Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness around the world.

January 6, 2008

Today’s Announcement

Today is the Russian Orthodox Christmas.  Merry Christmas to all my orthodox members.

Happy birthday wishes is extended to Richard Sims:  armaksman@yahoo.com)

The Christmas Poem Contest is now closed; voting has now started.  You have until January 9^th to submit your votes.  Please make the effort and submit them.  Our poets are counting on you!

A hearty welcome goes out to our newest writer for Storytime Tapestry. Janelle McCarthy becomes writer # 451 for Storytime Tapestry and we are glad to have her, please email her and welcome her to this wonderful rainbow family.

The Latest on Matt’s Mom is that she has kidney stones. She is on morphine and has been in excruciating pain now for over two weeks.  It is just inhumane as far as I am concerned. The hospital expects her to linger like this until the stone passes.  This is an elderly woman who is in pain.  It just does not seem right to me. Please continue to pray from her recovery.

Don’t forget to order your copy of Angels Watching Over Me, the story of an ordinary woman facing less than ordinary challenges.  Angels Watching Over Me is a story of family love, sacrifices, poverty and an undying faith that makes heroes out of all of us. Here is the link in case you have forgotten it: http://www.lulu.com/content/964306

Important notice: Storytime Tapestry is a free e-zine, however donations are always needed to help with the operating expenses of running the newsletter and to keep Storytime Tapestry the quality newsletter you are so accustomed to.   You can make your donations to paypal at: winterose@videotron.ca, or if you would prefer to use the mail system contact the publisher at the same email address: winterose@videotron.ca

Today’s Christmas Stories

  ~**~**~

Scarlet Fever Christmas

Clarice Hinson

I received an email from a niece the other day. She had read the hometown paper which has a column of events of the past decades. The one from 70 years ago stated that some Martin (Doris, Cecile, Millard, and Otis) and Matthews (Vivian)family members could not go home for Christmas because their homes were quarantined.

She said she had never heard of that and where did her mother (Doris, now deceased) and Cecile spend the holidays.

Now, I had not thought of that in a long, long time. I had turned 10 in October of 1937 and was in the fifth grade at the Great Rock School. My brother Winston was in the eighth grade there. Brothers Stanley and Otis were in high school in town. Millard was out of school and working for our dad on the dairy farm. Doris and Cecile were college graduates and were both school teachers in different towns.

Some young students in other schools had come down with Scarlet Fever. Their home were quarantined. One died. Then our neighbor, Kathleen Matthews (also a fifth grader at Great Rock), and a few days later my brother Winston also became sick. A local doctor who was also the health officer put up purple signs on our houses. We were not allowed to go off the property if we stayed in the house. I believe the quarantine lasted about 4 weeks.

School was also closed for about that length of time which included the Christmas vacation.

 Millard and Otis stayed at some other neighbors, the Cottons, and tended to the milkers and did other necessary work. They put a wood stove in the milk house where they would have a place to get warm those cold snowy December days. We could talk to them from a distance. Stanley elected to stay in the house. I, of course, had no choice. Doris and Cecile, if I remember correctly, stayed where they boarded for the Christmas Vacation. Vivian Matthews was in business school but came to town, must have stayed at a friend's home because I remember her coming into the yard to say hello.

 Stanley and Dad tended to the young stock and dry cows that were in another barn. I also had chores to do, feeding hens and bringing in wood for the stoves. I am sure I must have helped my mother too. I hope I did!

Winston was seriously ill for a time, running a high fever and was delirious also. I can remember my mother going in and out of the bedroom where he lay, changing out wet cloths, trying to bring down the fever. There were no antibiotics yet. After they were developed, Scarlet Fever became a quickly treatable disease.

We had a telephone so could stay in contact with family and friends. Some came to the dooryard to visit from the driveway with my mother or dad standing on the porch. Many left fruit baskets, cards, and little gifts for us. 

Others would drive hurriedly by with their cars, trucks, or teams, never looking toward the house.

I  was too young to worry much. I enjoyed the adventure as I saw it. I could go outside and play in the snow, read books, and listen to our battery radio. We had not got electricity yet and used lamp light. I loved the fruit, candy and gifts.

Christmas Day came and went. The quarantine did not stop Santa from coming with a new snow suit, warm flannel pajamas, and also a couple of small toys for me.

Still, when the time was up, Winston was better, and I was ready to get out. We had to go to a neighbor' home for a day while some people set off some kind of smoke bombs in the house to fumigate it. When my dad asked one of them if it did any good, he was told, "No, but it will make the neighbors happy."

We had to go to school on Saturday mornings for a couple of months to make up days lost from school. If the Christmas vacation had not been included, we might have gone Saturdays the rest of the year!

Doris and Cecile got to come home for the winter vacation in February, and were we ever so glad to see them.

Clarice M Hinson

hinson@bowie-cass.com

~**~**~

Happy Celebrations

Bev Sobkowich

Christmas has arrived again and all the beauty of the season made us smile with delight.

I was with my Brownie Pack painting and varnishing pine cones, then tying them together with ribbon. I entered a contest on the radio for a pony and when the winner was announced. It was not me but a young farm boy about ten miles out of town.

My sister, Marilyn and I went shopping for a gift for Mom and Dad. This was one year when I was determined about the gift they would get. Marilyn did not find it that attractive; however, I won the decision. It was a huge aluminum roaster and they used it for decades

I went to church to sing in the choir and the music was beautiful. I was a soprano and loved singing in the choir. It was always lovely at Christmas time.

When we went to bed at night, the excitement kept me awake at different hours throughout the night. Marilyn was waking up too, and we would try to fall asleep. We would fall asleep for very little time and wake up again. At about seven we were allowed to get up and wake up the rest of the family. Then we opened our gifts and I was always happy with my presents. We went to Mom's side of the family or Dad's side of the family and had a great time. Wonderful meals and desserts and lots of fun at both places. 

Years of happy celebrations and now we are the Parents and Grandparents. It is exciting to see traditions carried on.   

Bev Sobkowich

beviejo@shaw.ca

~**~**~

Story Feedback

A very touching, well written Story, (One Unforgettable Christmas) By Hart Dowd.
Thank you for sharing Mr. Dowd! God Bless.
Mary Little (Dees)
marlena 7694@yahoo.com

Here are the Published Christmas entries to Date.  If you want to review the stories or poems before voting which will come only at the end of this contest, just go to the archives:  http://archives.zinester.com/98907

Stories

Name                    Story                                                 Date

Williams, Cheryl           Christmas: Look forward to it ….         December 20

Haley, Ellie Braun         A Christmas Story                                December 20

Bryant, Sharon I Walked The Halls                               December 21

Bryant, Sharon Believing                                               December 21

Lock, Joyce                 Abbreviated Christmas             December 21

Smith, Michael  Memory Tree                                       December 22

Walker, Bill                  Mary Did You Know?              December 22

Levine, Arthur              The Troubled Geese At Christmas        December 23

Walker, Bill                  Christmas Lights                                   December 23

Mazzella, Joe                Christmas Gifts                         December 23

Wilson, Mary               Through the Eyes of Mary                     December 24

Walker, Bill                  Jesus and Santa                                    December 24

Colasanti, James           An Angel In Between                            December 25

Walker, Joe                  The Two Sides of Christmas                 December 25

Dowd, Helen                Tintagel The Forest Angel                     December 26

Walker, Bill                  The Christmas Gift                                December 26

Wersterfer, Clara          No Christmas Presents             December 27

Wainland, David           Christmas Doesn’t Get Any Better       

                                    At the North Pole                                 December 27

Blaine, Pamela  Christmas at Baring School                   December 28

Bryant, Sharon Thank You                                           December 28

Dowd, Hart                  Hundreds of Easy to Make Gifts           December 29

Haley, Ellie Braun         Ripples We Make                                December 29

Dowd, Helen                Our Last Deliverer Has Come               December 30

Walker, Joe                  A Christmas Wish List For You            December 30

Dowd, Hart                  One Unforgettable Christmas                December 31

Singh, Dr. Harmander Happy Christmas: Learning Art of

                                    Problem Solving for Prayer                   December 31

Bryant, Sharon             Santa’s Mistake                                    December 31

Apted, Violet                An Unexpected Visit                             January 1

Apted, Violet                Confetti Snowballs                                January 1

Apted, Violet                Mary’s Christmas Miracle                     January 1

Apted, Violet                The Ghosts of Christmas                       January 2

Walker, Joe                  Finding Christmas                                 January 2

Bryant, Sharon The Greatest Gift                                  January 2

Johnson, Patricia           Epiphany                                              January 3

Cassady, B.J.               Christmas 1989                                    January 3

Cassady, B.J.               The Pig Who Saved Christmas  January 3

Cassady, B.J.               One of the Best Presents I ever Received January 3

Cassady, B.J.               A Gift of Giving                                    January 4

McCarthy, Janelle         Bake A Cake                                       January 6

Hinson, Clarice Scarlet Fever Christmas                        January 7

Sobkowich, Bev           Happy Celebrations                              January 7

Here is our Storytime Tapestry Angels: Also, I would like to thank those of you who chose to be a silent angel and gave an anonymous donation to keep Storytime Tapestry up and running.

Clara Westerfer, Mark Crider, Rosanne Catalano, Paula Booher, Kay Seefeldt, Mariane Holbrook, Mary Ellen Grisham, Louise Nomani, Sharon Bryant, Angela Walker, Hart and Helen Dowd, Keith Ready, Ginger Morgenstern, Ellie Braun-Haley, Surinder Jandu, Bob Shaw, Carol Meeks, Charlotte Hilliard, Maria Keller