Then Came May

A nostalgic account of homesteading near Petoskey, in northern Michigan, in the late 1800's. Georgia Hufford describes the rounds of daily life on a relatively self-sufficient farm. Hufford recalls tasks such as sugaring, fishing, cleaning house, and baking, as well as encounters with extinct wildlife, such as the large flocks of passenger pigeons that used to pass through the area. She also talks about logging, early commercial furniture-making, fighting forest fires and other activities that homesteaders experienced in the north woods of Michigan. Hufford also describes her work as teacher, working in local government, serving as a postmistress, and her work in retailing. Family verse and quotes from Robert Burns, Ella Wheeler Wilcox and other popular poets appear throughout.