Sketch of children playing near and swimming in a creek near their homes, continuing to spend their Sunday afternoon, "At our place and at Thiessens we talk at table. Penners don't. They are a large family, I think twelve. Maybe that's why they don't often eat elsewhere. They are a "brought together" family. Mr. Penner has lost one, no, two wives, they died, no other separations or divorce exist, and had children by each, Mrs. Penner had a family too and now they have Annie and Helen together. A boy baby in their old age dies soon after birth. After Faspa it's time to get the milk cows home. We and Thiessens share a fence just outside Chortitz. It's always fun to do this. Sometimes Abram Thiessen and Jake Froese come too. Otherwise we seldom play outside, boys and girls, except in school hours. The boys may decide to strip and plunge into the creek, one hand between their legs, one over mouth and nose. We scream with excitement along with the boys 'tho at a respectable distance and guess who remembers the cows? On Sunday other village children come and it's great fun. They take a running leap to make the muddy water splash, no matter cows do their thing in it too."
Sketch of Marta Goertzen's yard where she grew up in Chortitz, Manitoba, showing her house and parts of the neighbors'. "Abram F, Goertzen's place; my home 1934 in Chortitz by Winkler Manitoba"
Sketches of a family collecting straw and using it to stuff mattresses to sleep on circa 1930 "Stuffing our straw beds circa 1930. Here in the strawloft it is scary; it is only of wide-spaced branches laid. One must step straddle-legged not to slide through! How sweet the sleep then on such a high fresh-smelling flax strawbed..."
Sketches of a family travelling by horse and wagon to visit relatives in Schanzenfeld on a Sunday circa 1929. "Dressed in Sunday best, past Wielers fence, we're off to visit grandmother! "TKL," goes father, and Toots trots easily, two miles off to Schanzenfeld... "Come my goslings! Have you missed me already too?" calls Grandmother in greeting"
Sketches of the burial and funeral of Marta's mother. "At the cemetery we wing, pray, and the minster "thanks off". Then he scatters the first handful of earth on the coffin... Village women brought butter and milk together yesterday to make the rolldough. This they carried to other women and took some themselves for baking. While we are at the cemetery, they set the coffee table: rolls, coffee and sugar cubes. The men eat first, then the women and the children."
Sketch of Marta and her sister as children on a Sunday afternoon walk on their property in rural Manitoba circa 1929 "Chortitz circa 1929 Tina and I going home for Faspa from a Sunday afternoon wakl over the snowdrifts in the cowfence. Fix, our dog, comes to meet us."
Handmade title page for Marta's sketches about her childhood on a rural Mennonite farm in Chortitz, Manitoba "WHEN THE SUN IS TWO HANDS HIGH SKETCHES FROM MY CANADIAN PRAIRIE MENNONITE VILLAGE CHILDHOOD MARTA GOERTZEN 1923-2008"
Sketches of a family working in the fields and stopping to eat "Today it is hot! En route to hoe potatoes in the field we stop in the garden to eat a lovely cantaloupe: this way they taste best! The flies are biting again: that means rain, we say..."
A sketch of a map showing the locations of families and buildings in the village of Chortitz, Manitoba (West Reserve) in the 1920s and 1930s. Includes one copy.
Sketches of a woman collecting snow to prepare washwater to do laundry with "Snow gives good soft washwater. The water-barrel needs busy filling. For lunch Greet quickly makes noodles and uses the water for starching. Letting freeze makes white. (bleaches) Afterwards, in the attic, (to) finish drying."
Sketch of a girl judging the time of day in order to bring the cows in from the fields "When the sun is two hands high it's time to bring the cows home."