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1 CONC A paper written by Fran Currie on Nov. 5, 1999, My Memories of Homestead F
1 CONC arm and Mung & Lillian Nodwell.  Homestead Farm was a magical pla
1 CONC ce in my childhood.  We played hospital in the big closets in the bedroo
1 CONC ms - the side shelves made wonderful beds.  We played house in the hen hou
1 CONC ses when they were empty.  We jumped off the beams of the barn into the ha
1 CONC y.  We rode horses around the fiel.  We skated on the frozen creek that r
1 CONC an through the field.  We jumped from boulder to boulder down the backla
1 CONC ne stone fence.  Lillian would usually be the first person I would s
1 CONC ee as I cut across the field to the laneway.  She would be coming out t
1 CONC he milk house door, or from the garden, or out the back door of the hou
1 CONC se or on her way out the back lane.  She was such a gentle person and h
1 CONC ad such an enthusiasm for life.  Always she would make you feel, she was r
1 CONC eally glad to see you.  Then she would share with you a recent discovery t
1 CONC hat she had made and send you on your way to whatever sctivity was going o
1 CONC n.  There was always something going on, usually Lillian initiated.
1 CONT
1 CONT Lillian was a wonderful cook.  Her speciality was pie.  My favourite was e
1 CONC lderberry.  It was alwsays made with no lower crust in a big rectangular r
1 CONC oasting pan.  Nothing was made on a small scale at Nodwell's because you n
1 CONC ever knew how many were going to be there.  People never seemed to wa
1 CONC nt to go home when they went to Homestead Farm.
1 CONT
1 CONT I have many happy memories of times in the main living room.  Lillian wou
1 CONC ld be in and out.  She might be doing some painting.  She would stop on h
1 CONC er way through and suggest a game.  People would gather round a table.  ne
1 CONC xt time though there might be a need for another table full.  Mung wou
1 CONC ld be sitting in the corner, smiling and watching it all.  At some point s
1 CONC he would start to cook.  A bit of help was needed here and there and peop
1 CONC le would move in and out.  There was never any sense of urgency.  You enjo
1 CONC yed what you were doing.  Food came and you ate some, and went on with t
1 CONC he game.  More food came.  The games went on.  The dish brigade swung in
1 CONC to action.  It was so much fun.
1 CONT
1 CONT Sunday afternoons were picnic times.  A small cooking fire was made in t
1 CONC he field down near the pines.  Lillian would get the coffee going in a t
1 CONC in pail.  It was always served with tinned evaporated milk.  While it w
1 CONC as coming to a boil, Lillian would go looking for puff ball, if it was t
1 CONC he right time of year.  she taught me my first lessons in conservation.  S
1 CONC he had a great respect and love for nature.  You only took what you cou
1 CONC ld use.  Other Sundays we would pile in the car and go up to the Grand Riv
1 CONC er near Grand Valley.  Again there would be the fire with the tin pail f
1 CONC or the coffee.  Mung would have his Sunday snooze and we would go explori
1 CONC ng the riverbed.  At maple syrup time, the picnic would be down at the bus
1 CONC h.  She would put eggs into the boiling sap to hard boil them and th
1 CONC en we would have bread and maple syrup cooled in a snow bank.
1 CONT
1 CONT When conditions were just right, we used to skate at night on the upper po
1 CONC nd.  There was a big tree stump out in the middle that was a gathering pla
1 CONC ce.  One skate round there would be nothing there.  The next skate roun
1 CONC d, and we would discover a big platter of Newport fluffs, drizzled with ma
1 CONC ple syrup and made into balls.  Lillian had been there.
1 CONT
1 CONT Parties at Homestead Farm were on a grand scale.  The whole community w
1 CONC as invited and came.  It was an awe inspiring sight.  every room in the wh
1 CONC ouse would be given over to various card games.  I can remember as a chi
1 CONC ld wandering from room to room watching the people.  One bedroom wou
1 CONC ld be set up for euchre, another bedroom would be for bridge, the kids usu
1 CONC ally gathered in what was called the library just off the kitchen.  Lilli
1 CONC an would be organizing food, and flitting here and there making sure eve
1 CONC ry one was being looked after.
1 CONT
1 CONT Yes, Homestead Farm was a magical place.  It got that magic from two ve
1 CONC ry special people - Mung and Lillian Nodwell.
1 CONT
1 CONT A picture of her tomb stone is on file.
1 CONT
1 CONT Her obiturary reads NODWELL, Lilian E. (nee Ferguson) - Born August 190
1 CONC 2, died October 20, 1999.  Wife of the late Mungo Nodwell of Homestead Far
1 CONC m, Hillsburgh.  Mother of Mary Buckles, Kathleen (Pat) Schulze, Nina Nodwe
1 CONC ll and LInda Wright.  A memorial service will be held at St. Andrew's Pres
1 CONC byterian Church, Hillsburgh on Friday, November 5, 1999 at 2 p.m..  In li
1 CONC eu of flowers, please donate to EWAG, Box 786,Erin,  N0B 1T0.
1 CONT
1 CONT There was a tribute to Lilian by Pauline Spence
1 CONT When I learned on Friday of Mrs. Nodwell's death last week, I thought ba
1 CONC ck to my childhood of how big a part she played in it.  When I remember he
1 CONC r, it will always be summer, with the breezes whistling through the old pi
1 CONC nes and the smell of freshly baked pies in the air.   During haying seaso
1 CONC n, most of the kids in town were at Nodwell's, riding back and forth on t
1 CONC he wagons.  Lillian never seemed to mind if there were an extra doz
1 CONC en or so children underfoot, even though she must have tired of making pit
1 CONC cher after pitcher of the best lemonade we had ever tasted.  Mrs. Nodwe
1 CONC ll was also an accomplished painter, and taught me a love of art.  She pai
1 CONC nted portraits of some of us, and I will never forget the time she had str
1 CONC ipped the walls of the hall down to the bare plaster and gave paints, cray
1 CONC ons and pastels to about ten kids and told us to paint the walls.  We thou
1 CONC ght we were in heaven!  She showed us how to find Indian arrowhead, h
1 CONC ow to hunt for fossils, how to make maple syrup, and so much more.  I thi
1 CONC nk she was the most brilliant person, and personality I have ever know
1 CONC n.  Some people might say she marched to the beat of a different drumme
1 CONC r, but I think she walked to the song in her heart.  Thank you so much, Mr
1 CONC s. Nodwell.
1 CONT
1 CONT Globe and Mail 29-10-99
1 CONT NODWELL, Lilian (nee Ferguson)
1 CONT
1 CONT NODWELL, Lilian (nee Ferguson) Died October 20, 1999. Wife of the late Mun
1 CONC go Nodwell of Homestead Farm, Hillsburgh. Leaves daughters, Mary Buckle
1 CONC s, Pat Schulze, Nina Nodwell, Linda Wright; ten grandchildren and twelve g
1 CONC reatgrandchildren. Memorial service Friday, November 5, at 2 p.m., at S
1 CONC t. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Hillsburgh. Donations may be made to E.W.
1 CONC A.G., Box 786, Erin N0B 1T0.