C.Y. Bourgeois's Blog, page 7

Love and Kisses

June 22, 1962
Fairbanks, Alaska

 Dear Billy and Carla:

Just a short note to let you know how much daddy misses you and sister.  Thanks a million for your paper from Bible School it was real good.  You’ll have to be a little more careful about staying inside the lines tho.


Am real proud of the way you have been helping Mommy with everything.  Hope you and sister like what I sent you and tell sister daddy wants her to be a good girl too.


Your Loving Daddy


P.S. Give sister a big hug and a kiss for me.  Will you please.
Love and Kisses
Daddy


P.S. Also give Mommy a great big one too.  Thank you. Daddy
*Note: Dad was such a big, sweet teddy bear and it sounds like I was being a little shit, which is not surprising. Sorry Mom and Dad, but I am your daughter and I can still be one!! :-P

Mom's Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies have to be one of my all-time favorites (in case you haven't noticed, I have a lot of favorites). They’re delicious and you can add stuff to them, like chocolate chips (butterscotch chips are good too), peanuts, or even raisins (yuck) to change them up. But they are simply great as they are, chewy & peanut-buttery.
½ C softened butter or other shortening½ C brown sugar  ½ C sugar½ C peanut butter1 beaten egg½ tsp. vanilla1 ¼ C flour½ tsp. baking powder¾ tsp. baking soda¼ tsp. salt1 large pinch of love
Cream together butter & sugar. Beat in peanut butter, egg & vanilla. Add dry ingredients & mix well. Roll dough into small balls & place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Press top of each with a fork to mark & flatten.Bake at 375 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes.
Get ‘em while they’re hot & ENJOY!!

Love You All Very Much

 June 22, 1962Fairbanks, Alaska
(conclusion)
I sent the kids each a present sure hope they like them also have a surprise for you.  Will mail it Mon., actually it’s not much and am sending it early for your birthday because maybe I won’t have much money then.  You can open it when you get it or wait till later.  Sure hope you like it.  I thought they were cute and quite Alaskan. 
Well, I’m sort of running out of anything more to say.  Tell Billy and Carla daddy is real proud of them for being such good kids while I’m up here and give them a big hug and a big kiss for me.
Love you all very much and wish you were here.  Also tell everybody there I said “Hi” and give them my love too.
Will close for now and I promise to try and write twice a week at the least.   Tell Billy thanks for the paper from Bible School.
All My Love and Kisses,Bill
P.S. Am sending the notes I kept on the trip up, they’re kind of sketchy but hope you can make some sense of them.  Am sending Billy a note too.
Love to All,Bill    
Note: For the curious among us, Dad sent Mom a pretty ivory necklace & earrings, totem poles with a tiny gold nugget.    

Being Lonesome is Even Catching to Dogs

June 22, 1962Fairbanks, Alaska
(continued)Jerry had to go and get his money that Neil owed him and Neil was telling Jerry about his big plans.  He told Jerry about the same thing he told me and Jerry said he though Neil was nuts.  Bet he hasn’t sent her (Irene) any money yet, has he?  He’s going to buy a couple of rifles and a lot of other stuff so he can go hunting this fall.  Also said his boss was going to swear he’s been here over a year so he can get a resident license and wants me to do the same.  I told him I’d wait and had better places for my money to go.
Sweetheart, I know you are awful lonesome but so am I and I’m really trying and doing the best I can.  Please have faith and keep your fingers crossed because I love you very much.
The weather here has cooled off quite a bit the past couple of days and it’s pretty cool right now.
Wouldn’t have done me any good to look for a job today (6/23) so Bill Stevens, he’s one of the bartenders here on the boat, asked me if I wanted to go for a boat ride, so I did.  We went up river 5 or 6 miles and then came back and stopped at ab old boat or barge.  He wanted to get some old lamps and stuff off it before someone wrecked them, so we did.  He’s an ex-cop from Calif. And is really a nice guy.
Started to finish this letter this morning and he asked me to help him a little while.  Him and Norm have one of those small gold suckers and it hasn’t been working right.  So I helped him about 1/2 hr and am finishing now.
Well enough for that.  Am sure glad you and the kids are all well and feeling so good.  Glad Tiki snapped out of it too.  Maybe everybody being lonesome is even catching to dogs.

Things Haven't Busted Yet

June 22, 1962Fairbanks, Alaska
Dearest Lois, Bully & Carla:
Rec’d your letter today and was sure glad to get it.  Sorry I didn’t write sooner but have been trying to find a full-time job.  This one on the moving so far hasn’t panned out so good.  The week I worked was O.K. but he didn’t have anything for last week but I did get 1 day in with another outfit will send you the money as soon as I get it.  Should be about 50 bucks.  Only got about 5 hrs this week and have been looking for some other job the rest of the time.
Things are sure slow getting started this year even construction hasn’t opened up yet.  Everybody is sure surprised things haven’t busted yet.  They say things gad better break soon or the season will be over before it starts.
I’ve got about 1/2 a dozen different people trying to help me get a full-time job or a good job where I can send more money to you plus the fact I’ve tried just about every place I can think of or have been told about.  I’ve also heard that the man Neil’s working for said, “He thinks maybe Neil won’t work out on his job.”  If he don’t I may get a crack at it.  Sure hope so.  That would be a good deal.  From what I understand his mouth is too big.  He lets it run away with him.  Haven’t seen him for about a week now.  Actually it don’t bother me a bit.
to be continued... 
Note: Some of Dad's comments about Neil make it seem like he (Dad) didn't like him (Neil), but they actually remained friends, albeit long-distance ones, after Neil moved back to the Lower 48 many years later. Neil was just one of those guys that always talks big, but rarely follows through. He was a good person though.

Loving a Dog

Tiki was my first experience with a dog. Loving a dog and losing a dog. She taught me about the precious bond between people and dogs. She taught me that dogs are much more than just pets. They are loyal, selfless companions who give their unconditional freely and with their whole hearts.
I only remember Tiki through family stories, but she affected my life in ways I’ll never be able to explain. During the course of her short life she taught a 2-year-old the meaning of unconditional love, loyalty, bravery, and selflessness.
During my life, I have been fortunate to live alongside many dogs: Snow, Fritz, King and Blackie, Jet, Sasha, Bartles, Riley, Tara, Kali, Trygg, Tango, Typhon, Molly, Bayard, Sydney, numerous other family dogs, much loved and forever missed, and now our cranky little Chihuahua mix, Pippin. They have all taught me valuable lessons along the way — how to live, love, and someday, hopefully many, many years from now, leave this plane of existence with grace and dignity.
I hope I can pull it off. I hope I’m capable of leaving such a legacy. I only hope to be as good as a dog.

Goodbye Tiki

Our young dog, Tiki had struggled with illness since Dad brought her home when we still lived in Michigan. After Dad left for Alaska, she got sick again and again. Mom would pull her through only to have her fall ill again in a few weeks.
But, Tiki rallied and made the trip to Alaska with us. She comforted Billy and me when we were tired, upset, or scared and she protected her family on the long, arduous trip north. Like Peter Pan’s Nana, she was Mom’s helper and we all loved her dearly.

She made it to Alaska where Dad got to see her again, and then, with her job finished, her health gave out and she said goodbye to her beloved family.

Be Good

June 18, 1962Fairbanks
Dearest Billy & Carla:
Mommy told me you kids are being real good and daddy is real proud of both of you.
Keep on being good and helping mommy and I’ll try to send you something from here real soon.
Billy, don’t forget what I said about helping take care of Carla and Tiki too.
Love and kisses,Your Loving Dad

Mom's Double Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are definitely one of my favorites. Mom used to make these for me because she knew how much I loved (still do) all things chocolate...especially dark chocolate.

She wrote "good" and "Amish" on the recipe. She also made a note that these "cookies are soft and chewy". My one addendum to her recipe is that these are not just good, they're delicious!

Dark on Dark Cookies

1 1/4 C Butter
2 C Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Tsp. Vanilla
2 C Flour
3/4 C Dark Cocoa
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
1 Bag Dark Chocolate Chips

 Cream together the butter & sugar. Add eggs & vanilla. Mix together the flour, cocoa, & baking soda. Add to the wet ingredients and top off with the bag of chocolate chips. Mix all together and drop on baking sheets. Bake @ 350 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes.

Add a pinch of love & enjoy these chewy, chocolatey morsels!

Bub's Not Much of a Bed Partner

06/18/1962Fairbanks, Alaska(Conclusion)
Don’t feel bad, I guess I miss you as much as you miss me.  I love you very much and am trying to get squared away so you and the kids can be with me.  You know I get pretty darn lonesome myself and Bub’s not much of a bed partner, he tries to take the whole works.
You probably don’t know it but June 22nd is the longest day of the year here.  About 22 hrs of daylight then they start getting shorter.  In the winter guess it’s really “hell” till you get used to it’s ever getting light outside and a temp of 60 or 70 below.
How do you think you would like to live under those conditions?  Right now the weather is real nice, temp between 70 & 80 and it’s plenty warm.
I’m not trying to discourage you but thought you’d like to know something about the conditions here so you could think about it.
Well sweetheart, guess I’ll close for this time and answer Mom and Ruthie’s letters.
By the way dear, I sent 4 rolls of film to you.  The black and white are of scenes along the way and the colored one I saved for the prettiest pictures.  Am sending a list for the colored ones, hope they turn out good. 
          Closing now, miss you and love you very much. 
          Your Loving Husband, Bill