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Page 5 West Vancouver Historical Society January 2006 She taught me how to peel, using an apple. She also taught me to knitâ€"a dark green scarf for my doll. I would put it up on to the kitchen windowsill and would practise, while she baked or made meals. You could buy one for 25 or 35 cents for a full course meal. Oh, she was a good cook! Sometimes I would have to run over to Mr. Murch’s butcher store and get what she needed, and either he or Mr. Dawson or Mr. McGregor would give me a wiener to eatâ€"a real treat! In those days you could eat them raw! I could hardly wait for the new potatoes to come in. Granny showed me what to do. Put them into a bucket and fill it with water and get the broom. You put the handle in and swirl them around like mad, and when you dumped the water out they were all peeled. I had the occasion to show my granddaughter the trick. My daughter delegated Meadow and me to peel the potatoes for a family dinner. Meadow made a face. I asked that she get the potatoes her dad had just dug and to put them into a bucket of water. When I sent back to the house to get the broom I guess she thought I was getting on and so was becoming a bit dotty. I told her what to do, and I think she will remember just as I did on how to peel new potatoes like her great great great nanny told me. My daughter was amazed when we walked in about 20 minutes with a bucket of peeled potatoes. We asked for another job and didn’t tell her how we had done it. I forget what our next job was, but we did it with smiles on our faces. One of my jobs at the restaurant was to keep the pepper, salt and sugars filled in the booths. I also had to be sure the catsup and Worcestershire bottle necks were kept clean. I was given a huge shoe box and had to fold paper napkins and keep it filled. Granny let me clear the tables Sunday night so we would be on time to go to Church â€"the Gospel Hall at 14"’ and Duchess. I was thrilled when I came across a ten cent tip occasionally. (I’ve often wondered if my granny didn’t plant it.) Granny had a sleep after lunch and occasionally on a Thursday afternoon she would let me mind the shop. By now I was about 8 or 9 years old. West Vancouver stores used to close Thursday afternoon so that shop keepers could go to Vancouver to pick up merchandize that was needed for the coming week. Usually, there was no business, but it seemed Mr. Simpson came down from where he lived by the Pattersons every time I was minding shop and bought a pie for 25 cents and a loaf of bread for 5 cents. I always said that seeing he just lived up the street he didn’t need it wrapped, but “no” I had to wrap it up. The bread was easy to wrap, but he always had to help me with the pie. (Granny’s pies were famous) If I remember his favourite pie was apple. He was a really nice old man and we as kids used to like to visit him as he always had candy. One of his friends (the Wards’ grandfather) was deaf and he had made himself a huge thing he would insert into his ear and we would yell into it. Tom Taylor remarked that he’d remembered this gentleman. When Helena mentioned the smelts were running I remember we’d run to granny and she would give us a sieve and a bucket, and down to the bottom of IS'" Street we would race. Yes, people did eat them. Granny always listed smelts on her menu when they were running. We picked blackberries and blueberries up Hollyburn with Ross as our guide. He was a boy scout so mother trusted him. I remember him lighting a fire and he fed us pork and beans. This was up at the old mill pond. Granny used to can the berries for pies in the winter. My mother was her waitress and her pay was leftover lunch for us. We ate after lunch hour was over. My dad always had a garden and a few chickens so we managed during the Depression. Mother took in sewing and I remember she made a suit for $5.00. One thing we never touched was her machine. My aunt took Ross back to Brandon after Grade One, and we never saw him again until he went into Grade 4. One less mouth to feed and one less body to clothe, but I believe he never forgave my parents. He was minding us one time and he made my doll a dress â€"white with black polka dotsâ€"he used my mother’s machine so he was in big trouble until my mother saw the finished job and forgave him, but he never