Hair In Two Syllables

Living near your grandchildren is interesting because you see all the changes going on with them as they grow. Recently, both girls have started to make two syllables out of one syllable words. However this trend only applies to words ending in ere or air. So words such as hair become hai-er, there becomes ther-er, and so it goes. Caitlin, the two year old, is most famous for this speech pattern but Sylvie, at four, does it as well. 

Then there's the, "I did it," after everything Caitlin accomplishes. You cannot help but cheer after every such utterance because she announces it with such excitement. She was fascinated with going up and down the stairs on the balcony recently and proudly proclaimed her success.

Sylvie's new thing is the sentence, "I have a question for you," and you cannot predict what is coming. It can be about something that she or you are currently doing or something entirely off topic. If the past predicts the future, Caitlin will soon have a question for us as well.

The funniest times occur when Caitlin says things that the rest of us do not understand. Sylvie translates on those occasions.

Meanwhile, Rick and I shake our heads in amazement as both girls learn and grow.

"I'm so tired I have to sit in the chai-er," I said after playing with the girls for a few hours. You are never too old to learn.

Treasure

She was born in 1945, the youngest child of Bessie and Ern Smith of Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Marie's parents were in their forties when she was born. This meant that as a young child, Marie had parents who were older that many of the parents of her friends and classmates.

It was as if she was raised by grandparents. In fact her oldest nephew is just seven years younger than Marie.

It is interesting to see the bank book which belonged to Marie's parents around the time of her birth. It shows that their bank balance was rarely more than $20.00, and many times they were overdrawn.

By this time, the boys in the family were old enough to work, so chances are they helped their parents. However, there were four other girls besides baby Marie at this time, and money must have been tight. Her oldest sister, Evelyn, told Marie that the day Marie was born at home, Evelyn took the other girls out of the house during the delivery.

As the youngest child, Marie was still at home when the other children were long gone. One by one, her older siblings left Corner Brook. Only Melvin remained and he was married with a family of his own. The others settled on the mainland or England, were married and had families of their own as well. Fred remained a bachelor but lived all over the world. Among the siblings, Marie was the constant at home with her parents.

Looking at the bank book, it is obvious that the Smiths were not wealthy people. However, they had a treasure in their youngest child, Marie, who stayed home and looked after them until they both passed away. A bank statement is a poor reflection of how blessed people really are.

Happy birthday, Aunt Marie! You deserve the best birthday ever!

An Adventure With Mary

My mother did not get her vehicle license until after my father died, when she was sixty-one years of age. You cannot imagine what an accomplishment that was for her. She tried learing to drive when my brother and I were young but quit when she almost put the car through the garage door. After Dad died however, their car was parked outside the door and Mom had to rely on others to get around. She had the incentive to drive then. After her third attempt to get her license, Mom was successful.

When it came time to get work done on the car, Mom always went to the same garage. The first time she went there, it was shortly after she had her license. The garage had a pit in the middle of each car bay. 

"Put your car in here, Mam," said the mechanic. 

Mom looked at the car bay and said, "I don't know about that," pointing to the pit.

"You can do it, Mrs. Just take yer time."

Mom touched the gas and the car leapt forward, down into the pit. Though the car was undamaged, it took six men four hours to get the car out. 

Years later, after Mom died, my sister-in-law, Michele, took her vehicle to the same garage. The workers there remembered my mother when Michele said her name. They laughed about the event. Mom was famous at this garage; every new employee heard about her exploits years after she was gone.

Life was rarely boring with our mother.

A Day with the Girls

We were fortunate enough to spend a day with our granddaughters, Sylvie and Caitlin, this past weekend. Time disappears when they are around, aches and pains almost forgotten. Exploration, curiosity, and energy are the order of the day, with a reminder to enjoy each minute because this time in our lives is fleeting.

Such fun!

              Waiting for Nanny and Poppy

        Planting seeds

         They're Small

               Nan Nan Doing Caitlin's Hair

              Lunch Time

                    Fun Squirting Water

                Storytime before Naptime

                           Ipad Time

                       Sylvie at the Ipad

                   Fun after Supper

                        Hide, Caitlin!

The Tin

Last week, I wrote about Reverend RF Mercer, my husband's great grandfather, a minister with the Church of England. He worked in various places around Newfoundland over his career, including Harbour Breton and Catalina. We did not have any keepsakes from Reverend Mercer until recently. 

Rick's Aunt Marie on his father's side, has a tin collection which she has saved for years. One of the tins in her collection was a tin from Reverend Mercer. It is a small tin, which held altar candles. Her brother, Melvin, gave her the tin for her collection. It held small items in his garage such as nuts and bolts.

The little tin has seen better days but it is interesting nonetheless. The tin and the candles it once held were made by Charles Farris Ltd. The company also sold altar wine, church furniture and sanctuary oil. It is still in operation today as Charles Farris, Chandlers, 1845, London. The company, in operation for one hundred and seventy years, still makes Church candles. It started during the early years in the reign of Queen Victoria and continues today into the twenty-first century. The longevity of this candle business is quite a feat.

With the size of this little box and the small candles, we wonder if the candles were brought to homes during visitation of the sick or dying, to be lit during prayers. What stories still linger in this little container? 

 Imagine.

Thank you to Aunt Marie Smith for the little candle tin and the story which resulted.

The Old Fashioned Make-Over

One of my husband's ancestors, his great grandfather on his mother's side, was a minister in the Church of England. Reverend Mercer's son was my husband's grandfather, Richard Mercer.

Years ago, when our daughter was young, we visited Catalina, Newfoundland where Reverend Mercer is buried. 

      Rev. RF Mercer's 

         headstone

He was posted at St. Peter's in Catalina twice during his career. 

            Names of Clergy

          St. Peter's Church

Rick's parents, Melvin and Sylvia, accompanied us to Catalina. 

      External and internal views of St. Peter's

After the reverend died, his family sent his suits to his son. Sylvia's mother, Classie, used the material in the suits to make gored skits for Sylvia. At the same time, one of Classie's sisters gave her a sweater that she was no longer wearing. Classie unraveled the sweater and knit one for Sylvia. 

            Sylvia in the pulpit at St. Peter's

Many women, such as Classie, had the ability to make-over clothes for their families. Sylvia loved her new clothes, made lovingly by her mother from material and wool from her family, and she was so proud of them. 

Today there are many television programs about making over your own personal style or home. However, this old fashioned make-over provided 'new' clothes for families, a more basic need than the current use of the concept implies. Besides, re-cycling of the materials is certainly a twenty-first century concept. There is a lot we can learn from the old ways.

The Dancing Butterfly and Her Sister

If you are lucky enough to become a grandparent, you are granted the privilege of watching another generation as they grow into the world. It is one thing to be a parent, but something entirely different to be a grandparent.

This past Saturday, we had the pleasure of watching our granddaughters at the dance recital in which the oldest child, Sylvie was performing. The two year old, Caitlin, was seated with her family during the two hour performance. 

While Sylvie did her moves, as she calls them,

jumping, turning, pointing toes,

 raising arms, moving across the stage,

Caitlin watched. However, Caitlin watched all the performances and said,"Shhhh," to her mother if Claire spoke in her ear. Caitlin's rapt attention was as interesting as the performances on the stage.

   Caitlin during intermission

Before she was two, Sylvie loved to watch The Nutcracker on youtube. It will be interesting to see if Caitlin wants to dance too; or, is she just an excellent spectator?