Hospital – A Family History in Letters

December 3 1969

49 Cedar Road,
Ottawa 9, Ontario.

3rd December, 1969.

Dearest Mummy,
I am sorry that I have been such a long time in writing, but what with Cec, and Lindy, and all the Graduation goings-on I seem to have been in a whirl, and then I had to rush madly and get off the English parcels and then the Christmas cards. They were late, but at least they have gone – can you imagine Nan’s parcel was here before I even sent hers, but it was not even the last week in November, so I felt that she was very early, not me very late!
I can’t even remember, when I last wrote, and from your letter of the 23rd, I can’t quite gather if I had told you of Cec’s operation or not. I remember sending you bits of Linda’s dresses, so it was sometime in the middle of Nov. and in case it was before the operation, Cec had it on the 11th, and had the right side of his thyroid gland removed. It was very hard and calcified, but not malignant, and apparently is some strange sort of infection where it infects and rejects itself. The incision is at the base of his neck in front and Cec says that he has had his throat cut! He was dopey and uncomfortable when I went in to see him the first night, but by the next afternoon, he was very cheerful and talking and eating didn’t seem to bother him too much. He was tired by the evening, of course, but next day, Thursday, he was up and walking around, but I still could hardly believe him when he said, the Dr. had said he could probably come home on the Fri. or Sat. Then on Fri. morning the phone rang and here he was saying ‘Come and get me’. I was amazed, and had to rush around as I had washed my hair, and it was all in curlers, but the dryer soon did the job and I went to the Hospital, and Cec was home for lunch. He was really marvellous, and, although I don’t think he was feeling quite as frisky when he got home as he expected, he never complained but he was restless and couldn’t settle to anything for a day or so. However, he soon began to eat well and sleep well, and the wound healed very quickly, but he still is wearing a cravat in his open shirt as his neck is still a bit swollen, and he finds a buttoned collar and tie a bit uncomfortable. I took him to see the Dr the following Thursday, and he said that he could go back to work when he wanted to but to take it easy, so that since then he has been going in late in the morning, and coming home a little early. The first week I drove him as he couldn’t turn his head very easily, but he is driving himself now. Lea (Cec’s sister) was saying that when she trained as a nurse that any patient with a thyroid operation was kept lying in bed on his back for 2 weeks with a sandbag on either side of his head and he wasn’t allowed to move an inch. Isn’t it fantastic how things have changed and mustn’t it have been miserable? Last week Cec went to another specialist, an endocrinologist or something like that, to get a test to see how his remaining thyroid was acting, and he has to take a little thyroid pill every morning, and will have to do this for the rest of his life, but this is a very common thing now I understand. Little Mrs. Martin was in the Hospital and had a hysterectomy operation the same day as Cec had his – she had a prolapse. I took her some flowers the next day when I went in to see Cec thinking that she would not be feeling very well, and I would just go for a minute, but here she was as cheerful as could be, and all ready for a chat! Amazing! She didn’t have her tum split like me and apparently it isn’t such a big operation the other way. She was home in less than a week and one of her daughters came for a week and now she is on her own again and doing very well. Her husband is in the hospital permanently (we hope) now as he is quite helpless and incontinent and she isn’t able to lift him and do all the work.

The week after Cec came home with the big Graduation weekend! What a Wild Whirl! I had both of the dresses nicely finished, and Charlie’s suit all pressed, so I spent most of Friday cooking and baking so that everything would be ready. Bruce had phoned that his bus from Toronto arrived at 5:15 and Lindy’s was coming at 5:45 so that worked out very nicely. Charlie and I went down to meet them but of course both buses were a bit late so we collected them eventually, Lindy wildly excited, and dashed home. I had dinner in the oven, so we ate at once then they rushed to get dressed as they were supposed to be down at the High School at 7:30 and the ceremony began at 8:00. I had spent $10 on film for Cec’s camera and mine and flash bulbs for both and so Cec and I were already and waiting when they came down, but what happened? My flash didn’t work, and everyone was saying hurry, hurry, we’ll be late, and Cec took a couple of pictures of Linda alone, and that was it! It was the only thing that I was disappointed in the whole weekend – it was the same thing the next night when they were all dressed for the dance – they were late and in a hurry, and although my flash worked then it was so rushed. Cec’s idea is to stand them in a row and take a picture or sit them in a row and say smile, but I like to take my time and have them relax and not beaming at the camera, but goodness knows what we did get in the end. When Linda is home for Christmas I’ll take more pictures of her and Charlie and their finery so you will get to see them eventually.
When we got down to the High School Linda and Charlie went off and Cec and Bruce and I got quite good seats in the auditorium – it was nearly full even then, but we got fairly near the front and at the side. Now that it is such a huge High School (1800 students) there were so many girls and boys graduating, as there are both Gd. 12 and Gd. 13 students. There were all sorts of awards and Janek and Janet got some and of course we knew lots of the kids. Both of ours went up and got their diplomas without incident, like tripping over their feet or anything! Linda’s dress looked very nice, and she said that she got all sorts of compliments over it. She had her contact lenses in of course, and Janet has now got them and was wearing them, so they felt very pleased with themselves. One sad thing was that Joanne didn’t graduate – she failed 2 subjects and will have to take at least one of them in night school to make up the subjects she needs before she can graduate, but it was such a pity as they have gone right through school together. This meant that Linda felt she couldn’t even talk to her about graduation or dresses, etc. and Janet wasn’t going to the dance so she couldn’t talk to her about evening dresses, so she had to be very tactful! Of all Lindy’s friends and girls who went through school with her – Jean Craven, Janet, Joanne, Mara Arndt, Carol Ann, etc.. none of them got dates for the dance, so I kept patting myself on the back and thinking how clever I was to have invited Brucie, because it just made the weekend for Lindy to be in on all the festivities, and I know she will look back on it as a really happy time.

After the Graduation, there was a reception at the school for everyone – this was about 11 o’clock or more as the thing took so long with all the speeches and everything – and all of us parents congratulated each other and all the boys and girls caught up on the news! We introduced Bruce to everyone and introduced Charlie’s girlfriend, Maureen to Cec and Bruce. She is a nice little girl – rather like Janet, small and dark, but not quite so freckly! She isn’t all that pretty, but is lively and bright and amusing, which Charlie enjoys! After we had chatted, and had coffee and cookies – by the way, the change in Lindy is fantastic – she was dashing up to people and chatting – boys and girls – which she never would have done before – and we went home, or at least Charlie went off with some of his pals for a while – but the rest of us went home and sat and talked some more. Cec was quite tired as it was his first social outing, so he and I went to bed and left the kids to gab till goodness knows when!
On Sat. morning, we got up late, but Lindy had an appointment at the Eye Dr. so I suggested that Bruce should go downtown in the car with her and then while she was in the Dr’s, he could drive around and see where the Skyline Hotel was and the parking etc. so that he would know where it all was for the dance that evening. While they were gone, Charlie had to go for his driving lesson, so he had an early lunch and went, and they came in late, Lindy having taking Bruce to see the Arts Centre, so the day just seem to fly. I had ordered corsages for the 2 boys from the greenhouses, so they drove over later in the afternoon to pick them up. I had got Lindy a pretty wrist corsage of little yellow rosebuds for her graduation from Cec and me, and then Bruce had phoned and asked me to order her a corsage of 2 gardenias for the dance. I had said to Charlie that he must find out what colour Maureen’s dress was so that he could get flowers to match, and he made me laugh so much. He asked one of her friends who said Maureen was wearing a pink dress, and Charlie replied, quite seriously ‘Oh dear. It will clash with my mauve suit’ and he said the girl looked at him with stunned horror and said ‘You can’t really mean it!’ so that Charlie just couldn’t keep a straight face any longer! Anyway, he got her a very pretty wrist corsage (on a little elastic bracelet) of baby pink rose, buds, and the gardenias were lovely too. It was a dinner dance, but not starting till 8:30 so we had a buffet supper at 6 and then they went and got ready. Bruce looked very nice – he is quite conventional but always immaculately groomed, and he has a dark suit, whereas Charlie looked much more young ‘mod’ type in his green! Lindy looked lovely in her dress, and was delighted with it. It was very plain, but suited her exactly, and it was a comfortable sort of dress too with no fuss, so that she could be comfortable in it. She had gold sandals to match the gold on her graduation dress, and I got her a little gold evening handbag, so to co-ordinate her evening dress, which had silver in it, I got a very pretty beaded trim, just to go around the neck. It was just about an inch wide and was long gold and silver beads with pearls and I got her a pair of little gold earrings with a single pearl hanging from a little chain so it all looked very nice. I had great fun getting all these glamorous, things ready – a long time since I used to get them for myself!

I have changed to Charlie’s typewriter as the ribbon in mine is mostly holes! I got a new one which turns out to be the wrong size, so this is better. The young people set off to pick up Maureen at 8 o’clock, so there were Cec and I left – the old people at home! Cec said that we should go out on the town too, but we were left without even a car to get us anywhere! We spent a nice peaceful evening, and went to bed about midnight. I knew that they were going to a party at a friend of Charlie’s, Dave Grimes, afterwards (oh, I forgot – they left before 8 because they went to a party before the dance too – another friend of Charlie’s!) So Cec left the lights on, but I woke up at about 5 am and was very curious to know if they were safely in their beds, so got up and peeked out the door and sure enough the lights were out! They told me afterwards that the dance finished about 12:30-1:00, and then they went to Dave’s and stayed till about 3:15. The party was still going on and they had an invitation to go to a breakfast party at 6 am, but they decided to call it a night and took Maureen home and then came back and sat and talked the whole thing over for an hour or so!

Linda and Charlie were very good and got up and went to the 10:30 service with me and then I had decided that as both the dinners we had had were very hurried affairs, I would have a nice dinner at lunchtime, as Bruce and Lindy were both leaving by bus at 3:45, so we had Fondue Bourguignon then afterwards an angel food cake with fruit and jello in the middle and covered with whipped cream. Bruce loves desserts with fruit and cream and so I always get great pleasure in making him something special. We had a very nice leisurely lunch and then the 2 of them packed and I washed up and we were just in nice time to take them down to the bus station. Lindy got the Toronto bus with Bruce as it was quicker, and she could get off just outside Peterborough, and get a taxi to her college, which we thought was worthwhile for them to have company on the trip. They all seem to have a really good time and enjoy every minute, and apart from the rush, I enjoyed it too, and felt that it all went beautifully. Linda had 2 essays to do when she went back, so she has been busy, but in her letter today got them finished and handed in and was feeling very relieved. She also had a date with a nice boy Jim, who is in her English class – she likes him, and has talked to him since the beginning, but he is shy and lives in Peterborough, so isn’t in and around the college all the time like those in residence, so she felt she wasn’t getting very far but he has invited her out this evening. Really her first proper date! She has joined the Choral Society of the University, and they are putting on ‘The Mikado’ in the spring, and she is in the chorus, and is enjoying it very much. Whenever she comes home, she is singing bits all the time and when she leaves we have it embedded in our minds! I am delighted that she is going on singing and very pleased, because none of her friends at the college are doing this – she just joined and went ahead with it on her own so she is really becoming independent.
When Charlie and I came back from the Bus Station after taking Lindy and Bruce, we found Cec asleep on the family room sofa, and I lay down on the sitting room sofa and had a nap, so the older members of the family were exhausted, I don’t know what about the younger ones!
Charlie brought home a lovely surprise one day that week – his Progress Report, in which he doesn’t get actual marks, but A B C’s etc. and he got an A in every subject he took, and A for effort in all of them! They call this a Straight A Report and it is the very best one can get, so you can imagine how delighted we were. He is doing very well this year – he has got rid of things like History and Geography which he never cared for and is taking lots of Math, Physics, Chemistry, English, and French. He works hard what and with the Math and Science course has lots more work to do than Linda last year, but he really likes it and the Math and Science is no effort for him. He has just had an English essay to do ‘The character and composition of the Elizabethan Audience’ and that is much more of a toil for him, but he is very conscientious and does a very good job in the end.
I have been very busy the last little while while trying to organize a present for Marjorie and Dick Graham for their Silver Wedding Anniversary. It is in the middle of Dec. and I knew it was coming off and that Marjorie planned to have an Open House without telling people it was her anniversary. I had thought I would just give something small, but Eve phoned me and said were we getting together and if so she and her mother would like to join. So I have been phoning people and trying to collect money and decide what to get etc. We at first thought we would get her silver candlesticks as she had none and we knew that she would like some, but unfortunately another friend gave her some, so we were stuck. We thought we wouldn’t get more than about 20 dollars which isn’t enough for an entrée dish, and when I looked at the other silver sauce boats bonbon dishes etc. they all seem so useless. Then I had a bright idea. Marjorie has been getting cut glass glasses and wine glasses, etc. but I knew that she didn’t have a wine decanter, so Ruth Lockwood and I went shopping one day and have got them such a pretty crystal cut glass wine decanter. It is not very big, but very dainty and pretty and to tie in with the silver part, we got one of those silver labels on little chains, saying ‘Sherry’ and put it on, and it looks very nice and everyone is pleased with it. Now to try to get and get my money collected! I have a card for everyone to sign, and I am going to take the present to our Coffee Party which is on Sat. morning and will hide it behind my Handicraft Counter and have people come and peek at it and sign the card. Marjorie will be too busy selling at her Baking Counter to notice, I hope! The open house is on 13 December and I am going on the Friday to give her a hand and then will help on the day and Linda is going to help Jeanie pass around. The WA are going to give her a centrepiece of flowers for the table – the present is just from some of us old timers!
One night last week I went to the Arts Centre with Margaret and Peter Savic to see the opera ‘Mignon’. They had been going to take a friend, who was sick and had flu, so the night before Margaret phoned and invited me and I was delighted because what with Cec in hospital, etc. it seemed ages since I had been out. The opera was lovely (in French) and I enjoyed it very much and of course, as usual, the people in the audience at the Arts Centre are always an additional entertainment! We were also invited out on Sunday. Ottawa has been in the grips of a violent Football Fever! The Ottawa team, the Ottawa Roughriders beat Toronto to win the Eastern Championship and then last Sunday the Grey Cup Game was played in the big stadium in Montreal against the Western Champions, the Saskatchewan Roughriders! The captain of the Ottawa team has been very popular for ages, and is a wonderful player, Russ Jackson, and it was his last year in football. He is also Ass. Principal in one of the high schools, and he is retiring this year, so everyone was hoping that his last year would be a good one. It turned out it couldn’t have been better – he won all sorts of awards – Best Canadian player – best this and best that, and the Grey Cup Game last Sunday was the Grand Final. Ottawa won that too after a very exciting game and everyone was just about delirious with joy! Phyl Douglas had phoned and invited us to come over on the Sunday afternoon to see the game on their Colour TV so we accepted with pleasure. Phyl said for Charlie to come too as it was not a party but just them, but when we arrived about 12:30 here arrived Margie and Cy Garrett too sporting big green and white Saskatchewan colours! We had lots of fun, although Charlie was much more subdued in company than he is at home watching a game, but Margie and Phyl screamed and yelled so I did my share too. It was exactly the kind of game I like – Ottawa began to win quite early in the game so I didn’t have to suffer too much! When it was over Andy Douglas drove Charlie home as he was busy with an essay and we sat and chatted and then Phyl gave us a delicious dinner. By the time it was over and we’d had coffee we said we must go and arrived home about 8:15 having been there nearly 8 hours! It was a lovely party!

As I mentioned we are having our Coffee Party on Sat. morning at the Church. How did your Bazaar go? I hope that you did very well after all your hard work and made lots of money. Our Coffee Party is not really a big affair, but I have made some funny little things. When I made my Christmas cakes I made about 24 little ones in cupcake paper cases and then I brushed over the top with boiled syrup glaze and stuck on glace cherries and pineapple to make them look pretty. I have wrapped each one in saran wrap and have it called them Christmas Mini-cakes! Then I had half a bottle of Sauterne and half a bottle of port and some claret, so I got some Certo and made different kinds of Wine Jelly. I got little baby food glass jars from a lady at church and have 22 little jars of jelly, all different reds and yellows – very alluring! I will make my gingerbread men as usual and decorate them and wrap them separately and we get 10¢ each for them and I am also making some little kind of candy/cookies some called rum balls, and others Mocha Truffles (they have brandy in them!) I have some pretty little flowered paper cases for candy, so will put them in these and then my empty Christmas card boxes have cellophane lids, so I will arrange them in these, and I think they will look very attractive. The last thing I have done is the funniest. The nursery school has some funny little shapes of wood for glueing and painting, etc. so I have taken round ones and made little faces on them and stuck on white beards of rabbit fur and pointed red felt hats and then painted other funny oblongs, rounded bits, balustrade shapes, etc. red and stuck the heads on top and made funny little Santa Claus decorations. They look very peculiar, but maybe the children will like them, and buy them! Anyway, this has been taking up my time!
Mme. Gemuse is here today, so I have been typing (it is now Thurs. 4th.) and think I should go and do some sewing. I have a ‘Jump Suit’ cut out for Lindy. This is a kind of slacks and top all in one, which is all the Thing just now. I got some warm check material to make her one for the winter, thinking it would be cozy, then I thought she might like a vivid gay one for evenings in college, so I got that and cut it out, but haven’t sewn a stitch yet. The gay one is all blues and wines and green – rather like stained glass window colours, and I am so pleased, I got some of that velvet rouleau stuff in the exact colours, and it will make such a pretty tie belt for the waist. I have also got myself some silvery-greyish material to make a dress for Marjorie’s party so I had better get busy. I can’t make up my mind as to whether I like this material or not – it is the same kind of laminated material as Lindy’s evening dress but I wanted something more practical so stayed away from pastel colours and very silvery goldy things, and this was what was left. I can wear it with black shoes and will get more wear out of it than I do something more glamorous, but I can’t make up my mind if I will look nice in it! It has a zigzag pattern, and Ruth L. says it is a bit ‘busy’ and I agree, so we will have to see how it looks!
I am glad to hear that your very hot weather is over and know how glad you will be to have it cooler and some rain for your garden. We have had quite a nice time so far without bitterly cold weather and until this week just the merest powdering of snow, but it became much colder at the end of last week and the last few days it has been busy snowing and now we are all white. The skiers are very happy and I don’t mind once it gets to Dec. it is Christmassy. Cec and I were very pleased because just before it got cold we had a few mild days and I covered up the roses and put away the hose etc. so we were all ready for winter.
Please thank Auntie Muriel for her letter for me. Actually I have 2 to thank her for – one written after you got back and one after her birthday. I am so glad that she had such a happy birthday – it was nice for her that you were doing the housekeeping and could make such a nice treat for her without her having to worry. I wonder if you got my recipes for supper dishes after your cri de coeur about not knowing what to have for supper and if you tried them. I must mention all the gorgeous stamps on your letters from statehood etc. I am sending them to Dottie’s Tim – I always feel that Dottie’s sons are knowledgeably appreciative of stamps! I just opened one of your letters to answer, and had the wonderful surprise of finding your $5 bill inside! I am very hard up till payday tomorrow, so I am very happy! What happened was that I got Lindy the pantihose, and Charlie a very nice pair of green socks when I was out shopping and gave them to them on the grad. weekend and quite forgot I had paid for them, and never taken out your money – lovely! Both L. and C. were delighted with them and thought it was very sweet of you to think of it, and asked me to thank you.
In the same letter, you were telling me that you had at last heard from Martin’s Bank that they have been taken over by Barclay’s. I wonder if it is really true that you would have to maybe pay back income tax if you transferred all your business to the St. V. bank? That Cambridge bank has been so inefficient and useless that you feel it would be a good thing to have your affairs within reach and be able to know what is going on, so I wonder if you perhaps couldn’t find out a bit more about it. Perhaps Peter might be able to find out for you, or you could ask the Manager here to really write to Head Office and find out properly. I can’t see that you would have to pay tax if you had already paid it in England. You don’t need to do anything beforehand, but I think you might make more enquiries. Probably the income tax in St. V. will go up now they have statehood and have to support themselves, but goodness knows the British Income Tax is high enough and surely the St. V. one wouldn’t be any higher.
You were asking about Cec’s technician Geoff, with whom he used to drive. Well, he originally came from Winnipeg and during the summer he applied for a job there and got it, so he left while Cec was away. Our second car will have to wait a while I’m afraid – two university fees for 3 or 4 years is quite something – Linda’s fees this year for residence and tuition come to $1500 and then there is about $100 for books and of course she gets a bigger allowance now, and is supposed to buy clothes and everything with it. So far she has been very cautious and most of her spending has been on food (residence food is not very good!) and bus fares home! I told her I would pay for materials for things I made, but she would have to buy the ready made things and so far I don’t think she has broken down and bought anything yet. She has discovered the joys of exchanging clothes with the other girls and has been home in a pretty gold sweater and a few other things she has borrowed! She has let her hair grow and it is about to the bottom of her ears and she puts big rollers in and has a nice bouncy bob. She didn’t want to go to the hairdresser and get her hair all fancied up for the grad. and she had washed it the night before and set it and she looked very nice and was happy with it herself, which is a big thing. You can’t imagine how happy I am not to take her to the hairdresser anymore because each time she was in a frenzy because it looked so awful!
While I was talking about your money I should have mentioned that both the Canada Savings Bond and the money invested here appreciates next year, but I think Cec said that he thought the new Canada Bonds were just about the best investment so probably we should just re-invest them for you. You were talking about sending us a cheque for Christmas – don’t forget that I have your cheque book, and start worrying about where it is!
[Handwritten ending!] It is now Friday evening so I had better get this finished & mail it tomorrow. I spent all day making gingerbread men & have just packed a box to send some to Lindy! I will be writing again before Christmas but maybe you won’t get it, so I hope you have a really happy day. I sent my parcel quite early, but my card was late, so you may not get it.
Much love to you & Auntie Muriel
from Cyn.

October 28 1969

49 Cedar Road.
Ottawa 9, Ont.

Tues. 28th. Oct.

Darling Lindy,
I have just finished writing to Grannie and will just write you a short letter too to say that I hope you have a lovely weekend in Brantford and survive the change in Toronto, etc. all right! I know that you will but it is alarming to think about things beforehand sometimes. Maybe Uncle Dix will drive you in on your way back. I forwarded your Commencement invitation to you yesterday, so you will be able to make all the arrangements with Bruce about when he is to come etc. Daddy and I will get your ticket to the dance through Charlie but anyway, we will be able to talk about that when you are home next week. It’s so nice that you have this time at home so that we can get organized because it would be so hard to make things for you at a distance. I have been ironing and piecing the bits of the green sari and I am now sure that I can get it out of the material, and I think it will look very pretty. Daddy and I laughed like anything over the account of the girls measuring you in the letter we got yesterday, but anyway, I must say that I think the pear-shaped Hazell bit is preferable to having hips 31 as well as bust! I hope to have a dress more or less done by the time you come home so that we can try it on and do any minor alterations before finishing it, and then I can concentrate on the long one. I spread the gay material for your lounging pyjamas on the floor of your room with the pattern on it to see how it would go and Saki is delighted! She keeps rushing in and skidding on it, and of course loves lying on the rustly paper pattern! I haven’t the heart to put it away, but I will cut the pattern out today so that at least the paper isn’t all scrubbled up!
I was so delighted to know that the weekend with Janet and Joey went so well. In your letter that Janet brought you sounded as if you thought Joanne might be bored, but both the girls were very pleased and excited about it when I talked to them and I am sure that they both had a lovely time. You sounded as if you enjoyed it too and I think that this is a good criterion – if you enjoy a visit or party other people do too. I am glad that the goodies were a success, but I don’t suppose you had many left after the weekend. I don’t think that there are any more Snoopy strips to send you – the ones I put in the parcel were all that there were about the Head Beagle- actually, he just went to see the H.B. all filled with fear and trembling, and he never turned up, and now it has kind of faded out.

To go back to the weekend and Jean – did you by any chance see her Formal that she made at Th.giving weekend? It is out of sheer material, I hear, but knowing how sloppy Jean’s sewing can be, I wondered if you had seen it and what you thought of it. Did Janet mention Commencement or wasn’t it possible to talk about it because of Joey?
I don’t think that I have anything thrilling to tell you about since I last wrote. Oh, except, Charlie went to Dr. W. yesterday afternoon to get a tooth filled and I went to the book shop again, and I got a lovely oldie! It is called ‘T. Tembaron’, and it is by the Little L. Fauntleroy person only this is supposed to be an adult book, not a children’s. It is all about a New York paper boy, who inherits a great place in England – does the plot sound familiar? Anyway, it is enormous fun, and I sat and read it all yesterday evening – nauseating and ridiculous and I am enjoying it hugely! Something for you to Read in Reading Week! By the way do you have loads of work to do when you are home? I think that we will have to have an Early To Bed curfew so that you can catch up on all those lost hours of sleep. Poor lamb, Daddy and I were so sorry for you when you wrote about the practical joke they played on you when the kids wrecked your room. It is no fun being the victim of a practical joke and unfortunately I don’t think that you can live a communal existence without coming up against it. Let’s hope that they will grow out of this immature business, and that you won’t have to put up with it much more. The only thing to do that I can see is to pretend that you don’t care, but it is very hard. It was a shame that both Terry and Cathy were away so that you had no moral support, but I think that you were probably even more upset because you were very tired, and you must try and get to bed a bit earlier now that your essay is over.
I told you in my last letter that we were going to the Smorgasbord on Friday evening. Actually, Charlie was involved with a Basketball tournament on the Friday after school so he didn’t even know if he could come, but in the end he came with Alan and they just ate together and then disappeared. I went down at 1 o’clock with Marjorie and Mrs. James and Mrs. Davis, and Betty and Chris Best were there, and we set tables, made salad and scalloped potatoes, cut the peameal bacon I had cooked etc. We were there till about 4 and then came home. I was supposed to help Marjorie keep the buffet table supplied, but Daddy didn’t get home till 5:30 and then he was pooped so we had a drink and then went and collected Edna Renault’s casserole and got down about 6. The place was seething! We had set places for 114, but I think that we must have had about 150 altogether. Marjorie had lots of help so it seemed mean to leave Daddy on his own, so I chickened out and went with him and ate. It was a bit of a scramble, but it was OK. Not nearly as nice as when there was a smaller number of course and some of the casseroles looked very dull, and Daddy had one that he said was absolutely tasteless, but there was enough of everything except desserts and I think Mrs. G and Laura were a bit generous in the way of 2nd helpings to small boys! I made a big upside down cake, and was conservative and had a piece of it myself! Afterwards I went and helped serve tea and coffee a bit, and then when the magician came, Daddy and I came home. They made 100 dollars profit so that was quite nice.
Fr. Graham phoned me on Sat. and asked if I would have one of these Sherry parties for the parish, but he wanted it next week or the week after, so I told him that with Daddy going into hospital I just couldn’t do it. We have left it that if he can’t get anyone else to do it in this area I’ll have it later in the month. You asked on the phone for me to tell more about why Daddy is going into the hospital – well it is for tests to begin with. Dr. K. thinks his throat, sinus and nose trouble may all be caused by an allergy, and of course Granpa has had this all his life and both A. Merle and Carman have the same trouble. In addition to this the thyroid gland is enlarged, so what they are going to do is take a sort of picture of the inside of his throat with measurements and do tests for allergies, etc. and then decide on what to do. If they decide to operate (take a piece off the gland or something – Peter Savic had it done a few years ago) then Daddy would be in hospital for a week or 10 days, and three weeks off work, but we will have to wait and see. We have heard nothing more from Dr. K about going in or anything, but I presume they will let us know this week. Daddy doesn’t say anything about it you know so I can’t tell you if he is worried or what. You will be here next week anyway and find out what it is all about.
I must stop as I am STARVING! Doesn’t that sound like one of your letters? I want to sew this afternoon and horrors! I have forgotten to take the meat out of the freezer for dinner! Daddy and I go to the Arts Centre on Thurs. for ‘Hamlet’ – Charlie goes another night in Much more expensive seats! Britta Lagerquist has just phoned up to ask Daddy and me to dinner later this week- I hope she doesn’t use so much perfume this time!
Lots of love from us all and PRRR – p from Saki!
See you soon – nice –
Mummy

November 18 1969

49 Cedar Road, Ottawa 9
Tues.18th Nov. 1969.

Dearest Mummy,
I am sorry that I have been so long in writing but as you can imagine it has been a busy time. Cec is now safely home again having been operated on a week ago today and had the right side of his thyroid gland removed. I told you he was going in for tests & that week he really had a going over & was fine except they found he had what they called “nodules” on his thyroid, so they or rather “he” – a thyroid specialist & a surgeon, Dr. Dover, said he would operate on Tues. This was Friday when this was decided so Cec was allowed home from 2- 8 on Sat. & 10- 8 on Sun. which was nice.
It was a kind of wild week as Lindy came home on Tues. evening. It was what is called “Reading Week” & they are allowed to “Read” at home, so she had spent the weekend with the Moors in Brantford & then gone back to Trent for a tutorial, & then come on home. Of course we had to choose a pattern for her evening dress & then material & then gold sandals, & each thing involved trips to town & touring the shops & great agonizing & wailing from Lindy, so it was very exhausting! In addition, the visiting hours at the Hospital were from 2 to 9 p.m. so I went in for an hour or so every afternoon & then dashed home, got dinner ready, ate, washed up & then went back to the hospital for another hour or so. It turned out to be the dreariest grey rainy weather, so that was kind of hard too, but at least it isn’t too cold yet. Lindy had also lost one of her contact lenses (popped out unawares in the dining hall with lots of people around) but they are insured fortunately so she had to go to the Eye Dr. & be fitted again etc. Then she had to see all her friends (Joanne & all her family except Mum & Dad had mumps) & I sewed violently so that she could try on the dresses before she left. I finished the green one out of the sari except for the hem

(she decided it was a little too mini – I have to take the tacking out & let it down!) & I cut out & sewed up the evening dress enough for her to try on. I was delighted as it fitted beautifully. In the end Lindy chose a pretty material (I’ll send a piece) which is laminated (i.e. a thin foam lining) which does away with lining, slips etc. [The foam layer disintegrated into dust over the years, unlike cotton or woollen cloth!]

It is lovely to sew & holds its shape beautifully, so I am very happy with it. The only trouble was that the green dress has gold in the edging so L. got a gold purse and & sandals & evening dress mat. has a silver thread in it, so I have got a very pretty edging embroidered with gold beads & pearls which I will put around the neck & sort of tie the gold & silver together.

To go back, Lindy left on Sun. at 5:30 & then I took Cec back to the hospital in the evening, & Charlie & I sat back & caught our breaths! When the op. was done on Tues. the Dr. found that the right side of the thyroid was very hard & calcified, so he sent it for a section to be done. He was so nice, he told Cec when it came back he jumped for joy, as it wasn’t malignant but very inflamed & infected, so he removed the whole right side. Apparently it is called Hashimoto’s Disease & the thyroid infects & rejects itself – very peculiar. Anyway he was pretty dopey that evening of course, with all sorts of drips etc. but the next day he looked better & by the Thurs. he was up & about & looking much more like himself. The Dr. had said he would probably be able to come home on Fri. or Sat. but I could hardly believe it when Cec called on Fri. morning & said “Come & get me”. He is sleeping & eating well now, & the incision is healing well. Cec says he’s had his throat cut! & it is a long scar across the bottom of his neck. It is sore & stiff of course & his voice gravelly but he is really v. well, but of course jittery & nervy & restless & yet tired – which anyone is after surgery, but improving each day.
Thank you so much for both your letters – will answer them properly soon. Thank you also for the $5 – will get the panti hose & socks & know L. will be thrilled. Will take pictures & send them. So glad A. Moo had a nice birthday & the card arrived in time. I am enclosing some Supper recipes for you – the 1st one is nice with cold meat & all are inexpensive!
Much love from us all
Cyn.
Love to A. Moo.

March 2 1962

This letter mentions in passing an event that must have loomed large in February 1962- Cyn’s Cookery Demonstration that the Ladies Guild of the Church used as a fundraiser. I am so sorry that the letter giving Carol details of her plans and preparations is missing, because it was quite an undertaking. Nowadays, television/Youtube has made us familiar with the cook demonstrating the preparation, combining of ingredients, setting up of the dish to be cooked, all the while chatting about what they were doing and why, but in the 60s this sort of entertainment combined with education was rare. Cyn was a professional, and would have preferred to do this sort of thing after her training instead of teaching, and these demonstrations were a successful illustration of how good she would have been at it.
Cyn had to decide on what her audience would be interested in watching and later making, and give them an interesting variety too. She needed some sort of theme, and would have chosen something fairly easy to do, probably for the purpose of home entertaining, but not that well known to her audience. (For example, choux pastry is not that hard to make, but turning the baked product into a swan creates a platter worthy of a fancy tea or company dessert.) After the menu planning- probably appetizer, entrée, and dessert- came the preparation- and this is where my memory comes in- Cyn was pretty hard to live with those weeks before the actual event. My mother was not one of those people who allowed her children to cook along side of her, teaching and giving them tasks to ‘help’! No, she wanted her kitchen to herself as she practised her menu and worked out the timing and the sequencing of events in the demonstration. Her recipes had to be typed up for publication and given to other Guild members to reproduce for the audience to take home with them. The Church Hall had to be set up for it too- there was a kitchen off to one side where the helpers would bake/roast/finish what Cyn had just demonstrated, but there was no platform, so one had to be set up, and electricity provided there so she could use her MixMaster to beat ingredients or a hot plate so she could cook in her demonstration- making choux pastry, or sauces- with chairs in front for the audience.
Then she had to co-ordinate her helpers ‘backstage’- the other women in the Guild who would take her prepared product off to the oven and provide the previously-baked-and-cooled duplicate- so the cream could be whipped, the choux bun could be filled, and the swan neck could be attached to demonstrate the finished product! When all the recipes had been shown in their various stages, the spectators were invited to admire the finished presentation, taste the results, and praise the demonstrator- who took a few days to recover. This Cookery Demonstration became an annual event, but I’m sure the behind-the-scenes ballet was tense this first year they all tried it!

2043 Montreal Rd.
Ottawa 2 Ont.

2nd March.

Dearest Mummy,
Sorry that I haven’t written – I have been busy with poor Charlie’s NOSE! He is so unlucky, poor fellow, and seems to have something in his metabolism that makes it hard for him to get rid of things.
Anyway – I wrote last before the Cookery Dem. – which went off very well, by the way, and his nose bled off and on all week. I took him to Dr. K. & he gave us nose drops & I was to put vaseline etc. but although the bleeding wasn’t heavy, he still had it now & then. On the Friday Mom & Dad Costain came back from Carp & spent the weekend here & left again by train on Mon. morning to go to Merle’s at Brantford. Charlie’s nose had been much better over the weekend & didn’t bleed at all on the Sun. so Mon. I sent him to school & went down with Cec to see Mom & Dad off at 10 a.m. I was hardly back in the house before the School Nurse phoned that Charlie was bleeding again!
I got him home & called Dr. K. & he made arrangements for me to take Charlie to Dr. McKercher the Ear, Throat & Nose Specialist (did L.’s tonsils) to get it cauterized so we spent all afternoon in his office, but finally got it done. Dr. McK. said to keep him home the next day & send him to school Wed. & it was the Scout & Cub Father & Son Banquet on the Tues. evening, so Charlie seemed fine & he & Cec went & had a nice time then he hardly got to bed & he sneezed – out came the packing & it began to bleed! I took him to Dr. McK. again on Wed. & he cauterized it once more, Thurs. I took him to Dr. Kastner for a blood check to make sure his blood was not low & Friday I took Linda to the orthodontist! What a week in Dr’s offices!
Over the weekend the wretched nose bled each bedtime & on Mon. it just began all day worse than ever so on Tues. Dr. McK. said to take him into hospital & there the poor little fellow is! He isn’t feeling ill at all but they have just packed his nose & kept him in bed & Dr. McK. is going to take out the packing today & if it is all right he can come home this afternoon or tomorrow. He is very good of course, but wants to come home – he doesn’t like the food in the hospital!
So I have been going over to see him every afternoon (he’s in the Civic of course [far side of town]) & then again in the evening, so the days have been rushed, and the weather has been terrible all this 2 weeks. More snow than the whole rest of the winter & each day I had a lot of driving to do there would be a blizzard! It is cold & sunny today (below zero) but more snow tomorrow!
I enjoyed hearing about all the visitors & thank you for your letters. Will write a better letter next time, but must have lunch now & get ready to go to the Hospital. Charlie is writing you a letter there!
Lots of love for you & A. Moo & all the cousins from us all –
Cyn.

December 8 1961

2043 Montreal Rd.
Ottawa 2, Ontario.

8th. Dec. 1961

Dearest Mummy,

I am sorry that I didn’t get a letter off last week, but now that I am back to normal there is so much to catch up with and I am so behind with everything concerned with Christmas. Of course I had no presents or cards or anything, and also I am very short of winter clothes and needed a hat and dress badly, so last week Linda had a dental appointment on Thurs. and so I decided that I would get Cec to take me downtown too, and I would shop and then come home in the bus. Of course you know what happened! I had both children home from school and we had to cancel the dentist as well as everything else! Linda had a bit of a cough at the weekend, but not bad, so she went to school on Mon. but Tues. it seemed worse so I thought if I kept her in bed a day or so it might clear it up, but by the Thurs. morning instead of being better she suddenly had a temperature of nearly 102 after not having had more than 99 the previous evening, so then Charlie decided he felt sick and throwy-up, so I kept him at home too. Actually, that afternoon he was to go to Dr. Kastner to have the dressing changed on his toe, so I called the nurse and told her about Linda and she said to bundle her up and have the car warm and bring her in too. We decided that we might as well all go to Dr. K. now as the children are getting big for the Paediatric Centre – Linda wasn’t too pleased but I think is resigned now! Cec came home and drove us over, and after a while I went in with the two children and Cec was most amused because in his (Dr. K.’s) usual whirlwind style he looked at Charlie’s toe (healing quite well, but still sore), got the nurse to put a dressing on it; looked at Linda’s ears and throat gave me a million instructions and two prescriptions for her; and then proceeded to give me a lightning quiz and give me a prescription for a tonic and bucker-upper – and we were all out and on our way home in about three minutes! Charlie’s toe continues to do well, but he still finds a shoe painful although I think he will be able to wear one soon as it doesn’t look red and inflamed now and the new nail seems to be doing all right. Linda took her medicine and the cold cleared up over the weekend. Dr. K. said that she could go to school this week, but no gym or going out at recess, so I gave both of them their lunches at school, so that she wouldn’t have to walk up in the cold, and Charlie has been taking his since his toe was so sore so that he wouldn’t have to walk. This has given me a lovely free week, and I have at last managed to get downtown and go to the coinwash and this morning I made my Christmas cake and it is in the oven now and smelling delectable! I made my Christmas pudding last week, so at least we will have some Christmas fare – I still haven’t made mincemeat, but I shall try to get it done next week, because I am so used to your grape mincemeat now that the bought kind tastes very strong and solid. Oh, I meant to tell you that Dr. K. said that I was doing fine, but that after a thing like this one’s haemoglobin goes down, so this would make me tired and so he gave me some mineral and vitamin pills, and I take one a day. How about yours? Blood, I mean? After your fall and the shock perhaps the same thing happened to you so I think you should get it checked and maybe you could use some pills too!

Poor Mama – you still haven’t heard all the ins and outs of this accident of mine! As you can imagine so many people have asked about it here and talked about it and everything that we feel everyone must be sick of it, but with having to write it to you I never did tell the full tale. Well, it happened on the 21st Oct. at 8:30 in the morning. Of course usually I would never be out in the car at that time on a Saturday morning, but this week the Cubs were to go downtown to a show and they all had to be at the school at 8:30 so Charlie got all dressed in his camp uniform and off we went. I left him at the school and then placidly drove back home again, having left Linda in her dressing gown and Cec asleep in bed as he had been working late the night before, and then as I drove up opposite our driveway and began to turn, with no cars in sight, I saw a small newspaper boy on a bicycle ambling along just opposite our house. I slowed down to let him past and then glanced along the highway again before turning across the road. I saw a truck coming from the Montreal direction just appearing over the hill, but thought “Oh, I have time to get off the road”, so drove quickly across and onto the gravel shoulder of the road opposite our driveway when suddenly the truck (what is called here a panel truck – we’d call it a van) drove smack into the passenger side of my car. Of course I just felt the terrific crash, and the doors on my side of the car burst open and I was thrown out onto the gravel. I wasn’t unconscious but the blow which broke my ribs had knocked all my breath out and I was wheezing and whooping trying to get it back. I was lying on the ground partly under our car and the man ran over and began helping me out and then I heard Emil’s voice, and I was so thankful as I could hear them sending someone for an ambulance and I was trying to say that I lived right here but had no breath to do so. Emil then said that I lived here and the two of them carried me in – I remember it all but I couldn’t open my eyes, and Emil says I kept saying “I’m all right “, and I did manage to say that Cec was still asleep. Poor little Lindy got such a shock as she saw them carry me in all gravelly and grubby, and Emil told her to go and wake Cec and he poor fellow woke up and found a house full of strange people and me were lying there and he didn’t know what had happened. I was on the sofa, and a lady who lives behind Emil’s and is a nurse and heard the crash dashed over and she bathed my face and put a cold cloth on my head etc. and then Cec phoned Dr. K. and he said to have the ambulance take me to the Civic Hospital. The ambulance came then, and Mary Orr who was passing and saw the commotion came and got Linda dressed and took her home with her, and they put me on a stretcher and took me off just as the police arrived.
I was taken into the Emergency and undressed and then taken along and x-rayed and then all taped up with wide adhesive tape and by this time it was getting on for noon, and I was very sore as you can imagine, so I asked if I couldn’t have at least an aspirin or something, so at last I got a pain pill. There was no bed free so I lay there in the Emergency Ward with various companions such as a small boy who had fallen off his bicycle and a young fellow who had broken his collarbone playing football! Cec came in and stayed with me a while and as nothing was going on I told him to go home and see how the children were as Mary Orr was going to collect Charlie and take him to her home too after the show was over. After a little while I was taken up to the proper ward and got into a nice room in the new wing of the hospital. It was semi-private with two beds and I got the bed next to the window which was nice. Once in there I was looked after very well – I got a hypo needle to take away the pain, and Dr. K came in very soon and said he was sorry he was delayed, and said I was to have pain pills every three hours and sleeping pills at night etc. One of the shots they gave me I had a reaction against and threw up, but I dozed and slept and felt all right when Cec came in to see me in the evening. My companion in the other bed was a girl of about 13 or 14 who came in after I did having been thrown from a horse. She had a very black eye and various bruises, but she went home the next morning and then on the Sun. afternoon I got another lady, a Miss Gibson – a little older than me and a member of a large family of brothers and sisters nearly all living in Ottawa. She was very nice and we got on very well together. She had had a cancerous tumour removed 7 years ago and now had a small lump on her neck to be removed, so she wasn’t feeling ill and the first day or so she just had tests and x-rays, then the operation was small enough so that she didn’t feel poorly for more than a day or so. However when the lump was examined they said it wasn’t malignant but that she should have some treatment, and also she had been having gall bladder trouble and the doctors decided that she should have that removed while she was in the hospital, so she had that operation the very day I left hospital. Poor girl, I felt sorry for her, because with this cancer threat hanging over her it must be very worrying. I phoned her sister one day and she told me that she was very weak after the gall bladder operation but was getting on although still in hospital. Well, I think that seems to be the saga of my accident – as I told you everyone was terribly kind – I got more than 15 gifts of flowers and plants – all sorts of beautiful roses and pots of chrysanthemums and things and various boxes of candy and chocolate, and gifts of toilet water and talcum and soap, and fruit and cookies, and then of course Cec and the children were inundated with food and invitations and so was I when I came home – you can’t believe how kind people were. I got between 30 and 40 cards from all sorts of people – not counting the ones from friends and relations like Mill and Monie – also Christmas cards and notes from Peggy and Marie and Auntie Mill. Oh, I thought you would be amused to hear how well I was looked after by the clergy when I was in Hospital. Someone phoned Mr. Pulker just after the accident and he came right up and saw Cec and asked if there was anything he could do, then he came to see me twice in Hospital. As well the Anglican Hospital Chaplain came in to see me, and then Wendell, who was in seeing one of his parishioners came in one afternoon. Next, who should come but Mr. Cook – the United Church clergyman from here – you met his wife at Mrs. Rothwell’s, remember? I thought it was so nice of him to come and we had a nice chat about his baby who is a great big strong fellow of 7 or 8 months now. Last but not least, Miss Gibson is a Presbyterian, and one day when she was down for an X-ray her minister came in to see her, and when I explained where she was he sat down beside me and had a little visit, and then another day he came in to see Miss G. again and gave us both a little service. All that was missing was for the priest to drop in, but I never saw him!

I forgot to tell you that the man who bumped into me had no insurance on his truck. Our insurance man went to see the police and their report, and they had down that the crash took place about 10 or 12 feet off the highway and that the man must’ve frozen at the wheel. There were no skid marks or brake marks so he must not even have put on his brakes but just have driven right off the road into me. Apparently there is a fund that one can get damages from if the party to blame is uninsured, but one has to bring a court case first to apportion the blame and assess the damage, and they say court cases can go any which way depending on how the judge is feeling, which is not very encouraging. Our insurance company is interested in recovering some of their money if they can, so they are continuing to investigate and if they decide to take it into court then we would go along with them. We would hope to get my hospital expenses and perhaps the $120 which Cec had to pay to rent a car, but of course we wouldn’t get the difference we had to pay between the money we got from the insurance company and the cost of the new car. Our poor little Rosie was demolished. The right side was all smashed in and apparently the whole frame was twisted so that it couldn’t be repaired. I was so fond of that little car, and we all feel sad about it, but the new one is very nice too. It is also an Envoy but the 1962 model which is a little wider and longer – it is a pretty blue with a lighter blue side streak and top, and blue leather seats and carpet inside. Lindy said we should call this one Bluebird and I don’t know if you remember Mrs. Bird in our guild? Well, her daughter is called Bonnie, so now the car is called Bonnie too! On Sunday Cec took me down Rothwell Heights and I practised with the new car and then this week for the first time Cec went to work with Teddy and I had the car, so on Tuesday I drove downtown at 10 a.m. and didn’t come home till 3 p.m. I don’t feel nervous but just a bit suspicious of all the other drivers! Then yesterday I went to the Coin Wash and Shopping Centre and so I am getting quite used to it.

This week has been hectic – on Mon. evening Cec and I went to the Film Society – mostly because we haven’t been this year yet and we hadn’t been out for so long, and it turned out to be some very depressing films about Africa and the conditions under which the coloured people live there – not at all enjoyable, and both Cec and I got so sore and stiff from sitting! Then on Tues. evening I went down to the church for an Advisory Board Meeting. This is the Board which does all the church business and as Pres. of the Guild I now am a member – just me and Mrs. Pierce of the Altar Guild and all the rest men! It is really very interesting and Mr. Pulker is very businesslike and practical which is certainly a big change from Mr. Bowen! Wed. evening was a Guild Executive meeting in the house of one of the members and then last night we went with Margaret and Peter Savic to the Little Theatre to see a play called “The Pleasure of his Company’. We have tickets for a series of plays this winter – about 4 or 5 I think, and this one was quite good, but it was a pity everything came in one week. Tonight Cec has gone out to dinner and to a Stag Party with the men from work and I must say that I am delighted to stay at home! As you can see, I am really back in the routine again, but I do get tired still and my back aches, but usually I get into bed early in the evening and read and have my cup of tea! I had better go and get some dinner or my children will starve – Daddy out so we will have a very picnic meal!

Dear Gannie,
I am fascinated by this RED ink. Charlie has just said that he loves you and I say the same. We are having exams in school now at least my class is. A minute ago Charlie said that he was having 10 exams next week and you should see his school – bag!
I wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and aHAPPY NEW YEAR!
Love
LINDY
P.S. Charlie has just gone downstairs to weigh his school-bag! I run to make you a CHRISTMAS card. Good – bye! L. C.

Dear Grannie.
As Lindy has said, I have lots of homework and my schoolbag weighs a lot, 9 lbs. 16 oz. to be exact. I am going to send you a copy of ‘Stoopid’ it may be the rough copy but I don’t think you’d mind. Mummy says it’s time to go to bed so I have to stop. HAPPY CHRISTMAS and a MERRY NEW YEAR.
LOVE
CHARLEY

Me again! Talking of Christmas – two weeks this weekend – horrors! – your parcel has come, and here I am just packing yours. I know that you will be amused at the house dress that I have sent you – Lindy says that it isn’t a “Grannie dress” so I said “Oh, well, don’t you think that it is a Grannie-in-the-West-Indies dress?” So she said “Yes, but not a dress for Grannies here!” So you will see that it isn’t a dull old womanish dress! Actually it is a sun-dress and I got it on sale, so it should be very good value! I tried it on, so I hope that it fits you O.K. Auntie Muriel’s present says on the outside ‘For Men’, but I don’t see why ladies shouldn’t find it handy too! [Curiosity led me to looking up Cyn’s Christmas present list to discover what this could be- Soap on a Rope!] I’m afraid that all my parcels and cards are going to be very late but nothing can be done about it.

Cyn’s Christmas Lists, in the agenda book she’d been using since 1932.

Recipients of Christmas cards and gifts- friends in England and U.S.!

You were asking about the Guild in one of your letters and of course we have had all sorts of functions this fall, but I haven’t been taking too much of an active part. While I was in the hospital we had the Rummage Sale, and if I had to miss any of the things I was happy that it was that one, as I can’t say I can rouse much interest in rummage! Then just after I came home there was an Exec. Meeting, but I got June to take that as I wasn’t going, but the next week we had a Guild Meeting and I went to that as usual. That week there was such a tragic thing happened – one of the young men belonging to the Church suddenly dropped dead at work one morning. He was only 34 and his wife is 32, and is left with 3 young children – the oldest 11 and the youngest 4. We were all so shocked and the poor girl, Hilda Cooper, was stunned. The funeral was held at the Church on the Sat. afternoon, and there were relatives coming from all over the country, so we in the Guild organized things and sent in a hot meal on the Friday evening, and then on the Sat. two of the ladies went over in the afternoon and had tea and coffee and sandwiches and cookies ready when everyone came back from the cemetery – a miserable cold wet afternoon too. We sent in a buffet supper for about 15 or so that evening so that she wouldn’t even have to think of food. The next Sat. we had our Skate and Ski Exchange and it did very well. We made just over $50, which doesn’t sound much, but the church just takes 25% of the sale price, so that means we sold $200 worth of secondhand skates and skis. Then last Sat. we had our Coffee Party and it was a big success – we made about $200, but for something which is mostly fun this is pretty good. Mary Orr and some of the girls who are taking millinery classes made some cute little hats – mostly just veiling and flowers etc. and I bought one with brown flowers on to go with my winter coat. I was so pleased as I hadn’t had a chance to go down town and get a new winter hat at all. Then last week when I was in town I looked for a dress but had no luck till I was at the Coinwash and went to my old standby Reitman’s and got a pretty woollen dress with 3/4 sleeves – it is a nice gay green colour – quite a change for me – and has a pleated skirt. I thought it would look nice and Christmasy with my gold belt and gold jewellery.

I don’t think that I have told you of all the excitement about Christmas. Cec’s Mother and Father wrote and said they thought they might come down East this winter, so we wrote and said this was lovely and for them to come for Christmas. They said they would, so we thought it would be fun to have a real Costain family party, so we called up Lea and she said that they could come on Christmas Day, then we wrote to Merle and her family and persuaded them to come up for Christmas too. We had her reply last week and they are going to come – they will arrive on the Sat. before Christmas and then be here for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then leave on Boxing Day. We had said in our letter that if they had already asked Uncle and Auntie [Milton and Lily Costain in Toronto] to spend Christmas with them to bring them along, and Merle says that she phoned them and not to be surprised if they come! This means that we would have 17 for Christmas Dinner! Merle suggest that she and Dixon and Auntie and Uncle, if they come, sleep down at the motel and I think that is what we will do. Then Mom and Dad can have downstairs to themselves, we will put all the Moor boys in Charlie’s room and Charlie can sleep on the chaise in Linda’s room. In that way we will have the sitting room clear, and this will make it easier. Won’t it be fun though? The only thing we don’t know is when Mom and Dad are coming – by the way, Carmen and Leona just had another little son – 2 boys and a girl now. It is now Sunday and Cec has spent such a noble weekend – he has washed the ceiling and walls of the kitchen for me – it looks a different place as you may remember after you did one wall! We want to decorate all through in the New Year, but in the meanwhile this is a huge improvement.
Charlie in his little note mentions that he is going to send you his rough copy of ‘Stoopid’. This is his speech which I very briefly told you about in one of my earlier letters. In the Public Schools each year they have Public Speaking Contests – Senior Grades 7 and 8, then Junior Grades 4, 5, and 6. Well, before my accident Charlie said he had to write a speech and there were various headings he could choose from – one was “A Faithful Friend”, so after lots of discussion he decided to write on this one telling about the little monkey Stoopid which Cec knew when he was on the aircraft carrier in the Pacific. Part of it is made up and part is true, but he wrote it all out quite well, and much to my surprise when I was in the hospital Cec told me that Charlie had been chosen one of 10 in his class to learn his speech and give it. Well, you know his memory! I never thought he would be able to do it, but Cec told him how to make short notes and then go in his room and say it over and over, and much to our surprise in a day or so he could reel the whole thing off, and time himself – nearly 5 minutes! Then at school they had various eliminations and he was chosen each time until he and a little girl were chosen out of his class to speak in the contest against 4 other boys and girls from the other grades. One of these was Janek Blachut who was chosen from Lindy’s class – poor Lindy was quite disgusted at first, as they did not get their speeches begun so soon, so consequently she hadn’t hers written before I went into hospital. She was going to write on “An Exciting Adventure” and tell about you as a small girl in the hurricane going down into the cellar and the little child with the cotton wool for brains! Well, what with me not being there to consult and all the upset of the accident and going out to people’s houses and one thing and another, she was late getting it finished and didn’t have time to learn it properly, so she wasn’t chosen from her class. However, when she got over her disappointment she was quite proud of Charlie! They had the finals in the evening and parents could go and listen and there were 3 judges from outside. There were 6 children speaking in the younger group and 6 in the older, and they began with the young ones. They drew lots for turns and each one went up onto the platform and made his speech – without notes. Janek was the only one who forgot, but he made a good recovery and managed to finish up well. Charlie was 3rd or 4th and we could tell he was very nervous – very serious you know and looking so small up there! But he did very well, and said it all nicely – it was a funny speech you know, and he had told us how all the children laughed when he said it, but he was too scared to make much of the jokes that night! Cec and I thought the little girl called Christine out of Charlie’s class was the best – she spoke about ‘Upper Canada Village’- the pioneer village which has just been opened down by the St. Lawrence Seaway. After they had finished the judges went out and then when they came back they reviewed each child’s speech and made suggestions and corrections and it was so interesting, and they were very nice because they found something good to say about each one, and were most encouraging. When the man was going over Charlie’s he talked for a while, and then was going to say something about speaking louder and he suddenly stopped and said ‘You are 10, aren’t you?” and Charlie said “No, I’m 8” whereupon the man looked so surprised and laughed and said “Oh well, perhaps we can’t expect a little fellow to speak much louder!” In the end of the Junior Group the little girl Christine was first and Janek was second, and I think Charlie was quite relieved as they had to go to another school another night and do it again against other winners, and he had had quite enough! But we were very proud of him. Especially as it was something we hadn’t even thought he could do, and he did it so well – imagine standing up and giving a speech to a whole hall full of people at that age!
You asked in your last letter – for which thank you so much – if Sheena’s baby has come yet. It isn’t due until the end of this month so perhaps she will have Christmas at home. She is expecting her mother this week, so she is very excited. One nice thing about my accident it has healed old rifts as it were – Margie heard about it from Sheena about two weeks ago and called me up and we had a nice long chat and are friends again with many protestations that we must get together soon! But I am glad as I like Margie and Cy so much – Cy seems to be quite well again now, but apart from that Margie didn’t say anything about his illness. In answer to some of your questions Lindy hasn’t got any bands on her teeth yet – she had to get some more fillings done before they were put on, and Dr. Braden has just got some little ‘spacers’ in between some of her teeth at the back. The first bands she will get will be on her back teeth so they won’t be noticeable for a while. Linda doesn’t mind Dr. B. as he does no hurting work like fillings etc. and also he is a nice looking young fellow rather like Hugh Pembleton. Charlie’s eczema has been pretty good lately – he just had the two short treatments when I mentioned them earlier, but they cleared it up very well, and only this week I noticed he is beginning to scratch again a bit, but just as he always has you know – not the big infected sores he had a while ago. Dr. Jackson said to come back if it got bad again, but so far it is all right.
Well, here I am nearly at the end of the paper, so I must stop. Please give my love to Auntie Muriel and all the other kind people who enquired about me, and thank them. I will try to write with my Christmas cards but goodness knows when they will arrive. I do hope that you have a happy Christmas and enjoy a nice Christmas dinner. You can think of me with my 24 lb. turkey, and be glad I have my nice new big oven to put it in! I meant to tell you we have had chickens as low in price as 19¢ a lb. – doesn’t that make you and Auntie Moo jealous? We have had chicken all week long – yum! –

Lots of love and happy Christmas
from
Cyn.
[in hand writing] Did your glasses come yet?

November 23 1961

2043 Montreal Rd.
Nov. 23, 1961.

I know, it’s a Taunus, but I was trying to get the colour right!

Dear Mom,
I thought I would surprise you by starting a note. First, I can assure you Cyn is recovering rapidly, and not doing too much. She is still “uncomfortable” at times – at 3:00 am, for example, but is able to get around without much difficulty. We got the “value” of our car, less $100 from my insurance, and now have a nice blue two-tone 1962 Envoy. Most of it belongs to the bank, because half of the insurance went to pay the bank what we still owed on the old one.
I wanted to tell you also that your Canada Savings Bonds have been sent to me – I bought them for you, to repay your loan to us, remember? I will keep them, but they are registered in your name, and I want you to put the amount and numbers with your “valuable papers”. They are Canada Saving Bond, 1960 series, maturing November 1, 1970.
1 $500.00 Number 515 – B 322075
1 $100.00 Number 515 – A 900883
They can be cashed for full value at any time – plus interest. The interest coupon for 1961 is $24, which I will deposit in your account. For ’62, it will be $25.50; ’63, $27.00; ’64, $28.50; 1965-1970, $30.00. So now you have some Canadian investments averaging 4 3/4%. I was cross with your bank manager, saying he didn’t “think” you could transfer money to Canada. He should know, or find out. Incidentally the Canadian dollar is now 3% below the American, so you would get 6% more dollars for your pounds this year. That should confuse you!
Love
Cec.

24th Nov.
Well – is this a nice surprise to find that you are richer than you remembered! Cec put the $24.00 interest in your account today so it won’t be quite so low.
Mr. Olmsted called me today & said your glasses were mended. I asked him to send them to you Air Mail & he is enclosing the prescription so that you will have it for any future mishaps. He is sending me the bill, so I will let you know how much it is later & how much money I make out your blank cheque for. I won’t forget the new cord for your hearing aid.
Poor little Charlie had a bad time today. Way back in September the fattest little boy in his class stepped on his toe & when he came home we looked at it & found it all crushed & bleeding & the nail black, so we took him to Dr. K. who bandaged it etc. We cut off the front of his sandals & bathed it & went on & then I took him to Dr. K again just before the accident. Cec had to get him a pair of boots too big so he could get them on & finally took him to Dr. K. again yesterday & today he went to the Hospital & had it frozen & Dr. K took off the nail. The new nail was in growing under it instead of pushing off the old one & was quite a mess & the freezing wore off before Dr. K. finished poor fellow so it was very painful. However he is very good & brave & we hope it will heal well now. He is to go back to see Dr. K. next week.
Lots of love,
Cyn.

November 6 1961

I wonder how Hallowe’en went, with Cyn in hospital?

2043 Montreal Rd..
6th Nov. 1961.

Dearest Mama,
Here I am at home again & my! how good it feels to be back in the bosom of my family again! Dr. Kastner said I would be home by the weekend, but didn’t say exactly, then on Thurs. he saw me & said oh – he thought Sat., so Cec & the children were all prepared to clean the house & welcome me on Sat. afternoon when in breezed Dr. K. on Fri. morning & happily said I could leave that afternoon! I phoned Cec & he said “Oh dear, we haven’t cleaned up yet!” but who cared? It was so good to be home – clean or dirty!
The children were so surprised to find me sitting there when they got home from school & it was such an amazing day – the 3rd Nov. and it was 74° & so warm it was like summer again! We still have roses blooming in the garden & of course lots of those pink daisy chrysanthemums. In the house we are flooded with flowers to as I brought a lovely bowl of red roses home with me sent to the hospital by the Lab. & then Myrtle sent me some beautiful red carnations & the Spanish Fellow at the lab & his wife sent me a huge sheath of white chrysanthemums & yellow roses, so we are very festive.

Cec and the children had a great cleanup on Sat. & we are all organized again & even have so much food we don’t know which to eat next! Mrs. Dupuis, the wife of the French Dr. who bought Ken’s house sent up a whole dinner to us on Sat. & I have never even met her! People have been fantastically kind – so much so that the telephone nearly drove poor Cec nuts I think!
I am feeling fine except for a few aches and stiffness and soreness. Two nurses rended the adhesive tape off me last Tuesday and after that I felt more comfortable in some ways, but a bit unprotected as it were! I can’t bend or lift but otherwise can wave my arms and legs about and be quite active! Dr. K. says I’ll be back to full activity in 3 weeks so that’s not bad. Cec is working at home this week so that I won’t be left alone so that is nice & I am leading a really lazy life, getting up & wandering around & then retiring to lounge in bed! He is down at the school just now for the Parent – Teacher interviews & the children are looking after me! He is having to do all my chores.
When I got home on Friday there was a letter from you – thank you so much! – & you said something about being nearly better from your fall except for your wrist. Obviously, we have missed getting a letter from you as we know of no fall, but do hope you are feeling quite all right now. I hope the fall wasn’t downstairs or anything like that, but expect the letter will turn up eventually & tell us all about it. Probably in the same letter you would mention the balloons etc. for the bazaar – I hope they did arrive all right.
I still find it a bit uncomfortable to write – it’s extraordinary what a lot of things one needs one’s ribs for! – so I will stop now & get Cec to mail it when he comes home.
The children are fine & full of fun playing outside. Will write again soon –
Lots of love from us all –
Cyn

October 26 1961

In her October 12th letter, Cyn promised to write Carol a follow-up, telling about the overnight guests they had while she was trying to make herself a new silk dress, the Thanksgiving weekend, and the Gander’s new cottage they had visited. Alas, we will never know the details! Accidents will happen.

Thursday
26th Oct.?

Dearest Mummy,
I am sorry that I have been awhile in writing to you but I have a real good excuse this time! You know how we have a joke that every 2 years I pay a visit to the Civic Hospital – well this year I thought I missed it, but no such thing – it was just waiting around the corner for me & here I am sitting in bed surrounded by lovely flowers, candies & get well cards!
And of all things, what do you think is the matter? A nice selection of broken ribs! I am all taped up but Dr. Kastner is taking off the tape tomorrow & says I am doing very well & will be home next week sometime.
I took Charlie down to the school at 8:30 on Sat. a.m. to go to a show for the Cubs and then on the way home I turned to go into our driveway at the top of the hill and a panel truck coming from Montreal way slammed right into the side of the car. He was right off the road on the shoulder & going very fast & of course my main feeling was amazement & surprise. I was thrown out of the door on the driver’s side & rolled under the car but wasn’t touched. I was so lucky especially that little Charlie wasn’t in the car as the whole side is demolished. Also, that we had safety glass as my hair & all my clothes were just impregnated with little crumbs of glass, but I only got one tiny little scratch on my hand. I have 8 or 9 broken ribs but no other damage at all & Dr. K. says Someone was looking after me. He says I’ll be home in a week & I am doing fine so don’t worry & I will write soon again. The children & Cec send love-
With lots from
Cyn.

As I said in the essay that opened this project [Family Letters] distressing events that occur are minimized in the letters that follow because no one wants to upset their mother, and the writer has obviously survived the crisis! Cyn’s car accident was seriously upsetting for the whole family but Carol, far away in St. Vincent, couldn’t do anything but worry about her daughter, so Cyn gives the facts here, emphasizes the recovery, and doesn’t mention the pain or the emotions she must have gone through. Certainly both Charlie and I, aged 8 & 10 at the time, remember it- Charlie because she was hurt after driving him, so it was partly his fault! and Linda because I was there, dressed for my ballet class in tights and leotard waiting for my turn to be driven to my Saturday activity, when two of our neighbours carried my mother in, groaning with pain! My father was sleeping in, and I rushed to wake him as they jostled her up the stairs and laid her on the sofa. What a rude awakening for him. Cars in those days had no seatbelts, and obviously ‘not moving the crash victim’ was unknown or ignored, perhaps because she’d crawled out from under the car on her own, but I can’t help thinking now that she was lucky they didn’t cause a punctured lung. I was removed to a neighbour’s house at a distance, so I have no memory of ambulances, police, or crashed cars, only of the girls at the friends’ being curious and Charlie turning up in the afternoon, and I presume Cec collected us later with the news that Mummy was in hospital but would be all right.

Years later when new housing developments had been built further east and the houses at the top of the hill on the Montreal Road were demolished, Mrs Cardinal’s replaced by a strip mall on one side of the highway, and a dental service surrounded by parking on the site where we had lived, the road was widened into 4 lanes and they somehow flattened the hill, so that it sloped more gently and visibility was better, with turning lanes that made left turns safer. Not that Cyn didn’t have a few more accidents turning left… when she was older… and they might have been her fault then… but she was never injured as badly, thank goodness.

March 1961

In November 1960, Carol left New York and returned to Ottawa to spend the winter with the Costains. I suspect she had left St Vincent for almost a year because there were health concerns, and she consulted doctors in both Ottawa and New York, being diagnosed at some point with pernicious anaemia which may have responded only temporarily to treatment. This means, of course that there are no letters between Cyn and Carol, but in the collection there are 2 letters to Carol about her husband in Newcastle.

As has been covered earlier in this Project, Cyn’s mother, Carol Ewing, had left her husband, Dr. J.M.G.(Gordon) Ewing, at the end of 1947 and joined Cynthia in Cambridge. In 1948, they had met Cec who was working on his Ph.D. at Cambridge, and Cyn and Cec married in the summer of 1949, and left England at the beginning of 1950, while Carol went home to St.Vincent. Because Carol and Cyn were living together in Cambridge, there are no letters covering that period, but sometime during those 2 years, Gordon Ewing was institutionalized, diagnosed with hardening of the arteries of the brain, and remained there until his death in 1964. There were letters exchanged between Carol, Cyn, and lawyers and doctors; Cyn sent her father gifts and magazine subscriptions, with notes and photos occasionally, which he acknowledged; and from these letters, it is clear that Carol was kept informed of her husband’s condition by friends in Newcastle. The letters give us a window into elder care in the 60s with a difficult patient- and the little anyone at a distance could do. The Carnegies are quite formal in writing to Carol, so not close friends, but they are kind. The letter seems to have arrived in Ottawa after Carol had gone home to St. Vincent in March 1961 and been sent on by Cyn.

1, Victoria Square,
Jesmond,
Newcastle-on-Tyne.

2. 61.

My dear Mrs. Ewing,
Our sincere apologies for the long delay in acknowledging your gift box to your husband and for the very nice box of notelets for myself. It was kind of you to do this and I have found them very useful – thank you.
I went with Alec to see the doctor, he gave us quite a nice welcome, but very unfortunately he refused to accept the very nice parcel of good things you and Cynthia had so kindly sent. We are using them ourselves as you suggested, thank you very much.
Now about the doctor. We were told he is most difficult and sleeps ever such a lot. Some days he won’t use his dentures or have his hair cut. He insists on seeing the C. priest every other day and has ceased to read or write. They think he will just sleep away. So you see Mrs. Ewing we are not hiding anything from you. He insists on wearing a felt hat all day.
We had a very happy Christmas and new year, but since, we have been rather tired and have been resting a lot. I will be 71 this year and Alec 72.
We are so glad you are having such a happy time with Cynthia, her husband and children. Wish we had known earlier about your going to Long Island because my sister Margaret & her husband are there.
Alec is going to see the doctor on Friday after which he will write you.
Our love, many thanks and all good wishes.
Yours very sincerely
Alec & Mary.

1 Victoria Sq.
Newcastle upon Tyne
England

13 Mch 1961

Dear Mrs. Ewing,
Once again I spent half an hour with Dr. Ewing today, and in spite of the fact that the Male Nurse said he would not talk to me, as soon as I entered the Ward, he got up and came to meet me, and we had half an hour of talk on both sides. He said he could not talk very well now, so I told him that if he would only wear his dentures he could talk quite well, you see Mrs. Ewing he will not wear his dentures; – he said he could not be bothered, just in the same way, he, some days refuses to shave. He will also now only wear Hospital woollen sports shirts – he says it is too warm to put on a collar and tie. I am afraid he is often very awkward and stubborn with the staff. He did today however have on one of his own suits. In spite of all this however he does look well, and says he does feel well. With me today he was quite chirpy, and took a keen interest in all the people I spoke about, you see it is only the past you can discuss with him, as he does not read the papers nor will he watch the Television. They have just got a lovely new 21” set in the Day Room, but he will not look at it, and grumbles because it is on all day & evening. The Nurse told me he just sits, and whether he thinks whilst he is sitting one cannot tell. Certainly his memory of the past is still good, and he keeps referring to people, I must confess I had forgotten.
By the way he is still wearing the booties we got for him a year past Xmas, so he must like having & wearing them.
I hope you are well, and derived much benefit from your holiday.
Give Cynthia our good wishes and for you our kindest thoughts.
Yours Aye,
Alec Carnegie.

September 21 1960

In this letter, the whole Costain family is represented: me, sixty years later, setting the scene; Cec writing to Carol about a loan- which apparently enabled them to buy their new car ‘Rosie’; Cyn continuing the letter with family news; and Charlie reporting on his suffering sister and his own activities. Carol is still in New York, staying with another niece, Mona and Owen Banner’s house in Long Beach, now that the summer at the Pembleton’s ‘camp’ is over. Margs, the third sister and family, lives right next door and it appears that Carol will be coming back to Ottawa in November. Some of the names Cyn mentions in 1960 and on are the same, but over the 3 years of missing letters of course the N.R.C. Fellows have changed, since their Fellowship is only for 2 years; Lila Howe, who was so kind to the children, is moving to a new job in Toronto; and Cyn’s friendships in the community have expanded as the church activities did, and Mrs. Craven, Mrs. Graham, and Mrs. Haynes will join Mrs. Tomlinson in future letters as friend and allies, as their daughters were with Linda!

Sept 21, 1960.

Dear Mom,
I was going to write this a few days ago, and send it separately, but I never got around to it. It probably would have been too much of a shock to you anyway.
The money order is for $100.00 Canadian for Aug. & Sept. I can send you $50 Oct. 15, or if you don’t want to squander it, give you $100 in November when you are here. Just to remind you, and us, we borrowed $750.00 Canadian.
I hope to get at your shelves & closet next month, this month I am transforming the outside. We got three truckloads of topsoil and now have a new lawn seeded. The flower bed in the lawn has been eliminated, making the lawn twice as big, and from 3” to 12” of new soil added to the beds on the other side of the driveway, I hope they won’t dry out quite so fast next year. I got a whole set of new muscles from shifting 5 tons of stones and 20 tons of dirt. I hope there will be some evidence of grass by the time you come back.
Cyn will give you the rest of the news. Glad to hear you are feeling better & having such interesting hurricanes. Love to all the cousins, & you,
Cec.

Thursday.

Dearest Mummy,
Cec has been meaning to write since the weekend, but he really did a mammoth job with the garden & toiled from morning to night getting the lawn in last weekend. He has got it looking very nice & smooth & we are hoping it will rain gently & frequently & get a little beginning anyway, before the snow comes. The other three side beds are half done, as Cec has built them up & put the soil in, but we still have to smooth them & transplant the perennials & all the bulbs. The weather has been quite cooperative – pleasant & not too warm, but is quite fall-ish now with all the trees turning colour & the furnace on most mornings, but no frosts yet, thank goodness.

Well, Lindy has no tonsils now! On Monday afternoon Dr. McKercher’s nurse phoned up & said there had been a cancellation & if Lindy was well would we like to take her to the Civic at 7a.m. next day. It was a bit of a shock coming so suddenly poor little thing, but after the initial storm she was very good & didn’t seem too upset. On the Tuesday we all got up at 5:45a.m. (no b’fast for Lindy – we just had a drink) & were off at 6:30 & got her admitted. Then it turned out that she was to wait in the waiting room till a bed was ready, so I stayed with her & Cec & Charlie left. We waited there (L. had 2 new books) until 8:45 with other mothers & children & then she was put to bed & I left. I got home around 10 & had breakfast & her operation was at 11, so about 12 the doctor phoned & told me it was all over & that she was fine. He gave me all the instructions – 1 night in hospital – 2 in bed at home – 1 week in the house & 10 days away from school. Some children come out of hospital the same day, but with L. being done later they said they’d keep her over night & when Cec & I went to see her in the evening we were glad, as she was still very dopey and drowsy & would wake & look at us & then drop off to sleep again & not at all ready to be moved. Charlie stayed at the Savic’s, so had a good time. Next morning he went off to school & Cec & I went & got Lindy at 9:30 & brought her home. She was a bit wider awake, but was quite miserable all day, poor sweetie & not only was her throat sore, but the sides of her face & even has earache which Dr. McK. warned me she might have. He said to give her a 222, but you know she’d rather lie & suffer than take a pill! She slept in the afternoon & had a good night’s sleep & is a little happier today, although her throat is more swollen she says. She is drinking lots of liquids & has had some soup & bread & butter. I think it has been quite an emotional shock for her, you know – she is very quiet & subdued & of course finds it hard to talk. However, it is all over & will soon be feeling fine again – I am reading ‘Daddy-Long-Legs’ to her and she is enjoying that!
Apart from the tonsils & the gardening we haven’t done much – I went to a Scientist Wives Meeting on Mon. evening & heard an Indonesian girl give a talk & show a film about her country. Then last week we had Lila to dinner to say goodbye – she left last Friday – & on Thursday we were having Miet & Michael Hollis (an English Fellow) to dinner & Miet didn’t come. We were mad at him!
Lindy is calling so I had better stop – I say “calling”, but I have given her a little bell to ring instead & it goes tinkle – tinkle all day long! Thank you so much for your 2 letters – we were so relieved the hurricane was no worse – we wondered how you would do with the canal so close. Enjoyed hearing about the weekend at Marie’s- glad you had a nice time – your bridge will be elegant by now! I haven’t rung Dr. Kastner’s office yet – I thought I would talk to his nurse & I always forget until the middle of his office hours & then I know she is busy. I will call & talk to her & let you know though.
Have fun with your returned hundred dollars! Now, a little bit of Rosie belongs to us!
The whole family send love to Monie & Owen & the Jaegers if they are back – Much love & big hugs to you from us all –
Cyn.

Dear Grannie:
Lindy is feeling much better.
I hope you are having a nice time with Monie and uncle Owen, I’m sure having a nice time here especially when it’s Sunday. I’ve been going to Mike Savic’s house, and playing football, I can kick a ball quite far, and my throwing is even better.
Well, have to go to bed now, good night.
Love from Charles.

I have no memory of this time- although I have loved Jean Webster ever since- except for having joined the members of the family who had been in the hospital! Mummy had been in the hospital lots of times, Charlie had been in the hospital as a baby and 2 years before, and now Linda had had her tonsils out- but Daddy had never been in hospital- he had apparently had his tonsils removed as a child on the kitchen table in rural Saskatchewan!