These days, with all the apartments for rent, there are very few boarding houses.

When I went to live in Regina during the war, one did not rent an apartment, but rather sought out a room in a boarding home.

Usually the homes were large three storey homes, with the family augmenting its income by renting out rooms. Those close to the downtown area were the ones most desirable, because that way transportation was not a problem. On the salaries at that time, transportation was a major expense.

As a rural teacher, I was accustomed to living with a family who provided me with a room and meals, so going into the city was not a problem. The only problem was to find a clean, respectable home.

I was fortunate to find a place near the old Regina College. My room was the original living room with a fireplace.

Two girls occupied the former den and on the second floor, which housed the only bathroom. There were four other tenants and on the third floor.

Among the renters was one man, and it was clearly understood that the bathroom was his from 7 o'clock to 7.30 each morning. The rest of us took our chances and there was quite the scramble each morning as all of the renters were working, and had to be at work on time.

Fortunately some had to be at work at 8.30 and the rest of us at 9.

Breakfast was available when needed, but dinner was at 12 noon--always roast beef, and supper was at 6 p.m. Since the landlady had a garden and raised citrons, even today I can hardly think of canned citron, let alone eat it.

Our landlady used to sit out in a glassed in porch each evening. We were only half a block from Regina College where the airforce had a training centre. Each evening the men from the base would go by the house, and we used to duck down where they could not see us and whistle.

Of course some of the airmen could not resist and would come up the walk. To their amazement there would be sitting a middle aged woman. She would hurry into the house all the while verbally blasting the whistlers.

At that stage, the United States was not involved in the war and many young Americans came to Canada to join the airforce. These young men received excellent training in the Canadian airforce and when the States entered the war they transferred to the American Air Force as officers.

Among them were a group of Texans. One of the Texans brought his wife with him and she obtained a room at our boarding house. It was winter, and she came prepared: a big fluffy fur hat, fur mitts, a short fur coat, but no overshoes or warm coat.

She had come from El Paso, Texas, and had no idea of cold weather. But it did not take her long to learn how to dress for our winter.

The Texans had never seen hoar frost, and had been convinced that pictures of frost must be just artists' renderings. They spent many hours walking the Regina parks admiring the frost.

When the renters in a boarding house were compatible, it was just like one big family. We ate together and there was always someone about to be with. We were particularly lucky that our landlady did not have a long list of house rules; we were adults and were treated as such.

For someone coming into the city for the first time, with no friends, the boarding home was the ideal place to make the transition from a sheltered home to becoming an adult on one's own.

Boarding houses, especially during the war, provided clean, respectable, affordable accommodation for the office worker as well as wives of the men training in the various branches of the military.