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.  (.from the pen of EAF, as he would have written it..)
January 10, l899
My Christmas photographs were ready today. The ones of the children
were too blurry because they would not hold still, but the one
of tree is not bad. Long exposures, at least, are safer than flash
powder. I had Minnie pull all the curtains back to let in the
most daylight. And she kept the children in check so they would
not disturb my arrangement of gifts.
It was a blessed and fruitful Christmas for us all. Edward had
his second birthday this week, and baby Edith her first. Minnie
made some sweet cakes to celebrate, and baby Edith, newly weaned,
enjoyed a piece too. Minnie keeps them dressed warm, and even
I begin my day by donning long johns under my trousers and shirt.
January is the coldest month here in Minnesota, and this year
the snow is especially deep and difficult for the wagons and horses,
if not impossible for those few fancy automobiles, which are seldom
taken out of their barns.
I may never afford an automobile, but I thank God that I am the
luckiest of men, living in these exciting, fast-changing times.
Now begins the last year of this dear old century, and during
my 34 years I have felt an increasing surge of growth and expectation
all about me, especially since I came to the United States, to
St. Paul, Minnesota, to work for the Northern Pacific Railroad.
Transportation is changing everything, and I am part of it, even
in my modest clerical job.
Also, my love of photography still enchants me. It is like magic
to create and capture images to remember in the years to come.
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Minnie was critical of my spending $25 for the camera last year,
but I think my recording of our family life will justify it. Unfortunately,
she still refuses to let me take her portrait.
Mother and Dad, although they are sixty, still run the farm in
Copenhagen, Ontario. Brother Will is their staunch back-up and
will someday handle it all himself, to my great relief. I have
always felt the urge to link my life with the new advancements
of this age. Also, I had to make more salary if I was ever to
support a family. Working for the newspaper in Windsor was pleasant,
and readers seemed to like my Acrostics columns, but one cannot
survive on compliments.
I wrote to the railroads four years ago, both Great Northern and
Northern Pacific in St. Paul, to ask for employment. Perhaps it
was my careful Spencerian penmanship that secured this job with
NP. Minnie and I were finally able to get married and start our
family, and none too soon, with both of us already being in our
mid-thirties. Now we are both American citizens and parents of
three..
As I look at this photo of the tree, I wish the oranges in the
foreground were a bit sharper, and wondering why the film records
them so dark that they look like cannon balls. Edith, though barely
one, was elated with her new doll on Christmas morning, but I
believe the doll-house furniture may be a bit old for her. She
just wanted to taste every little chair and table.
Eddie was very excited about having a tree in the house. He helped
string the popcorn, as best as his little fingers could. On Christmas
day, he played diligently with his new bowling pins and had them
crashing and rolling all over the dining room while Minnie was
baking the goose.
Minnie told me she was pleased with the new broom and dust pan
I gave her, and I acknowledged the handkerchiefs she hemmed for
me. Christmas gifts, of course, are really for children. It is
enough for us that it is a celebration of Christ's birth. We took
the children to Christmas services in the morning and again at
five o'clock vespers. They slept through the afternoon service.
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