:30What do you mean by a problem?
29:33If it turns out he's got some heart disease that may need attention.
29:39And if it is heart disease, what does that mean?
29:44Well, it depends on how serious, how severe it is, and what the cardiologist recommends.
29:49That means blocked arteries?
29:51Yeah.
29:52Yeah.
29:53That would mean blocked arteries.
29:54And the question is how blocked.
29:55So we've got 24 hours to find out.
29:57Tomorrow, the doctors will test Tim's heart, and the Treadway's will know whether their pioneering days are over.
30:10The heart specialists have examined Tim, and after eight days in hospital, he finally has the answer he's been waiting for.
30:22Well, let's get out of here.
30:23Well, what a feeling, you know, when at the, at the, in the operating room.
30:28Yeah.
30:29Or the test room.
30:30Deathly quiet.
30:31And then these doctors who'd been very, I mean, very professional, very sophisticated, just kind of let out a yell,
30:38No blockages.
30:39Yeah.
30:40That's great.
30:41Let's get out of here then.
30:49I'm really, really excited about going back.
30:51I'm excited about going back with a clear bill of health in my heart.
30:54And it's just a matter of a little bit of time to get my lungs in shape, and, and I'll be in 100%.
31:01Home is where the heart is, and my heart is very much out in the homestead.
31:08And especially with my wife being there, and the rest of the team, Frank and Lana, and our life there.
31:20The doctors say Tim's heart is fine.
31:23He has pericarditis, a virus that affects the lining around the heart.
31:28It's good to be back.
31:35Tim is home, but the doctors have warned him that he'll be too weak to hunt or do much work for a long time.
31:43The others will have to take up the slack.
31:46Home sweet home.
31:47What are you thinking there, Dan?
31:49Where's that question again?
31:50Oh, it's just so good to have him back.
31:53Perfect.
31:55Seven o'clock, eh?
31:58What time is it milking?
32:00So is it cold out?
32:02Oh, is it cold?
32:04Milk's warm.
32:06As you may notice, I'm milking on the left side of Daisy.
32:16We've been here six months now.
32:19Never realized that there was one side to milk on.
32:24Cows liked the right side.
32:26Until the first movie was out and all the farmers told us.
32:30Before this, nobody ever told us that cows liked the one side.
32:34But this dumb cow likes either side. It doesn't matter.
32:37There's four of us milking her, and we all do it differently.
32:41All four sides.
32:43All four sides.
32:54Boy, working for a dentist sure is a lot easier than this.
33:01Now it's just a matter of rest and getting the body recuperated.
33:06This morning I went out and went out to the barn, picked up the pitchfork,
33:11and took one shovel of manure out to the manure pile and had it come back in.
33:20That was all the work I could do for this morning.
33:23So a lot of it, Deanna's going to have to do a lot of it.
33:29I guess as a pioneer, it was a lot of hard work for the women.
33:35Or the man, whichever.
33:38Had to carry the load of the spouse.
33:42It's really cold this morning.
33:44When I got out the first thing this morning, it was about minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
33:51Which I think is about minus 35 degrees Celsius.
33:55I think the temperature has gone up a little bit in the last hour.
34:00As you can see, it's about minus 26 or something now.
34:06Our windows, as usual, are iced up.
34:08But right now, for some reason, they've got these really neat designs all over them.
34:12Looks like branches.
34:14Yeah, it looks really neat.
34:23Well, today we're getting ready to put the ceiling on.
34:27It's mid-December, and the pioneers are stuck in a cold snap.
34:32Tim and Deanna are struggling to keep their cabin warm.
34:35They've purchased a tarp to lower the ceiling and trap the heat.
34:39Well, I guess we ordered it the right size.
34:44Seems to fit.
34:45And it seems like our house is square, because this is a square tarp.
34:50Way to go, guys.
34:52So what are you doing here?
34:53Well, I'm just going to build another wall like this right here, and then I'm going to put a door on the front.
35:07Because we lose a lot of our heat.
35:09It got cold pretty quickly, actually.
35:12It was minus 35, I think, yesterday morning.
35:15So it went down pretty fast.
35:18But, I don't know.
35:20I think we were all dreading the cold.
35:22We were dreading the minus 30 days coming, but it hasn't been that bad.
35:26We've all been able to keep relatively warm.
35:29And we haven't been spending too much time inside, except for today I am.
35:34But, we usually wear so many clothes anyway, that we usually keep warm.
35:39So, I've got, I don't know, five layers on underneath here.
35:43So, we're able to keep semi-warm.
35:46I have problems with fingers and toes that will keep me warm, but...
35:54So, how's milking going?
35:55Good.
35:56See, milking actually right?
35:57Good.
35:58I was surprised.
35:59Because it's so cold.
36:01How have you guys been handling the weather?
36:03Great.
36:04I walked to church yesterday morning.
36:0636 below.
36:08How far away is that?
36:09Uh, two and a half miles.
36:11Do you want me to turn to the house?
36:14Well, we were, but no.
36:16The barn is real warm.
36:18It's not even cold in there.
36:19It's, it's, it's pretty good.
36:21I'll tell ya.
36:22Oh, boy.
36:23Jack, it's pretty cold in your garden.
36:34Figured nobody would see me this morning.
36:37Except poor Daisy.
36:41I keep my fork inside here because the handle freezes and you can't, uh, flip the glass.
36:52I wonder how to let's go see how the whale is.
36:55Saturday night was cold.
36:57Our fire did go out.
36:58Uh, I hadn't stoked up the poles enough and so the air wasn't coming through.
37:02So, for about an hour and a half we didn't have a fire going.
37:05And you could see your breath.
37:06In fact, I looked at the bed and the hot air was just rising out of the bed.
37:10Yes, I wondered yesterday morning when we opened the barn door, she'd still be alive, but she was fine.
37:20Now the chickens aren't laying, but they're still alive. They're not dead.
37:24They're doing fine. They're actually looking real good.
37:33There you go.
37:34Oh, they're pretty frosty.
37:45Oh, it's hard to get out of bed.
37:47I think you gotta go out in that cold.
37:49But, um, just your pails are frozen, you know, it's just that thing.
37:53But, um, I haven't found it more difficult.
37:57You know what, to be honest, that didn't, no, because I love the winter.
38:06I actually love the cold.
38:07Uh, Tim and I are trappers.
38:08We have a trapper's cabin way up in the bush and actually I love it.
38:12I really do.
38:13I, I prefer the winter, really.
38:15I know it sounds crazy, but, um, as long as I'm warm, as I'm going outside, I'm fine.
38:21I love it.
38:24It's what I thought it would be and it's actually minus 30 is more bearable than I thought.
38:27Because we put all our layers on and it's not so bad.
38:30No, it's more, just, I think it's more the psychological part.
38:33If boredom really hits or if we get stir-crazy.
38:36We just have to make ourselves go out and do stuff.
38:38Well, we fight with the neighbors.
38:40Yeah.
38:41We fight with the Joneses.
39:03Here's Atlanta trying to get the last minute Christmas gifts done.
39:06I've made a total mess here.
39:09Making boxes.
39:11It's hard to work outside.
39:13It's not too cold for the fingers.
39:15Well, it's the night before Christmas Eve and my wonderful husband is doing my laundry for me.
39:22I've been wearing my long gels, I think, for five days in a row and I wanted them cleaned for tomorrow.
39:27And, of course, I'm trying to finish last minute Christmas stuff, so Frank's doing the laundry.
39:32What a guy.
39:33What a butt.
39:34Oh, honey.
39:35What dandruff.
39:36Got them done?
39:37Honey, they're beautiful.
39:38Yeah.
39:39They're gorgeous.
39:40We've stitched the envelopes together.
39:41You want to show them?
39:42Yeah, we did them kind of different.
39:43And then I'm not as fancy, so I just kind of wrote.
39:44pressed leaves in the fall.
39:45And we've got rose hips here.
39:46So we made candles.
39:47And then we've got homemade soap.
39:48It took us several hours to make.
39:49And we've got a pot holder each.
39:50Ta-da.
39:51Ta-da.
39:52It's funny, though.
39:53We said we hit the Christmas rush out here, though.
39:54Like, last night we were up late.
39:55And the last few days we were panicking to get this stuff done.
39:57We thought, oh, my goodness, it's a settler basket rush.
39:58We should have started earlier.
39:59That was weird.
40:00Does it mean more?
40:01Yeah.
40:02Yeah.
40:03Yeah.
40:04Yeah.
40:05Yeah.
40:06Yeah.
40:07Yeah.
40:08Yeah.
40:09Yeah.
40:10Yeah.
40:11Yeah.
40:12Yeah.
40:13Yeah.
40:14Yeah.
40:15It's funny, though.
40:16We said we hit the Christmas rush out here, though.
40:17Like, last night we were up late.
40:18And the last few days we were panicking to get this stuff done.
40:20We thought, oh, my goodness, it's a settler basket rush.
40:23We should have started earlier.
40:25That was weird.
40:26Does it mean more when you do it yourself, or is that just a myth?
40:29Oh, I think so.
40:30Oh, it does.
40:31I mean, if we'd have gone out and bought a bouquet of flowers for these folks,
40:34it wouldn't have meant as much to us.
40:36I hope that it will mean something to them.
40:38You'd have to ask that.
40:39If it doesn't, they can give it back to us, because we like them.
40:41Yeah.
40:42Come on, I'm a real Scotchman when we're wearing a kilt today.
40:45The arrival of some neighbors completes this pioneer Christmas Eve.
40:49I'm Elena.
40:50Hi, I'm Bob.
40:51How are you?
40:52They've brought the Scottish traditions of the Argyle District to the homestead.
40:55The door closed here.
40:56Kyle.
40:57Kyle?
40:58Frank.
40:59Nice to meet you.
41:00Look at that.
41:01Aww.
41:02Now I got something for you.
41:03Now, what?
41:04Now, why is that?
41:06It's part of a saying called,
41:08which means,
41:09long may your chimney smoke,
41:11meaning good luck,
41:12in other words,
41:13good life in the upcoming year.
41:15Do you guys want some wine first?
41:16Haha.
41:17Got any scotch?
41:18We've actually got some here.
41:19Yeah, we've got some other stuff for you too.
41:22I'll leave it right there if anyone's interested.
41:24You guys have some.
41:25Wow.
41:26What do you do?
41:27Just drink her straight from there?
41:28Absolutely.
41:29Go ahead, Deanna.
41:30Give her a drive.
41:31Okay, Deanna, go.
41:32Oh, yeah, Deanna.
41:33Deanna!
41:34Deanna!
41:35I'll just,
41:36all I have to do is smell it,
41:37I'm sure.
41:38That's right.
41:39It's a miniature...
41:46I'm on a real spot,
41:47so that'd be no problem at all.
41:48I got to walk home.
41:49Oh, I got to walk to the truck and drive home.
41:53Cheers.
41:54Merry Christmas.
41:55Merry Christmas.
41:56Happy New Year.
41:57And bang me your lumberie.
42:05It's a merry Christmas!
42:06Come on,
42:06take me some.
42:07Happy New Year.
42:08I'm sorry.
42:09Sorry, given that answer to you.
42:10Don't.
42:11I don't know where you're supposed to be,
42:12you're supposed to be,
42:13I'm on a real spot.
42:14You're supposed to be here,
42:15you're supposed to be.
42:16It's Spitfire, you're supposed to be.
42:17You're supposed to be,
42:18I have to be a pair of mirrors,
42:19you do not to be.
42:20Again, I don't know where you're supposed to be.
42:21So why don't you play,
42:22I'm so busy...
42:23Here's what you're supposed to be.
42:24No!
42:25I don't know where you're supposed to be.
42:26What have you,
42:27and I do not know where you're supposed to be.
42:29As the afternoon wears on, the years fall away.
42:43More and more it becomes Christmas as it was, the merriment, handmade and heartfelt.
42:48She waltzes a lot better than I waltz, eh?
42:55I do too many standard things, but waltzes.
43:00Thank you!
43:02That was fun.
43:05Thank you for the dance.
43:07Oh, thank you.
43:09I'll save you one in February.
43:10What do I get? A, B, C?
43:12I give you an A.
43:13Oh, great!
43:15Merry Christmas. Thank you for coming.
43:18It was nice to meet you.
43:19Absolutely.
43:20Alright, see you again.
43:21Alright, see ya.
43:30The pioneers want to drop off a few gifts for their closest neighbours.
43:35It's become a Christmas for the old timers.
43:38A Christmas they'll talk about in years to come.
43:41Day after day of bitter cold, they'll say.
43:44The coldest December in 120 years.
43:47I didn't get to hug either by, I hugged everybody out.
43:51Oh, well, Merry Christmas.
43:53Note 9, you can't go. Come here.
43:56Come on, 8.
43:57You can't go.
43:59Hey, you guys are tough.
44:01Ah, that's good.
44:03See you guys.
44:04Merry Christmas.
44:05Merry Christmas.
44:06Merry Christmas.
44:079, stay here.
44:09They, they got, they need lots of credit for what they've done, boy.
44:14You know, it hasn't been this cold and this much snow for so many years.
44:18This early in the season?
44:19You guys had to pick the worst year and then pick the year with the rain.
44:22Last year, the year before, we never had snow like this at Christmas.
44:25The fields were still black.
44:31It has become a fitting end to a year in which Mother Nature has played every practical joke she knows.
44:37A year to remember.
44:40The old timers say true pioneers are tough.
44:43It was that way in the beginning.
44:46And it's still that way.
44:49Merry Christmas.
44:54So what'd you get for Christmas?
44:57Look at my little Christmas present.
45:00Smokey the kitty.
45:02Isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen?
45:05Frank went and got her this morning from the neighbor's house.
45:08I was dying for this kitty and he wouldn't let me have it.
45:11Oh, she's still shaking because Frank had her in the cold.
45:14She's so cute.
45:15I can't believe he got it for me.
45:16It's the best present I could ask for.
45:19Well, we named the kitty.
45:20It's not Smokey.
45:21It's Kai.
45:23And Frank just made her this new cat toy.
45:26He tied an acorn?
45:27What is that?
45:28Pinecone.
45:29Acorn.
45:30He tied a pinecone up on her basket.
45:32She loves it.
45:35Well, did I have a good night tonight?
45:37Today I boiled six pots of snow to wash my hair in.
45:43Oh, I feel glorious.
45:45I feel like a million bucks.
45:47Cold sores?
45:48Doesn't matter.
45:49Look at my hair.
45:50It's better than organic shampoo.
45:54And organic shampoo.
45:55And organic shampoo.
45:56And organic shampoo.
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