WEDNESDAY WORDS - MEMORIES

The title says Wednesday Words, but if I don't get this blog finished pretty soon, it will be Friday!  Tomorrow is December 16 and that date brings back lots of memories.  That was the date in 1965 that Howard proposed at the Bessborough Hotel in Saskatoon.  I was supposed to have an English exam the next day, but don't you suppose the prof postponed it because he didn't think we were ready for it!  He had that right!

Three years later on December 16, 1968 our baby girl arrived at St. Joseph's Hospital in Estevan.  It was shortly before midnight when Laurel Sandra Johnson made her appearance.  I was supposed to be at Salem Circle that night but didn't even phone anyone to tell them I had other plans!  They found out the next morning why I was absent.  Happy 43rd Birthday, Laurel.  I'm planning to be up your way in the afternoon.  I'm making a quick trip to the farm and to Ambrose for the mail, then I'll be heading for Milestone.

I'm gathering up the stuff I'll need to take home with me as I will be there until after the new year.  Susie actually came back to SK last Saturday, not exactly her choice.  She and Ray are tennis players and she suffered a torn Achilles tendon while on the court.  Surgery was required and she was flown to Regina last Saturday and had surgery that night at the General Hospital.  She was discharged on Monday and is spending time with her daughters until Ray arrives home on Sunday evening.  It's a novelty for the grandkids to have Grandma stay with them.  That doesn't usually happen when Grandma lives right in Estevan and close to Lampman.

This afternoon Linda and Wes Hanson came up to visit Howard.  They brought their laptop and showed pictures of their trip last fall to Mozambique where they helped build a house with Habitat for Humanity.  Wes said they mixed the cement right on the ground, just had to dig for the sand and had no cement mixer.  There were many curious children who came to watch these white people, a rare sight in their area.  Linda said she never saw any toys and they were told not to bring such things with them as it would be impossible to give something to each child.  They loved having their pictures taken and were amazed to see themselves right away on the digital cameras.  Truly a world away from us!

Well, I still haven't gotten to Aunt Viola's memories.  She did share some things about her mother.  Gina went to Minneapolis and found work as a maid for the Johnson family.  She learned how to do things "properly".  She told how Ben would stand in the corner and wink at her.  This relationship was frowned upon by Ben's parents as marrying the hired help was considered beneath their status.  But marry they did.  There were seven boys in Ben's family so if he wanted to farm, Ben had to look elsewhere.  Three children were born in Harmony, MN before they moved to Ambrose, ND.  Beatrice was born there.  In 1906 the family moved across the border to SE 16 1-12 W of 2nd.  The reason for the move was that a second quarter called the preemption could be obtained in Canada, besides the "free" quarter of land.  There's a story behind that quarter too, but I'll save that for another day!  Aunt Viola said that her mother always set a nice table for coffee, complete with a lunch cloth, even for the men who came in from their outside work for "coffee time".

I'll try to be on time with my Sunday blog!  Have a great weekend.