|balice1 |calice1 */*I nterviewee: Alice Cardais Interviewers: Boyd Davis and Linda Moore */* |v1 LM: now Boyd is in the Language English Department |v2 AC: mmhum LM: and what we are doing is that we're talking about how are you telling stories and we're looking at this as to how peo to help people to learn how to listen to the stories better a lot times you know when you talk you feel like people aren't listening to you |v3 AC: ah-huh LM: well we want to work with part of that to see if we can help people learn to listen better and then how that might help to keep people remembering things and keeping in tune with their own thoughts better too so ultimately we want to have this to help other |v4 AC: //oh oh// LM: the people themselves like if you play the tape and you go oh yeah remember that and how a lot of times when you play something that's familiar you smile |v5 AC: //ah-huh// LM: because you know that was something that was very important to you and that's the kind of things we like to do with that so we'll be visiting people several times and spend about twenty to thirty minutes at a time and tape record these as well as then we'll transcribe these so that we can pick up this information we'll be giving you a copy of the tape so that you can play it back and I know you're going to say that doesn't sound like me cause that's what I say every time I listen to my (indistinguishable) tape |v6 AC: I don't care my children would love to hear it LM: //and you see that's right// BD: //exactly// |v7 AC: ah-huh LM: and so we're looking at it from that point of view we also will be doing what we call re-test which they do automatically here and if they haven't done them then I would just do it with the same test that they use throughout the whole system here |v8 AC: ah-huh LM: mmhum and that's pretty much it and then if you're taking any kind of medicines that we just sorta jot those down so that we know we like to look what kind of medicines people take because some times that makes a difference in how well you remember or don't remember different things |v9 AC: ah-huh BD: and we want you know too that we'll usually be using a little recorder like these if they don't bother you we might want to bring one that makes you onto a CD I see some grandchildren |v10 AC: oh yes I have nine BD: nine yours are lucky we ought to be able to transfer a tape like if we I just punch this on right now we can transfer that to a CD for one of those grandchildren to play if you like |v11 AC: oh that would be lovely yes BD: exactly and so we'll try out with your voice several different recording instruments to see which one gets the best sound |v13 AC: //all right// BD: we were experimenting this morning and this one is not too good this Sony this dictating machine seems better but maybe a camcorder maybe a digital camera maybe a diff maybe a mini-CD we'll have to try |v14 AC: could be it's my voice though I don't have a //(indistinguishable)// BD: //no we// were recording Larry it's the it's the it's definitely the tape recorder now can we run these now while we talk |v15 AC: of course fine that'd be nice BD: that'll give us a chance to test which one of these LM: and you can either sign now or you can sign when you're finished |v16 AC: all right LM: have which ever you know as long as you're giving us permission |v17 AC: //sure// LM: to talk and to record what you are saying that's fine |v18 AC: you have it I was trying to figure out what I had told Larry was it about my grandmother BD: all he told us was that you had stories about people that you had stories from here to Cleveland county and that you had some special stories about relatives arriving in the US or arriving in North Carolina and he wouldn't tell us anymore (laugh) |v20 AC: well I think the one that I remember telling him was that my grandparents my grandmother and my grandfather she was Irish and he was Welsh she came to this country with her relatives when the Irish Potato famine was in effect BD: wow |v21 AC: and I think she came with two cousins and herself and my father and mother married and my father died a month after I was born so she my mother and I lived with my grandparents and I think my grandmother thought that was a perfect time for her to go back and see her relatives so she did now my grandfather didn't wan go back my grandmother did he was she was more social than he so she went and the day she was coming back my mother kept me out of school because this was a big occasion and it was a hot hot day in early September and I remember standing at the watching the boat that came in and we watched and the gang plank was put down and all the people came down and no grandmother and we waited and waited and my mother thought my goodness I hope she's not sick and pretty soon down comes my grandmother all alone and she's got on a black wool coat with a fur collar and a fur hat and it's ninety odd degrees BD: oh help |v22 AC: so she didn't we didn't even look at her she went down and she disappeared into the where what is that called where they check you out (indistinguishable) well anyway she came along and my grand my mother I can remember so distinctly I was only about seven but is everything all right mother wait till we get to the car she said we got to the car and it seems that my grandpar- father's relatives wanted to send my grandfather some Irish whiskey and my grandmother (indistinguishable) said I can't do that dear they'll they'll catch me and my grandfather's relatives said we've taken care of that they had made her a belt to wear around her waist that had little pockets in it in which they had little glass bottles with caps and they put all the Irish whiskey in this and she was afraid it would show through her dress BD: oh yes |v23 AC: so she put on this heavy coat (laughter) which made them all explode she didn't have enough for one drink left but that was my grandmother she could get away with it she was a funny lady but anyway we told that story through the generations about this Irish grandmother who got away with this and no one else could LM: that's an interesting story |v24 AC: it is I don't know whether it's fit for publication but you're welcome BD: I think anybody who hears that story would envy you having her in the family |v25 AC: she was a and my grandfather was a real Welshman never said boo she ruled the roost physically I mean she was much bigger than he too but she was a funny lady she'd give he built a summer house for her and it only had three bedrooms and my grandmother would invite more people than would fit so she put people out in canoes without paddles in them (indistinguishable because of laughter) and they had to paddle their way back in the morning only she could get away with that too she was funny good lady but very up to all sorts of tricks BD: what she'd look like |v26 AC: she was tall and of course white hair is all I remember quite quite pretty I think she must have been when she was younger but they met in this country not oversees and I never could see the attraction between them because she was much bigger than he was (laughter) BD: my grandparents were like that she was a tall red now I remember with a few streaks of red but mostly white because her hair came below her knees |v27 AC: oh really BD: because and she'd put it up |v28 AC: //ah-huh// BD: but I have a pic I've got I have a picture now after mother died she had left me a box and it was a picture of my grandmother when she is eighteen years old at the Bardstown's Male and Female Institute she's playing the classical guitar you can tell that her hair is red not copper penny red but an auburn red and he came up to here on her and he was Welsh |v29 AC: ah-huh BD: and he would and he he could break horses and dance and she said I'll have him (laughter) |v30 AC: she liked she liked those two features BD: and so she did and she was this tall red-headed woman who was interested in guitars and chemistry and laughing and he broke horses and danced and they |v31 AC: had a happy marriage BD: they had a happy marriage two daughters big farm I mean where they came together was their passion for the land |v32 AC: ah-huh well that's strange but that's BD: yes |v33 AC: not as strange but not any stranger than my grandparents and I never knew my other grandparents cause my father had died and we just lost track of them but it was a good we had a good family life LM: where did you grow up |v34 AC: in Medford Massachusetts LM: okay |v35 AC: not too far from Boston BD: except for the Boston ??628 days?? you've been down here for a long time have you not |v36 AC: really no BD: no |v37 AC: let's see I'm trying to think what year we came I guess we've been here about nine years I think nine or ten I like it though we came down because we had a son here and now we have a son and daughter we had one daughter in Florida and one up in a suburb of Milwaukee LM: where it's cold |v38 AC: yes but they don't my little granddaughter had never seen snow and she sent me pic my daughter sent me pictures she would go out throw the snow up and have it come down fall on her and then she'd come in soaking wet and my daughter would dress her and then she would go out and do the same thing she rolled in it she loved the snow I loved the snow too when I was young we skied and sleighed in it my husband liked it too so we had a good time BD: Cardais's not an Irish name is it |v39 AC: no it's actually it's a Greek name but it wasn't translated when my grandfather came up my husband's father came in it should have been Cardaisis but they cut it off to Cardais and we never did anything about it and Cardais is easier to handle than Cardaisis so his mother was from Salem Massachusetts and he still has relatives up there in the town of Salem my husband and we had four children and a good marriage lasted till (indistinguishable tapers off voice) BD: how many grandchildren |v40 AC: nine nine grandchildren BD: lucky lucky lucky |v41 AC: how many do you have BD: one |v42 AC: one BD: they're just starting in |v43 AC: oh BD: I have only one so far LM: I have none |v44 AC: but none of my grandchildren have married yet the oldest is twenty-five and he hasn't LM: they aren't marrying very young these days |v45 AC: some (indistinguishable) BD: but the son that has that has my grandson I didn't have him un (tape stopped) but I was twenty-seven when I had him he was my first child and he is thirty-two so I will never live to see a great-grandchild |v46 AC: well I won't either I don't think you know //my oldest// LM: //not if// they don't get married |v47 AC: no I don't understand this BD: it's not fair (laughter) LM: well my son is the first grandchild from either of our sides of the family to get married and he didn't get married until he was thirty |v48 AC: oh BD: so that's what mine did married at thirty they are getting married younger I think |v49 AC: they seem more cautious I think don't you LM: cautious I don't know (laughter) BD: they are certainly |v50 AC: you know you know LM: they are certainly waiting that's all I that's all I know BD: I don't know if it's cautious or just never took the time out (laughter) |v51 AC: well I don't know it just seems so natural my age when I got married I was twenty-three and you know not a kid (indistinguishable perhaps an interjection from interviewer) I dated enough to know what I was looking for but anyway it worked fine but no grandchildren which ??040?? you know I've kinda looked forward to BD: right |v52 AC: but I'm not encouraging to do something BD: exactly |v53 AC: that wouldn't be right for them BD: that's swell so nine grandchildren one is twenty-five |v54 AC: ah-huh BD: oh fun fun fun |v55 AC: and the youngest one is six how's that for a range BD: wonderful |v56 AC: but I had four children so they're spread out a little bit but I'm glad to be down here cause I'm closer to two of them actually I'm closer to all of them that's for sure and up in Chicago where we lived when we moved down here I loved it it was the favorite place I ever lived was in a Chicago suburb (indistinguishable) right on a lake and I loved it we never had to worry about our children breaking the bikes and going to the beach or BD: those days are gone |v57 AC: I know I was so lucky to be up there though it was a wonderful place there was never any crime never houses broken into or and it was a small it was a small little town but I loved it up there we all did my husband enjoyed it he worked in Chicago and commuted but it wasn't a bad commute so BD: but this down here is a good is a good area the climate is a little better than Chicago you must |v58 AC: oh yes it's a lot better than Chicago yes I think at my age I'm in the right place but LM: do you stay pretty busy during the day here or you stay in or |v59 AC: I play Canasta Mondays and Thursdays Bingo's on on Wednesdays go to the movies on Friday and BD: so you would not describe yourself as bored or //(indistinguishable because of talk over and laughter)// |v60 AC: //no// no and I would compliment the Plantation they provide no matter what your interest is you know we don't all enjoy the same thing right down in the in the craft room now they're making I don't know some sort of thing I stopped in and I said I'll come back and do that some other time (laughs) yeah but you know no matter what your interest is there's somebody doing it here BD: well you've got lots of energy and it sounds like the staff encourages that people to keep that energy going |v61 AC: //oh yeah// yes well I don't have the energy that I used to but I'm doing okay (laughter) well actually I hope are you recording this BD: yeah you want me to turn it off |v62 AC: would you yeah