Orange Memories Musings: Songs, Stories, Ties That Bind
By Beth Robertson
A new year at Orange Memories - songs, stories, and the ties that bind.
Here we are, launched into 2026. We wanted the the new year to start with a celebration, so we held an impromptu gathering on the evening of January 1st. We sang the old songs, danced in our heads to the Heel-Toe Polka, old time waltzes and other old time dances. We clapped our hands to the rhythm of the piano music. Someone suggested we needed a snack and voila! popcorn and juice appeared. Thanks Jeff! Then the storytelling began. Stories of New Years Eve Dances in community halls and local schools, where babies were put to sleep on piles of winter coats, where blizzards sometimes caught the revellers off guard and they were forced to stay in the local hall/school, hoping the morning would bring relief. Oh, the stories these white-haired folks have to tell!
On January 6th, a visit from Enid Smith of Luther Riverside Terrace, Saskatoon, and her son, Ross, brought an impromptu performance by the duo. With Ross, on his trumpet and Enid on the piano, we enjoyed the old favourites. Then, Ross with his Michael Buble-type voice, serenaded, first his mother, and then the rest of us. Touching moments. We hope they will come again.soon.
A group of residents visited the Wheatland Regional Centre on January 15, travelling on the new Wheels for Wheels bus. Thank you for the ride and the good time at the Centre.
On January 21, despite the cold, the Senior Choral Group brought an hour of joyful singing and some laughs.Songs included good old Scottish tunes to honour Robbie Burns Day . We appreciate the joy and enthusiasm the singers bring.. Following the singing we shared friendly conversation and snacks.
The cold weather brings groups from two to eight around the fireplace(s) to share stories, enjoy some company or have a nap while absorbing the warmth. Love those fireplaces!
A sincere word of appreciation to our local churches whose ministers and lay people bring music and meditation to us each Tuesday.
To close our the month with cheer, Ernie Hamilton came on January 29th to sing and play for us. Thanks always, Ernie!
February is "love" month. I thought readers would be interested in a couple of "how we met" stories. Much has changed in dating and marriage norms since "our day" when there was no online dating, no social media other than the party line and "co-vivant" was frowned upon.
Meet Steve and Elvina Suru, married for sixty-two years and still in love. Elvina attended Mirror Lake School near Mildred. Steve grew up on a farm near Shell Lake. He had attended dances at_Mirror Lake School but when you are twenty (Steve) ,you don't look seriously at a sixteen year old (Alvina).
Elvina graduated in1959 and moved to Saskatoon to work at the bus depot. Steve had been independent since the age of seventeen and called himself a bachelor. But, aha! Steve was a good friend of Elvina's brother, Ron. The two young men decided to go to the Drive-In Theatre in Prince Albert, some ninety miles away, an almost unheard of drive. Steve suggested they invite Elvina . Elvina accepted the invitation.
What transpired on that drive we will never know for sure, but Elvina and Steve began dating and soon were engaged. Elvina's mother hoped the wedding would be in June of 1964. Steve and Elvina did not want to wait that long so they planned their wedding for November 1963. Elvina's mother had two comments. The first: "He's too old for you.", a comment Elvina did not understand because her sisters had married men eight and nine years their senior. The second: "I had better get crackin'." Elvina wanted a white wedding. Her wedding dress and a November snowfall provided that.
Steve had cattle to tend so there was no honeymoon. The honeymoon came years later. when in their camper van with four children, they travelled to many places, including Niagara Falls.
Asked why their marriage has lasted sixty-two years, they agreed it was their Catholic faith and their determination to live the vows they had made.
When you see them together, it is evident that the "love, honour and obey" is still an important part of their marriage.
Meet Jean (Houston) Hannay
Let your mind drift back to the 1940s. Jean was a teenager living on their family farm near Herschel. A young man from McGee regularly sped by on his motorcycle. Jean's mother did not approve of "bikers" and by default, the young man. Love will not be thwarted. Jean, a year or two later, supervised by an aunt and uncle, attended a dance in Brock. Bob and Jean, soon to be lovers, had their first dance together. They loved to dance. Jean commented, "Bob was such a good dancer ." and no doubt Jean was, too.
After high school Jean trained as a nurse at City Hospital in Saskatoon. Now it was a truck that burned up the miles between McGee and Saskatoon. Jean laughingly commented that she was always hungry and so their dates were mainly going to AandW for hamburgers.
After graduating, Jean worked at Rosetown hospital. She and Bob were married October 12 1956. Jean worked as a special nurse briefly but demands on the farm were such that she decided she was needed there. It was on the farm that they raised their four children.
On retirement they built a home in Rosetown. They later moved into Orange Memories. Bob passed away in 2025. Now Jean lives in her suite alone and with a gentle smile recalls their loving years together.