In Sunshine and in Shadow: A Daughter's View of Homesteading and Beyond

But come ye back when summers in the meadow Or when the valleys hushed and white with snow Tis Ill be there in sunshine or in shadow Oh Danny Boy Oh Danny Boy I love you soIn 2015 at the age of 95 Cathie Smith decided to get serious about finishing a memoir she had started years earlier about her parents homesteading in Alberta. Her daughter Jean offered to help and the result is In Sunshine and in Shadow--a lively informative book that records the history of two families the Rosses and the Smiths and the social and technological changes Cathie has witnessed over nearly a century.Evoking the traditional song Danny Boy the books title alludes both to Cathies lifelong love of music and to the love of her life Danny Smith while acknowledging the outdoor labour that pioneers had to endure in sunshine and in shadow--an apt metaphor for lifes good times and bad.Although initially intended just for family members this book richly illustrated with almost 350 photos will appeal to anybody interested in Canadian history or in a love story. It begins in the horse-and-buggy days and ends with industrial farms and no-till drills. It explores social life then and now including Cathies winding path to romance with Danny and their 66-year marriage all the while brimming with her zest and gratitude for life.