Nana

Link: Nana Audio Recording

Hi Nance, this is Nana. After she’s had a good breakfast. Relaxing here in the chair, trying to get some sort of an answer back to you after receiving that very long letter. Most of it I didn’t quite get the value of it because I’m not up on either bridge or bowling. Hmm? But, I was very good, Billy was doing some nice, the music. And I guess he’s starting to bowl, too.

It’s all in the chances you get. I’ve never tried that. Therefore I don’t know. I suppose you heard all about Shirley’s 21st wedding anniversary. As I didn’t attend I couldn’t tell you much about it. But possibly your mother has filled you in on the details. Everybody, so they tell me, had a good time. It’s pretty well because in the invitation, when you can’t walk, and know what’s going on, but so life goes.

We were pleased to see Hank here when he paid a visit to your mother. He thought she had quite a nice little dwelling over there. But she keeps busy. She’s working every day. She was here last night. I thought possibly when we’d talk would be when she was here, but you’re not always sure what time she’ll come in. She divides her time between work and seeing Vinola going up and seeing missus…that woman she boarded with in Mattewan.

Alva: Anne’s.

Anne’s. But, and Eloise, but all in all she puts in a full day. I enjoyed hearing about her going on a picnic with you, both from your mother and after she was home she told me how she thoroughly enjoyed it.

I guess you put in a pretty full day. I don’t see how you make it with all the rooms you have to take care of. You don’t get a chance to put on weight, do you? I tip now at 163. I lost quite a bit the time I had the Bell’s Palsy. Picked up fine with the pounds again but I don’t want to pick up anymore; I’m glad to keep it down to 63 instead of 98.

There isn’t much news I gather, because I don’t even go out and take the rides I used to in the chair. What’s the use? As long as I can’t see all the beauty around me, I might just as well sit in the yard and get the fresh air.

Alva pretty busy. She tries to keep my mail answered and her own mail. She keeps the yard up in good shape and do all the chores in the house outside, and tending to me, which is no small job. But she does a good one. Everybody says how nice she has kept me, so I’m all pepped up.

I don’t know too much that I can tell you. Muriel’s up one day and down the next. She went to the celebration though for Shirley. But she doesn’t go dancing very much. I think it’s little Kathy’s Mindy’s daughter has a birthday and I think she’s gonna try to go coming, this coming Sunday. They were going to celebrate last Sunday but she wasn’t up to it. So, I think Mindy gave her a little party with a few girls from the Plats in school. But that was all.

I don’t see the children very often. Albie Jane writes pretty faithfully. I think a couple of others from Beason’s who have been here. She came once to see us. Drove down with Faith. But they’re pretty busy people out there. And got too much to do on their own place to travel back and forth.

Arthur called up one day, I don’t know if it was last week, just recently, to see how we were. But he don’t write back and forth much either.

So, you see it’s hard for me to pick up some news. There was a woman living here in the village. She was just about, well, just a little bit younger than I am. She died recently, but she went through quite a seizure. She had a tumor and she was a little bit of a mite, not hefty like me. I doubt whether she weighed 100 pounds. But she was very pleasant.

Her daughter had her hands full, too. Now maybe she can get caught up. She’d been in the hospital herself right after she came here and had quite a severe operation. Came home and in no time after that her husband became ill. And between the husband and the mother she was pretty well worn out. He died earlier. But she still had the mother to think about. But she was buried last Monday, this Monday of this week. And maybe she’ll catch up a little bit.

Well, Alva said it felt almost as if we were getting a little bit of snowflakes. I don’t know. It’s nice and toasty here in the house. But she’s out raking leaves and pine needles to keep the yard up nicely.

I don’t know much of what else I can tell you. Wouldn’t be much if I could have put on a card and sent, would hold all the news I seem to gather.

There was a dance held up here at the village recently. And I guess it got pretty gay. And one woman bit somebody on the neck. And they had to call the ambulance and take them to the hospital. Caused quite a little bit of excitement. But I imagine she must have indulged herself in something before she went there, because I don’t think anybody in their right mind would do such a thing. But it was quite the talk of the village. They may be old people here, but mighty peppy, sometimes.

And, just before Shirley’s anniversary, why they had a little excitement in her place. Kenny has a pup, just a little bit of a thing, and of course Shirley nad they had a dog all along. They always had Chaka, as they called her. But, they played nicely together in all. They never get it any consideration of sex. And much to their surprise she said her ñ the little dog ñ was acting very odd. So she took her to the vet. And she said, ìWell, there’s nothing odd about it, Shirley; she’s just gonna have a little pound of her own.

And she was amazed because she’d taken the dog out for walks and all, but had been very ñ had her on the leash. They didn’t realize that Chaka had any pep left in him I guess. So then she had four little pups. She said they looked more like little mice. There was quite a little bit of excitement about it. But, both dogs were thoroughbreds of the same kind of a breed, so people were glad to have a chance to get them, one little [little ones].

Kenny wanted to keep one of them. And his father said, “No, two dogs in this house is quite enough.” They have to keep them certainly for a time, I think six weeks before they took them away from the mother.

And, I don’t know, there’s not much else of excitement around. Tell the children I think about them and I appreciated hearing from them, or about them. And your mother looks very good for all the busy hours. And I think that’s it, Nancy. I think I’ll have to read more until another time. Love to all.

Alva: Have you got a little song you could sing to the boys?

No. I can’t my voice is too cracked to sing.

Alva: Well they understand that.

Well, I understand it too, and makes it too punk. I don’t like to hear my own voice on the…

Good luck to all the changing around and fixing up of your home. I guess you’ll have plenty of snowfall out there now.

[End of Recording.]