The Icelandic Canadian - 01.09.2003, Qupperneq 36

34
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 58 #1
finished with them, young nephews ceased
to even consider playing in the basement!
Joe went at it with a will, but with very
little understanding of mushrooms and
their needs. Warmth was indeed needed,
and the furnace was handy. Joe kept it well
fed. What Joe did not count on was the
Saskatchewan climate - very dry. The
warmer Joe made it, the dryer it got. No
mushrooms were forthcoming. Weeks
went by, with no results. Then came a rush
of excitement, as something was seen push-
ing up through the soil. Joe saw success at
hand! However, it proved to be a stray
potato which had sprouted! The mush-
room business was, after all, a bust.
Meanwhile however, as was the habit
in those pioneer days, Joe’s name had been
permanently altered - albeit in the Icelandic
tongue- to “Mushroom Joe” (Graculi Joi),
throughout the Elfros District. His birth
name was forgotten by many as the new
label was adopted.
When a year had gone by, Joe disman-
tled his failed mushroom operation, and
left the community, presumably for his
home somewhere in the Interlake dis-
trict of Manitoba. He was not seen or
heard from in Elfros again. I couldn’t
help but wonder if his poetry survived
in some literary vault, perhaps a dank
college basement.
Then a chance visit to my cousin
Thordis Gutnick’s place in Calgary
revealed a small volume of poems by
Johannes Hunfjord, published by
Viking Press in 1933. From this old vol-
ume comes the photo which accompa-
nies this article. The book, Omar, is
dedicated to Svein Thorvaldson of
Riverton, Man.
There are many stories of hardship
from the great depression, some sad,
some strange—but many are tales of
continuing hope in the face of hard
times.. Such is the story of Johannes
Hunfjord - Mushroom Joe.
mm
984 Portage Avenue
at Aubrey St.
Ph: (204) 949-2200
Fax: (204) 783-5916
www.nbardal.mb.ca
Serving Winnipeg
& Rural Manitoba
t^&ect t<y i^uzcte/ . . .
"Ask us about the Life Legacy Recording Project"