Review: A refreshing memoir of an age and time of life in a past era!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 27, 2012
A refreshing memoir of an age and time of life in a past era. The original book was published in 1970 as "That Tough Little Lady" By Myron C. McDonald 1915 ... 2000, My Grandmother by Myron C. McDonald.  This edition has been reintroduced as "He Called Her Hat" with a few edits by Dorothy May Mercer. When reading this book I had the feeling of sitting on the front porch on a summers evening and listening to a grandfather telling stories from his past.The main focus is on Myron McDonald's  maternal grandmother, Harriette "Hattie" "Hat" Bair.  She was born in Quebec Province as Harriette DePeele, and later taken to live in a convent located in Detroit, MI at age eight. Harriette married Myron Corey when she was eighteen years old and went to live on the Corey family farm in Partello Township, Calhoun County, Michigan.  She is described as being a small woman, a hard worker with a quick wit and temper. After Mr. Corey died, Harriette married Frank Bair a much younger man who had been working on the farm while her husband was ill.The author writes about the crops on the farm. The details of the harvest of wheat and how the primitive machines could wreck the wheat. He writes about the different characters who lived in the town. He refers to Ernie James, a young man who operated the feeder on the threshing machine's grain separator while harvesting the wheat as an idiot. This was not in a joking manner.During the time of prohibition, Hattie helped Frank with the home brew. This was a common practice for families who enjoyed a bit of brew.  There was a funny incident with the local quilting bee.  The Morning Glories met one day in Hattie's parlor for the quilting bee to make a Crazy Quilt in one day. There arose a little argument between Hattie and the lady who brought the velvet for the quilt blocks.  You must read the book to find out how during the quiet of a heated stand-off....the popping of corks wrecked the ambitious plans of The Morning Glories to make a Crazy Quilt worthy of entering into the county fair!There is a page missing in the chapter written about his sex education. Due to the scene he is writing about, I think it is possible this missing page may have been removed intentionally. But you need to read the book and fill in the blanks of the missing page.Read about fishing, playing horseshoes, Halloween pranks at the school, the telephone party-line, and how Myron stood up to Grandmother Hattie when choosing his future wife!  In this book, you will be reading about family and scenes from the past in America. It was a delight.