| Mrs. Ruby Dell Abbott | |
|---|---|
| First name | Dell |
| Last name | Abbott |
| Age | 61 |
| Date of birth | September 10, 1918 |
| Community | Oakland |
Mrs. Abbott in 1973
Story
- This interview is a part of the Chronicles of Oakland Township, which was compiled in the summer of 1980. Click here to read more interviews in this collection!
This is Debbie Urban and Joanne Vamos interviewing Mrs. Dell Abbott at her home in Oakland Ontario, July 16th, 1980.
Debbie: Mrs. Abbott, could you tell us when and where you were born?
Mrs. Abbott: I was born in a town called Charlotte Court House in Virginia, September 10th 1918.
Debbie: Would you be able to tell us anything about the event of your birth?
Mrs. Abbott: No, not really.
Debbie: Could you tell us a bit about your ancestors?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, well my father, Walter Hayslip Garner and my mother Marianna Ola Garner and my two sisters, Elizabeth and Elsie lived on a farm near my Grandma Bailey's.
Debbie: Where were they originally from?
Mrs. Abbott: Well, my dad came to Canada to cure tobacco in the Chatham area and eventually we all came. Canada looked pretty good in June after coining through the mountains in Pennsylvania in an open Buick car without the side curtains on. It was pretty chilly in the mountains, (chuckles) I can remember that.
Joanne: So you decided to come here then?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes.
Debbie: Did the rest of your brothers and sisters come up too or the whole family?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes. We all came.
Debbie: And you all settled in Chatham?
Mrs. Abbott: No, we came to South Middleton first and lived there for a year. That's near Courtland.
Debbie: Could you tell us a bit about your brothers and sisters like who they were and where they settled down?
Mrs. Abbott: Well... brothers and sisters. Well, my sister Elsie is in Brantford and my sister now lives in Virginia. She's back in at Brandel, Virginia. I didn't have any brothers.
Debbie: Where did you attend school?
Mrs. Abbott: I attended school first in the States, in Charlotte Court House. Then I went to the little red school house at South Middleton and then the two room school at Teeterville.
Debbie: Do you remember what the schools were like, could you describe them or give us any preference over, you know, what you liked better and why?
Mrs. Abbott: No, I just... it seemed as though the difference in the grades when I came to Canada, it seemed as though they put me more at the start. I thought I was almost starting back from primer when I—but it turned out alright. I got to high school at the right age.
Debbie: Do you recall any special events or special things that you did at school, special days or, like fun fairs or uh...
Mrs. Abbott: We didn't have—I can't remember anything like that then.
Debbie: Like, the whole school didn't ever get together arid have a sing-song or play or nothing like that?
Mrs. Abbott: No, I guess I don't remember them so much. I just remember getting the strap, a couple of times (laughter).
Joanne: You must have been bad.
Mrs. Abbott: Once for talking to Frank Hill that sat in front of me and another time for getting out of my seat when the teacher left the room. When she came back she asked who was out of their seats and I was one of them so I got the strap for that.
Debbie: The teachers were strict then? Do you think they were stricter then, than they are now?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, I think so. That's for sure.
Debbie: So, when your parents came to Canada here, did they have a farm?
Mrs. Abbott: No, they grew for,—first uh, when we came to Courtland, South Middleton area, we just grew on the farm there and then we moved to Teeterville and my dad grew for the Windham Plantations. So, they bought up a lot of farms in the area.
Debbie: Was that all tobacco farming?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, yes it was.
Debbie: Do you remember what it was like, being back on the farm at that time?
Mrs. Abbott: Well, I guess I kept busy helping my mother and I remember I had some chickens to look after. That was one of my projects.
Debbie: What kind of toys did you used to play with?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, well... we didn't really have any toys. I can't remember any in particular.
Debbie: There isn't one thing that maybe stands out in your mind, maybe something special?
Joanne: What kinds of things did you get for Christmas? Did you get presents at Christmas time?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, yes. But I think we got things to wear, new slippers, new bedroom slippers things like that. Oh, and I'm sure we got one toy or but I can't remember them.
Joanne: Did you used to play with dolls?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, yes, But uh, at the time we moved to Teeterville for a while, there wore a Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Silverthorn and they had two boys, Howard and Lloyd and then they had a daughter, Edna Silverthorn. I think she, Edna still lives up around Princeton was. Until they moved I guess we played together and I just don't remember what toys we had.
Debbie: When you were younger was there any place to go swimming or skating?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, it was a real treat when we went to Port Dover and Lake Erie and were able to swim in the lake there. And then I remember something special. My dad and mother took us three girls to Niagara Palls and the Toronto Exhibition. We had never seen anything like that before and we hadn't seen a big lake or gone swimming because when we lived down south, we didn't live near any body of water.
Joanne: Did you ever used to swim in a creek?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, I was going to say. That's where we—there was like down there, there was a crick in what they call a big gully, you know and the red—the clay, the land was red, it was red soil down there. So, anyway I remember it was a special treat to go to Port Dover.
Debbie: Do you remember any clubs or organizations that you belonged to when you were younger?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, I guess the first organization I belonged to was the Young People's at Wilsonville. I went skating with the Young People's group in a swamp, They had to clear the snow off first. When I was little there was a pond near the—back near the woods in the swamp area.
Debbie: Did you ever go bobsleigh riding in the winter time?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, yes and I guess it was skating that I met my husband-to-be, Percy. (chuckles) I had to learn to skate, so when we went with the Young People why we skated together quite often. Then, since he lived on the same read as I did well we would walk home. So, then he was used to horses, so we did go bobsleigh riding some.
Debbie: So, where did you live at that tine then?
Mrs. Abbott: By then we had moved to Wilsonville. My dad then had bought a farm at Wilsonville and we moved there, I'm not too sure what year it was in, I guess it doesn't matter.
Debbie: Did your family belong to one of the churches in the area?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh yes, yes. We joined the church at Wilsonville, at least I joined and I went to the Young People's organization as I said. Maybe I shouldn't tell you, but I remember the one night that I went to the Young People's I spent most of the time outside because I had gotten chill blains in my feet and someone had told me if I bathed them in water with cayenne pepper in, why it would help. And I couldn't still because that cayenne pepper was smarting so. It was like I rubbed Sloan's linoment on. (laughter) It was worse then the chill blains.
Debbie: Were you ever involved in the church in any other way like in the choir or any other groups or organizations?
Mrs. Abbott: No, not really. No, I can't think of anything, not at Wilsonville anyway.
Joanne: What about in Oakland?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh yes, that was later on.
Debbie: Do you remember what Christmases were like, like how did your family celebrate Christmas?
Mrs. Abbott: I've got a poor memory. Well, I'm sure we had the usual Christmases. I think it was Christmas I remember more was at Oakland when my children were involved in things and especially when Miss Murdoch would be teacher here at Oakland and we had Christmas concerts in the town hall. They were fun for all the families. Miss Murdoch and the pupils put on good but lengthy Christmas concerts. (laughter)
Debbie: That sounds good. Do you remember anything about Hallowe'en?
Mrs. Abbott: No, except we got dressed up and went out.
Debbie: Did you have lots of fun?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes. Yes even when got older we still went out and tried to fool people. (laughter) But if I talked or said a word, look out, they knew who I was. (Laughter)
Debbie: What about Thanksgiving, did you do anything special then?
Mrs. Abbott: No, not really.
Debbie: Easter?
Mrs. Abbott: Can't say that we did.
Joanne: Just went to church.
Mrs. Abbott: That's right, yes.
Joanne: Just like it is now, basically.
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, got something new for Easter I'm sure.
Debbie: What kind of things were there to do when you were at the dating age? What kind of entertainment or...
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, well, I remember we were in a three act play that we enjoyed at Hill Crest school, we put it on at Hill Crest school. We practised quite a bit for it and uh, put it on I suppose three times, I can't remember it really. But anyway, we enjoyed practising for it. (Laughter) That was one of the highlights (chuckles) I can remember. And I guess going skating and the Young People's in Wilsonville. Then we went to shows.
Joanne: Where did you go to the shows? In Brantford?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, mm... hmm. Then I remember something special we went on, the Keystone boat was running across Lake Erie at that time, from Port Dover to Erie, Pennsylvania. Percy and I went on that one weekend. The boat was full too. It had a good business.
Joanne: Did you have a dinner on the boat and all that?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes. You could get off on the other side for a little while and then, come back. So, it was a good trip.
Debbie: When you went to the shows then did you have a car then too at that time?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes. Yes, I'm sure we did. We didn't have a car the first year we were married. We missed it. I don't know what happened that we didn't, but uh, Percy had one before or we wouldn't have been able to get any place. But I guess we must not have had enough money to stretch around.
Joanne: Did you used to ride around in a horse and buggy, a democrat?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, I know we had a model T Ford and one time the fan belt was slipping and we couldn't get up the hill. (laughter) I forget but somebody had to get out and push, I guess.
Joanne: He didn't make you get out and push?
Mrs. Abbott: I might have helped. I think I did.
Debbie: Do you remember what the fashions were like when you were younger? The difference in clothing—were the dresses longer or shorter?
Joanne: Were you a teen-ager in the twenties? What year were you born?
Mrs. Abbott: I was born in 1918.
Joanne: Oh yes, so when you were going to school did you wear short dresses to school?
Mrs. Abbott: I can't remember particularly, the styles change so.
But they keep repeating themselves. What they were like when I was going?
Joanne: Do you remember how you used to wear your hair? Was it cut off short or did you have long hair?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, any pictures that I have, oh, my hair had a little bit of natural wave in it so it uh, wasn't hard to keep anyway. And I din't anything outstanding. I didn't have too many clothes to splurge with, but I had what I needed anyways.
Debbie: What about music, do you remember anything special about the kinds of music there were?
Joanne: That you used to dance to or anything like that, if you danced?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, oh I, we went to a barn dance. I guess I was a little timid. I wished afterwards I'd have gotten out there and... (laughter). I went to some square dances over at Teeterville, that was good.
Joanne: You had them in the barn?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, yes.
Joanne: Oh, ever neat!
Mrs. Abbott: What else did you ask me?
Joanne: The kinds of music.
Mrs. Abbott: Oh yes. I can remember this one fellow that could play the piano. Well he played the Wedding of the Painted Doll. Oh, I loved to hear him play it! I took some music lessons, so that's why I was interested.
Joanne: Did you play the piano too?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes.
Debbie: When and where were you married?
Mrs. Abbott: (chuckles) Well I was married in 1935, in December 1935. I was married in Simcoe.
Debbie: Do you remember what your wedding was like?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, I saw this velvet dress in the window and I wanted it in the worst way. Actually I probably should have settled for the green silk that would have looked nice on me. But my heart was set on this velvet, so it ended up that I was able to get it.
Joanne: What colour was it?
Mrs. Abbott: Well, of all things it was a winey shade and I had red hair. What a combination that must have been! (laughter) I was young and, and, anyway, no matter.
Joanne: Did you get married in a church?
Mrs. Abbott: No, I didn't.
Joanne: Was it small?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, yes.
Joanne: Did you go anywhere on a honeymoon afterwards?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, we went to Niagara Falls.
Joanne: Did you drive there?
Mrs. Abbott: No, we didn't-we must not have had a car then because we went by bus, but we were used to going by car. So, we said, "No more of this bus." (laughter) Because we were used to a car.
Joanne: You were spoiled already then.
Mrs. Abbott: That's right!
Debbie: Where did you settle after you got married?
Mrs. Abbott: We lived for one year aver at Maple Grove on the farm that my dad had for tobacco. We lived in the house where Henry Kegals lives now.
Joanne: I don't know exactly where that is but it's in Maple Grove.
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, actually Andy Kegals and his son, Henry bought the farm from my dad.
Joanne: Did you live—your dad owned the farm, did he live there ever?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, yes—uh, no not really.
Joanne: He just owned the land?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, that's right. He lived over at Wilsonville and that was the family farm that we stayed for.
Joanne: So is that the first time after you were married that you lived in Oakland?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, it is. We lived at Boston for awhile. Actually we built a house. When we decided not to grow tobacco anymore for my dad because we grew for him for a year or two. When we decided not to grow anymore tobacco we moved to Boston and we didn't have much money but Percy was a go-getter and he-we managed to build a house at Boston.
They wanted to know who built that house at one time, but the Oakland's Tweedsmuir history had already—no the Bealton's Tweedsmuir history was already made up, you know, so I didn't tell them. But we built the house on the corner on the former foundation and lot that used to be the Baptist parsonage. Apparently it burnt down so we were able to buy the lot and we built the house. They didn't take long to build it because we needed a house (laughter) to move into.
Joanne: How long did you stay there?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, I'm not sure. Now, Jean was born when we lived at we—Don was born in 1930 oh...? and Jean was born in 1938. So we lived at Boston till we moved to Oakland in 1943 or 1944 I'm not sure which.
Joanne: So, did you sell that house?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, yes we sold that place. That was our start. Because we were able to sell that and buy the farm from Mr. Burt Howie here at Oakland.
Joanne: Then you've on this same farm ever since?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes. Yes. From 1944 to now.
Debbie: Did you have any children? Who are they and when were they born?
Mrs. Abbott: Well, as I said, Don uh—we had two children, Don—well Walter (chuckles), he was named after his Grandpa Garner. He was born May 29, 1937 and Marion Jean was born August 13th, 1938. So it kept me busy for awhile, being as they were so close together.
Debbie: Could you tell us where they are now?
Mrs. Abbott: On, well after growing tobacco for a number of years on the family farm, Don and his family now live near Burford and Jean and her family live in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Debbie: Oh, that's quite a ways away. Okay, I'm going to go back in time a little bit, how did the depression affect your family?
Mrs. Abbott: Well, my dad did have a good car and of a sudden when he traded cars, he did not buy a new car he bought an old one, that was quite a change. Because tobacco didn't sell too good one year and uh, he thought he'd better play it safe and not go overboard. Oh, I suppose I have been a little happier if I'd have had a few more clothes and not just have to settle for one—they were new but they weren't as...
Joanne: As expensive or nice.
Mrs. Abbott: That's right! (chuckles) They weren't as expensive as some. But, oh, I enjoyed high school anyway, even though.
Debbie: You made it, I guess. Got through it.
Mrs. Abbott: Oh yes.
Debbie: You were never hungry or anything like that.
Mrs. Abbott: No. And my dad made sure we'd never miss school. He wouldn't let us work even though I helped him in the summer in the first of harvest out at the kiln and as soon as school started why I had to go to school.
Joanne: You're lucky, actually.
Mrs. Abbott: That's right! Even over at Teeterville, when we moved from Teeterville over to Wilsonville I boarded at Teeterville for—after they moved till I finished my entrance class. They wanted to make sure that I didn't miss school or lose my year by—for entrance you know, by changing schools. So they were very thoughtful that way.
Debbie: Did the World War II years affect you in any way?
Mrs. Abbott: No, I can't say that they really did because, uh, none of my family that I know of were involved in it.
Debbie: Jumping right back up again. Do you have any crafts or any special skills or things that you do today.
Mrs. Abbott: No, I don't really. All I've really done is hooked these uh, oh I don't know what kind of rugs or wall hangings they call them. It's latch-hooked, that's it. They're nice and easy to do.
Debbie: Yes, I like to do them too,
Mrs. Abbott: I guess I-when we were farming I was busy outside and oh, I like to read and I enjoyed cooking for the help in harvest time. So, I've got to learn some hobbies and things to do. But so far I haven't.
Joanne: It's not too late.
Mrs. Abbott: No, I need to learn some.
Debbie: Okay, since you've lived in this area, do you remember if anything has changed around the town much, like in the way of buildings or the roads?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, well, I know when we had crib corn when we moved to the farm. There was a big old drive shed and an old spinning wheel that Don had wondered since where it went to. We really changed a lot of buildings on the farm but oh, as far as other things other than they've widened their road that goes past this place now and a lot of trucks go through on it.
Debbie: Could you tell us then about the changes on this farm- like what has been done to it?
Mrs. Abbott: Well, for one thing we built a new house in 1959 (pause as she searches through her notes.) When we built the new house-oh, I know Mr. William Davis at Oakland was the main carpenter and he and his helpers did a good job. Then to tell you something about the new house...we moved the back section of the old farm house down the road and lived in the front part while they bulldozed the basement and they built the new 1 1/2 storey house where the one section had been. And as Jim Allan jokingly said in Mr. Miles' barber shop,"[Abbott's] lived in the older front par± while [they] built a new backhouse." (laughter) While we built a hew backhouse, isn't that funny? Then we moved the front part down the road.
Debbie: I'd like to ask you, is there anything that you would like to add, anything that special happened to you, something you particularly remember?
Mrs. Abbott: Well, I think I enjoyed farming for the most part and I enjoyed cooking for the Georgia boys for the tobacco harvest. So in 1954 I was the lucky winner of a hundred pound bag of flour. That was the prize offered by the Canadian Tobacco Grower (magazine) for a tasty meat dish recipe.
Joanne: What was the meat dish?
Mrs. Abbott: It was called Filler Diller casserole (laughter). That was a good name for a harvest time dish, wasn't it? I think it must have been the title that caught their eye. (laughter)
Joanne: I bet it tasted good too.
Debbie: One last question just to sort of sum it up, what is your overall impression of Oakland?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, well, for me it's been good because we lived here for,—well I guess as my husband said he was interested in council. In 1976 he said he liked the work of being a councillor and that was the main reason he run for reelection. He had lived in Oakland for thirty-four years an was interested in the township and what goes on-he explained. He was a quiet spoken kindly man.
Joanne: He wasn't?
Mrs. Abbott: He was. He was a quiet spoken kindly man, yes he was. You asked me what.. . ?
Debbie: ...was your overall impression?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh yes, my overall impressions. Well uh, my overall impressions are that I enjoy having my neighbours and friends in Oakland and we've lived here long enough that I feel at home. And so I guess that's why I'm still living in the ranch style house that we built in 1958 next to the farm.
Joanne: Are there any clubs or organizations you belong to now that you're older? Like the Women's Institute?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh yes. Yes I did belong to the Oakland Women's Institute.
Debbie: Is there anything else?
Joanne: Is there any club that your husband belonged to? Did he belong to Lion's Club or anything like that?
Mrs. Abbott: He did at one time. But he didn't stay with it because I guess he enjoyed being able to relax and eat supper at home. He couldn't keep up with rushing up there and doing stuff—supper at the same time he was suppose to be there so he didn't stay with the Lion's Club but either wise he would have.
Joanne: What years was he on the council?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, well, I think he was on from 1968 until he had, he was still on when he had the heart attack in 1978. He must have started in 1968. It seemed like-anyway, I'm not really sure but from the picture that was taken, it says 1968. But he was interested in it and enjoyed it. Oh, I was going to tell you about the-you spoke about the uh Women's Institute. Would it be alright if I told you about that?
Debbie: Oh sure, go ahead, anything you have to add, feel free.
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, I know. I should start off first about my neighbours. Did we say anything about my neighbours when we lived at Oakland. Oh yes, well anyway, when we moved to Oakland our neighbour were a Mr. & Mrs. Ed. Smith that lived across the road from us and then Mr. & Mrs. Earn Secord and Agnes Muirhead lived on the east and Mrs. & Mr. Merritt Crumback and Mr. and Mrs. Charles McIntyre on the west, on the side of the L.E.& N. railroad tracks near the village. It was good to know them all.
Joanne: You knew them all then, back then too.
Mrs. Abbott: Oh yes. Yes we did.
Joanne: Do you think it's changed now, like you don't know as many people as you used to?
Mrs. Abbott: Well there's a lot that I don't know up in the village. Actually my neighbours are very close now because Cathy Clark has started having coffee parties and that-we have a short visit on a Monday morning of all things, about 10:30.
Joanne: That's a good idea.
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, and it gives us a chance to get together.
Joanne: It's liking having a tea—but it's a coffee party.
Mrs. Abbott: Right. And we just talk and kind of—gives us a chance to...
Debbie: Get out and have a break.
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, that's right.
Joanne: Get out and keep up with the news.
Mrs. Abbott: That's right and keep in touch with one and other, really.
Joanne: I think that's important.
Mrs. Abbott: It is. We keep in touch and then—it's just a nice way of doing it.
Joanne: Yes.
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, I wanted to tell you about the apple blossom quilt that Norma Stratford made for the Oakland Women's Institute. When I was president we were destitute for money and until Norma offered to make a quilt for us to sell tickets on if we would. Why, it wasn't that easy to make money, so she made the apple blossom quilt and donated it. It was so pretty it wasn't hard to sell tickets on it. So Percy had a bet on with me (chuckles) just for fun. There was so many tickets he bet me that we couldn't sell them all. But the members really worked at selling them all the tickets and we sold all of them.
Joanne: How many was that?
Mrs. Abbott: Well, we sold them—we made—we sold them so that they'd sell five for a dollar, twenty-five cents a piece or five for a dollar?
Joanne: Probably.
Mrs. Abbott: Yes and that made 5,000 tickets which is a lot of tickets. So we sold them and we made a $1,000.00.
Debbie: That's great!
Mrs. Abbott: Yes.
Joanne: Do you remember who won the quilt?
Mrs. Abbott: Somebody in Brantford.
Joanne: Someone in Brantford, isn't that the way it usually goes.
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, that was in 1975, I think it was. Before the lottery and Wintario came in, because, well it's easy to sell tickets now.
Joanne: You really have to work hard at it. Does Mrs. Norma Stratford—who is her husband?
Mrs. Abbott: Harold Stratford. She used to be Norma Allan. And uh, oh, I don't know if there's anything else...
Joanne: Is there anything else Written down there that you haven't talked about?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh, I know. I was going to tell you about the Oakland Community Club that they had at the Town Hall. I don't think I told you about that. Well anyway, I told you about having the Christmas Concert. But there was an Oakland Community Club that put on some good entertainment. Jean Ripley could think up things to do. One of the things was Rev. Harry Hurlahee put on a little skit complete with horse whip and to the tune of, they had the record of Mule Train by Frankie Lane. And if you remember that, well it was—anyway, it was fun.
Joanne: Everybody was all involved in the skit, all the men, or...
Mrs. Abbott: Well it was mostly just Rev. Harry Hurlahee. I think his name was Harry—Mr. Harry Hurlahee anyway.
Debbie: Do they still have the Community Club?
Joanne: Is that married couples that belong to that mostly?
Mrs. Abbott: Actually, the people in the village participate. Different ones were good sports and it was mainly just home entertainment that people in the village took part in.
Debbie: Do you remember when they stopped having that?
Mrs. Abbott: Oh this is quite a row years ago now. It must have been in the fifties. Of course they had a set of dishes that belong to the Oakland Community Club for catering you know, If the Ploughing Match wanted to have a banquet why the women put it on at the hall, the community hall.
Joanne: Were you ever involved in 4-H clubs at all?
Mrs. Abbott: No, I didn't.
Joanne: Did your daughter?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes. Yes she took part, but thank goodness there was somebody else to teach her because (laughter) I had to keep up with things on the farm, I didn't get involved, with too much that way until after we sold the farm. It was easy to get into things then. They were stuck for a president for the United Church Women and I said I would be if I made it out West and back safely by car in the winter time. We were suppose go out there to help out in January and I wasn't looking forward to going. But Mrs. Sutherland said, "The buses still run." So uh, (laughter)
Joanne: And you said, "I don't want to take the bus,"
Mrs. Abbott: No, she meant the school buses still run. (chuckles)
Joanne: I see.
Mrs. Abbott: But, Percy and I drove, ho drove out. Ho didn't want to go without the car. So -ah, when I got back from out there safely and mind you the third day when we arrived there, we arrived there on the third day and the next day they weren't letting anyone in or out of Regina on the count of a snowstorm. So that's why I wasn't looking forward to going out there in the winter time.
Joanne: Is that when she moved out there?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, that was when one of our grandchildren arrived. So, uh, when I got back from out there safely and they were still waiting for mo to be president when I got back, in February I guess it was.
Joanne: Did you become president?
Mrs. Abbott: Yes, I did and I enjoyed doing it when I got over being nervous, (laughter) So, I guess-I think that's all I can tell you.
Joanne: There isn't anything you've missed?
Mrs. Abbott: I don't think so.
Joanne: Have a quick little look.
Mrs. Abbott: (looks over notes) Okay, that's all.