I says, "You have a bloodsucker on you." I says, "I'm going to take it off."

And I guess the water had been up so high or-something-like-that it- it was just covered with bloodsuckers on the side and I thought, "Oh my God, my son is not going back in that water at all."

Ah yes, we used to swim there. A lot of bloodsuckers though.

Oh we've gotten bloodsuckers on our feet yes, on your toes.

I guess there was a boys' basketball. I don 't know. 'Cause when they were in the gym we weren 't allowed in and when we were in the gym they didn 't come in. We had to wear those silly looking middies and bloomers.

And, you-know, wear these bloomers, kind-of underneath. And then you 'd make the shakers out of crepe-paper. And you trained hard for it. I mean, it was a pretty big deal that they had this cheerleading competition.

Speaker: Well it wasn't too bad, it was um, white blouse and um, a jumper. Navy blue. So y-- it was okay. Yeah. Although our gym suits was big bloomers down to here (laughs). Interviewer: Oh (laughs). Speaker: And the skirt I think down to there, so if you were playing basketball or playing baseball, it was no fun.

Speaker: And I don't know that we- was- we had a nice roast-beef dinner and-everything. And I was chewing away and chewing away with that. And I thought "Oh, I can't g-- eat that." So when nobody was watching- I went into my- had bloomers with you-know elastic on it? That's where I put- that's where I put- that's how you got rid of it (laughs)

Speaker: He was bludgeon and I think it was the people- he didn't want- what was it he didn't want in that area? Interviewer: He didn't want gambling. Speaker: He didn't want gambling in that area. And I guess it was the ah mafia. They- it must have been. He was bludgeoned and ah so-on, yeah. Yeah, but I can remember that 'cause, as I said, Lady-Oath was going to come over and have tea with mother.

They're beautiful like they got a flavour that you can't- then the kids in the spring would eat leaks and come to school and of course you stunk like blue blazes if you are leaks. Leaks are really really strong in the spring. They're beautiful like- but the kids would eat the leaks.

Speaker: Oh, there would be cutters, ah, driving sleighs. Bobsleighs. Sloops. Interviewer: What's a sloop? Speaker: Well, that'd be two- two sleighs with ah, um, bobsleigh would be- would one with the runner on it, and then up- and then it was another piece come across and went down at the back.

Like they used to be function at ah, in Porcupine that bobsleighing. They used to have picnics there, family picnics.

Ah, toboggan- to-- yeah, the- what's that- bobsleighing, not toboggan-racing- bobsleigh, skeleton, all that stuff's pretty cool, I find, anyway. Interviewer: Bobsleigh skeleton. Speaker: Not bobsleigh, it's ah- oh, bobsleigh. It's the guys in big- this big sled going down through- through the course. And then skeleton is the guy in a little tiny sled that is just goes through that c-- the same course. Interviewer: Oh. Speaker: Mm-hm. Interviewer: Hm. Speaker: Nothing- nothing like that around town though, we don't have any bobsleighs or skeleton racers around here.

They had for snow ploughs, they had a bobsleigh, like that's one sleigh ahead of

Speaker: Um Polish people the same. Um Italos-Canadian-Club had a hall and then they had a um a camp out at Rainbow-Lake that my husband said he went to every Sunday, played- Interviewer: Really? Speaker: Bocce-ball and-things-like-that. Interviewer: Wow.

Speaker: The principal called me- called me over to the school. Interviewer: And you wondered "Why now, what the heck is he going to be talking to me about?" Speaker: Well I figured it was one of the girls. Interviewer: (laughs) Speaker: Were- were- were in trouble, so, I wasn't- I- I was- I was worried and I couldn't figure out which one it would be that would sauce the teacher back, or be bold or (laughs).

Well there was, you-know, speaking of the strap, I-mean you've heard some stories too where ah ah there- there was the bold kids, and they would get strapped for whatever they they were mischiefing, right? But ah, I know in our culture, the Kashubs ended up getting strapped for speaking Kashubian, right? And that wasn't pretty.

Speaker: For me, I ended up getting the strap because I was bold. (laughs) Interviewer: Yeah? What did you do? Speaker: Well there's just y-- I-don't-know just clowned around, and there was one time I ah ended up ah not listening to the teacher and I- and I kicked my briefcase, I was ah just- and he says, "Now, get your hand out", you-know and just and you, you-know, borderline stuff.

He was a maintenance guy. ... So it- it's the preser-- the perspective of the students, and- and someone that works there could probably seen a lot of things. ... He could see how bold the kids really were.

And now, in Grade-Two, I- I-guess I got- but I didn't, I was- didn't ah, I was bold, or-something. Anyway, I got the- y-- at that time, they had- all the nuns had straps on their hand. And there was one nun that they took the strap away from. But I got slapped for something. ... Anyway I went home and told my mother. Well, that didn't- that didn't- go very well! 'Cause I got punished at home!