Cape Breton's Magazine

fingernails, no hair. Did I ever work and nurse (Pearl) to try to bring her through. And she knows it today. And she's doing everything she can. She can't do enough for me. She knows what I did for her. (What did you do Christmastime?... Say when you were a little girl.) Oh, yes, I remember. And first of all, we didn't have Christmas trees. But we had stockings, we hung up our stockings. And you know, they'd put an apple and an orange and some candy sticks and a few little toys. But my father and mother weren't--they weren't really poor, but they were an average, and they couldn't afford expensive toys like the children have today. They weren't to be bought in that day. Oh yes, we'd always race for our stocking, we'd hang up our stocking. We were satis? fied with whatever was in our stocking. And we believed in Santa Claus, oh yes, we did. I still believe! Laughter. And then my mother would always have a love? ly chicken dinner. There was no such a thing as buying a turkey; I don't know if they ev? er had a turkey. But we used to raise roost? ers and pullets and chickens, and my mother would have a lovely dinner. And there would be a plim pudding. My mother was a beautiful cook. We'd always have the plum pudding. On Christmas Day, we would go over to my mother, after her dinner. Now, we'd have our dinner on New Year's Day, but on Christmas Day our dinner was over what we call on The Island. Now, there's where my mother's father and mother lived and where my mother was born, on The Island. It was a great big island. And his mother-in-law owned that island. Her name was Amelia l-'CAPE BRETONER; I WINTER ROOM NIGHT SPECIAL i ?? $1Q 96 PER PERSON (PLUS taxes) I " • ' I W ?? BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY & AVAILABILITY If you plan to overnight at Sydney I at anytime until April 30,1997... ?? • to Shop • to see a hockey game t* to try your luck at the casino... etc., etc. | _ mention, copy or present this ad to get the $19.'' Rate ' • Coupon Good until APRIL 30,1997 • ' A Wandlyn Cape Bretoner ' I Special Rate Coupon | $19.'' per person -t- taxes (based on double occupancy) I extra person $8.00 each | 560 Kings Road, Sydney Phone (902) 539-8101 84 Ranson. She was born in L'Ardoise.... We'd go over there for dinner. I remember to this day: my grandfather would always have a bottle for Christmas. A bottle of something-- rum, mostly. And they had these little tiny goblets, you know. Of course, they had the big ones, but we had the lit? tle ones. And why shouldn't we be given a big one? We'd be given the little ones and we weren't happy about it. We didn't know what it meant not to be drinking. But boys, it tasted good, I'm telling you!... But they gave us a tiny little bit in a tiny little glass. But they had a big glass. And then I wondered why they were all so jolly after dinner--so much more after dinner than before. They were jolly before dinner, but when it got to after dinner, oooo! Laughter. We didn't under? stand, we were too young to. Then on New Year's Day, my grandfather and one of his boys--none of the rest of them --would come over and have dinner with my father and mother, to return the compli? ment, on New Year's Day.... We had a wonderful childhood at home. My father and mother--my mother didn't like to dance, she didn't care about dancing. But my father could get up and dance that tune--stepdance! He was a beautiful danc? er. He'd say, "Come on, Vicky, come on with me," and he'd' try to pull her out. "Peter," she'd say, "let me alone! Leave me alone! I don't care about dancing." She never went on the floor to dance a set. And my father would go and dance those sets, and he'd go right through them and he'd never make a mistake. My father, he was jolly. He would make everybody laugh. We grew up in a home full of love. And we used to have our temperance meet? ings, once a month. You'd have to sign the pledge, you know. They didn't do much drinking, you know. But it's like the song, "Lips that touch liquor shall never touch mine." If you drink too much liquor and get to be a drunkard, you're not going to get a good woman. If you're not a good husband. I remember temperance pieces that my sis? ter used to recite, great big long pieces that she'd recite. She was good at that. Con9'/'a.tMatms't*'om, , BUFFETT'S OFFICE SUPPLIES so(4i/mRs * (;Reerf//(;eAm " ARTfm'S(4ppa5s S??'Rl/fC'S: fax, Pkotoooi'', iammtiH', MclRei'gt'tBindliH' NORTH SYDNEY PHONE 794-2317 FAX 794-3846