The SCOOP // December 2015 / January 2016

SCOOP The

December 2015 / January 2016

thescoop.ca

celebrates rural life

Let There Be Peace on Earth

John A. returns

Tamworth Feed Mill

Winter walks

Desmond School

The

SCOOP Celebrates rural life Founded in 2005 by Richard Saxe

PUBLISHER & AD SALES Karen Nordrum stonemills.scoop@gmail.com

GUEST EDITOR Judith Huntress

CONTRIBUTORS

Margaret Axford, Jordan Balson, Terry Berry, Ron Betchley, Leah Birmingham, Sally Bowen, Lillian Bufton, Catherine Coles, Andrea Cross, Mary Jo Field, Mel Galliford, Glen R. Goodhand, Alyce Gorter, Buffy Hewitt, Judith Huntress, Lena Koch, Barry Lovegrove (cover), Blair McDonald, Michael Rehner (acrostic), Grace Smith, Terry Sprague, Chad Taylor

Here’s The Scoop

By Judith Huntress

T

he winds have a strong force this autumn as they fell leaves and chill the air. It starts to feel like a transformation is building, a positive change and new look for our society and government, changes that may affect institutions and each person’s life in years to come. This possibility carries excitement with it—similar to some people’s anticipation for New Year’s.

I felt the sun shining more brightly after this past October; a newspaper columnist I read described her feeling as though she was now living in The Land of Oz. The past year has been a difficult one for my family and friends, and occasionally I displayed gloom. On the radio, I sometimes heard farmers

complaining of lost income and poor crops due to unpredictable weather. The government’s role in their livelihood is great with inspections, licenses, and taxes levied upon them. On October 19 it seemed as though people nationwide rose and said—like farmers— “It is time to plough up the field and plant a vital new leader. It is time to choose fresh people newly dedicated to serving Canada. It is time to give young people the respect and jobs they deserve, before raking up past hierarchies and plowing forward.”

I look forward to 2016 — I hope for positive change and I am glad to see the expressions and minds of young people as they step up to take responsibility in the civil service. Older people can bring

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Season’s Greetings Wishing all readers

All photos contributed, unless otherwise noted.

a joyous holiday season,

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a new year of happiness,

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and hope for a world at peace.

The SCOOP

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Peace Love and Joy

Peaceful winter scene on a farm near Erinsville. Photo by Barry Lovegrove.

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them their own wealth of experience and skills. Some can conduct workshops, share memories, demonstrate tools, etc.; it is important knowledge to share. All these changes may just keep the sun shining brighter—a little longer.

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Do You Remember One horse open sleighs?

By Glen R. Goodhand Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh, O’er the fields we go, laughing all the way.

Bells on bobtail ring making spirts bright; What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight.

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh.

W

hile historians vary in relating precise details about the above ditty, all agree that it was penned by James Pierpont around 1850 in Medford, Massachusetts, while he was the Music Director at the Unitarian Church, where his father, and then his brother, were the pastors.

It is said that originally it was written for a special Thanksgiving Day church programme. While it was always a winter song, it gradually evolved into a Christmas one, and is one of the top 25 recorded pieces in the world. While the theme focuses on a casual activity, apparently the underlying inspiration

emanated from the popularity of cutter (one horse open sleigh) races in the streets of Medford and countless other New England locales. While only two stanzas are normally sung, there were actually four, and the last verse betrays the influence of those contests.

When he was four years old, my eldest grandson seemed fascinated by this golden oldie. As our family gathered for singalongs around campfires, he was first to make a request—always Jingle Bells.

He was so captivated by it that one night in church when “favourites” were called for, he shouted: “Jingle Bells.” Obviously, it was the catchy tune that inspired him.

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Vintage photo of the author’s parents, in their one horse open sleigh.

At age four, he could hardly have grasped the unfolding word picture, since he had never seen a “one horse open sleigh,” nor was he acquainted with the jaunty references. In fact, a quick surfing on the internet reveals that many people from different age groups are also in the dark about the meaning of a number of words and phrases in the composition— even to the definition of a “one horse open sleigh?” But one can hardly be surprised by such a query, since use of this common method of transportation backtracks more than six decades.

Horse-drawn sleighs came in many sizes and shapes—too numerous to describe in this limited space. The two main varieties however, include the “bob sleigh”—two sets of runners (skis), the front one having a tongue slung between two nags and topped by a platform.

It was used a vehicle for cartage or transportation for a larger number of people. The other one, illustrated on this page, and the feature of this song, is the cutter. Even it varied in construction.

Some had solid runners, while most stuck with the design pictured here.

(Some models even had an extra bench).

Typically, it accommodated two people comfortably—like a coupe car—although three might squeeze in, making a tight fit.

vintage frosty travel, not only kept Mommy’s knees warm, but also assured coziness for the offspring.

Recently an inventive scribe did a double take at the carefree, relaxed atmosphere depicted by these lilting lyrics. In response, he concocted a spoof of this scene reenacted in today’s ultra-regulated, red-tape choked, and politically-correct smothered society in which we live.

“For those planning to dash through the snow a risk assessment must be submitted before an open sleigh is considered safe for members of the public to travel on. It must also consider whether it is appropriate to use only one horse for such a venture, particularly where multiple passengers are involved.

There is advisement against ‘dashing’ and a maximum speed of 10 mph (16 kph) is recommended unless seat belts are fitted. Please note that permission must be gained from landowners before entering the fields. To avoid offending those not participating, we request that laughter be moderate only and not loud enough to be considered a noise nuisance!” (Have a good time.)

The “bells” mentioned were not attached to the horse’s tail, which was “bobbed,” or braided into a “bun” (to prevented entanglement in the reins). The reference in the phrase is generically to the type of horse (that is, the bobbed-tailed kind).

The long plait of bells normally encircled the filly’s collar or bellyband.

The sentiment portrayed in the tune focuses on a cutter. In the “good old days,” they were as common in rural areas, villages, and small towns, as a snowmobile or ATV is today. In fact, they were in the spotlight even more so.

They were the routine method of travel during the winter months. Even couples with two small children managed, with the kids tucked along the dasher at Ma and Pa’s feet. Of course, the ever-present buffalo robe, standard equipment for

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3

Highland Cow Adventures

Angus the escape artist, part 2

By Terry Berry

a break for Breen Road and was off at a trot. Lee jumped on his four-wheeler, gunning it to get ahead of this bullish bovine as he traveled north toward the Morey’s home. Lee stopped his quad just in front of Angus, blocking his path. slipped away quietly from my your space: 379-1128 Undeterred, Angus turned and headed groupies with a fresh pail of grain, back to me. It wasn’t long before he retracing the path taken earlier. The spied the grain pail again. Like a puppy brush thickened, as did the mosquito entranced by a biscuit, he followed it as population, the farther I went into we casually walked down the 9th toward the darkness. There was nothing but ZCARD AD. $110 FOR prickly ash,3sumac, and vines. In the home. Lee stayed behind in case Angus “Hope, Purpose & Belonging in Long Term Care” breaks between me calling and, ahem, lost focus again. Our unplanned parade ’T BEAT THAT! falling, I could hear the cries of coyotes headed up the driveway toward the in the distance. Their piercing chorus field behind the house. As we got closer, seemed to crescendo as they got closer. the rest of the Highland herd came to I hoped they didn’t think I was calling greet us. Jason opened our field gate them. Every once in a while I could also and Angus strolled through as though hear Angus’ throaty bellow along with nothing had happened. another bull. This second one sounded deeper and much larger. It must be the Later on that morning, the search was on other herds’ bull. Upon hearing that, I to see where Angus had made his escape. reasoned that I had spent enough time There, in a swampy area along the line traipsing around in the dark. I had shown fence, was a depression in the ground. It due diligence, and this was best left for appeared as though something about the daylight. I was also in need of After-Bite. size of Angus had wallowed in the mud, lifting the page wire just enough to slide At first light, phone calls were made to under. I guess that extra five pounds of willing participants in this search and wire helped. rescue mission – neighbours Lee and Jason. A plan of attack was confirmed, We’ve been keeping the herd close and we all met at the designated to the house until further fencing is rendezvous. Like clockwork, everything completed in hopes of curtailing our 47 Dundas St.ways.

E • Napanee was in place – Lee’s cows up next to Casanova’s wandering Angus can d Accountant the field gate along with their new herd still be found when not613.354.6601 napping beside heeler Street, member, Jason’s stock trailer parked the chicken coop, pestering the girls, or www.napaneechamber.ca on the shoulder of 9th Concession with scratching against any stationary object, ON K0K 3G0 spending his spare time calling across the back door wide open, me with a pail fencerows to an unseen audience. Every 79-1069 of grain, and neighbours at the ready so often, he does get a response. to close the field gate and trailer door once the cargo was loaded. All that was needed now was Angus to smell the cob and let his SEASON’S appetite take over.

[Editor’s note: This article continues from part 1 of “Angus the escape artist,” which ran in the October/November issue of The Scoop.]

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one back leg and we thought we had him.

Just then, the trailer door creaked and our quarry backed out, ment is holdingheading a BlankettoDrive.

We join his se at emergency calls.

If you new herd oncehave again. quickly closed o donate pleaseLee drop them off at the the fi eld gate municipal office. Thank you,keeping Angus on the road Fire Department side of the fence. Plan B immediately went into effect.

Realizing we didn’t have a plan B, it was decided that PLEASE TELL Jason would move OURthe ADVERTIStrailer on down the THAT road toward ERS “I our driveway to act as SAWa barrier.

IT INLee THE and I would coax Angus SCOOP” AND along the shoulder THAT of theADVERroad toward home.WORKS. As we stood TISING there, Angus made

4

Lessons Learned

By Blair McDonald

I

recently watched a two-part documentary about the life and times of the iconic American artist and celebrated businessman, Walt Disney. It was a fascinating look into the world of animation, theme parks, and the stories behind some of the most iconic names of 20th century popular culture (Snow White, Bambi, Cinderella). It reminded me of how often we forget that the people and places that have become larger-than-life (for example, Disneyland) start out as a simple dream of the human spirit to bring something new into the world.

In 1937, in the lead-up to the creation of what was to be Disney’s first feature length animation movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, nothing was left to chance. Animators worked around the clock to bring this story to life in all of its glory. It was a production years in the making with many financial setbacks along the way. Unheard of at the time, Disney is famously remembered for having hired real actors to act out various character movements or poses (laughing, eating, dancing, etc.) so that animators could learn how to accurately draw the human form on paper.

One of the most astonishing moments in the documentary occurs when various historians discuss a very peculiar fear

that Disney and his team had during the making of Snow White. The fear was simple: Could a drawing make someone cry? In other words, could an animated story spellbind an audience in such a way that it sparked within them the full spectrum of human feelings? It’s hard to believe, but at that point in time, they were not certain it was possible, until, upon its Los Angeles premiere, it received the weepy-eyed, standing ovation it rightfully deserved.

Arguably, Disney’s boldness of vision is unmatched by today’s moviemakers.

In 2015, it’s not only hard to imagine a world before animated films, but also, more importantly, one wonders what questions our pioneering artists of today grapple with.

Given the dominance of animation in today’s movie theatres (Frozen, Big Hero, Rio, Ice Age) and television screens (The Simpsons, Family Guy), the answer is loud and clear. Animation is a reality unlike no other, that speaks directly to us in an elusive, imaginative, and yes, emotional way – one simple drawing at a time.

Consequently, the lesson remains: little did we know until it was tried.

Keeping your New Year’s resolutions

By Jordan Balson

I

t’s an amazing time of the year with the holidays and a new year approaching.

But with the new year also comes something that many people dread: New Year’s resolutions. Sure, they’re not mandatory, but everyone seems to make them and then seldom stick to them. So what are some New Year’s resolutions that you can keep this year?

The first resolution on almost everyone’s list is to get healthy. And that’s often the first resolution to go —whether it’s to eat better or go to the gym every day, we sometimes set such high goals that we only last a few weeks before we decide it’s too hard. But an easy way to keep this resolution is to take tiny steps. You don’t have to go to the gym every day – start small, by going for a jog every other day, and work your way up to harder commitments. By taking it slowly, you might even find you grow to like it! And eating healthy doesn’t mean throwing out all your junk food at once, it can be as simple as making a few healthier substitutions and taking little steps from there. By going slowly, you’ll find that you can maintain your resolutions and come closer to a healthier you!

Another resolution that people often want to tackle is to get more socially involved. And that can be a daunting task, regardless of how you mean it. However, it could be as simple as starting a conversation with someone that you normally wouldn’t, or joining a club that you normally wouldn’t have the nerve to get involved in. Just by making an effort to be more outgoing and doing something that you normally wouldn’t, you can grow as a person without losing who you really are.

A final resolution that many people make is to do better at their job or at school. Whether you want a promotion or better grades, this one can be hard for people that are used to controlling everything, because even when trying as hard as you can, these goals can still seem out of reach. But by giving it your all, you can get there eventually. You can’t expect straight A’s or get that raise at work overnight; you have to start by making little goals. Try to do better on small tests at school, study more, and get help if needed. Try to get noticed at work by taking on more tasks and always being the first one there. Little steps in ambition will lead to greater ones, and eventually, you can achieve your goal, no matter how daunting it originally seemed.

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By breaking your New Year’s resolutions into tinier, realistic, and attainable goals, you’ll find that you’ll be able to not only keep your New Year’s resolutions, but master them.

Farewell to a feed mill

By Mel Galliford

F

or 150 years, Tamworth has had a feed mill – three different ones on the same site, in fact! But as of December 1st, feed production activities at the Tamworth Mill will be discontinued, and the retail side of the business there will be closing. Some might see the shutdown as another sign of the gradual decline of small agricultural enterprises. Many of us hope to see the return of some retail business to support Tamworth and its farming community, hopefully in that historical location. As you will see in the brief history below, the Tamworth Feed Mill has a long and rich history.

The first mill on the site of the TCO Agromart Feed Mill and store (formerly O’Neill’s Farm Supply) was built in 1865

by Calvin Wheeler, in a picturesque spot on the northeast shore of the Salmon River. The property was originally owned

by Gideon Joyner, who was also the reeve of Tamworth, Proprietor of a Grist and Saw Mill, a woolen Mill and a Foundry.

According to reports, Calvin Wheeler sold the Mill to Joyner’s father and sons (Chas. & Henry Joyner). At some point, it was sold to A.B. Carscallen, and the first fire took place in 1923 while the Carscallens were running the Mill. The Mill was rebuilt on the same site by Mr. Carscallen. Electricity was produced at the Mill by A.B. Carscallen, using water power. The Carscallens provided electricity to the village of Tamworth.

Later, in the 1930s, a 40-horse diesel engine was used to produce power. Mr. Carscallen’s daughter Florence married George Wolfe and they operated the Mill until 1938, at which point it was closed down for a few months.

Earl Bradshaw purchased the Mill from Mrs. Harriett Carscallen (Florence’s mother) in April 1939. When he reopened the Mill, he had one employee, Harold Bawn, who had previously worked for the Carscallens. While Earl Bradshaw was running the mill, it was destroyed by fire a second time in 1955 on a hot summer’s day in August when the Salmon River was nearly dry from the lack of rains. He immediately built another mill made of cement block on the site. In 1966, Garry Bradshaw took over the Mill from his father and continued to operate this Mill with his wife Arlene and his family until 1999.

At this time, after 60 years of business, Garry Bradshaw sold the business to Terry and Sandra O’Neill of Erinsville who had been operating a feed business in Napanee – O’Neill’s Farm Supply Ltd. The Mill in Tamworth was a welcome addition to their business, because now the O’Neill’s were able to manufacture their own feed. Many changes took place over the years – everything from the source of power, to weighing the grain, and tying feed bags. Once run by water power from the Salmon River and

The original mill on the site of the Tamworth Feed Mill. It was built by Calvin Wheeler in 1865 and owned by A.B. Carscallen when this photo was taken. assisted by a diesel engine in the late summer and fall, the Mill eventually was entirely powered by modern electricity after 1955. Much of the grain handled years ago was in 100 pound sacks and was tied by hand. In recent years, most of the grain was handled by bulk, but bags were still made and closed with an electric sewing machine. The main activity at the Mill in the early years was custom grinding grain for area farmers.

The last grinder in the Mill was just like the one that Earl Bradshaw started out with in 1939. The O’Neills continued to run the Feed Mill where many bulk feed rations and bags were made to stock the

Mill and the store in Selby.

The community of Tamworth has always been supportive of the Feed Mill, and it has played a huge role in the history of the village. Terry and Sandra O’Neill are grateful for having had the opportunity to be a part of the business community for so many years. The closing of the Mill marks the ending of an important era in Tamworth’s agricultural and community history. Let us hope this is a temporary end, and for great things to come again to the beautiful and productive site on the Salmon River.

Breaking bad habits with hypnosis

By Buffy Hewitt

A

s she walked into Selby Hall on April 6th 2004 at 6:30 p.m. after butting out what would turn out to be her last cigarette, Cheryl Shurtliffe never imagined the effect this one night would have on her future. She had tried many times to quit smoking, too many to count, in her 19 years of being a smoker. She had tried a variety of methods including the patch, gum, and cold turkey. They all worked for a short while but eventually she returned to the old habit. So a week before what turned out to be her quit date, she brought an ad from a local paper to her former boss, that stated “stop smoking in 1 hour” using hypnosis as the tool to help make this happen. Her boss playfully dared her to go, and as further incentive, offered to pay her for the evening since at that time she was scheduled to work anyways.

After taking the night to sleep on it, Cheryl made her decision to give it a go.

She couldn’t convince any of her friends or family members to come along. The night of the event, Cheryl walked into the hall, scared and nervous. The hypnotist explained what hypnosis was and what they could expect. The typical question of “will I bark like a dog or cluck like a chicken when I see or smell a cigarette?” was humorously answered with “only if you want to.” He went on to explain that stage hypnotists use hypnosis as a form of entertainment and that they would never do anything in a hypnotic state that they wouldn’t normally do or that would go against their morals, values, or beliefs. Once everyone’s questions were answered, they were asked to get as comfortable as possible, to close their eyes, take a few deep breaths, and relax.

The hypnosis session that felt like only 10 minutes was actually 40 minutes long. “I knew the second I opened my eyes that it (hypnosis) had worked,” Cheryl recalls.

“It had been nearly two hours since walking into the hall, and given that the

craving for the next cigarette begins the moment the current one is being butted, I just knew it worked.” Why? “Because I had no cravings for a cigarette. I was amazed! I was so impressed that I bought the hypnotist’s entire tape-recorded series. I listened to that Stop Smoking recording for at least 3 months every night when going to sleep.” That dare and one hypnosis session has helped Cheryl to remain committed to remaining a nonsmoker for over 11 years now. Since then, Cheryl has also used hypnosis to help her to stop clenching and grinding her teeth, as well as to lose weight and maintain her weight with little effort.

that we try to change our thoughts and behaviours using only our conscious mind. It’s not until we repeat a process over and over again that it moves from the conscious to the subconscious and becomes habit. So by using the tapes every night for several months, Cheryl’s subconscious mind accepted the positive messages of becoming and remaining a non-smoker. Other times we might experience a daily state of hypnosis are just as we are waking or falling asleep, when reading a book, using a computer or our phones, or watching television – anytime we are intently focussed on something.

Hypnosis is a natural state that we all experience every day. An example is when we are driving, arrive at our destination, and think, “how did I get here?” believing that we “zoned out.”

That state is called “highway hypnosis.”

Your subconscious mind – the one where our habits operate from – was the one that was driving. It’s through repetition that your subconscious becomes trained to know the way home without the assistance of the conscious mind. Our conscious mind is the part where logical thinking and will power is contained. The reason why our New Year’s resolutions tend to fall to the wayside each year is

After making the decision to pursue a new career, it was during a walk with a friend that Cheryl first considered the idea of becoming a hypnotherapist. With her background as a counsellor in the fields of addictions and mental health, along with being a certified life coach, becoming a certified A timely reminder - your entries are due December 4. hypnotherapist was This is a mainly non-competitive festival where amateur a very natural next step. January 2016

Cheryl Shurtliffe, certified hypnotherapist and life coach. will mark the two-year anniversary of Cheryl’s business, Wellness 360 Counselling, Coaching and Consulting.

She specializes in helping people to stop smoking, lose weight, sleep well, and reduce symptoms of stress. And it’s 100% natural!

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5

Memories of a one-room schoolhouse

By Lillian Bufton

M

any of our local schools have had long and colourful histories.

Particularly those that started as the fabled wood-heated, one-room schoolhouse. Scoop writers sometimes hear from one of the teachers who taught in what were still tiny country schools just a few decades ago, and I was recently fortunate enough to speak to one of these hard-working educators, who told us about her experience.

Desmond is a tiny community northeast of Napanee, in Camden Township.

Records show that Philip Switzer and his family were the first to settle in Desmond in 1790 making their home on Varty Lake, where they remained the only residents until the Bell family arrived in 1836. The first school in Desmond was built of logs and sat in the south-west corner of the lot presently occupied by the school building now standing there. There is no record as to the exact date it was built, but children playing in the schoolyard did so in the traces of foundations of that building in the 1890s.

The present building (reportedly the third schoolhouse on the site) was built in 1878 (one year before the Desmond church was built) and the carpenter in charge was Miles Storms, who had the distinction of being the district’s only undertaker and coffin maker. Over the next 78 years, the little red building proudly educated and entertained scores of pupils and revellers.

The school had an adjoining woodhouse, and the wood was contracted for each year by tender and delivered by sleigh.

Then, a small bee of neighbourhood men would spend several hours sawing it up some winter’s afternoon with a buzz saw.

A handyman would be hired to put the wood into the shed the following spring.

Wood was carried from the shed to the school by the pupils. This act was often at the firm suggestion of the teacher, and

probably substituted in some measure for the gymnastics and P.E. classes of today’s school programs.

Eventually the school was wired for electricity, and that act of progress seemed in some way to signal the end of an era. Previously, the school had served as a centre for a variety of community activities, including yearly oyster suppers and Christmas concerts. The oyster supper was inaugurated by the Desmond Telephone Company, but its popularity soon made it into a community project.

The Camden Township History book recounts how “tables were laid atop the desks, gas lamps and lanterns were filled to light the room, and long rolls of paper were laid out as tablecloths.

Oysters were served with long dippers from pails filled with steaming soup. The show-offs ate them raw, hopefully with an audience to wince at the sight, but almost everyone ate them cooked, and in quantities, which along with the beans and salads, and fresh buns, etc. provided by the women folk, filled all to the point of stupor until the challenge of the aftersupper euchres games roused the men folk into a competitive frame of mind.”

I had the pleasure of chatting recently with Sytske Drijver (nee Brandsma), who taught at the Desmond School for one year from 1941-2, and who shared some fond memories of her time there. She told me how, in 1941, after graduating from Hamilton Normal School with her teaching certificate at the age of 21, she scoured the newspapers to find a teaching position in Ontario. She looked for mainly country schools, and was delighted to be offered a position at the school in Desmond. Her monthly pay was less than $80 per month, and she was boarded at the home of Grace and Fred Bell, who owned the farm next to the school. Mrs. Bell had once taught at the school and graciously offered room and board to many (if not all) of

Desmond Public School in 1899, with teacher Effie Bell in a horse-drawn carriage.

Photo courtesy Lennox & Addington Museum and Archives. the Desmond teachers throughout the years. Sytske reminisces how Grace Bell was a “darling” woman, and was like a second mother to her. Being the center of the community, Mrs. Bell introduced her to other young local ladies her age, and encouraged her to become actively involved with the church and community.

Over the 1941-2 school year, Sytske taught about eight students, with some comings and goings. From youngest to oldest: Doreen King (Grade 1), Donna Ramsay (Grades 1, then promoted to Grade 2 in April), Elizabeth Green and Paul McKeown (Grades 2 to 3), James Green and Rosie Pettit (Grade 3 to 4), Janet Huffman, Basil McKeown, and Idell Keech (Grades 4 to 5), Cyril McKeown and Irene Keech (Grades 6 to 7), and Norris Drew (Grade 8). According to Sytske, they were “all very nice country kids and very well behaved” and,

although she had a strap at her disposal, she never had to use it. The room was equipped with large double desks with enough space for two, but since there were usually only about eight students at any one time, each pupil had the luxury of having a double desk of their own.

After her year at Desmond School, Sytske accepted a teaching position in Port Robinson, and then Hamilton, with each school bigger than the previous one.

Then she left teaching to join the army to help with the war efforts. Shortly after, came marriage and six children, and she never returned to teaching full-time.

She speaks warmly of her year teaching in Desmond. She wrote to Mrs. Bell for years afterwards, and has even kept a life-long friend from Varty Lake (near Desmond) to this day. Desmond was a lovely, close, and caring community, where the residents made her feel “accepted and so loved.”

Amherst Island’s Dry Stone Festival

By Andrea Cross

O

n September 25-27, Dry Stone Canada and the Dry Stone Walling Association of Ireland held the Irish-Canadian International Dry Stone Festival on Amherst Island.

Amherst Island was chosen because it contains the largest concentration of historic Irish dry stone walls in Canada.

Many of these structures were built close to 200 years ago and they are still standing today.

Over the three-day period, over 1,200 people attended the event along with 30 dry stone walling workshop participants, and more than 40 professional wallers from Ireland, Scotland, the UK, Canada, and the United States. Even Rick Mercer and his film crew spent the day at the Festival.

The Festival hosted a major Irish dry stone walling workshop, professional international wallers created a major legacy structure, and a children’s workshop using potatoes was led by world-renowned author and waller John Shaw-Rimmington. There was music, Irish dancing, displays, guided historic tours, self-guided dry stone tours, and stone carving demonstrations.

The Irish Dry Stone Wall Workshop was led by world-renowned waller, mason, author, and instructor, Patrick

6

McAfee, with the help of many other professional wallers. During the Festival, two permanent dry stone structures were created – a 100 ft. “sampler wall” displaying a variety of traditional Irish dry stone techniques, and a Celtic Cross embedded in a wall with an opening that perfectly aligned with the setting sun on the last day of the event. The shaft of light that pierced the opening projected on to a carved Claddagh legacy stone representing Irish-Canadian cultural heritage. When the sun broke through the cloudy sky at the right moment, spectators sang, “Here Comes the Sun” led by Bobby Watt. Many of us will never forget that powerful magical moment.

The air was electric with excitement and celebration.

In early spring 2016, a panel will be installed on the site to help interpret all the elements of the permanent dry stone structures. A self-guided dry stone wall tour booklet was created and is available through the Neilson Store Museum & Cultural Centre or Topsy Farms Wool Shed at a nominal fee to cover the costs of printing.

VIPs included: Dr. Ray Bassett, the Ambassador of Ireland to Canada; the Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture & Sport, Hon. Michael Coteau; MPP Sophie Kiwala, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Tourism, Culture & Sport;

THE SCOOP • December 2015 / January 2016

Canadian author Jane Urquhart; the President of the Dry Stone Walling Association of Ireland, Sunny Wieler and Secretary Ken Curran; the dry stone waller for the Queen’s Balmoral Castle Estates in Scotland, Norman Haddow; the Executive Director of the Dry Stone Conservancy of Kentucky, Jane Wooley; and members of the Stone Trust in Vermont.

The positive economic impact of this event has already been felt in the community – with Topsy Farms Wool Shed more than doubling their best day ever in sales on the Saturday of the Festival – followed up in October with many people visiting as a result of the media coverage.

When the setting sun started to pass through the opening of a stone wall on the last day of the Festival.

Photo by Sunny Wieler.

A couple from the Borough of Ards in Northern Ireland came to see the new dry stone walls in October – especially to see the “Ards” stone that was brought over from that area to be placed in the wall. The carved Ards stone was donated by the Women’s Institute in Northern Ireland to commemorate the original immigrants who settled Amherst Island.

It was those settlers who built the historic walls that can be found on the Island today.

Amherst Island is on the map now – for its significant Irish cultural heritage – and people in Canada and elsewhere are coming to see for themselves what makes this Island such a treasure.

A to Z of trees

By Mary Jo Field

D

o you say zee or zed? It matters, because zed is the Canadian way. Strangely, the way “Z” is pronounced fit the theme of tree expert Bruce Bostock’s presentation at an event hosted by the Tamworth – Erinsville GrassRoots Growers on Tuesday, November 10.

and, coupled with already high amounts in alkaline soil, can mean toxic levels.

Plant so that the root collar – where trunk meets root – is at the surface of the soil to allow air exchange. Be sure to remove burlap or at least make sure it is not exposed, to prevent the burlap from wicking moisture up to the air. In poor soil, dig a hole three times the width of the root ball and mix existing soil with good soil. Depth of the hole should remain the same as the root ball. When in doubt, plant higher rather than lower.

If you are wondering how the pronunciation of the letter “Z” relates to the topic at hand, it is because of the emphasis on looking first to native species. Whether it be for beauty, habitat for wildlife, shade, windbreak or sound barrier, or ultimate use as firewood or building material, native is best. Not just native to Canada, but also to the area where you live. Look around to see what thrives in your neighbourhood.

Mr. Bostock also provided much more information, condensed below.

When to plant. Spring is best. The two reasons for this are better selection so you are more likely to get a tree suited to your site, and having a whole season to get established before winter. The latter is especially important for evergreens, which continue to lose moisture through transpiration all winter.

What to plant. Acidity/alkalinity of

To support or not. Trees need some

soil is crucial. Unless you live on the Canadian Shield, most soil in our area is alkaline. Be wary of retailers trying to sell trees that have come from far away and will not adapt to our local conditions.

Most trees drop either leaves or fruit/ nuts or both, so be prepared to deal with it. Other things to consider – soil type (clay/sand/loam), and site – (sun/shade, flat/sloped, wet/dry, windy/sheltered).

movement to develop strong roots: do not tie up a new transplant so firmly that it cannot bend with the wind. For smaller trees, two or three stakes with pantyhose work well. Trees with a heavy root ball should not need staking. A large tree planted by the tree spade method will require much longer staking. In all cases, remove ties before they strangle the tree.

What form to buy. Bagged and balled is probably best. Alternatives include seeds and slips, which usually take a long time to reach significant size but suffer less from transplant shock. With container-grown plants, there is risk of them being root bound. Bare root trees must be planted very soon after purchase. For immediate effect, the tree spade method uses specialized heavy equipment to dig both a large tree and hole, but there is the risk of “shiny compressed edges” which must be eliminated by roughing up all shiny surfaces, a very difficult task.

years after planting, to avoid rapid growth that may be damaged by severe weather. Use compost as a surface treatment. Do not rake up leaves unless absolutely necessary. If you must rake, compost the leaves or rake them into gardens to break down, replenishing the soil.

How to plant. Do not use transplant fertilizer, which is high in phosphates

Bruce Bostock on knowing your local environment to select the right tree.

Photo by David Field. that compresses the cut end. Place the blade next to the trunk, so as not to leave a stump. About pruning larger trees, Mr. Bostock has two words – DO NOT! Apparently, the on-the-job mortality rate for professional tree pruners is higher than for fire fighters and police officers.

Hire a professional.

Recognizing good health in trees. Look for consistency in growth

increments, leaf and bud size, and leaf colour. Change in leaf colour too early in the year is frequently a sign of trouble.

Fertilizer is often used at the first sign of trouble, but it is usually a panacea. Better to consult an expert for both problems and pesticides that are now mostly banned for household use.

Fertilizing. Do not fertilize for two

Harking back to the “plant native” theme, the speaker commented several times on Norway maples, usually chosen for their fast growth. They are invasive and choke out everything else nearby, so are best avoided. Be vigilant and responsible and use native trees. Say zed.

Pruning. Young trees may be pruned to encourage sound structure and pleasing shape, making sure branches are not too close together and are evenly spaced around the tree. Once established, do not interfere more than necessary (i.e. remove damaged, diseased or dangerous branches). The best tool for the job is bypass secateurs, not the anvil type

There are always many people to thank for such an event – Bruce Bostock for his time and expertise; St. Patrick School

and the very helpful custodian, Chris Georgiou; Marilyn McGrath for the tasty tree-themed treats; Tim Gray from Trees Ontario for his informative display; Colleen Martin-Fabius for assistance with the seed exchange; Susie Meisner and Tom Brown for hosting the speaker and his wife; and all the GRG helpers. And thank you to everyone who attended, especially those who made a donation towards keeping these events free and open to all.

Tamworth/Erinsville GrassRoots Growers is a community-based group. Our mission is to encourage interest in local and organic gardening for both the home garden and the market garden; to raise awareness of issues surrounding food production; to improve our practical knowledge of all aspects of plant life; and to provide networking opportunities for gardeners. We welcome new members.

Visit our website at te-grassrootsgrowers. weebly.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS – check our website for news of our next event planned for early spring and our annual Plant and Seedling Sale at the end of May.

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December 2015 / January 2016 • THE SCOOP

7

A Natural View Darkness of early morning a time for pondering

By Terry Sprague

A

that I will be missing some of those early morning winter walks that I always enjoyed taking early in the season when the air was crisp and the snow crunched underfoot. It will take time to build up my strength and stamina again. At least, until February when my new hip will soon learn that it is expected to propel an avid outdoor enthusiast daily, and not just support a winter couch potato.

s I write this in late October, I have just returned home from a three-day stay in Belleville General Hospital. It was my very first time overnight in a hospital since the age of 12, almost 60 years ago! Not a bad record for an old guy, who has never broken a bone, rarely gets a cold, and hasn’t had the flu in well over a decade.

Last summer, I started experiencing serious issues with my left hip. X-rays determined that after 40 years of leading hikes all over eastern Ontario, my hip had decided that it could take no more; it was time for some new parts. Friends were correct. Hip replacements had become routine surgery in recent years.

Operated on one day, learned to walk and climb stairs the next, and sent home on the following day. And through the miracle of spinal anaesthesia, I was semiconscious throughout the entire 90-minute procedure, hearing their conversations, and feeling the vibration when the new part was tapped into place in my femur.

On those mornings at 5:30 a.m. in past winters, I always donned my reflective safety vest, put on my LED headlamp, and set off on my morning walk to a marina on the shore of the Bay of Quinte.

It was about a five-kilometre walk and there was just a hint of daylight on the horizon when I returned an hour later.

Even at that early hour, there were three or four cars, many of them commuters in our rural community. If their occupants waved, I certainly didn’t see them in the glare of the headlights, but I was acknowledged as many flicked their headlights every morning in greeting. I seemed to be a fixture, and sometimes met the same vehicles in the same spots every morning. All of us were on a schedule of some sort, including the resident OPP officer who would activate his lights upon meeting me.

He was someone I used to work with at Sandbanks Provincial Park many years earlier.

The surgeon assured me that I will be doing handsprings down the Main Street of Picton by spring. I am looking forward to that, as I haven’t done handsprings since I attended high school in the early 1960s.

When you read this, I still may be hobbling along with a cane. Perhaps not.

At 71, I don’t take to being confined very well, but I was told that the healing was about a 12-week process. It seems certain

My schedule always fluctuated according to the month. The longer the days, the earlier I began my walk, for it was the stillness and darkness of early morning

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A special thank you for your support in 2015 from Dr. Calvin Lane DVM and Staff

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Our driveway that I exit to take my winter walk. Photo by Terry Sprague. that I relished each day. For me, it was the magic of early morning, when mysterious rustles in the underbrush conjured up images of anything from a squirrel to something much larger.

“Aren’t you afeared?” friends jocularly asked, listing off uncertainties like coyotes and other unknowns out there in a world of cold darkness. On several occasions, a coyote did pass in front of me, its outline somewhat ethereal in the beam of my headlamp. I relished moments like that, as I had no fear of what I couldn’t see or understand. It added to the mystique of the winter walk.

Winter walks were always special to me before it was fully light. It was a chance to concentrate on sounds – the creaking of trees stressed by cold temperatures, a distant great horned owl calling, and the sounds of ice fishermen who were already on the Bay of Quinte in the dark before I even reached the shoreline.

Along the way, old farm buildings, all but abandoned now and enveloped in tall grass and weeds, and banked with snow. Our buildings, at one time. The barn my parents built in 1951 and clad in its original metal, still in remarkably good shape, as is the 50-foot silo I used to clamber up regularly. The graves of past dogs I owned scattered around the backyard, now unmarked, but their locations firmly imprinted in my mind, and I always said a few words to them telepathically as I passed by. Sometimes I

paused, and thought of those days when my parents and I farmed together as a family, and actually ate meals together.

Good times that made their way into a 200-page book four years ago, Up Before Five – the Family Farm.

The pond I used to skate on as its outline began to take shape in the faint hint of morning, and the long since fallen elm under which the cows used to take their noon siesta. I recalled my searches for Baltimore oriole nests in its branches every summer when I was a kid. Of days on the tractor seat, watching vesper sparrows running in furrows ahead of the tractor wheel, and in winter, flocks of snow buntings cartwheeling along over the meadows. It seems so long ago.

Trees now where crops grew, and silence where cows once moaned and chewed their cud.

For now as I heal and my legs regain their former strength, I will have to be content with the blue jays gathering in the roadside elms preparatory to roaring into the feeders as they do every morning.

The new hip joint is not yet aware what lies in store, once February and strength return.

For more information on birding and nature, check out the NatureStuff website at www.naturestuff.net. Terry Sprague lives in Prince Edward County and is selfemployed as a professional interpretive naturalist.

3rd Annual Candlelight Memorial Service Saturday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hannah Funeral Home in Tamworth We would like to extend a warm invitation for you to attend our third Candlelight Memorial Service. A time of refreshment and friendship will follow.

This service will offer a warm and thoughtful tribute in honour of those who have gone before us and remain close to our hearts. Each person will be remembered by lighting a candle and their name announced. We are inviting all of the members of families we have served here in the last year, and a welcome is extended to our community.

The service will feature beautiful live seasonal music with a special memorial message from Rev. Barbara Mahood and Rev. Frank Hamper.

We hope this will provide you comfort and peace.

Reflections on our first year

By Leah Birmingham

I

t is hard to believe that a year has passed since we started moving into our new wildlife hospital at Sandy Pines. As with any growth, there have been successes and growing pains along the way.

From my perspective, the new hospital has given us a safer, healthier workplace.

We now have the room we need to accomplish our daily tasks without bumping into each other, or into the cages housing our patients. From air quality to ergonomics, the new building is without a doubt a better place for staff and volunteers. Another advantage is having the space to house different species in separate rooms. This provides greater distance for both predators and prey species. Anecdotally, our success rate with bunnies, ducklings, and songbirds has improved. I also believe we were able to better control illnesses, which can spread easily when you have too many animals housed in a small space.

During our annual open house fundraiser in May of this year, our community got the chance to see the new hospital first hand. For those that had never seen the old building we used to work out of, I enjoyed touring them through it after our tour of the new hospital. Many people commented on how amazing it was that we had been able to fit all of our patients into the old building and had room to move about! It is hard to believe that we managed with that small space for over 15 years and we reflected on it many times this summer. It is one of the things that make me so proud of the

team I work with. We are able to adapt and accommodate each patient as they arrive, and often have to be “outside of the box” thinkers to make limited space and time work for the demand of wildlife in need of care. Nothing is very predictable when you work with wildlife, other than knowing that we will have many orphaned patients in the spring and summer. We often end up caring for species we have never had before, such as a black bear cub, moose calf, or yellow-nosed albatross.

Even with our fantastic team, there were moments of struggle; moments of learning how to best use the new space while keeping a close eye on hundreds of patients in different stages of healing or maturing. We face this every summer because we try not to shut our doors when we are “full” or alter the level of care we give them. Instead, we sacrifice our own time, sometimes working longer days, because we are all committed to helping wildlife. Thankfully, we have supportive families that understand the role we have taken on, and give us the support we need to accomplish it.

A big “game-changer” for us this year has been the addition of a digital X-ray unit. We designed the building to accommodate an X-ray room, but we saw it as something that would come in time, and would likely take a large fundraising initiative. During the open house in May, we were stunned to hear that the generous donors who donated half a million dollars for this new hospital were also going to donate the funds needed to purchase an X-ray machine

Leah holding an injured beaver riddled with buckshot in the new X-ray room at Sandy Pines. this summer! In early September, we were taking our first X-rays. This new diagnostic tool has advanced the care we give wildlife. Finally, we can visualize what is going on internally with our patients. This has helped us diagnose buckshot in a beaver, fishing tackle in a loon, and fractured bones that would have been difficult to diagnose by feel alone. We have X-rayed the tiniest of patients such as a hummingbird, to the largest so far, a 15 kg beaver! For both patients, we were able to discern the best course of treatment much faster than we would have before. An added bonus of the X-ray being digital is that we can send the images to wildlife veterinary

Bring Home the Feeling of Christmas

specialists all over North America if needed. This improves our ability to give the injured wildlife of South Eastern Ontario the best care possible.

We are very proud of the new hospital, and the care we give our wild patients when they are in need. So far this year, we have helped nearly 2700 patients, who were originally found and rescued by members of our community. Now our community can be even more proud of this unique facility, one of only a few throughout the province that can offer a high level of veterinary care to wild mammals, birds, and reptiles that are native to Ontario.

Wishing You A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !

Sincerely, Clarence A. Kennedy

Silent Night Holy Night

May the Christmas Season fill your home with joy, your heart with love and your life with laughter!

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672 Addington Street, Tamworth 613-379-2440 December 2015 / January 2016 • THE SCOOP

9

Sir John A. returns to Amherst Island

By Sally Bowen

O

ver 140 years have passed since Sir John A. MacDonald, our ‘Father of Confederation”, first visited Amherst Island to give a rousing speech.

This time he was more silent, but still made quite an impact.

This Sir John A. has been created entirely of wool, needle-felted. He is an amazingly realistic, life-sized, welldressed sculpture, who rode in the front passenger seat of a car, attracting amazed stares. Out of the car, he travels in an antique ‘push-chair’.

He “lives,” much of the time, clutching an empty glass, awaiting his next refill.

The effigy of our many times former Prime Minister was created by Gesina Laird-Buchanan in her home in Napanee.

Earlier this year, the 200th anniversary of his birth, he was constructed for the

Gesina reveals that “it took 8 small fleeces to create him. Some days I felt so obsessed with his evolving form that I worked on him non-stop from 8 a.m. until after midnight.” Gesina is an experienced sculptor in clay (see studiogesina.weebly.com ). Working with wool was new to her, but she took to the medium readily, finding many similarities to clay sculpting.

She says “I started with his head and face. If I couldn’t succeed in finding his true likeness, there was no point in working on his body.”

Sir John’s hands have a wire armature, so adjust readily. He was glad to let go of the wool armfuls, and to again clutch his empty glass.

Gesina says that “at home, he prefers to sit near the fireplace – it is also rather near the liquor cabinet.”

The SCOOP

Peeking boldly under his cuffs and under his pant leg, one finds felted wool everywhere.

He graciously (well, grumpily) agreed to let go of his glass for a few minutes to hold a great armful of washed and carded wool or “roving” in the Topsy Farms Wool Shed, demonstrating the medium from which he was built.

We didn’t ask him to hold felting needles,

WISHES SCOOP READERS A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON

thinking he might be sensitive on that point. Creator Gesina purchased a giant bag or two of wool from Topsy in anticipation of her next project.

occasion of the Sir John A. Macdonald ACBL (American Contract Bridge League) Regional Bridge Tournament in Kingston.

is looking for writers!

Are you a community-minded person who loves to write, and would like to have fun making The Scoop the best little newsmagazine in the area?

Contact Karen: stonemills.scoop@gmail.com This needle-felted Sir John A. Macdonald was made entirely of wool.

Photo by Brian Little.

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THE SCOOP • December 2015 / January 2016

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The Blake Island story

From Verdun to Yarker

By Margaret Axford, Cloyne & District Historical Society

By Ron Betchley

H

istory is most often told through the actions of many; perhaps it is most profoundly felt through the singular actions of a few. The story of Flying Officer William Blake has had a lasting effect on his nieces and nephews and their families, as well of course in a most profound way on his brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Edna Blake.

His story was first told to the CDHS at our annual pot luck gathering in July, 2006. Joanne Volpe, a summer – time neighbour of Richard Blake, told us about a pilot who had given his life in WW II to give his crew a chance to live. That man was Flying Officer William Vincent Blake, brother of Richard Blake of Guelph, now 96. The story was captivating. [Editor’s note: The Island on Lake Skootamata near Cloyne was named for William Blake. His family have owned property and spent summers on the Island for years.]

In April of 1944, F/O William Blake, in his early twenties, was flying a Handley Page Halifax MkII when it was attacked

by German fire over the Baltic Sea close to the coast of Sweden. The damage to the plane was significant. The mid-upper gunner had been wounded. In order to help his crew survive the attack, Blake flew the plane over southern Sweden where he ordered all of the 6 to bale out, which they did. At that point, the aircraft became uncontrollable; Blake managed to get the plane back out over water before it crashed into the sea near Solvesborg, Sweden. In spite of the attempts of divers, his body was never found.

To Richard and Edna Blake and their children, and now grandchildren, this event in 1944 became a defining moment in their family stories. After Joanne Volpe’s presentation to the CDHS, it seemed appropriate to commemorate William Blake, who was so dear to his brother Richard. And so, a plaque was created, which was installed in a small ceremony on Blake Island in Lake Skootamatta on July 1, 2007.

Part two of this story takes place in London England, where a researcher named Kate Tame came across the CDHS website and read the story of F/O William Blake, who had been awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross in February of 1944. Kate Tame does work searching the stories of WW II airmen for a British website called Aircrew Remembered.

She was enthralled with this story and wondered if we had photos and perhaps local information. Eventually, she posted

the whole story as we both knew it on her website. Included in her report of the events of April, 1944, are biographies of 4 of the 6 crew who baled out and survived. To check out her account, go to www.aircrewremembered.com.

No one knew that there would be a Part Three of the story until this summer when we heard that a memorial to honour F/O Blake, DFC was being erected in Solvesborg, Sweden. From an article in the Hamilton Spectator, October 12, 2015, it appears that a Swedish citizen living in Solvesborg came across the story on its 70th anniversary in April 2014. He was impressed enough by the heroic actions of the pilot to organize this event, which included tracking down the Blake family in Canada to invite them to the dedication of the memorial on September 19, 2015. When I talked with Richard Blake on the phone to ask him if he was going to attend, he replied that he was not. “My family thinks I am too old to make that journey” he said, acknowledging that it would be a tremendous effort physically. However, five of his family members did attend.

Those five, two daughters of Dick and Edna, their husbands and a granddaughter, found the Swedish people welcoming, friendly and helpful.

The memorial is not unlike our own, a small cairn with a plaque. As part of the ceremony, the two Blake daughters went out in a boat and dropped a wreath on the water at approximately the spot where it is believed their uncle’s plane went down. Even the telling of the event is moving; actually being there would have been both heartwarming and incredibly sad.

F/O Blake has had two commendations for his wartime accomplishments, one in 1957 with the naming of a lake after him in the NorthWest Territories and the second his Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded as a result of an amazing effort in February, 1944 when his plane was attacked eleven times by enemy aircraft before he could successfully bomb his target. His family has tried for a commendation in light of the heroic actions which led to his death a mere two months later. However, they were told that their efforts were too late; no awards have been made for WW II actions since 1950. Knowing that, it seems even more important for organizations such as our own to do what we can to shine a light on such courage and self sacrifice and to be truly grateful.

William Blake’s Distinguished Flying Cross and his flying log before his death on April 23, 1944. Photo by Mathew McCarthy, Waterloo Region Record.

I

n our travels to the corners of the world, it has always been amusing to watch the inquisitive facial expressions of people we meet when in telling them that we hail from a place called “Yarker.” Inevitably, the responding question is “And where is that?” In turn, we reply, “Just south of Moscow”. Watching the cerebrum geography maps unfold in an attempt to locate us, the oft-questioning reply is, “Are you Russian?” At this point, we reveal our nationality and the location of our little village in Ontario, revealing also the intended humour behind our points of reference in our resident location.

we realized that Kingston would be a good fit for us as a supply point for a home somewhere nearby but about the countryside. Therefore, taking a scaled map of the area, we placed a compass point in the center of the city of Kingston and drew an arc from about Napanee to Gananoque. The pencil line chanced to intersect and alter the letter “Y” in Yarker and when attempting to reveal our geographical preferences for a new home to our real estate agent, we suggested that we should look about the town of “Farker.” With laughter in his correction, we drove from Kingston out here, through the scenic back roads of the county. But in our exploration for our new home, I curiously noted the posting of the occasional small sign pointing the direction to none other than “Moscow”. In a flood of memories, I then recalled that I had been here many times before, albeit on the pages of a book and thought, perhaps, being here now was indeed destiny. Soon thereafter we found our sought after home and have these past 25 plus years enjoyed and loved living right here in our Village of Yarker, and as you know, located “just south of Moscow”.

Perhaps it was destiny that I would one day reside in Yarker, for I have been aware of its existence since I was a young lad living in Verdun, Quebec.

And that was some 70 odd years ago.

The Encyclopedia Britannica, the many volumes of which were made available to my two sisters and I through the successful charisma and enticement of a door-to-door salesman, were the “computers” of our day. The small monthly payment for the set seemed to have gone on long after my father returned from the war. But the most informative contents of those pages were Cloyne & District devoured in our home, fond memories of Historical Society Events which occur when currently attempting to scan the Internet via Google. We Sat Dec 5, 10:00: Northbrook Santa Claus three children each had different and Parade. We have an entry in the parade. varied interests, geography being one of mine, a subject abundantly covered Mon Dec 7, 11:30: Christmas luncheon at in a multitude of glossy coloured pages Harlowe Hall call Sandra 613.336.0157 to and maps. Back then of course, the war reserve. in Europe was a day-to-day subject, in Mon Jan 18: CDHS meeting at the Cloyne our homes, on the street and on the CBC. Hall, 1:00. All welcome.

I was made aware of the many names Sat Jan 23: Robbie Burns Supper, 5:30 of cities that were being devastating Lions Hall Northbrook. Call Gordon for destroyed by the war, not least of which, tickets 613.336.0157. on the eastern front, the city of Moscow.

Many a page of photos was found throughout those volumes, so the name Moscow remained a location familiar to me. However, one day, in crossreferencing an index, I was taken to a page and a map of Ontario.

There on the page, I discovered, with as 12 Concession Street much excitement of an early explorer, yet another “Moscow.”

613-358-YOGA In digesting the duplication and use yogatogo@bellnet.ca of that city name, I www.yogatogo.ca came to understand the origin of my own Do you experience sore shoulders, tight hips, or an aching back? city, Verdun. And so it The practice of yoga helps these issues. was upon those pages of detailed maps It releases tension from the body, and promotes a sense of well being. that my index finger traveled the many Classes in Amherstview, Bath, Bellrock, Centreville, highways and roads Enterprise, Kingston, Newburgh, and Switzerville. of this very area, while introducing ALL LEVEL YOGA CLASSES WITH JACKIE ARE FUN AND RELAXING me to the names of the many towns and villages en route, Yarker of course having being among them.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Nearly half a century later when personal health triggered early retirement, we decided to leave Quebec and retire to Ontario.

Dismissing the mega sized city locations,

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MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

December 2015 / January 2016 • THE SCOOP

11

wing that ds. Even as drawn n family’s lked as a g up. Bev ador Rece in her oving Lab

One way I can enjoy both their businesses is when I go to purchase fresh bread, smoked almonds or specialty cheese, I bring one of my dogs, sit on the patio and talk By Catherine “dogs” withColes Dalton. Sounds like a new show: Dogs with f there is one word thatDalton… seems tonevinspire fear and loathing in library erpatrons a dog’sand breakfast! library staff alike, it is FINES. People don’t like to be told they The website for the Rehave fines to pay and, trust me, library staff don’t love giving people the bad gal Beagle www.regalbeagleunnews either. Luckily for both, there are a leashed.com offers a wealth of infew programs that we run at the County Libraries that lessen the blow of fines formation for some dog lovers. while extending goodwill to our users.

The website for the Bakery is in Once again, all eight branches of the progress: www.riverbakery.com

Fresh starts at the library Holiday traditions

I

library will be running a “Food 4 Fines” amnesty program for the entire month of December. thisBev. period, all branch Top photo: During Dalton and locations will accept non-perishable food Bottom: Dalton, andoverdue Bev. library items in place ofAnita, cash for fiPhoto nes. “Food 4 Fines” provides credits: Barry Lovegrove. library users with the opportunity to clear their record, return overdue materials, and support local food banks. Fines for items will be waived on a one to one ratio; it’s simply one item of food for each book overdue. Fees for lost or damaged books are not eligible.

Regularly offering an amnesty program like this is win-win. Yes, it helps support great local organizations that help people in the community, but it is also self-serving in a way. Fines often act as a barrier to library patrons and by removing small fines, we can encourage community members to come back to the Library and use its services. It would be a minor tragedy if a member of the community was prevented from library use because they owed us a few dollars!

To help remove barriers and support literacy initiatives for children, we never charge overdue fines on children’s materials borrowed on children’s cards.

Reading is an essential skill for children we want them to have free access to library materials without worrying about the threat of overdue fines. We hope this will also encourage more children to register for and use their own library cards, building on their sense of ownership and responsibility. Charges related to lost or damaged items are still applicable, however, and to ensure the equitable access of high demand material we continue to encourage children to return materials or renew on time.

BUCKET TRUCK SERVICES - FULLY INSURED

By Grace Smith

A brand new initiative we will be launching in 2016 is the “Get out of jail free” card. Our homage to Monopoly, this card will entitle patrons to a one time waive of overdue fines. We’ll be handing them out at the beginning of the year (one per person!) and periodically on special occasions thereafter.

You may be wondering at this point why in the midst of all these amnesty programs do we continue having overdue fines at all? Well, when a customer borrows something from a public library, they enter into a contract with the service to take care of the item while it is in their possession and return it at a specified time. These are the terms and conditions under which the service operates, and are clearly stated at the outset of membership. Public libraries are a community resource and as such, everybody has a right to use them. This means that we need to try to provide equitable access to all of our resources and if customers do not return their items in a timely manner, this deprives other users of that resource.

It also makes us, the library, look bad because of longer wait times and a lack of immediate availability of materials.

We, of course, put the revenue from fines towards buying more books to try to offset this.

Also, in our library system, we make it easy to avoid fines in the first place.

Patrons with e-mail addresses are sent a notification that their books are about to become overdue a few days before the fact and everyone has the options to renew in person, online via our website, by telephone or by email. If you would like to sign up for email courtesy notification, just ask a staff member.

So, there are indeed reasons for fines, but there is no reason to let a fine prevent you from using our services. In January, we’ll also be wiping the slate clean on books lost before 2015, so if you haven’t visited the library in a few years there should be no financial barriers to prevent you from returning.

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Christmas Blessings

T

he holiday season is perhaps my favourite time of the year. Despite my dislike of the cold and all things winter, I can’t help but feel all warm and fuzzy about Christmas.

With Thanksgiving behind me, I began thinking about what makes this time of year so special to me. And I realized that most of what came to mind revolved around those I love and the things we do together.

In the last few years, we’ve begun to kick off the holiday season by bingewatching Christmas movies. This begins on November 1st—the earliest date to be publicly excited about Christmas.

We swap our scary movies for holiday movies of all types. Our family collectively watches dozens upon dozens of Christmas movies leading up to the big day.

Next comes Christmas tree decorating.

With a family as large as ours, this can be a hectic event. But it’s one that we always remember. With eight of us, we’ve accumulated quite a collection of ornaments; we’ve even had to sacrifice a couple in the last few years so that the tree doesn’t topple over. It always ends up looking like a hodgepodge. But it’s our tree and we love it.

We usually try to squeeze in a holiday baking day as well. With so many schedules on the go, we have to do all the baking in one day. We head over to my Ma’s house because she has the largest kitchen and we make all sorts of goodies as well as a bit of a mess. Cookies, fudge, and squares galore!

This tides us over until the big event.

Dave, Barb, Kallista & Shae-Lynn Way

THE SCOOP • December 2015 / January 2016

After Santa’s visit, we trek home for the night. It feels like we’re just laying down to sleep when my younger siblings rush in for the 7 a.m. wake-up call. We’re allowed to go through our stockings while we wait for everyone to groggily make their way downstairs. Then we open gifts one at a time until they’re all gone.

Opening gifts is my favourite part of the day. Now that I’m an adult and I buy gifts for my loved ones, I realize the joy that can be felt when giving gifts. I love picking out things, and I’m usually the first person in my family to finish their shopping.

After gift-giving, we muddle around before we leave for Christmas dinner at Ma’s. She spends countless hours preparing the meal. And most of us literally count down the days until we get to enjoy her famous mashed potatoes.

We always leave Christmas dinner feeling both content and full.

Traditions are what make the holiday season so magical. But we should be open to making some of our own. So no matter what you celebrate, the holidays are more than just gifts: it’s about the things that you do and the people that you do it with that can make them so special.

Winter’s approach in Yarker

By Lena Koch

T

he year is ending and nature is preparing for winter. Almost all the leaves have fallen from the trees, and a coloured rug enhances the bare floor of the lonely trails. Solitary snowflakes drift down like feathers and the wind begins to blow stronger.

A woodpecker hammers on a tree.

Without leaves, you can see his artwork.

He has already made some big holes, and a little squirrel is near with nuts to store in it. Perhaps he can use this one for a bigger house where he can store more food for the oncoming winter. There is still enough time until the first snow arrives.

A few robins are still around. They are usually migrating birds, so perhaps these ones have acclimatized and have adopted the area as their permanent home. People feed birds all winter, so it is possible they have adapted their diet from the protein of worms and insects in

the summer to grain and bread to survive the winter season.

The walnut, oak, and pine trees did not bear as much fruit as in previous years.

The old farmer’s almanac predicts that if there is little fruit for the animals, then the winter will be mild with little snow.

Plenty of fruit brings on a long, cold winter with heavy snow. Well, this year it looks like it will be the opposite.

After a long frosty night, a strong wind brings more snow clouds from the north.

The colourful carpet of leaves changes overnight into a soft white blanket. The holidays are getting closer and most children have started wondering if we will have a white Christmas. Perhaps with any luck, the snow will stay on the ground.

Every year, Mother Nature travels through the four seasons and does what she thinks is best for humans, plants, and animals. She can be moody but also loving and we have to expect Linda Pierce her whims. It is easier to live with her if Administrator you respect what she willingly provides.

166 Pleasant Drive

to All….

MERRY CHRISTMAS

On Christmas Eve, we have a family get-together, again at Ma’s, our holiday location. But this isn’t an ordinary gettogether. For as long as I can remember, Santa has always made a surprise appearance at the party. He comes bearing stockings and gifts for all. I will say, however, these last few years he’s looked an awful lot like my uncle, shhh!

35

Years of Service

Selby, ON K0K 2Z0

Phone: 613 388-2693 Fax: 613 388-2694 Email: lpierce@omniway.ca

“Hope, Purpose & Belonging in Long Term Care”

So ends the old year and the new one follows right away.

What will it bring us?

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all.

L&A County Library programs & events December

January

Amherstview

Amherstview

Tech Talks – Monday – Thursday by appt.

PuppyTales – Wednesdays @ 10:30 a.m.

The Learning Circle – Fridays @ 10:30 a.m.

Maker Club – Saturdays @ 10:30 a.m.

Tech Talks – Monday – Thursday by appt.

PuppyTales – Wednesdays @ 10:30 a.m.

The Learning Circle – Fridays @ 10:30 a.m.

Maker Club – Saturdays @ 10:30 a.m.

Bath

Bath

Camden East

Camden East

Maker Club – Wednesdays @ 6:30 p.m.

Storytime – Mondays @ 10 a.m.

Napanee

The Learning Circle – Mondays @ 10:30 a.m.

Tech Talks – Monday – Thursday by appt.

PuppyTales – Wednesdays @ 10:30 a.m.

Maker Club – Saturdays @ 10:30 a.m.

South Fredericksburgh

Maker Club – Thursdays @ 6:30 p.m.

Yarker

Maker Club – Wednesdays @ 6:30 p.m.

Storytime – Mondays @ 10 a.m.

Napanee

Tech Talks – Monday – Thursday by appt.

Computer Classes – Mondays @ 10:30 a.m. registration required 613.354.2525 PuppyTales – Wednesdays @ 10:30 a.m.

The Learning Circle – Thursdays @ 10:30 a.m.

Maker Club – Saturdays @ 10:30 a.m.

Book Club –October 19 and November 16 Maker Club – Thursdays @ 6:30 p.m.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Yarker

For the month of December we will be accepting non-perishable food items for fines in support of local food banks.

The waiver applies only to current fines and does not apply to charges for lost or damaged items. They cannot be used as a credit towards future fines.

Storytime with Santa

Join us for a very special storytime with Santa on December 7 at 10:30 a.m. at the Napanee Branch and December 11 at 10:30 a.m. at the Amherstview Branch.

This program will include stories, crafts, cookies AND photos with Santa.

Lennox & Addington Resources for Children has a new home!

While in Napanee stop in to see our new office and playroom at 465 Advance Avenue.

The Ontario Early Centre Playroom is open Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. —3:00 p.m.

Saturday 9:30—11:30 a.m.

Check out our Facebook page for parenting resources and LARC program info.

For more information contact LARC at 613 354-6318.

Yarker Free Methodist Church December 20, 6:30 p.m.

Country Christmas Gospel Music Event with special guest musicians and a performance by the Children’s Church group. Everyone welcome.

By Chad Taylor

L

ast year, Enterprise School Council embarked on a journey to improve the schoolyard by ordering and installing a new play structure for our students. This amazing structure was installed last year and has benefited the students significantly. This was a huge undertaking for our school and school council as it required a substantial financial commitment. The School Council and community members of Enterprise have been fantastic in their fundraising efforts over the past one and a half years. Part of the fundraising efforts was to apply to Hydro One for a

grant. We were extremely pleased to find out that we had been awarded the Power Play Grant for $5000!

On Thursday November 26, Mike Rollins from Hydro One presented a cheque to the school for $5000. We cannot thank Hydro One enough for their generous contribution, and also our School Council for their dedicated efforts to improve the yard at Enterprise Public School. It truly has been a community effort, and many thanks to all those who have supported the school in this endeavour.

South Fredericksburgh

Maker Club – Tuesdays @ 6:30 p.m.

Food 4 Fines – December 1 – 31

Kids & Parents Enterprise Public School gets boost from Hydro One

Maker Club – Tuesdays @ 6:30 p.m.

SPECIAL EVENTS Family Literacy Day

January 30 at 10:00 a.m. – Join us for a Family Literacy Day Concert with Jay and the Barn Flyz at the Newburgh Community Hall. All are welcome to attend this FREE event.

Check out www.countylibrary.ca for more information and additional programs starting in January.

RIVERSIDE UNITED CHURCH (Sunday services are 9:30-10:30 am; Sunday School program takes place during time of worship) Sunday, Nov. 29: Advent I HOPE. Holy Communion.

Sunday, Dec. 6: Advent II PEACE. Sunday, Dec. 13: Advent III JOY. The Christmas gift bags for families in need will be returned, to be distributed to the children in the coming week.

Sunday, Dec. 20: Advent IV LOVE. Sunday School Pageant Presentation.

Thursday, Dec. 24: Christmas Eve Candle Light Worship at 8:00 p.m.; Holy Communion.

Sunday, Dec. 27: Family worship, 9:30 am.

Come as you are – informal celebration of the nativity.

Answers to the Christmas acrostic on the Puzzle Page (page 14):

New play structure at Enterprise Public School.

DOUGLAS BANKS PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT REPAIRS 986 Brown Road, Enterprise, Ontario K0K 1Z0 www.photographicrepairs.com douglas@photographicrepairs.com (613) 331-1871 Mention this ad and receive a Digital Camera Cleaning for “Half Price” 50% Off

Camera Lessons available or give a Gift Certificate to someone for Christmas Est. in 1989, over 25 years of experience and more than 30,000 completed repairs. Service all brands, makes, and models of photographic equipment, and specialize in projector repairs.

As well as servicing equipment, we stock and sell thousands of parts and accessories, specializing in Kodak projector parts.

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Most repairs are done within 48 hours.

Service & Sales CAMERAS • LENSES • FLASHGUNS • PROJECTORS • ACCESSORIES CLEANING / TESTING / ADJUSTMENTS

December 2015 / January 2016 • THE SCOOP

13

Answer WORDS: (A) rathskeller, (B) gravy, (C) off its oats, (D) drawers of water, (E) Doubleday, (F) enthymeme, (G) nethermost, (H) hither and yon, (I) I diet, (J) Snow White, (K) thriving, (L) ormolu, (M) retribution, (N) yuletide, (O) organ, (P) feathery, (Q) Cheech, (R) hewers of wood, (S) refreshed,(T) Ishmael, (U) Shoshone, (V) tawed, (W) mystery writers, (X) After the Bath, (Y) shifting SOLUTION is from R[umer] Godden, “[The] History of Christmas” in The Reader’s Digest Book of Christmas (1973): “The wonder of the star was ... no one but the Magi saw it. To Mary, their homage ... would have seemed unearthly,... but there were those earthly gifts...[T]he Wise Men were seers: they offered this [child] gold for His royalty, frankincense for His divinity, myrrh for bitter death and sorrow.”

Puzzle Page Michael Rehner of Roblin has been making up one of these acrostic puzzles for family and friends every Christmas for decades, and serious word-puzzle freaks look forward to getting the year’s offering. This puzzle has a special Christmas theme.

HOW TO DO IT: This puzzle consists of 25 CLUES (see below), 25 corresponding answer WORDS of various lengths, and a SOLUTION grid (see right) of 221 numbered squares.

To solve the puzzle, read the CLUES and fill in the WORDS blanks with the appropriate words. Your first pass through the clues may fill in only a few words; do not worry, more will come clear later and some first guesses may prove incorrect. When you’ve figured out a clue, transfer the letters from the words blanks to the correspondingly numbered squares in the solution grid. Dark squares separate words and some words run onto the next line. As the solution gets filled in it will form the words and sentences of a quoted passage about Christmas.

You can transfer any letters from words that begin to appear in the solution back into the appropriate blank spaces of your unanswered clue/words. As an added help, the first letters of the 25 answer words in sequence spell author & title of the source of the SOLUTION passage.

The answer words and solution are on the Kids & Parents page 13.

CLUES

WORDS

CLUES

WORDS

A) Johannes’s & Ulrike’s basement- A) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ style pub 157 213 30 143 68 172 94 62 165 120 18

N) ‘tis the season

N) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 106 61 149 70 85 36 186 67

B) profit easily obtained (slang) & a B) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ holiday dinner must with stuffing 35 218 101 188 82

O) “king of instruments”

O) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 05 201 151 20 75

C) maybe said of a horse not feed- C) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ing or working well (3 words) 220 180 11 108 103 117 60 38 131 130

P) extremely soft, light, finely cut

P) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 168 128 56 86 104 76 93 167

D) last 3 of 6 words re Canada as exporter of resources (see Clue R below)

R) first 3 of 6 words re low status R) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ of 19th C Canada & of Israel’s 158 88 59 125 207 216 24 137 04 156 97 154 neighbours in “Joshua” 9:21ff (see clue D above)

D) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 73 139 170 19 08 124 160 43 155 91 77 D concluded) ___ ___ ___ 114 52 16

F) argument with a premise or F) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ conclusion omitted but implicit 127 22 142 183 193 119 100 55 209 G) lowest down

G) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 06 50 205 113 90 169 71 181 145 12

H) more or less anywhere from here to beyond (3 words)

H) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 212 173 48 53 118 129 65 214 141 47 10 121

I) maybe Santa Claus’s reply to I) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ “How do you stay so fat?” (2 words) 189 208 116 58 29 J) a beautiful & good fairy tale lass J) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ (2 words) 98 25 152 221 122 80 187 112 72 K) growing luxuriantly, improving K) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ physically 01 13 46 148 66 203 174 107 L) alloy of copper & tin imitating L) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ gold 200 219 44 23 153 74 M) merited requital

14

M) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 102 92 211 196 144 83 28 166 40 162 177

THE SCOOP • December 2015 / January 2016

S) made one feel cooler, stronger or more energetic

S) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 197 99 136 78 03 185 31 123 63

T) son of Abraham & Sarah’s hand- T) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ maid Hagar (“Genesis” 16, 17 & 21) 184 111 132 194 34 69 81 U) river in Wyoming flowing into the Big Horn

U) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 21 147 54 126 49 217 190 140

V) flogged, whipped

V) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 41 164 39 179 150

W) A.Christie, A.Conan Doyle, E.George, R.Hill, I.Rankin, R.Rendell (2 words)

W) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 33 134 178 79 206 161 195 115 89 191 110 W concluded) ___ ___ ___ 138 09 15

X) title of voyeuristic paintings by E. Degas & by P. Peel (3 words)

X) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 17 109 204 176 182 42 87 26 27 210 192 64

Y) changing gears

Y) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 37 198 51 199 95 159 171 57

First and Last Donny took me for my first flight In his powered parachute – Trusted pilot, fail-safe aircraft, Perfect weather, knew the route.

A very uneventful takeoff – In the air in seconds flat.

Maybe I’ll get hooked on flying.

Say, should the engine sound like that?

There’s Fifth Lake – that’s truly awesome!

What happens if we meet a goose?

This is such a great adventure!

Good heavens! Is my seatbelt loose??

Look around to find a hand-hold Nothing here but Don to grip.

You want ME to hold YOUR helmet?!

What happens if I let it slip?

Now we’re cruising o’er the mountain.

Blue herons on the ponds below.

Then upturned faces skyward staring.

(They’re envious of me, I know!)

What’s that, Don? We’re now on fire?!

My life is over. Too soon cropped.

Oh, you said we’re going higher.

That’s all? I thought my heart had stopped.

There’s houses, farms and cows in fields, Hay in bales and grain still standing.

I think that I could fly all day.

Boy, I hope we’ll soon be landing.

Camden Lake so brown and quiet Our shadow sailing ‘cross her face.

Geese below fly in formation Surpassing us in avian grace.

We circle once and check for clearance— No fence, no cornstalks, ditch, or trees.

The engine slows, we stroke the runway Settling down with perfect ease.

Dear Valued Customer, We have had to make a very difficult business decision to close our feed mill in Tamworth, as of November 30, 2015.

After much thought and consideration, we have decided to discontinue manufacturing feed at this location. It has become increasingly difficult to meet quality and safety standards set out by ourselves and government agencies due to its age and present condition.

We are committed to providing exceptional customer service and products for our customers from the Tamworth community.

We want to assure all of our customers that you will be able to purchase all of the products that were available in Tamworth at our location in Selby.

We would like to sincerely thank our customers and the community of Tamworth and area for your support of the Feed Mill for the past 16 years.

Terry and Sandra O’Neill

www.tcoagromart.com 11 Pleasant Drive, Selby

613-354-4424

18262 Telephone Rd., Trenton

613-394-3371

2015 Holiday Schedule

Don you are a first-class pilot.

Many thanks, your ‘chute’s a hit.

Go again? No, not right now, thanks.

My head’s still ringing quite a bit.

By Alyce Gorter

Don Fenwick and flying friends. Photo by Jaeson Tanner.

December 2015 / January 2016 • THE SCOOP

15

11 Concession St. S., Tamworth, ON

Come in and

BREAKFAST • LUNCH • DESSERTS

check out our

Try our new line of “heat and eat” Dinners

Christmas

Serving you the very best in Squares, Tarts & Bars!

Baking & Gifts

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

9 - 5:30 p.m.

9 - 5:30 p.m.

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9 - 5:30 p.m.

10 - 4 p.m.

WISHING EVERYONE MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAY

Follow us on Facebook @ The river bakery café & patio llbo We look forward to serving you!

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Wishing you a

Warm & Safe

HOLIDAY SEASON

TAMWORTH & SURROUNDING AREA

5 Concession Street North Tamworth, ON K0K 3G0

(613) 379-5055

613·354·2224

Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Wishing All a Merry Christmas and Very Happy New Year!

16

THE SCOOP • December 2015 / January 2016