The Lynn Tatro family moved twice more before Harry was born on September 16, 1924. First, for the winter, to a house vacated by Ted Waterhouse near the Roeclifffe School. It was much more convenient for Vern, Gladys and George, to attend school and made it easier for the family to socialize with other families. Lynn’s musical ability was often welcomed at dances and pie socials in homes or the country schoolhouse. In the spring the Tatros moved back to the homestead so that Lynn would be closer to his farm work.
The second move was to “the Griece Place”, one and a half miles west of Roeclifffe School. It was another small log structure but clapboarded. Here is were Harry was born and named after Grace’s half brother, Harry Arthur Tallon. He was the only one of Lynn and Grace’s children to be born in the hospital. The small log house was now very crowded with four boys, one girl and two adults so Lynn built a frame lean-to onto the back of the log house to make a private room for nine year old Gladys. Without an entrance to the main house it proved to be very cold and it was believed that that was a major factor in her gettingrhematic fever.
Their next move was to the Potvin’s house adjoining land on the south edge of the Strachan farm. It was a solid, good sized, frame building on a full concrete basement and had a frame barn to shelter horses and cattle. This is where Harry’s memories start. (For more, including a photo, about Potvin’s house see the March 2020 post EARLY MEMORIES : A NEW SISTER. ) From there it was a long walk for the school children to Roecliffe, but a cookie break on the way home at the elderly Bob Murrays’ was always welcome. The Murrays had no children of their own so enjoyed the company as much as the children enjoyed the oatmeal cookies.
It was at the Potvin’s house that young Harry went missing. He was only 2 or 3 and everyone was on the verge of panic when Shep, the Collie dog, found him out in the adjoining wheat field, totally out of sight of anyone, being much shorter than the standing grain. Shep’s rescue of the wee boy made him an even dearer member of the family. Harry does not remember that incident but he does recall thinking he was lost at the North Battleford Fair a year or so after. He could not see any of his family and started to panic. He remembers cowering against a wall while a strange woman tried to comfort him with a friendly touch. He screamed in fear for his mother who it turned out always new exactly where he was.
Two younger sisters were born at the Potvin house, Genevieve Elizabeth in July 1926 and Suzie Jean on May 29, 1928. (You can find Harry’s memories of Jean’s birth again in the March 2020 post EARLY MEMORIES : A NEW SISTER) Mrs. Dolbeck served as midwife in both cases. Jean’s birth was so close to midnight that for years her birthday was celebrated on the 30th.
Memories can be very funny from the vantage of distance but at the time they take place can be anything but. Here is one such. Butchering at that time, before refrigeration, had to wait until certain frost so that the meat could be preserved frozen. One morning after butchering had been done, Lynn went out to the barn to attend to the animals. There he found their little terrier, Tiny, with her tongue stuck fast to the axe used in butchering. Lynn had placed the blood covered tool in the corner of the barn next to where Tiny had an entry hole and subject to the outside cold. The little dog had tried to lick the blood off the frozen axe much like many small children have tried to lick snow or frost from a metal rail. Lynn carried axe and dog, with her tongue unbelievably extended, into the house and horrified the whole family. It took a lot of warm water to eventually remove the dog from the axe, and surprisingly the dog made a full recovery.
Small boys get into a lot of scraps and Harry was no exception. This one earned his poor father a disapproving scold from his mother. Lynn and Grace were going to make one of their infrequent trips to North Battleford in the Model T Ford. Three year old Harry teased and almost threw a fit to go along but was strictly refused. As Lynn drove off, Harry stowed-away on the running board, out of sight of his parents. As the car gathered speed Harry understood the futility of his position and jumped off. The car’s rear wheel passed over his leg. A Model T is not a weighty machine, and although barely injured, Harry screamed out for all to see and agree that he was half killed. He was not, nor was his leg badly damaged. But Lynn received a heated lecture from Grace, on his careless driving. Harry still did not get his trip to town.
Many other things happened while the family was living in the Potvin house but most don’t involve Lynn or Pop or Dad. Some are told in other posts, some are yet to come. This series is stories of “Dad”