Below is the last letter I received from Grannie – EH
Letter dated – Aug 8, 1980
Dear Eddie,
Will try and think back, I think that is what you want me to do. When I was 3 years old, my mother was sick and a lady that came over to look after Mother made me a dress. And it was nice, I guess. Mother wanted me to say thank you and I just wouldn’t or couldn’t, I don’t know, but Mother made me kneel down in the corner for a hour. And still I couldn’t say it. I’ve often puzzled over that.
When I was 10 years old my Uncle Wilfred & Grandfather Croteau took me to ChristianValley that was 3 miles from Nipissing and 6 miles from Powassan. And there I went to school at my Grandmother Croteau home, and 2 years later I came home. And that is all the education I got but I always kept on reading & writing to improve myself. Then I helped my parents on the farm. When I was not quite 16 I married Gustav Hass. He was 15 years difference in age but I never let it bother me. We were poor and it was hard for me as I had no cows to milk and I use to make good butter when I was on the farm. I really missed it. Then I had 6 children living, lost a pair twin boys between my 2 eldest Edmund & Lily, Louise, Gustav Jr, Fraser & Wayne. And I had 2 miscarriages, one lived 2 hours, 2 boys.
Your Grandpa one morning, Oh, it’s so long ago. He left to go to Meshaw Falls with his lunch. He came home at 5 o’clock with the heart and liver of a deer he had killed. I couldn’t believe him as he had not taken his gun, but he saw it before it came out of the water at Stoney Rapids. He took after it with motor boat and cut his throat and boy did we ever have a nice supper that night, was in hunting season. He was a very good guide but wages were not much then, 3 dollars a day, but he used to get money, the tips.
Gussie, when he was 3 years old, they were all cutting paper and one of the kids put a pr sissors on the stairs, Gussie climbed up and he fell down 4 steps with the sissors up his nose, in Jan. Had to leave my kids with neighbour and take him to Dr in Sudbury. The Dr said it was very close. He could have been killed. He gave me some medicine to give him. Left on 6 o’clock train, came back on midnight train. Someone met me and good thing to or I would of never got home. There was the awfullest snow storm, could hardly see to get home. Dad was in the camp.
Edmund, my eldest son was logging when he was 6 years old, that’s what he called it, he was pushing a log up a rock and it came back on his hand, and he skinned all his thumb & both fingers. My, he came in all blood. I was so scared & Dad was away working, so I had to put suave on his hand and bandage it up. I was not good at it but Dad was an expert. Eddie, he could do it as well as a Dr. When the dog bit me so badly on my arms in 1940. Dad bandaged them. The nurse at the hospital asked me who did that and I said my husband, she thought it was a good job. Well, I don’t feel well so I write a little all the time.
When Louise was 2 yrs old I made a rice pudding one day, so we had it for dinner. I asked Edmund, Lily & Louise if they would like to scrape the dish. So Louise did not have a spoon, so I could hear her intome’ in’ intome. I looked, run and got her a spoon, so she in with the rest them.