A SISTER FOR DIAN NE

Preparations for the Christmas of 1962 started early in the MacIsaac residence. All the gifts were

purchased before the ground turned white. The fruit cake and raisin bread were safely stored away for the big day. Even the Christmas tree was standing in the building, waiting to come indoors to be trimmed.

One might wonder why I was so well organized, but there was a reason. Our third child’s birth was scheduled for Christmas day, so, I wanted to be prepared.

December 25th arrived and I was up at dawn waiting for some signs of the birth, but nothing happened. I was disappointed as I thought it would be such a privilege to have a baby bearing the same birthday as the Christ Child. However, I continued to be on the waiting list for the next thirteen days before the alarm went off.

I was not thinking about the gender as we had one of each, so we would be happy with a boy or a girl. It was a girl, and we named her Mary Patricia, know to all as Patsy. She weighed 61b. 12 oz. at birth and had dark hair like her sister, Dianne.

Patsy was a quiet baby and grew quickly. When Patsy became old enough to play outdoors, one had to keep a close watch on her at all times. Patsy loved to eat stones and we did not know why. Whether it was the taste or the smell, we were never quite sure, but whatever it was, it kept her happy. We are certain that it never hurt her, for she is alive and well, and has no weight problems to worry about. The solution seems to be that everyone has to eat a peck of dirt during a life time.

Patsy loved to follow me around in the evening when I came home from school. I usually had baking to do, so she would stand up on a chair next to me. By doing this, she learned her letters at an early age, for she kept asking

62