Fort Garry Library

It was always a big excursion as a child, a regular sunny day adventure. It began late spring in Winnipeg, continued through summer and carried into the fall.  I don’t remember winter excursions though expect Dad probably drove us a few times.  There were always books around our home when I was growing up.  I had my pile and Ronny had his. We were able to check out five or 6 each as a child. Mom would take one or two herself. She liked westerns.  Dad read books but they were mostly engineering, mechanical and electrical books he bought so he could make notations in them  They stood in the book shelves beside his easy reclining chair so he could reach them while sitting back.

I remember trips to the library with Mom and Ronny began when I was five or 6.  My brother would have been 9 or 10 at the time.  We’d moved to Winnipeg from Toronto when I was 5 , taking the CPR train, which had been really exciting.  I especially loved  running all the way from the front to the back of the rocking cars, eating in the dining car and sleeping in the bunks. A man in a black uniform with gold buttons and a little hat pulled back the curtain, shining a light into the sleeping space telling my brother and I to stop talking and go to sleep.  I think my mother or father had put him up to that because we were just so excited by riding on the train it was next to impossible to fall asleep the first night of the three day trip.  

We  lived in downtown Fort Rouge temporarily when we arrived, right near Trinity Baptist Church and what became known as Crazy Corners intersection.  I went to Kindergarden at a school which would be torn down to make that bigger intersection. I remember it most because they had great tube slides we’d have to get into to escape for fire drills. The first time was horrifying but after that when we actually shot out the bottom on the ground alive, I couldn’wait for fire drills.  

Dad and Mom found the Fort Gary home, a red brick bungalow with a large garden and three big spruce trees at the front of the yard.  Two sweet old English ladies dressed in tweed wool suits.  . They had two little face licking British Bulldogs which I played with while the adults were making arrangements for the transfer of property.  My brother was looking at the girls next door as they had come out on the lawn to look at us. 

The library was quite the walk at the time.  Six or more city blocks.  I admire kids who grew up in the country and can tell distance. I still think of distance in city blocks rather than miles or kilometres.   We lived  on North Drive by the Red River near where the Golf Club and Badminton Club was.  

“Hurry up, Billy!”my mom would call as we were leaving. She’d be wearing her long white cotton coat over her dark blue midi dress, nylons and sensible leather walking shoes.  She had fabulous long thick  red hair which she covered with  colourful scarves  Ron and I wore slacks and sneakers, ball caps, long sleeved shirts and wind breakers.  Mom made sure we had clean button shirts for the library excursion. It wasn’t like church where we only wore white shirts or school where we could sometimes wear t shirts.  Somewhere in between but still  important.  She took a last look at our faces and ears holding us by our chins before we went out the front door.   My brother and I had satchels to carry our books.  I had my lucky white rabbit foot in my pocket. Mom was carrying her big leather purse over her arm She always had candy treats in that, plus wallet and Kleenex and everything else you might find at a pharmacy or hardware store.  The dog was left at home and not too pleased at that.

We walked down the steps and up the sidewalk and on to the Viscount Alexander Elementary School which Ron and I attended.  Our little group would carryon walking diagnonally across the play fields till we came out on another street which cut across to Crane and took us to the foot ball field and hockey rinks behind the swimming pool, police station and Vincent Massey High School.  The Fort Garry Library was on Pembina Highway by the school. We’d walk out on Pembina with all the traffic Mom had avoided by taking the direct cross suburb walk.  She’d point out Robins and daffodils and talk sometimes non stop about the neighbourhood trying to get Ron to open up. He was more reserved than I was, more like Dad. I was more like my Mom. I talked easily with her. I told her everything every day loving being with her always. She’d be doing the dishes or just standing waiting for a bus and I’d hug her leg and cling to her just loving being close to my mom, the warmth and sweet smell of her.  

The grey haired lady at the Library knew my mom beaming when we all came in. 

“Good Morning, Mrs. Hay. How are you today? And how are the boys. Did you like all your books.”

“We’re just fine. It’s a lovely sunny day,”  she said   “Ronny finished all his books right away though Billy took his time. I loved the new Zane Grey you recommended.”  She  opened her purse taking out two paper backs novels giving them to the librarian.  Ronny and I would lift our satchels onto the counter.  The smiling librarian stamped each of the cards on the inside of the front cover of the books beside our names. When you took out a book you could see everyone else who’d read it too.

While mom stayed and chatted Ronny and I wandered off into the library where the distinctive smell of the stacks and stacks of books would become one of my all time favourite smells.  The books he liked were in a different section  He could stand up to find books and there was a big person desk for him to sit and read a bit of books he chose. My section was low to the carpetted floor and I could read the books I selected lying on the floor or sitting at little  people tables and little people chairs.

I mostly looked at pictures when we began going to the library.  Soon I’d be in a whole world of talking animals, space ships, bright colours and folks in fancy dress costumes from around the world. It would be later when Dad bought us boys a globe that I’d learn where all the strangely dressed people came from in the books I liked.  Inuit in furs hunting seals, Japanese women in long kimonos, Africans in little clothes wearing necklaces with gold or ivory.  It was all very exotic.  I especially liked the blue skinned aliens who looked much like us but had close fitting white suits and seemed stretched out.  I’d never know how long we were there before Mom would be calling. 

“Billy have you chosen your books” 

I’d look up and Mom and Ron were already at the counter. I’d have to rush through the books I been looking at and choose 5 that I could take with me.  We’d sign them out.  Ronny and I  carrying our satchels of books would follow  mom out the library ready for another week or two of reading.  .  The walk would begin.  Often though we’d walk along the highway sidewalk  now that  some of our natural kid energy had been worn off  by the morning adventure.  We’d evstop somewhere along the route and she’d take out a Wagon Wheel and  break off piece for each of us. We didn’t have anything to drink but chewed on our treat savouring it thoroughly as we trudged back home. .  After we passed the movie theatre we’d turn off Pembina, head  down Lyon turning at the Anglican Church for the last block to home. 

The dog would be so happy to see us running around in circles as Mom took our jackets and hung them up in the hall closet.  Ron nywould go right to our room to lie on the bed on his belly and and start reading.  I’d  followed mom into the kitchen where she’d make sandwich’s.  Grilled cheese were my favourite.  She’d often serve them to my brother and I along with tomato soup. ,. We’d always drink a  glass of milk though Ronny sometimes had two. He really liked his milk.  The dog would be in attendance. Mom would slip him at bit of grilled cheese sandwich though we boys weren’t allowed to feed him at the table.   It would be another couple of weeks before our next library excursion on another warm and sunny day.