Lögberg-Heimskringla - 25.03.2005, Blaðsíða 4

4 • Lögberg-Heimskringia • Friday 25 March 2005
It’s time to sweep the winter away
Steinþór Guðbjartsson
Managing Editor
Recently I went to the
yearly Home & Garden
Show in Winnipeg. As I
entered the Convention Centre,
many people were leaving. That
did not surprise me, because I
was late, but what caught my
attention was that almost every-
body was carrying a broom or
two. The whole area, inside and
out, was packed with people
carrying brooms.
What I like most about
shows like this is that you can
try different things. Or taste dif-
ferent food, for that matter. I’ve
been living with back pain for
a long time, and it was good
to rest in a comfortable chair,
or lay down on the best mat-
tress ever made, eating choco-
Iate and popcom and sipping
water from Sears. I’m used to
swimming pools and hot tubs
all over Iceland, but they are
hard to find in Manitoba. See-
ing almost a whole floor with
nothing but hot tubs made me
forget my back problems for
a while. I started taking my
clothes off and was very disap-
pointed when I discovered that
there was no water in the tubs.
So much for a water massage
— but there was still hope.
I read in the local papers
that the show’s estimated at-
tendance was 30,000 this year.
Somebody told me that the show
had been around for roughly a
quarter century, to the delight
of about a million visitors who
had probably all got the magic
brooms. No wonder Manito-
bans are happy, and people are
urged to visit friendly and sun-
ny Manitoba.
After having been knocked
back and forth by brooms, I
asked a lady who was carrying
four where she got them. “You
can’t miss them on the second
floor,” she said, and without no-
ticing, hit me with all four when
she tumed around.
If you enter the show you
simply have to get the magic
broom, and there the price is
special, they say. Two for the
price of one, or even less. No-
body can beat that, you are told,
although I have the feeling I
paid inuch less for a similar
broom in a hardware store last
year. But you can’t bring your
old broom to a show like this.
In short, I and my friend
bought a broom and got anoth-
er one free. One for each. They
say that the magic broom can
be used on carpets, rugs, lino-
leum, tile, ceramic, floors, win-
dows, and that it’s 100 per cent
dishwasher safe. Another friend
told me that his wife had bought
one many years ago and they
had used it for one thing only.
To sweep the winter away.
That’s what I’m going to
do every year, and I’ll kill two
birds with one stone. Cure my
back with the movement needed
and get rid of the winter. Spring
is already here, according to the
calendar, and the pain will soon
disappear.
Enjoy the spring.
Happy Easter.
Letters TO the Editor
Dear Editor:
It was with great interest that
I read the excellent article “A Iife
by the water,” telling of the life
and times of Stefan and Sylvia
Sigurdson, formerly of Riverton,
Manitoba and now residing in
White Rock, British Columbia.
I had the pleasure of work-
ing for the Sigurdsons in the
1950s and early 1960s — first
as wheelsman, then as first mate
and finally as captain of the J.R.
Spear. Each week we made two
trips from the north end of the
north basin of Lake Winnipeg to
Selkirk and back again.
Your article about Eric Sig-
urdson also brought back fond
memories of my working days
on Lake Winnipeg. It was on
one of our regular trips north
that Eric was on board the J.R.
Spear. He was going to help his
dad at Beren’s River. The Chief
Engineer, Mundi Tomasson and
I were having our aftemoon cof-
fee when in walked Eric. His
face was covered from forehead
to chin with something white!
“Are you having a shave?”
Mundi asked Eric.
“No, replied Eric. I had my
dinner, then some Skyr. Then I
had a sleep. When I woke up I
had an upset stomach so what
you see on my face is not shav-
ing cream!”
When Mundi suggested that
he should clean himself up and
join us for coffee, Eric disap-
peared and we did not see him
again until we reached Berens
River.
There are many interesting
stories of those who have made
their livelihood on Lake Win-
nipeg — thank you for sharing
these stories with us and please
continue to do so.
Sincerely,
Clifford Stevens
Gimli, MB
* * *
Dear Editor,
I thought perhaps you may
be interested in mentioning to
your readership that there is a
recently published book titled
The Book ofLove Letters, which
contains sonte correspondence
written by Heimir Thorgrim-
son, to his mother and his two
young daughters, during the
Second World War. Heimir was
very well known in the Icelandic
community. He was the eldest
child of Rev. Adam and Sigrun
Thorgrimsson. I am sure you are
aquainted with Hrund Skulason
— Heimir was her brother.
The book is comprised of
letters written by Canadians and
is a very interesting collection. It
was compiled and edited by Paul
& Audrey Grescoe, published by
McClelland & Stewart.
Pamela Klawitter
Winnipeg Beach, MB
* * *
Dear Editor,
I am doing research on Ice-
land — particularly the West-
man Islands and the volcanic er-
ruption in 1973.1’ve found much
information on the geology and
volcano, read National Geo-
graphic articles, and am now
looking for people with whom
I might speak about the region
and the incident.
I am an author/illustrator
who is interested in writing and
illustrating a picture book on that
event, and would like to have as
much personal and detailed in-
formation as I can. I’ve had the
most success in the past when
I can speak with someone who
knows the region or was even
present at the time of the erup-
tion. Can you be of any service?
I am in Connecticut, USA at this
time. I’m hoping that you might
have members or be able to di-
rect me to organizations such as
yours in the northeastern United
States.
Thank you,
Sanna Stanley
18 Harkness Drive
Madison, CT 06443
203-421-1118
SMsanna@aol.com
www.Two-Ems.com/Sanna.htm
Correction
Last issue’s article on
the Norðurljós þorrablót
was written by Edie Brews-
ter, not Solli Sigurdson.
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