ANNIVERSARY

         A  few days ago was our 60th wedding anniversary. Ya I know. How did that happen? One never thinks ahead to numbers such as 60 years married.

Many people along the way support you. Helping to  get you to these anniversaries.

So this was day one.

BOYS

         Since I started teaching in 1958, the topic of boys and their behaviour and success in school has always been a topic. The topic was very likely discussed long before 1958. 

      Yesterday I listened to an interview which covered the topic. Yes and the interview was  of someone who has just written a book on the topic. One wonders how many books have been written on this topic.

      Many suggestions have been made about causes and solutions and nothing seems to make much of a difference. 

      So some boys seem to have trouble sitting still. They get up and wander around disrupting other students. Sound familiar? I attended a one room country school from gr one to nine. I remember being out of my seat and going to an older student's desk and just watching. I didn't know what they were doing but it was interesting to watch. In my teaching experience I have had boys get up and chase each other around the class room.

     Some boys have more difficulty learning to read. Many reasons have been given for this problem. Many suggestions have been made for a solution.

   In the days of retention most were boys who repeated a grade.

   One o the good things on this issue is that most boys seem to have caught up to girls in the  later teen years.

    So when I listened to the interview I thought, well, I have heard this for many years. It's a familiar topic. How much  longer will we hear this same topic.

STUART MCLEAN

       As you know my favorite radio station is CBC 1. As you also know CBC plays a Stuart Mclean story once in a while.

      At one time they had a Stuart Mclean show at noon on Sundays. The show featured a number of things but my favorite was the story. 

    Today they played a Stuart Mclean story and it stopped me in my tracks and I had to listen to it.

    One of the neighbors Eugene wanted something but he was far too old to get it so he got two kids to do the job.

    Eugene liked rosemary honey. He'd seen bees at his rosemary bush and knew that there was a hive nearby. He persuaded two neighborhood kids, Murphy and Sam to look for the hive. Of course Eugene told them exactly what to do. First to attract the bees they were to put honey on a plate. The bees would visit the plate and leave. Murphy and Sam were to follow. 

   It took 5 days to find the hive .Then they were to get one comb out of the hive. You didn't just reach in the hive but used a smoker to scare the bees away.

    One final part to the story. When someone found  hive it was their tree. Eugene couldn't put his mark on the tree so had Murphy and Sam carve their initials on the tree.

   One of  Mclean's strong points was in how he told a story. Today he had a perfect old man's voice.

   Being  very  old many myself , I could easily identify with the story.

SOME HISTORY ABOUT HIAWATHA HOUSE

      I quite often see bloggers go back and look at what the blog was like a few years before.  I find this very interesting.

      A few weeks ago, I had some extra time so I decided to look back. Well, I had trouble finding out how to go back. I couldn't find what I was looking for.

      So today I took another go at it and somehow things popped up immediately.

      So I went back to my beginning post in September of 2008. I did just one post in 2008. I wasn't on the internet and was using my daughter's computer.

      2009  was better. I stated to post more. I didn't really understand comments. My very first commenter was John from John's Island. John still follows me today and makes interesting comments. 

     I told one of my friends about my blog and he followed me  bit and made comments. I must have shamed my daughter into making comments. Her comments were always longer than my post.

     I was still experimenting with format so there were different colors used. I could find my way around making changes to the blog. Today I cannot make changes such as color.

     I've had fun writing this blog but the best fun is the conversations with followers.

     So thanks for reading me and the conversation I have with you.

MOM : A LIFE OF HARDSHIP

      On Mother's Day I thought back to my Mom and all she did so I saw that a blog post was necessary.

    My grandparents were born in the southern part if Britain in a rural area. My grandfather was a farm worker. He went around to farms and was a butcher. If a farmer wanted an animal butchered , my Grandpa was called to do the job. It was not a high paying occupation.

    There was a series of recessions in Britain in the early 1900's. A church group in Canada sponsored my grandparents and two children to come to Canada. They were set up in a house and expected to make a living with a market garden.

    My mother was born after they came to Canada. Mom dropped out of school at the end of gr nine. She got a part time job baby sitting and house work. The family she worked for were very good to her.

   Mom met my Dad about 1937 and they were married in Feb 1938. They Took the train to the small farm. Friends picked them up from the train station. Dad went over to the shack and started fires in the stoves. The next day they moved into the house with a few meagre belongings.

   Dad had a small farm which had  very dilapidated house. The house was cold and small with no conveniences. Water was hauled by pail from a well. The house was heated by wood. There was no electricity. There was not enough income from the farm to make  a living. The odd job got them enough to live on.

    Mom had not lived on a farm so she had to quickly learn some farming. She milked cows when Dad was busy with field work. She learned to drive horses as they had no car. She did not like staying alone and fortunately that seldom happened.

   Mom had four babies by 1944 in this small house. It was bedlam in the small house with four kids. Three of us slept in one bed. One of us had epilepsy. We took our clothes out to the big room and dressed  buy the heater.

   By 1948 they were able to build a house so conditions were  better. They were still missing some conveniences but the house was much warmer and had some conveniences. There was more space for kids and did I say it was warmer!

    As little kids were  very active so there was lots of noise in the house

    Growing up in the new house was pleasant. 

   Tragedy happened when her eleven year old daughter passed away.

   Things moved quickly some kids moved out and other started farming. Their farming was much more lucrative from the forties to seventies.

    They retired in the early seventies. In 1973 Mom passed away from Cancer They enjoyed about three years of retirement.

   In spite of all the hardships Mom was cheerful and loving. She looked after us as best she could. Everyone else lived with the same hardships so we didn't know any different. 

MOM

         The other day I was listening to my favorite radio station. They had a section on that was the most outstanding thing about your Mom. People , phoned or emailed in.

         So I thought what would I say was the best of my Mom. I couldn't think of anything. First, I was  a little embarrassed and then quite ashamed that I couldn't come up  with something.

        I let it go.

        But that got me thinking about  few things about Mom. Mom died in 1973 at age 59. I'm not using that as an excuse for not being able to come up with what I think is the most important thing Mom gave us. It got me thinking about a post about Mom .

      And then while thinking about a post it hit me. Why did it take so long to think about it.

     Mom read  to us almost every night. She had a wide variety. Sometimes it was the Bible. Others a  series called the Sugar Creek Gang. And then some childrens' stories.

    She had a  number of good settings. Sometimes it was around the kitchen table. Other times on the couch in the living room . Sometimes on the floor. And the one I liked best was when the four of us got ready  for bed and we all went into the big bed under the covers. Usually somebody went to sleep.

     She could use her voice to emphasize the mood.

     Three of us became great readers. We have been readers all our lives.

    I read  to my kids. they are much better readers than I am.

PHOTOS OF PRAIRIE BOYS

      Yesterday I forgot to put in the photos of the prairie boys. The old guy is getting old.

      So here's the photo that should have been in yesterday's post.

     My apologies for the poor quality.