Cape Breton's Magazine

Christmas, the poor kids. Sometimes they had an apple, and sometimes an orange. That time they had the long stick candy-- you pay one cent for a stick. Oh, my God, the poor kids. (But that's all they would get.) And they were so glad. Oh, my gosh. They'd put the stocking--they had the stocking behind the stove there, if Santa Glaus came. Next morning they'd have an apple, an orange, and a few little can? dies- -that's all. (Would you put up a Christmas tree?) Oh, no. (Or a wreath on the door?) No. We had no wreath, nothing. (Nothing like that.) No. (Did you have prayers in your house each day?) Oh, yes. We'd say the beads every evening before they went to bed, we'd pray. (Did you do it in the morning, too?) Well, Whale Cruises CHETICAMP Scenic 3-Hour Boat Tours * June to October 3 Times a Day in July & August Contact Capt. _ Bill Crawford, _ Cheticamp Boat Tours, Box 10, Grand Etang, Nova Scotia BOE ILO (902)224-3376 0 Senior Citizens Secretariat 4th Floor, Dennis Building, 1740 Granville Street • P.O. Box 2065, Halifax, N.S. • B3J 2Z1 HELP IS JUST A TOLL-FREE CALL AWAY One of the widely-used services offered by the Senior Citizens' Secretariat is that provided through the toll-free telephone line for seniors and persons who care for their needs. Our staff is trained to provide the answers to many of the questions that concern seniors, including those about pensions, home care services, community volunteer groups, home maintenance, housing and health. Moreover, our staff knows where to tum for answers to inquiries about problems with which they might not be totally familiar. It's a no-cost help line and information service established specifically for our older citizens, their families and their caregivers. We've devised a telephone number to match our mandate: For (4) twenty-four hour (24) service at no charge (00) to persons 65 years and over (65). When the bracketed numbers are put together they read 424-0065. That's us • easy to reach, easy to remember. Dial 1-424-0065 if calling from points outside the Halifax area. in the evening. The morning, I didn't have time. I said my own prayers, for myself. And the kids, they'd do their own prayers. In the evening, before they'd go to bed-- well, they'd (go) on their knees beside me. (In the kitchen?) Yeah. The old people were there--my father- and mother-in-law were there--were sitting in their chair--we'd say the prayers all together. (Was there a Bible in your house in those days?) No, no. I said so much, and then they answered, you know. At 9 o'clock they were gone to bed. (And were they always very quiet and obedient?) Oh, yes, they were not bad. (But I wanted to get back to toys for a second. They had very little at Christmas. Did they have any toys to play with?) They had nothing. (What would you give a child to play with?) Well, I couldn't give them anything, because they had nothing. (Not a little carved horse, or a little axe, tiny axe of their own, or dolls?) Well, they had a little hammer, and they'd put a nail in the board. (Did the girls have dolls?) Not at the beginning. After that, they had a few little dolls to play with. (You didn't make toys.) Well, sometimes I made them, or I tried to make some, too. Make them quiet down! Chuckles. Oh, my God, it was--it was awful. The kids now, all the gifts that they have. Rosie's little boy, last winter--he had 35 gifts. "Oh, my God," I said, "that's too much." 'jSc Province of Nova Scotia Hon. Marie Dechman, Chairperson The Senior Citizens' Secretariat Minnie showed us a conch shell. It came from Waltham. (Rpsig: And who bought it for you?) My sister. That was killed there. It was a souvenir, she bought it. I could blow. Minnie blows the conch: it is like a trumpet. When Daddy was working (at) the church there, I'd go outside and I'd blow on it, and he'd hear me and come for dinner. (Or if) they were working way back there, so I'd go outside and blow it, and they'd hear it and they'd come up. (Why didn't they just look at their watch?) Well, they had no watch. It's from the States. I had a sister there. And she was shot. (CBM: She was shot. How did that happen, dear?) Well, she was go? ing with a fellow (living) down home--not far from my place when I was young. And there was an? other fellow (in the States) that wanted to go out with her, but she didn't want him. And one day, she was going to work, and she passed (the other fellow on)