Tape 2: A Christmas letter

0:00 Merry Christmas, Aunt Chris! The boys say hello and sing

I don't have to talk real close. Hey, Chris. Say, how are you? Are you? That's nice. Tell her, Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas! Happy Christmas! Say, tell her what milk does. What does milk?

Does a body good. She's not talking to us. No, you're talking to her. Milk. Milk. Yeah, milk does the box. You bet that. Hi, Chris. I digress. Okay. Okay, now let's just tell her about what we've been doing.

Tell her, who's at our house today? Who's at our house today? Hey, you're grandma's. Great grandmas here. Don't talk into there. Just talk regular like mommy's. Hey, grandma's here. Grandma's here? Grandma's here. Grandma's here. And she saw our Christmas tree.

Grandma's here. What did Daddy make and put up? Grandma saw a Christmas tree. Horse tree.

That's tree. I want to hear that again. Okay, we'll play it back afterwards. Tell her about what Daddy made and hung up in between the two silos. A nice dog. Come, come on. Nice big dog. He hanged. The next big star out there.

Big.

Let's hear it now. First, I got a singer a song, don't you think? But my shudder -hye? Yeah. My gloves. My gloves. I'll go again. I forgot. You are my sunshine. My lonely sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray.

No, never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my signs shine away. Very good. No, she wanted to hear a Christmas song because it's Christmas time. How about Rudolph the Red Nose Render? Road off the red nose, reindeer had a very shiny nose.

If you ever saw it, you even see it. What's the rest of it? I love the other reindeer. Used to call him knees and never let him pour in. Yeah. Jordan and you're in. Then one foggy Santa came Santa came to say Let the Santa dear nose So bright Won't you guy nicely tonight Then all the name dear love Kim As they shouted out It's so green But super Red Nosed off the Red Nose Rindy You go down in his story You're good 10 minutes 6 Yeah He's going to go at about 6 .30 Um So All right

3:51 Decorating the house, and a few words from Great-Grandma

Tell Chris what daddy's doing Kirby What's daddy doing? Milking house What's Daddy doing, Kirby? Milk and milk and milk and cowlis. It's here and now, okay, Mom? No, we got to talk to her some more. We got to tell her about all the pretty stuff that we made for our house.

We made a star, and then we put up our Santa. Yeah, we made a soft sculpture Santa and put him up on the stairway. Tell her what Kirby was doing. There it is right up there. Tell her what Kirby was doing with the Christmas tree bulbs when we put the tree up.

He got them more baseballs. He checked them across the room. Stop and he threw up.

Yeah, you throw everything, go ahead.

Grandma, why don't you talk to her for a while? Tell her what you've been doing today. Well. Can you reach? Yeah, yeah. I got it up real loud so Chris can hear.

So this is me for a few minutes.

And we went and seen Rosie or we went seeing Mary and come back. We come and see your father and mother. and your sister and so we stay there maybe 15 minutes and had a cup of coffee and of course we had to go home down to roses so he could go and milk his couch because he's going to go for some kind of a play basketball game so So she got his clothes ready and stuff ready, so he could go, you see.

But I had lots of fun here. He thought that the kids would be annoying me, but I liked it because the smallest one is talking everything correctly. He looked at my wristwatch and he says, this is my watch.

He looked at it. So he is pretty nice about everything. Wait a little if you ever see him in spring, you wouldn't know that it's a child in that little. Because he does every lesson. He makes everything. The two of them are naked.

They just come out of their thing and they come out of their bathtub. Where's Christmas? And he's looking into the machine. He wants to know where you are and where you are and everything. So I'll have to quit it.

And she's got to get ready for the little one. So he's going to go with his father to play ball. I'll see you later then. Tell her what Santa's going to bring you.

7:29 What does Santa bring? And Grandma's goose egg

What does Santa bring you, Kirby? Say toys. Okay, he says that he's going to bring us toys. Say Santa give me toys. Say Santa give me toys. Give me toys. Say it right here, okay?

That's going to be the toys. Tell Aunt Chris what you want for Christmas, Todd.

You want what? A ball head has a mad face.

She can't understand you when you talk too fast. She can't understand you when you talk too fast, you're in a mad ball.

Are you dancing around in the nude curve? My ball. Your ball. Your ball. No, it's the mom. Okay. What? I'll see you on. Oh, it's my turn? Yep. Well, I kind of just got them being really upset because I came in from outside and Grandma had been watching the boys and there's that lip in between the kitchen and the dining room and Grandma didn't see it and she tripped and fell down and she's got a knob on her head about the size of a goose egg, scared the heck out of me when I came in and she just acted like no big deal, you know,

look at my head, nothing happened. I just about fainted. so we got her sitting with some ice on her head and kids are climbing on her and raising cane here and she seems to be handling it all really good Kirby keeps giving her a 50 -pound stuffed bear and sitting it in her lap and then trying to crawl up there this is Todd's recital here Todd's going to give him the music oh yeah Oh, yeah.

You got a...

Herbie's just nuggling in next to Grandma here. That's enough... There. That's enough harmonica. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's hear it now. Let's hear the... Herbie's just muggling in next to Grandma here. I want to nugger. He's the nicest boy.

And you too. I'll have to take a picture. I'll have to take a picture of Grandma. with the bear and the boys and the goose egg. The bear. So we'll send this one to you. It should be a good one.

10:47 Chicken lips photos, the new scroll saw, and the baby Jesus song

Say, chicken lips. Chicken lips. Chicken whips. How about one more? You got the right one? This is mine, then I'll take one with yours. Haport. Cigar? Cigars are bad for you, aren't they? Let's just say it on the...

Chicken lips, you like that one. Cigar! You got your own? Yeah, this is mine. I'm going to take one with yours now. Now sit, wait. You can do yours on cigarettes. No, no. No, we're going to say something nice.

You know, you're the one that I tells grandma that cigarettes are bad for you. Say, um... Let's give you us. Let's give you us. Baskettios. Biscadios. Just do. You know, you got it, you know, you're doing one way and, you know.

All right.

I got one is pushing it and, you go, this, and just, you push the button, and it keeps going. You shut it off? Yep, I did. Let's see, what else can we tell Chris about? We can tell her about mom and dad's new saw we got.

We bought a scroll. I might have told you that when I talked to you the other day about a scroll saw so we can make all these little scroll saw. It cuts all those little wooden things that I showed you all the little ornaments and that little bear and everything.

And we're just having a heck of a good time with that. We paid over... I end up paying like about 600 bucks for it, but we've... This is my bear talking? It's a... He's very nice. Sometimes come down and see, okay?

No, they won't ruin it. Yeah, when I was going to say, and talking stuff. No, no, that's not that kind of saw. It's a special saw that cuts things out. It's not a saw of paint. And we've sold about $250 worth of stuff that we've cut off.

And we've got... And it's very nice, and it's very nice time. So, come in time sometimes. So we sold the cow. He was funny, but sometimes he does that. Why don't you sing, that's Kirby playing the harmonica now.

Why don't you sing the song that you have to sing for Sunday school? What song? Baby Jesus. I don't you do this? One major? Yeah. I don't remember this. I don't remember this. You got some loud, okay. Baby Jesus, baby, baby, baby, Christ, baby, baby, on the hay, baby, so little baby.

You forgot the second verse, kid. What, I don't know what it is. You'll never get his clothes on and stuff before. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's only five after that. Okay, well, Graham's getting nervous here, so I think we'll shut it off right now and we'll let the kids listen to it.

And we've got her tape recorder because it's got the mic to it, but hopefully by Christmas we'll get one, so we can record Christmas morning for you. Here, love to... Okay, everybody tell and tell Aunt Chris bye -bye.

Come on, Kirby. Say, bye -bye, Aunt Chris. Tell her bye -bye. Bye -bye. Bye -bye, Aunt Chris. Bye, Chris. Goodbye, Chris.

That's Todd. Bye, Chris. That's Curb. Bye, Chris, I love you.

See you later. I love you. Bye.

15:32 Agnes tells of her fall at Rose's house

Is it, you kid? Oh, yeah, he's talking. Can I say a nice holiday to you, sweetheart? We are all done with the kids. And they had the biggest time of their life saying it in there. But they were saying into the box, with their mouths right next to the thing, the littlest one.

He didn't see you, but he thought that you would be there. And so he was saying, and he was saying, he says, my wristwatch, he told me and everything. And I made a mistake. Oh, I hope you can hear it.

I made a mistake, and she showed me her new linoleum. And then she went to Brill. At the time she went to Brill, he was milking cows. He was going to go and play ball in Rice Lake. And just then I went over to get a glass of milk.

And I cannot tell you what happened to the milk because it must have splattered and went someplace. And I fell down over that little hump and right on the rug. you know how the rug is and so I slid down the rug with my face and my my thing is kind of swollen and stuff and I got a very green green eyes and blue eyes and everything after all this she didn't know it she didn't see it Chris didn't or I meant a Rosa didn't so she's coming over today to see I hope she don't get upset too much because when it happened to me,

it was just a few minutes and the boy says he's going to be my doctor and everything and he was getting the blood from my face and everything and she come just in from Brill and so she, you know, she got upset a little too much.

But I told her, I said, I tell you what, I'll pick up my junk and I'll go with your husband and I'll have all the nurses she's got to come right away you know so he was all dressed ready to go play ball and the oldest boy he went with him and I says how the heck you're going to play ball and think of your child on the bleachers and he says I got lots of friends they'll take care of him nice and so So we went right off the bed, and I got to the heritage, and the nurse got a hold of me, and

she gave me some Tylenol and stopped the blood and put something on it and everything. I went to bed, and I slept until 5 o 'clock. So I was okay. I didn't have no headache from the fall or nothing.

So today I'm going to find out where did that glass of milk? went when i tripped and i fell like a shot into the rug or into the rug well lucky it was a right because otherwise i would have been banged up bad but uh the rug was quite quite high and i just slid down my face in the rug until i got up and so my my leg is a little bit sore not too much but my head was the worst and everybody calls me chipmunk and everything else because I look terrible but it'll be all right I just hope that she don't get

too too upset and and she was telling me that Joey you know Joey he he made something bad at home and his father caught him at it and stuff and with some other guys that at two o 'clock come with the stuff that they hound up or swiped or something with another guy so your father chased him out and all that and so he is father and mother are going to the judge to to the place and see what the judge will say and he thinks that the judge will put him in a good place for a couple of months or two, three months, or

four months or something.

20:31 Christmas plans: staying put, teeth trouble, and a hurt friend

And so, of course, it made me too upset. I was so upset, it wasn't funny, but I got over it and I'm all right now. So they both asked me to go to them for Christmas and I will not, I'll stay right here.

I'm going to have a good Christmas from folks and here and I don't think I should go where the children are a whole bunch of them and you know what i mean what you call it her what's her name uh the one that used to be a teacher she she's taking care of her kids and uh she uh she uh she was putting away the uh ladder and the ladder fell on her and she didn't take much of it until the second day she couldn't walk so joanne took her to the place someplace here in rice lake and he straightened out her bones in the

back where she had it wrong and so she stayed in the car and joan your mother or your mother she come to see me and stuff and i had my troubles with my teeth so they were broken so somebody took me down to Rice Lake where the dentist was and so they took it and they refixed it and stuff but it is not good I what you call Rosie will have to go down to the dime store or someplace and get me some kind of a powder that I can use so I can eat because it's awfully hard for me to eat and and they

don't give a duck on about the rest of it so I well I I make it all right otherwise I'm fine so have a nice holiday and and so write to me again or send me a letter or give me the the thing so I I know.

Today is day is a day.

23:09 Paper flowers by the dozens, daily cucumbers, and Christmas baskets

Today is a bingo and stuff. I hate not going to go to no bingo. I got to tell you that I am making flowers by the gobs. Oh, I get 15, 20 bouquets a day. And they bring me all kinds of papers, green and purple and blood red, and everything.

And so somebody gave me some paper and some, some wire and stuff. So when I'm not too upset, well, then I make some for this one and that one and that one. The other day I made a bouquet of seven flowers with a big stem and stuff.

for a little girl her the little girl's mother is taken care of me putting me eyes on my shoulder you know stuff that I have to have and stuff. So she come and ask me in such a nice way if I could give her some flowers.

I said sure so I made her now I made 10 or so stems of the lady that scrubbed the floors and stuff. She's coming over this afternoon and get it, get him. It was here for two days, but she had to go somewhere else and so.

And the Birchwood choir gave me and the little John that I told you about, he's so small that he is up to my cheek chin from the ground up to a chin he's that small and he's just as wide i i knew him from birchwood and so we we've got a little talk between the two of us we're we're saying on the same we're on the same same place now where we have our lunch and stuff so everything is fine And I'll call you more.

So they both want me to stay for Christmas, but I am not going to go, you know. I'm staying right here. That's our best place. I get a damn good grub and everything. Oh, the main guy got me cucumbers.

Oh, I wanted cucumbers so bad. And finally he goes to me. He guys, about 20 big cucumbers, oh, maybe six, seven inches long. And he says, Agnes, you go and peel them yourself, marriage for you. So now I've got cucumbers.

Every day I get cucumbers in the morning or not in the evening and in a place where we eat dinner time. And I get a lovely dish of cucumbers. Nobody else does but me. So the nurse is just wonderful about it.

And I says, well, I says, I'll do something for you too, you know, that. But I just love to have cucumbers because there is nothing else to give me, you know. And, oh, and one lady promised me, what you call it, promise me, what the hell oh she's going to give me some some uh some kind of a fruit from town and so so i'm getting along oh i forgot to tell you so the ladies from the birchwood birchwood the new priest and everything he ordered this from the from the uh uh from the place where you got that flowers and stuff.

And he ordered three baskets with the flowers and stuff and Santa Claus and everything for us. So I thought it was kind of nice, a virtue bunch, you know. But I would have loved to go to Birchwood place, but knowing that Joey is going away and stuff, I'm going to stay right here.

I'm going to go over here. Oh, I got a terrible looking face and stuff, but if I can't go, I'll go to Mass right here. We get Mass here once a week, right in our house, you know, right downstairs.

And so I'll go to Mass and have Holy Communion. So I just have to make the best of everything, you know.

28:12 Earrings and a jealous boyfriend

So you just have a nice time, sweetheart. And, oh, tell your lady friend that I've got my thing, my earrings, and they're doing fine. I got the earring outfit where I twirl the earrings around, you know, so I have to turn them around.

And so everything is fine. One little man was little jealous. so he's seen my little John is sitting alongside of me so he ups and outside I said oh he's got something wrong with his leg he can't walk with the leg and he was there to eat you know and he says yeah he says you've got a boyfriend now and everything I said you can be my boyfriend now for a little while I'll let you be my boyfriend so I made a joke out of it But John, the little John, he was a little upset about it.

I said, don't be, I said, you know you were my friend here and you talk with me and everything and let anybody say anything about it. So, well, I'll have to say bye -bye to you, sweetheart, and have a nice Christmas.

So bye -bye, sweetie, yeah.