“During the winter, with its many storms and huge snow—drifts, we were very isolated,” recalls Mr. MacDonald. “I remember,” says Leonard, “when we received our first radio, and we thought we were in seventh heaven. It was run by a battery, and it was necessary to wear ear—phones to hear it. The children were so excited, and everyone wanted to uSe the headphones at once. When it was my turn, all I could hear was a squeaky noise, and I could not understand the conversation. Still, I was fascinated with this new technology.”

Christmas was a very happy time in our lives. We each received an orange and a bag of candy for which we were truly grateful. I can recall the excitement of decorating the Christmas tree. All we had were a few home-made decorations and some candles. We had a goose and all the trimmings for Christmas dinner, and I remember seeing my mother putting the remainder of the goose in the clothes closet, which we used as a refrigerator. We would eat the leftovers for dinner the next day, and no one ever became sick from eating the food.

We had one sleigh, and four of the boys wanted to use it at the same time. An argument followed as to who would get it. Morley, the oldest, grabbed the rope and tied it to a cow’s tail. The cow kicked it to pieces, and then they had no sleigh to fight over. One windy day, we decided to use the wood—sleigh as a substitute. It was after a sleet storm, and the ice was perfect for sledding. We raised the shaft, tied a blanket over the front to form a sail, and pushed off towards the cape. With the wind we couldn’t stop, and we were just one hundred feet from a deep embankment when we hit a stump and the sleigh upset throwing us off and saving us from a near disaster.”

Mr. MacDonald recalls that they had many thunder—and—lightning storms, some that lasted all day. His mother was a very religious person, and she usually worried during those storms. She used lots of holy water to calm her fears, and to protect their home from harm.

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