FEELING FINE AFTER CHRISTMAS

The special joys of Christmas bring to memory the times spent with family and friends that continue to resonate in our hearts and minds for many years to come and bring their joys from where they dwell safely in our brain’s hard drive or memory box for review in the future. Travel to family events became difficult with the passage of time as health could present challenges for some. But we still have our mind’s hard drive, safe in our memory box to recall those great times together.

In the depression of the l930s our horse drawn sleigh took us to the home of Les and Alice Bennett, only a couple of miles distant. On New Years day we returned the favour and if weather permitted we spent time with Frank and Ida Weeks who also lived near. Our local school offered no more than Grade eight and more education required a 65 mile, three day drive to the city. Our older brothers always seemed to find a way to get us through all seven of those scary coulees to be with family for the two week Christmas holiday. At any time a blizzard could block the way.

Paul, the eldest, age 20 (of whom his wife later told me her mother referred to as him as “the Saint),” took charge of us when our parents were away. Second son, Fred was known as “Mr. Mischief” usually had a trick handy. Al kept busy figuring out ways of improving our country’s “Banking System.” Helen had her ear to the radio at all times to learn how she might improve the lives of people in Africa. Esther, four years younger than me, says Helen and I were always asking her to “run downstairs” for a jar of meat or other canned food items. I stayed in the kitchen, hoping to impress the family with my baking skills. Electric power was not available until much later in the mid l940s. Two more sons were born during the 1930s, Harold John and John Harold. There will be more on the subject of how to avoid the “after Christmas cold and other health problems” on tomorrow’s Blog.