Clinton News-Record, 1987-12-23, Page 6Page 6 —CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1987
Blyth Standard
Blyth card party results
BLYTH - December 9 marked a new at-
tendance high as nine tables were active
and going strong for lost heir. Mary Walden
and Harvey McDowell had the high scores
for the night, while Edyth Snell and Jim Mc-
Call won prizes for the lowest scores.
Although there were two specials, three par-
ticipants were eligible. Ella Richmond
received the first prize, while a draw deter-
mined Margaret Nesbitt the second winner
between her and Harvey Silleb.
Lost heir will be put on hold until January
6.
Euchre
There were 12 tables going strong for
euchre last week in Memorial Hall.
Those who earned the high scores were
Hazel Reed and Allan Shaddick, while Rena
Watt and Len Shobbrook had the lowest
scores. For the most lone hands, Marian
Haggitt and Nora Kelly, playing as a man,
received last week's titles.
Lunch was served and draws were made
for the special prize. The winners were
Pearl Bromley and Mary Holland.
Euchre in
Summerhill
SUMMERHILL - The Summerhill Hall
board held their second euchre party of the
season with the following results; ladies'
high, Helen Hoggart; ladies' low, Violet
Howse; ladies' lone hands, Jane Whalen.
Men's high, Bill Jenkins; men's low, Earl
Blake and men's lone hands, George
Wright.
Three draws were conducted with the
following people as winners: Gloria
Westerhout, Edith Wright and Earl Blake.
The members of the hall board would like
to extend Season's Greetings to everyone
and remind you to watch the coming events
for the next euchre party in January..
May geed buu. aid
goatzt tidi4t 6 lie
gata. opt �b
Ute mow.
biestdoitip
wan a W.
Merry Christmas
from
Wayne, Karen, Milvena, Shirley
and Sharon
VILLAGE RESTAURANT
DOWNTOWN BLYTH
523-9566 Lic LLBO
Meetings of the cSeasvn,.,
•11c1 the
° 0.0
aF''�ee
a
•
warmest of
wishes to all!
i?sur friendship
means a lot to us.
Management
and Staff
°
0 a
°
° ° BIYTH
HAMM'S
CAR SALES LTD.
WRAP UP A GREAT DEAL
2 - 1986 BONNEVILLE with air
1983 COUGAR LS 1 door. aer
1987 CHEV PICK UP Heavy Duty
1985 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE with ,air
1985 CHEVETTE automatic
523-4342
1985 DODGE ARIES WAGON
1984 PONTIAC PARISIENNE 4 DR.
STATIONWAGON low mileage.
1984 OLDS DELTA 88 ROYALE
BROUGHAM 4 door
Several As Is Models
RLESSISXIiS OF
THE SE\SO1'
May your Christmas be
filled with the joy of
Christ's birth and blessed
with the light of His love.
Howson & Howson Limited
Elevator 523-9624
Main Off. 523-4241
This assorted group of characters were taking part hi a season's
greetings play at Blyth Public School on December 16. The Grade 1
and 2 students were performing in a special presentation of the
school's Christmas concert, held especially for senior citizens. Two
other performances were also given. (David Emslie photo)
Christmas at Grandma's
Editor's Note: Rosella Rooney, of Blyth,
said one of the best Christmas presents she
received was a story written by her grand-
daughter, Lisa Armstrong, after
Christmas in 1981. The story was about
Christmas at Grandma's house. Lisa is
now a broadcaster in The North West
Territories.
Our family is fairly large, thirty-five
people to be exact, but I'm not sure if it
was the actual size or being very small
myself that made it seem like a hundred.
Regardless of size, twice a year the Arm-
strong family wouldgather. Once in June
for my grandmother's birthday. This
would include many great aunts and
uncles whom I never could figure out
where they belong. The second time was
for Christmas.
This I remember most.
We never gathered on Christmas day,
but the Sunday before. That week or so bet-
ween grandma's Christmas and December
25 seemed to be the longest in my life. It
was like a long drum roll before the actual
big event.
The people would start coming in as ear-
ly as Friday night. They would sleep in the
two beds upstairs and one downstairs. A
few more would maybe come Saturday
night and the rest would arrive on Sunday
afternoon.
They would arrive in their cars all bundl-
ed up in their coats and come stomping
through the snow and crash through the
door to loud cheers and greetings from
those already there. They would stomp off
the snow still clinging to their boots on to
the mat at the doorway. The youngsters
already there would run to the door to see
who it was that had finally arrived through
the snow storm outside. From there they
would be bustled off upstairs to join in a
game of hide -and -go -seek that was already
in progress.
The women would go to the front room or
the kitchen with the other females of the
family to discuss the children, (what Brian
said or did at school that got him in trou-
ble) or their diets, (the latest one, how
much they lost and how much they
gained) .
The men would go off into the downstairs
bedroom and discuss their cars, (not
enough gas mileage) compare their
paychecks, (damned income tax!) and
play cards. They would play for hours —
lost heir, cribbage, poker and many others
that were as mysterious as the whole af-
fair. They would play for hours, and hours
and not come out until supper — then back
in they would go. Shouts of victory and
groans of defeat were heard above all the
discussion going on in the front room.
The cousins would be upstairs jumping
on the beds in some game until Grampa
came up and told them to stop. Then we
would amuse ourselves by asking each
other about school, and laughing at the
funny old teachers we had. The girls
played dolls while the boys would plan
ways to break up their playing and send
them scurrying down to their mothers. The
boys would be scolded and given sharp
looks and strictly informed that if they
can't get along they would sit out in the car
if necessary. The girls would then plan
their revenge and the boys would retaliate,
and so on, and so on.
This went on most of the afternoon until
they would soon be in the bedroom jump-
ing on the beds again, and once more
Grampa would come up stairs and try to
be angry at us.
This cycle would continue until about
2:30 p.m. finally rolled around. We would
stop playing and tumble down the stairs to
marvel at the gifts that had been placed in
the dining room in the far corner. We
would count them and see how many were
for us then try to guess what they were. A
mother would shoo us away and tell us to
wait until after dinner when Santa Claus
was expected. This would spark excite-
ment into wee hearts and superior looks
would pass between the older ones.
You see, Santa Claus, according to tradi-
tion had been phoned by Grandma and in-
vited down after dinner to hand out the
gifts. The older ones knew of course, that
one of the neighbors from town was really
Santa Claus, but before you were told this,
you had to promise not to tell the younger
ones; it would ruin their fun. This vital
knowledge was a sort of initiation to the
older ranks.
Finally it was dinner time...and what a
time indeed! Every aunt had brought
some food, candies, cakes, grapes, sliced
oranges, muffins in every flavor, celery
sticks, pies and any other food that could
tempt you. All of this was eaten through
the day. A stomach couldn't possibly hold
more, or so you would think, but then came
dinner. Grandma cooked a goose with
thick gravy, potatoes, vegetables, this was
the basics, there was raw carrots, onions,
cucumbers, tomatoes, and more bread and
bakery than thought possible.
All of this and more was brought
together by Grandma and the aunts in the
kitchen preparing the last stages of the
epic meal. When the goose was just right
and the potatoes were mashed and set on
the table, Grandma would shout in her
voice that rang in our ears...SUPPER! !
The card game in the bedroom would
stop and the men would come pouring out
of the bedroom laughing with great roars
at the Newfie joke told by my Uncle
George - the family jester.
All my cousins and I would charge to the
kitchen and herd around the men who were
always there before us and by this time
were deciding what would be good for the
first plateful. While waiting for their turn
at the food, we would bother them, and
they would always tease us In return. The
men would leave the kitchen with food pil-
ed high on their plates - mountains of
potatoes, foothills of peas, a plane of meat
with a sea of gravy pouring down the
potatoes and puddling on the meat.
Forests of vegetables and salads would
outline the scene.
It was our turn next, and we would take
all the food we liked best, jello, cookies and
other important nutrients only to have our
mothers place a piece of meat or salad on
the plate.
Finally it would be the mothers' turn to
eat and they would choose the diet foods
carefully, although one brownie shouldn't
hurt that much ! !
The plates were filled and emptied, then
filled again. At last it was time for dessert.
This was the best part of the huge meal.
Dessert was Grandma's special hot and
cold pudding. It makes my mouth water
just thinking about it! On the stove in the
kitchen was a huge pot filled with hot'
caramel sauce, and on the counter were
gallons of vanilla ice cream and two large
cakes sliced into three inch squares and at
least two inches thick of sweet vanilla
cake.
An assembly line would be set up. On the
bottom, a slice of the cake, ice cream In
the middle and thick creamy sauce over
top of the three layers. Mmmm good!
Grandma would pour the sauce while
one of the aunts would put the cake and ice
Turn to page 7
We value the friendship
we've built with customers
like you. ,Hope you all have.
a happy holiday!
o our many friends, neighbours and
ustomers, we'd like to take this opportunity
o thank everyone for their kindness and
generosity. Wishing everyone a Merry
Christmas and God Bless.
CARL. LENA, RON, RUSS & BRENDA
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
BLYTH CONSTRUCTION
Dewight, Gord
Pat & Brent