Recently I had the privilege of introducing a theatrical production by a Wingham group called “The Almost Famous Players”.

They perform in the same tradition as “The Famous People Players” of Toronto. All have special needs and they are some of the most delightful individuals you could ever hope to meet.

The group has its origins in the Centre for Community Living in Wingham Ontario and which serves parts of both Huron and Bruce counties.

It was one of the most inspiring evenings I’ve spent in the theatre.

Twenty-five performers under the direction of the tireless and creative Julie Kuik and backed up by a dedicated group of staff and volunteers, played to a packed house and got more than one standing ovation.

It was truly a show to remember – an opportunity for people who once upon a time may have been hidden from view – to perform in public on a big stage under the lights.

The audience loved every number and applauded, laughed, cheered and cried.

Yours truly was choked up once or twice and in the end couldn’t manage to hold back a tear or two.

Altogether, more than 40 people were involved in putting on the show.  The players all performed with energy and enthusiasm and the show came off almost flawlessly, (except for a couple of glaring mistakes by the guy who introduced it). But the audience was forgiving and my mistakes got a couple of good laughs.

Proud parents, families and members of the surrounding community were amazed at the disciplined artistry everyone showed.

Many of you know that great song by Abba, called “The Dancing Queen”. Well when the lights went down and the music played and Jaime Greenway drove her wheelchair into the spotlight and smiled and did special maneuvers, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place.

And of course one of the highlights of the evening was Charles Buck doing his impersonation of Elvis, singing “Are you Lonesome Tonight”?

There isn’t enough space here for me to mention everyone who took part, but I can say without a shadow of a doubt, every single person who was involved, made it a memorable night of excellent theatre.

The evening closed with all the cast members doing a lively interpretation of High School Musical and the evening was rounded off with everybody receiving a long-stemmed rose.

The group took in over $2000. And is donating it to the Heritage Theatre.

What this wonderful production proved for me was that in some ways our society really is making progress.  When you see the kind of community support that was shown for all those special people, it was heart-warming, rewarding, emotional and satisfying.

Originally published in The Bruce County Marketplace, August 2008

During a recent visit to my sons’ restaurant in Meaford – that’s in Grey County – I discovered one of the loveliest parks I’ve ever seen.

deep in the park

It’s not just a lovely place…visiting it is a really moving experience. It’s called “Beautiful Joe Park” and I explored it with the Reed family dog, Linkin.

Linkin

He’s a bit of a Mongrel…part German Shepherd and part Border Collie. But when it comes to being a friend, he really is the best.

The entire park is dedicated to these best friends of the human race and every aspect of it honours our favorite four-legged creatures;  and a stroll around it can bring a tear to ones eye.

Beautiful Joe was owned by Margaret Marshall Saunders (1861-1947). She taught school briefly before starting her career as a novelist.

There is lots more info and more pics here on Beautiful Joe’s Homepage

But here’s one last pic of Mr. Linkin taking a dip in the river that borders the park.

The condo that I’m staying in overlooks Park Lawn Cemetery in Toronto.   Lots of trees and grass but the part I can see has fairly uniform headstones.  I don’t know if there’s an older section with huge memorials or not.

This morning I watched a man walking through the cemetery.  He didn’t once walk on the road – except to cross it.  He walked on the grass and snow, right over the graves.  It made me a bit uncomfortable.  Which made me think about why I would feel uncomfortable.  It must be some residual superstition about walking on a grave. I wonder if somewhere on the time continuum there were people shivering as the man walked on their graves.

Yesterday I saw two cars stop beside a grave.  Altogether there were about 7 people clustered at a grave.  One of them was a little child, probably about two or three.  Someone leaned down and handed the child flowers and said something to it.  Someone else took the child’s hand and helped it put the flowers on the grave.

I’m sure that the person who gave the child flowers said ‘give these flowers to Grandma’.  I’m also sure that for years that child is going to think that his grandmother is a tombstone.

Hard to believe I’d admit it in public, isn’t it?  Really, anyone who still smokes is an addict and well on the way to become a social pariah.  Soon people will be spitting on me as I walk past.

Someday, I’m sure, one of my attempts to quit smoking will stick.  In the meantime I think there may be a market for smoking dens.  Think opium den without the opium.  Somewhere that I can go with my laptop and sit and write and smoke.

I think there must be something in nicotine that helps me concentrate.  And I need all the help I can get concentrating.  Can you tell that I’m living in a no-smoking environment?  I can go out on to the ‘Juliet’ balcony – read ‘ledge with a railing’ – to have a cigarette but I can’t smoke while I’m working.

Hence the smoking den idea.  Of course it would have to be well ventilated – I may be an addict but I’m not crazy – I don’t want to sit in the middle of all that stinky smoke!  I’d like big windows too so that means it would have be not overlooked.  Wouldn’t want to have to cope with a bust when I was in the middle of writing something.

Other than that, electric outlets for the laptops, some desk space, coffee for the coffee drinkers, diet coke for me, and maybe CBC radio playing in the background.

Hmmm…might be time to get on with the renovations.

Stationery stores are magical places.  Not big chain stores, I can’t imagine getting excited about going to Staples, but small independent stores that reflect the owner’s personality.  Indigo and Chapters have pretty good stationery departments now that I think about it.

When I work I always need to have a notepad beside me.  I’ve tried those virtual sticky notes but…

My favourite is a pad with squares rather than lines.  No idea why, I just like the grid better.  In France I discovered a 5 x 7 pad made by Rhodia and have been using them for about 10 years.

I ran out of my french stash in the fall and went looking for something to replace it with.  There’s no real thrill in going to Staples but I figured it would be the best place to look.  No 5 x 7 pads with squares.  I couldn’t find anything so settled for 8 x 10 with squares.

The paper was not nice.  I hadn’t realized how lovely French paper is, smooth, thick, a joy to write on.

Rhodia notepads in Toronto

Yesterday I went into Marlborough’s on Bloor West and discovered…

Rhodia pads!

Yes, the exact pads that I’d been looking for.  And other French paper, pens and inks.

If you’ve ever been to a papeterie – a stationery store – in France you’ll recognize Marlborough’s.  If you haven’t then it’ll be like a little french interlude.

There are pens and pencils to lust after, wonderful textured papers, cards, paints, file folders, diaries, journals, envelopes, toys, inks, always something you didn’t know you needed but really can’t live without.  I plan to be a regular.

Marlborough’s
Bloor West Village
2346 Bloor St West
Toronto ON M6S 1P3

416-767-9121

Rhodia links

• Rhodia Drive
• Rhodia Drive on Facebook
• Exaclair Inc – the US distributor of Rhodia – has a list of online retailers

My daughter had to have a C-section and lost a lot of blood during the surgery. She’s now anemic and struggling to breastfeed.She’s taking Iron supplements but I figure an iron rich diet can’t hurt.  I decided to google ‘iron in food’. 

I admit this is not a great search term.  It was 6.30 am and I’ve spent 5 to 10 hours a day for the past 5 days at the hospital – I hate hospitals but that’s a different post – and haven’t been sleeping very well.  Those are my excuses.

In number one spot in the results was a list of food highest in iron (per 200 calories).  There are 116 items on the list.  Number one is dried parsley.  It has 70 mg of iron per 200 calories.  Great.  Totally useless information.  I can’t even imagine what volume of dried parsley contains 200 calories.

Number 2 on the list – Raw air-dried Alaskan Beluga whale meat which has 61.4 mg of iron per 200 calories.  At least you wouldn’t have to eat the same volume of the dried raw whale meat as you would dried parsley.

In positions 3 and 4 we have dried spearmint and dried marjoram.  Position 9 is freeze-dried parsley at 39.8 mg.  Hmmm…I guess we’re going to be going with the dried as opposed to freeze-dried parsley.

I haven’t figured out how the list is ordered.  At 34 there is Goose, liver, raw with 45.9 mg.  It’s preceded by Cereals, fortified, puffed wheat with 17.4 mg and followed by Duck, domestic, liver, raw with 44.9 mg.

Unfortunately it doesn’t specify whether the goose is domestic or wild.  I think we’ll stick with the domestic duck, much easier to find.  Maybe if I cut the liver into tiny wee pieces and freeze them Meg could take them like pills.  Somehow I just can’t see her biting in to a piece of raw duck liver.

Or maybe I could blend it with ice cream and bananas and make a banana liver shake.

Or I could just find another list.

The first of too many cute baby pix – my grandson Max!

Born on Febuary 1, 2009

My daughter is going to have a baby any day now and I’ll be in Toronto for the next couple of months.  It means I get to do the city things that I miss when I live in the country.

Things like going to the theatre.  I know, I could go to the theatre in the country but it’s so much easier in Toronto.  No big drive.  And I get to review what I see for my daughter’s blog – Mooney on Theatre.  Megan is too pregnant to go to a play.  Well, maybe she could manage 15 minutes.

Once Parliament reconvenes I’m sure I’ll be writing about that and for the next couple of months I’ll be writing about Toronto.  And my grandson, once he arrives.  Prepare for too many baby pictures!

BRUCE IPM invests over $800,000 of profits into Health Care and Community Projects

Organizers of the 2008 IPM have realized a profit of approximately $822,000. After an unforgettable rainy, muddy weekend when exhibitors and trailers were arriving on site an astounding 94,400 visitors attended the five day show when the gates opened Tuesday September 16 just north of Teeswater.

In the early stages of planning the IPM Committee selected local health care as the main beneficiary of any profits having the greatest impact for all Bruce County residents. A meeting is scheduled for early February when the IPM Executive will meet with representatives from local Hospital Foundations to discuss equipment available to be funded within their facilities. A total of $500,000 has been budgeted to support local health care in area hospitals.

Community organizations will also be recognized for their contributions to the IPM in exchange for volunteer time, resources or services. Donations totaling $130,000 from profits of the International Plowing Match are: Tractor Square Dancing “Team Farmall” $6000; The Municipality of South Bruce $30,000; The Municipality of Arran-Elderslie $5000; Bruce County Plowmen’s Association $30,000; Bruce County Heritage Association $5000; Bruce County Genealogy Society $1000; Bruce County Woodlot Association $2000; Bruce County Foster Parent Association $2500; Formosa Lions Club $500; Belmore Community Centre (Kitchen) $3000; Bruce County EMS $25,000; Bruce County Mutual Aid Fire Association (new equipment) $10,000; and St. John’s Ambulance $10,000.

Organizations receiving a total of $69,140.00 for time working at the IPM include: Quota International (Owen Sound), Mildmay Rotary Club, Clifford Rotary Club, Southampton Rotary Club, OES Goodwill Chapter (Harriston), Paisley Rotary Club, Chesley Rotary Club, Huron Shores ATV Club, 543 Squadron Air Cadets, Belmore Minor Sports, Ripley Lions Club, Teeswater 4H Club, Formosa Lions Club, Walkerton Knights of Columbus, Walkerton Rotary Club, Paisley Kinsmen Club, Trinity Lutheran Church (Walkerton), Chepstow Lions Club, Ripley Lions Club, Tiverton Lions Club, Lucknow Lions Club, Special Olympics Central Bruce, Walkerton District Secondary School, Walkerton Hawks Jr. C Hockey Club, Cargill District Community Fund, Mildmay OSS Broomball, F.E. Madill Secondary School Rugby Team, Saugeen Shores Winterhawks Hockey Club, Kincardine Rotary Club, Wingham Jr. C Hockey Club, Teeswater Culross Horticultural Society and the Teeswater Culross Fire Department.

The IPM also has set aside $82,000 for IPM Committee and Executive Members to direct $2000 dollars each to a charity or community organization of their choice in reward of their efforts and time dedicated to the IPM. Their commitment for success by keeping costs low while also fundraising had a dramatic impact on the event profits.

Event organizers acknowledge the success of the event would not have been made possible without the overwhelming response from the local community and businesses who supported the IPM. The entire county of Bruce along with surrounding Huron, Grey, Wellington and Perth Counties were behind the IPM from the very first announcement that the event was going to be held in Midwestern Ontario.

Official financial figures will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Ontario Plowmen’s Association held in the District of Temiskaming host of the 2009 IPM in late February. The IPM comes back to south-western Ontario in 2010 to be held near St. Thomas in Elgin County, then in Eastern Ontario hosted by Prescott-Russell for more information visit www.plowingmatch.org.

it’s good to know that we can rely on the Conservative Party to come through in the crunch.  Attack, malign, and twist the truth at every opportunity.

According to the CBC Liberals trying to ‘parachute’ Ignatieff into PM’s role.
From a Conservative fundraising letter issued on Wednesday – referring to Mr Ignatieff’s appointment as interim leader of the Liberal Party – “In yet another stunning and unprecedented demonstration of Liberal contempt for our democratic rights, they’ve decided to appoint a new leader in place”

Really!! Who writes this crap?  And does it make Conservatives whip out their chequebooks?

Do I need to point out that the Liberal Party constitution allows for the appointment of an interim leader by the caucus, the party executive and Liberal Senators?

The real issue for me is that we become inured to this kind of rhetoric.  I saw the headline and knew even before I read the article what the Conservative message would be.  Yes, the tone offends me but what stuns me is the predictability of the message and the language.  I find myself thinking “oh for heaven’s sake, is that the best you can do?”.

What would happen if the Conservatives sent out a fundraising letter focusing on what they are doing?  Explaining that Mr Harper prorogued Parliament so that he would have time to prepare a reasonable stimulus budget that would address the needs of Canadians?  Would that make Conservatives whip out their chequebooks?

Nice thought, isn’t it.  I can dream.  All in all, I’m disappointed but not surprised.