Snow on our street a few years ago.
March 3, 1955
Leslie Anne entered the world.
It was a snowy day and father had to shovel snow before getting the car out of the garage and up the incline that was the driveway to the street.
There really was no need to panic as first babies sometimes take their time.
Mother, a nurse is excited and panicked as she is experiencing labour pains, and worried that she will not be able to get to the hospital due to the snowfall, and might have to deliver her own baby.
Father who is expert in all things snowy, is confident, packs his shovel in the trunk and has confidence in the snow tires that he put on in the early winter. (He did this every year until he passed away)
Mother has her bag packed and father carries it to the car and then goes back to assist her, no slipping is permitted. It is of note that mother has "dressed" for the occasion! (some things never change!)
They drive slowly through the deserted streets, it is very early and there is not much traffic, there really was not much traffic back in 1955 in the quiet neighbourhood where they resided.
The hospital is run by Catholic nuns, mother trained there and they know her well. She gets extra special treatment, and a private room.
Leslie Anne takes her time in arriving and mother has some pain medication and gets "knocked out." (She tells me that this is what all the mothers did back then.)
When she wakes up a few hours later...
She has a tray brought to her with tea and toast and after a quick bite she freshens up using the hot water in the washing bowl, applies some lipstick, perfume, and arranges her hair.
The nuns plump her pillows, she sits up in bed and they bring Leslie Anne and place her in her arms.
Father is then allowed in to see Mother and baby...
Father leaves sometime after and goes out to the tobacconist to purchase a box of cigars banded in pink foil declaring "It's a Girl" on them and to the liquor vender for a bottle of Seagrams Crown Royal...which incidentally comes wrapped in a purple felt bag with a gold cord drawstring at the top.
(I use one of these bags for my marble collection when I am older)
He has some celebrating to do before Mother comes home a week later!
The accuracy of this story might be slightly skewed by years of retelling and a foggy memory...but that is pretty much how I entered the world.
I was born tongue tied and did not nurse as vigorously as desired so I had to have minor surgery to allow my tongue to move more freely. To this day I cannot stick my tongue out far, it only reaches the lower edge of my bottom lip.
I am happy to say that this has not hindered me in carrying on long conversations or licking ice cream cones!
Snow angel across the street, circa 2008.
Erected in honor of a family member who had died.
This enchanting angel took almost a week to melt.
