April 3rd

One of my Granddaughters birthday today. Will phone her later.
Terrible rainstorm yesterday pm followed by cold temps, the upper level stuff must have got dragged down to sea level. Thin cloud this am, temp is 7C.
I have been putting a mixed bag of stories out here, I keep wondering which ones/which kind are the most favored. Anyone care to comment? I'll eventually run out then I'll have to get busy and do something new. I'm thinking I may have to dig out some old albums and scan a few pictures so that I can keep changing the ones on here.
I have been helping Maryann with her genealogy report on her Norwegian roots and it is looking pretty good. The level one is finished and now working on the next level. This has to do with 'cultural enlightenment'.

Well I guess I better look in my files and see what I can find to paste in here story wise.

Here are a couple of short ones, both of them along with many others are part of the book I titled, "Ramblings, Musings and Other Stuff".

ALMOST A GHOST

I

 understand that in recent years there has been talk of at least one ghost that has been seen in the harbour.  The following is a little story that certainly has ghost-like qualities.

   In 1942, many of the fisherman that used Pender Harbour as their base tied their boats up in the bay across the spit from the Garden Bay lagoon.  Perhaps that is actually Garden Bay.  Above the floats where they tied there was a board walk that lead to the Beer Parlour (back in those days we didn’t have pubs, bars and the like).

  It seems this one evening this particular fisherman decided to go and have ‘a couple’.  He stayed until the eleven o’clock closing time after a few more than his ‘ couple’.  As he walked in the dark down the boardwalk he thought he heard footsteps behind him.  He stopped and looked back, the footsteps stopped as well and there was no one there.  “Imagination.” Was his thought.  He turned and proceeded down the walk, again and no mistaking this time, there were steps behind him!  He looked again; no one there!  Forward again but this time faster and the footsteps followed.  Once more he looked and even called out; “Anyone there?” No answer and nothing to be seen.

  The steps followed him to the top of the ramp that went down to the float, he stopped once more and as he did something cold, wet and slimy slid into one of his palms!

  He took off in a slightly wavering run; the steps following, he ran to his boat, tore open the small door and jumped down the two steps into the interior! He fumbled around found the switch for the small interior light and switched it on, he turned and look back up the hatch.

  In the hatch doorway was my grandmother’s very large black Newfoundland dog looking down at him!

  Colonel (that was his name) was a friendly sort and being a true rescue dog probably thought it was his duty to escort that fisherman home.

THE FIRST KISS

Do you remember those first loves you had as a child?  Not the little crushes that you had on a baby sitter or your friend’s older sister or perhaps your teacher.  No, I mean one of those ones when you were just becoming a teenager, you felt your insides would burst every time you saw that 'special one', you went from extreme happiness to the depths of despair, a look could send you spiraling to the height of happiness.  You knew this was the real thing and it would last forever.

  When I was about thirteen I fell madly in love with Barbara.  She had long bright red hair and like the song it always hung down in ringlets.  

  Now back in those days, kids were much less precocious than today, especially when you lived out in little country towns.  We would go to great lengths to hide our feelings from the rest of the world and particularly our parents.

  Also back in those days, kids entertained themselves, I don’t think boredom had been invented and we managed to get through each day without depending on parents or teachers or someone else to provide our entertainment.  The one exception at the Harbour was once a month a movie would be brought in and shown at the community hall on a Saturday night.  It was customary for all the kids to sit on the floor or benches up front.  Of course when the lights went out there would be some changes in seating, no one ever seemed to figure out that once the projector was running, those in the rear could see most of the activity up front.

  Barbara and I had been in our “love state” for quite some time, we had gotten bold enough to ask each other to our respective birthday parties and she would often be at various activities that would normally be “boys only”.

  On one Friday before “show night” (we didn’t call then movies) we talked at school and decided that the next night when the lights went out at the “show” we would slip out the side door and KISS each other!

  I don’t think I slept much that Friday night, I was at the hall early, I don’t remember now but I wouldn’t be surprised if I washed my face until it shined.  I do remember my mother asking me why I was brushing my teeth right after supper!

  Show time arrived; everyone paid (adults thirty five cents and kids fifteen) and filed into the hall. Benches were set up in front and wooden chairs in the rear.  The first reel was threaded into the projector and at eight o’clock the lights went out.

  By this time I was so nervous I wasn’t sure I could walk out the door.  I think that was when I started to learn to respect the strength of women.  Barbara grabbed my hand and jerked me towards the side door and out we went!

  We turned and faced each other in the dusk and without touching we  thrust our faces each toward the other.  Did I mention that Barbara’s two front teeth protruded quite badly or that I had quite prominent teeth myself?  Well she did and I did! When our mouths came together we banged teeth so hard we both jumped back!  I could barely look at her I was so ashamed.  But with a woman’s wisdom, she grabbed one of my hands, pursed her lips and leaned towards me. I pursed my mouth, slowly leaned forward and our lips touched in that first kiss.   The job was done!  

Without a word we slipped back into the hall, found our seats and held hands until the lights came on.