went on in the kitchen for the duration of the Christmas holidays. I had a hard time convincing them to move when I tried to set the table for meals.

When Terry was in grade eight he asked for a pair of skis and a pellet gun for Christmas. Shortly before Christmas we were in the Canadian Tire Store and Terry was with us. We let Terry select which pair that he wanted. We went to the counter to pay for them, while Terry wondered if he was going to get the gun or not. All of a sudden his father turned to him and said, “Was there something else, Terry, that we are forgetting?” “The pellet gun, Dad, the pellet gun”! Then Dad asked Terry if the store carried them. That’s just what Terry wanted, as he steered his father in the direction of the guns. Dad paid for the item, and we left the store. At home Dad hid the pellet gun in a pile of lumber, that was left over from building our new house. When we went out, Terry and Blair searched the house for the pellet gun, but could not find it anywhere. One evening, they noticed the lumber and started their search. Sure enough, there it was tucked in between the boards. The days prior to Christmas the two boys spent some time in the basement taking out the gun and turning it over and over before returning it to its hiding place.

Christmas arrived and Terry received his skis, but no pellet gun. Terry thought that we might have returned the item. The morning passed and still no gun. Finally Terry got up enough nerve to ask us where the gun went. We had forgotten all about it, and worse still, forgot where we put it. At that moment Terry led his father to the exact spot. We often wondered how Terry was able to find such a secluded spot. Then we knew why. His brother Blair had helped him out, because Blair had the patience to search, and never gave up until he found his prey. Terry was happy with his gifts, and spent many hours skiing back to the woods, with his pellet gun attached to his back. He shot a few birds, especially pigeons. If there had been a bounty on them, he would have a pocket full of spending money.

One year Kevin received a toy airplane for Christmas. It was quite fashionable because it used batteries to control its movement and lighting system. As it moved its lights blinked in an array of colors that fascinated all the other children. Kevin had one concern about this toy because he felt that it was allergic to all his brothers and sisters, for no one was allowed to touch it, not to mention play with it. It was a complete No! No! Because of this, it

still rests in Kevin’s attic today.

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