They washed [the intestines]. And then they’d scrape them with a knife. Take all that goo off the inside. And then fill them. It was a great night cutting up the suet.

Suet and oatmeal and salt and pepper and that sort of thing. Usually at night they’d do those things. No, no, they wouldn’t think of eating a liver. Or the heart either. And it’s such good food today.

Two Little Boys

[When someone died,] there was always, always plenty of sympathizers. Yes indeed. And you know an odd thing that I’ll always remember. We had twins in our family — James and Donald, 1 think. And they were about six months when they died. I can see yet, the only thing I can remember about them. They were next to me [in age] . And I can remember going down to the bedroom where the little casket was. It was over at the window. And I looked at those babies in the casket. They were both buried together. And I came out to the kitchen and the minister was preaching the funeral service. And there was a pigeon flew in the window and lighted on the Bible. Yeah, yeah. Two little boys died.

Courtesy Jean Homby

Laura in 1982. Laura MacDonald 83