-20- 
     
     the clothing of everyone in the near vicinity was ice-encrusted, and the 
     
     mus ta ches and whiskers of the adults were adorned with &oicles. So it 
     
     went, day in and day out, throughout the "mudding" season. And always 
     
     there was that northwesterly blast lancing down from the Strathgartney 
     
     hills! 
     
    

    
     “Life patterns and living styles have undergone tremendous changes, Even 
     
     the climate appears to have moderated appreciably. Winters are definitely 
     
     milder; the countryside no longer lies snowbound for months. If a mud- 
     
     digger is still to be found, it is probably part of an antique exhibit. 
     
     And, if some rural dwellers still make the January pilgrimage to the wood 
     
     lot, they go equipped with tools that eliminate much of the old-time 
     
     drudgery. Occasionally, one hears a member of the older generation 
     
     express a nostalgia for the old days, and for the many desirable features 
     
     that unfortunately have been lost. But it is extremely unlikely that, given 
     
     the opportunity of a return to those days, ey of that generation would 
     
    
   
   
    
     avail themselves of it. 
     
     HME 
     
    
   
   
    
     As a supplement to the family income, and to provide some activity 
     
     during the dull season, many farmers on both sides of the West River spent- 
     
     the months of January and February "at the smelts." Looking up and down 
     
     the ice-bound waterway from the bridge, one could count a score of the 
     
     poles that’ marked the location of the smelt nets along the course of the 
     
     "channel" ~-jaeep central main.) stream of the river. Names of some who 
     
     took part included Thomas Kickham, his son, Larry, Jimmy Ma cFadyen, John 
     
     Cameron, and Johnny McQuillan. ‘-- all from New Haven. 
     
    

    
     Like mud digging, smelt fishing was a cold and uncomfortable job; 
     
     unlike mud digging, it required only about three hours daily -- at times 
     
     approximating high tide. Of course, this involved braving the elements at 
     
     all hours of the day and night -- often in a blinding snowstorm and in 
     
    
   
   
    
     near-zero temperatures -- but those hardships were taken in stride, as was