Three Names

This is another lovely story of family love and life on the prarie. Told of the life of the family Great Grandfather, it was a quieter, moe subdued life. The children looked forward to school as it presented interaction tat as so very needed when the houses are far apart from each other and the

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land is flat and seems never ending.

The story revolves around famly values, taking care of one another, particularly centered around the dog with three names, Lilly, Boos and Pal. Great-Grandfather called him Three Names. He rids on the big wagon with the children who are transported to school.

Because houses are so far apart, school is the main place of interaction. And unlike many children today who hate the summer to end, the children on the prarie cannot wait for it to behin.

Three names was a pet to all thea dults and children with whom he cam in contact with, except for a young boy named William. In the winter when the snow piled high on the big, flat prarie, the wind whipped the air and it was necessary to build a fire inside the school for warmth. Winter holidays meant parties for everyone. All children and their extended familes attended the festivites of lights in the windows which were welcoming becons for people to find the school. There was fiddle playing, food, punch, singing and the teacher graciously sacrificed his earnings and gave a book as a present to each student. Three Names was part of the party and he howled when he liked something.

Life on the prarie, may have been somewhat boring for the children, yet, there were instances of terror when the flat lands were ripe for tornadoes. When this occurred on a school day, there was a cellar where children could hide from the nastiness above. Three Names shook as he heard the howls and ugly sounds.

When school ended, it was with sadness, not clapping. But this too was a time for celebration. And each student wore starched shirts, or dresses and shiny shoes of the girls.

Yet another occasion for food, fiddle playing and a celebration as each graduate heard their name called. And, because Three Names attended school as well, he too was sad when another year of learning ended.

While I didn't live on a prarie, this book reminded me that there were occasions of school festivies, when everyone was dressed as well as our parents could afford. And, always, there was an air of excitement, especially during holidays where we shared and gave and received a presentt of the person who had the name to give or receive.

Halloween was a special event at my small school. The teacher gave us black and orange paper to cut out pumpkins and black cats. Our decorations adorned the school windows. There were no restrictions of watching for anyone who had an allergy that would exempt them from sharing cup cakes, candy and punch.

There was a Haloween parade and their were judges for customes. My mother always made a creative outfit and she was sure we would win. There was always tension when she didn't win the prize for us. My sisters and I hated that because it put a damper on the fun time.

We had a Christmas concert, and it wasn't called a "holiday" concert. My knees shook as I sang the three lines of solo during the concert. It wasn't a time of political correctness and I remember singing the words "Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel who mourns in lowly excile until the King of God appears " Even James H_____. looked handsome with his white shirt and slicked hair. The dark lights in the audience hid my grandmother's face, but I knew she would be in the audience and would wait for me to walk to home together.

And, the firehall always had a special event when Santa would arrive to give us an orange and a small box of candy which had a heavy string affixed to the outside so we could carry it wighout dropping. There were no instances of fruit and vegetables instead of a box of candy that was made by the local Main Street candy store was a very special treat!

This book was a tribute to times gone by, when special times were set aside to celebrate an important happening. Life was hard, but good on the prarie. At least Patricia MacLachlan thought so. She should know because she was raised in the prarie, and while this book was a tribute to Three Names, it also was an accurate depiction of how many children felt during all seasons of the year.

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