But come ye back when summer's in the meadow

Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow

'Tis I'll be there, in sunshine or in shadow

Oh Danny Boy, Oh Danny Boy, I love you so


In 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 book's title alludes both to Cathie's 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 life's 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 Cathie's winding path to romance with Danny and their 66-year marriage, all the while brimming with her zest and gratitude for life.