Friday, April 3, 2015 Easter Memories...

Well continuing on with Macsmemories is kind of a challenge. Many stories are still there so here I am still telling them. Yesterday preparing for this Easter and Birthday Celebrations in the family, was, believe it or not a kind of a fun occasion. For Maureen has started a kind of theme for our special day. The theme - "What did our dad love to eat", when we go to her home and bring our food conributions, which is our usual way..to remember Dad with the food he loved, and though she did not specify, hopefully something that had a story .

Yesterday, On our - (daughter Valerie, Grand daughter Brianna, great grand daughter Finley and g.g.son Lachlan)pilgrimage to buy the items we needed for our contributions to Mac's food memory. Valerie reminded me of the reason for her son Brandon's food offering. It will be smoked meat. Yes, for sure, Mac loved his smoked meat. Brandon's story is a real fun one. It so happened that when Brandon was a kid in high school he got suspended for the day...(who remembers why) his mom was at work, so she called to see if he could stay with us till she returned home and saw to a proper understanding by him of his transgressions.

This, we, that is, Mac and I thought, was a problem, but certainly not ours. Brandon came home to his grandparents, who were planning to spend the day downtown, first going to Schwartz's for smoked meat, then up to Mount Royal. So for Brandon, this lovely time was just great. He couldn't have been suspended on a better day. What fun the three of us had on St. Lawrence, having cokes and smoked meat at our favourite Deli, and then buying cheeses at the cheese shop down the street, getting our baked goods at the bakery, checking out second hand books at the book store, and then up for a great walk on Mount Royal. What a great way to realize that there is more in life than school..though I'm sure that was not our intention.

I'm not sure as I can't remember the date all this happened - can't even remember just how old Brandon was, probably around fourteen. I do remember though, that kind of day was reserved for our marriage anniversary. Every year I'd say in the last 20 of our 63 years together, that was what we did on June 14. This would be in memory of our teen-age years.. when Mac and I dated. Buying smoked meat at Schwartz's, sometimes at Chenoy Boys in Snowden, and even at the beginning of our so called courtship, at Ben's on Park Avenue. This was one of our things to do on a date. What fun it wast when we went to Schartz's, to shove ourselves into line and sit in a seat at the command of the cheeky and sarcastic waiters. We'd sit with others, no special seat - one was lucky to get one, and consume lovely fatty smoked meat and a coke - heaven for the tummy then, hell for the tummy now.

So in memory of that tradition, I'm looking forward to our family dinner the food and stories will contribute to many mores memories, Thanks to Brandon, this is just one. Hopefully I will be able to bring some more in future blogs.

So also, thanks to Brandon for a memory that lingers with love...bye for now.