'On strike' sign recalls complex story

 

For many decades, while The London Free Press was owned and operated by Walter Blackburn, the newspaper was not involved in a strike. Blackburn kept unions at bay by forming his own in-house organization to look after employee concerns and complaints. Under Blackburn it worked.

Under Walter Blackburn the newspaper did not have a layoff, even when the economy was in recession. Blackburn said when times were tough the employee who could best weather a downturn in the economy was him, the newspaper owner. 

If he laid off a pressman, that man's life would be in tatters. His family would suffer. Walter Blackburn, on the other hand, kept his chauffeur driven car, he and his wife wouldn't lose their home nor would his children drop out of university.

Once when a longtime employee had a death in the family, a death in England, the employee was given time off to attend the funeral and the money to cover the trans Atlantic flight home. Blackburn was a capitalist, a generous, caring capitalist.

After Walter Blackburn died things changed around the paper. Slowly at first and then the paper was sold to an expanding chain. And then that owner, a rather small fish, was gobbled up by a much bigger company, a much larger fish. Today the paper is but a small memory of the local media empire Walter Blackburn built during his lifetime.

My gut feeling is that if local newspapers had remained under the control of owners like Walter Blackburn and others of his ilk, daily newspapers would be much different today. Walter Blackburn was a visionary. This is not a word I would apply to the hedge fund owners of today.

The luxury of a carport

 

The Second World War had ended and the economy was on the rebound. Suburbs were sprouting up all over the world but in North American, where land was ample and cheap, suburban living was a huge trend.

Many argued that living in the suburbs meant increased car ownership. Suburb dwellers argued that when they lived in the core they owned a car but had to park it on the street. In the suburbs, they said, they had the luxury of a carport. The luxury of a carport! Ah, those were different times. Today luxury doesn't kick in until one has a three car garage, at the minimum.

Celery from Spain sold in London, Ontario

It was the nicest celery my wife had ever encountered. It was fresh, green, blemish-free; it was perfect. And when she checked to see where this amazingly perfect produce was from, she discovered it was from Spain.

I confess, this makes me uneasy and I cannot say exactly why. I have a gut reaction that this is not good for the earth. When I worked at a newspaper this feeling, this hunch, would not be enough for story. But, it would be enough to assign a reporter to investigate and determine whether or not there's a story here.

Is there? I think so.

For instance, when produce is shipped thousands of miles, it raises the possibility of introducing plant diseases to areas where the disease is as yet unknown. When I googled celery from Valencia, Spain, I learned a bacterial plant disease has been found in celery grown in Spain. This bacteria is found around the world. The question is whether or not the variety of the bacteria that is infecting Spanish celery is unique to Spain.

Another problem raised by attempting to grow produce in gigantic, factory farm fields is water for irrigation. Over-exploitation of water resources is an ever present threat. 

I should have considered this last item, in my short list, as it is problem right here in Ontario, Canada. All too often huge farms producing relatively inexpensive food in vast amounts operate successfully thanks to poorly paid and poorly treated migrant workers. According to The Guardian, Spain may be among the worst offenders globally when it comes to the abuse of migrant workers. 

A U.N. worker reported workers living in a migrant settlements in Spain are forced to live in conditions that rival the worst conditions anywhere in the world. The settlements are located kilometres away from water and all too often lack electricity and even adequate sanitary infrastructure.

I hope my celery was grown in a responsible manner. I pray it was but I don't know for sure.

A pretty little bungalow from the distant past

 

Back in the '50s and '60s little bungalows were popular in Canada. The neighbourhood below the uplands in Byron was developed back then. I drove through there today and thought that this little place had aged well. It has the look of a home that has been showered with love.

Dr. Oetker makes pizza in London

Dr. Oetker was a German pharmacist who started an innovative food company some 130 years ago. Today, the Dr. Oetker group is still under family control as a global enterprise with a pizza factory right here in London, Ontario. 

Like so many big firms with a global reach, traditional local firms may fall to the expanding German giant. It is almost 30 years since Dr. Oetker purchased the Canadian Shirriff food company with a line of products going back to 1880s.

My wife and I find the Dr.'s pizza generally overpriced and more than the crusts are thin. But when they go on sale, we buy a half dozen or so. We only get the cheese ones. And then we add our own toppings: sweet peppers, mushrooms, artichokes, hot peppers and dark, pitted olives.

Reportedly, Dr. Oetker is one of the best selling frozen pizza in the world. Hmmm. Surely, most folk are dressing these pizza up with a lot more toppings before serving. And I hope they are being bought on sale.

Older suburban street design not in vogue today

When I was a boy, suburban streets were state-of-the-art: no sidewalks accompanied by slower than the normal traffic speeds. Often the streets were curved to encourage drivers to slow down. If necessary lower than usual speed limits signs were posted.

Today, sidewalks are back in style. Folks living on the older, sidewalkless streets are finding that when their street is repaved sidewalks are installed. This is done whether the residents want the sidewalks or not. Often the resident do not.

Judy insisted that this had to be today's picture

 

My wife has been after me for days to shoot the morning shadows on the snow in our backyard as seen through the kitchen window. She insists this is different from my other two shots. And so, I begrudgingly submitted today's photo for consideration.

Folk getting their hit of winter fun

 

The big path immediately behind the suburban homes is usually deserted in the winter, certainly not busy, but this year it is one popular place as it leads directly to the best sledding run in the neighbourhood.

A view of downtown from the past

 

 

I saw this photo of downtown London taken possibly a century ago and I thought I'd share. It's sad to think that London had streetcars then but found it impossible to bring them back when it was attempted a few years back.

Dundas Street, the main drag, was a fine looking street at the time this image was made. Agreed?

Same subject, different light, different picture

 

The other day I posted a photo showing the scene shown above. (That image is on the left.) The light was quite flat. The picture was well received. 

A day or so later, I noticed the light had changed. It was stronger, brighter, more directional. I took another shot. Despite the subject being the same, it was a different picture.

An adventure destination as a young boy

 

Check out the linked post on St. Louis Daily Photo: Castles in the Air. It shows a couple of  abandoned water pumping stations in the Mississippi River. These once served the city of St. Louis.

I  immediately thought of an abandoned structure in the Detroit River. It was once a pumping station, I believe, for the city of Windsor which is in Canada across from the city of Detroit. 

 

When I was a boy the building was open and we used to prowl about it thinking it was quite the adventure.

The February 1st theme: smile

I've had this picture in my files since crossing the States and Canada with my wife in our heritage English roadster: a Morgan Plus Four. Sadly, after about 45 years of ownership, I no longer own the car.

This young lady was selling ice cream cones from a small stand in Fort Frances. No one should have as much fun flogging to tourists ice cream as this girl. 

She gave out a generous scooping of ice cream accompanied by an even more generous helping of giggles and big smiles.

BBQ season is officially over

 

When the BBQ looks like this I always smile. Judy loves a BBQ. Me? Not so much. I see this and have an ah-hah moment. Ah-hah, BBQ season is over!

Deep, oh-so-recently-fallen snow always makes a picture

 

No caption necessary.

Neighbours are important

I'm in my 70s. Everyone knows I have a failing heart. Yesterday my snowblower failed. A failing heart and a failed snowblower. Not a good combination.

 

Last night it snowed. This morning my next door neighbour plowed my drive. It snowed more today. This afternoon my neighbour from down the street plowed my driveway.

 

I love neighbours. Don't believe the stories you read about the coldness of the suburbs in Canada and the States. Trust me, suburbs are not always cold, not even in the winter. My wife and I find our suburb a very warm, and welcoming, place. Even in the winter.

For these boys the threat is sledding and not covid-19.

 

For these five boys, covid-19 was the last thing on their minds. Surviving a long slide down the Byron tobogganing hill took their total concentration. They managed to keep their sleds linked for more than half the distance down the long, somewhat steep slope. 

Watching all these people doing dangerous stuff as they were sliding down the crowded slope, made me recall the movie On The Beach. Out-of-control covid-19 isn't exactly the same as nuclear war but both seem to encourage folk to take chances they previously wouldn't have taken.

Winter scene recalls well-loved paintings

Not quite enough folk to make a modern day Currier and Ives but it still recalls many paintings of people out enjoying winter. 

My neighbourhood hill has never attracted so many folk and on a Tuesday no less. I'm sure it's not only the attraction of the hill but also the promise of a brief escape by families desperate to get out of the house. The province is in shutdown and cabin fever is beginning to take hold.

Bent up demand crowds sledding hill

Up and down the long sloping hill one could see kids with toboggans, sleds, saucers, snowboards and even skis out enjoying the big, snow-covered hill in Byron, London's southwest neighbourhood.

I  estimate that at a very minimum there were 150 kids and adults crowding the hill. It was the busiest I have seen that hill in twenty years. Why so much interest? My guess is covid-19. People are aching for something to do. Almost everything is closed. A simple, hill deep with fresh snow was simply irresistible.

Despite the shutdown, snowmaking continues

 

With one of the three quad chairlifts sitting quiet in the background at the idled Boler Mountain ski hill, a large snowmaking machine continues to pump out snow in anticipation of a February opening. 

If the Boler Mountain snowmaking crews have their way, the slopes will open with one incredibly thick base. The hill is clearly trying to position itself for having the most successful spring skiing season on record. I hope Mother Nature cooperates.

Support our ski hill

We must support our ski hill.

A year after the end of the Second World War, a group of mainly Londoners gathered at the top of Reservoir Hill to enjoy a new sport they had learned while serving overseas: downhill skiing.

By 1949 the group was large enough to incorporate as the London Ski Club, a not for profit organization. They found a good-sized hill near Byron, purchased it, and carved a variety of trails into the hill to accommodate skiiers from beginner to advanced.

Governed by a volunteer board of directors and operated by a combination of volunteers and paid employees, the annual surplus income was plowed back into the operation to maintain and expand the ski hill.

At first skiers used rope tows to get to the summit. These were replaced by T-bars in 1968 and 1970. Then in 2003 the T-bars were replaced by a Quad chair lift. Today there are three quad lifts, a moving carpet on the beginners' hill and another moving carpet serves the tubing area.

In the '60s Thames Valley Childrens’ Centre worked with volunteers from the London Ski Club to provide skiing opportunities for the blind and disabled. Today there 250 volunteer instructors serving over 120 disabled skiers each season.

The little hill just keeps expanding. It spends its limited money very wisely. Boler Mountain is a big plus for the city. Now, after some seventy some years of operation, covid-19 threatens the survival of the hill. I'm trying to start a movement to allow the ski operation to keep all the money paid for lessons that were not supplied because of the virus. The hill needs the  money more than I do. It's loss was in my budget.

We must support our ski hill. (Originally I wrote "save" but that may overstate the situation.)

Covid-19 closed hill but snowmaking continues.

Boler Mountain is closed and not slated to open until, at the earliest, February 12th. Despite being closed, the snow-making team at the small hill is busy readying the slopes.

I'm retired and in my 70s. I am not rich. Yet, I put the cost of ski lessons for two of my granddaughters into my budget. It is money well spent. At least, it was until this year. This year, so far, neither girls has had even one lesson. The ski hill has been kept closed by the provincial government fighting covid-19.

How the little ski hill will survive this financial disaster has me concerned. I'm trying to convince those who are out money for prepaid services and activities to not request a refund. Everyone budgets for skiing. The money is not missed. The skiing is missed but not the money. No one will suffer if the money is not refunded but the ski hill will suffer if everyone demands a refund.

I say support our local ski hill. "Do not ask for a refund!"

Bernie meme popular in London, Ontario

 

The globe-trotting Bernie meme has made its appearance in London, Ontario. I pulled this from my Facebook feed.

We can learn from Disney

 

 

Years ago the newspaper I worked for sent me to Disney World in Florida. I wondered how Disney kept the grounds so clean. I learned Disney World is designed in such a way that each area has a public and a non-public side. Think of a circle with the public inside the circle and the nitty gritty of the support systems for the grounds all around the outside of the circle.

Cities, London for sure, could learn from Disney. Too much of the ugly workings of the city are on display for all to see. It is not a pretty sight.

Nope. Canada doesn't have socialized medicine

 

Today my wife and I drove a life-long friend of hers to a small town to the southwest of London. She was having eye surgery and had decided to have an eye surgeon at the Anjema Eye Institute perform the operation.

Many Americans believe incorrectly that Canada has some left-wing-inspired medical health care system. Socialized medicine is the battle cry. One can forgive these Yanks as many Canadians also believe their system is socialism. Many would argue that both are wrong. The fee my wife's friend paid for the laser surgery was clear proof her operation was not part of a socialist plot. If anything, it was capitalism at its finest.

I'd say more but to tell the truth this story is too complicated for me to address here. But here is a link to an article written by a Canadian doctor: 
A Canadian Doctor Explains How Her Country's Single-Payer Health Care System Works

Like my wife's friend, I will soon need eye surgery and lens replacement because of a growing problem with cataracts. Unlike my wife's friend, I cannot afford to go outside the government plan seeking a superior solution.  (And my eye problems are not complicated by other serious eye problems.) Think of the government plan as similar to insurance and I will gladly accept the treatment my "insurance" covers and I'll see just fine.

Do we have any problems with our health care. Yes! That said, have you ever had a problem with an insurance company when it came to health care? I had a heart incident while visiting the States. The insurance company did its best to disqualify me by claiming my problem was a "pre-existing condition." I wasn't. It took about eight months to straighten the mess out. During that time, I was constantly harassed by collection agencies looking for the $35,000 that my treatment cost.

Trade between cities makes our world possible

 

In high school I learned about Greek city states. City states, except for possibly Singapore, are a feature from the past. Yet, trade between the world's thousands of cities is incredibly important today. Trade between cities may even be more important today than it was back then to those ancient Greeks.

I had these thoughts as I sat down to lunch with my wife and her childhood friend. Our meal was only possible thanks to trade between distant cities.Cauliflower from California, cheese from France and from Italy. So much of my lunch was not produced in London, nor in Ontario, nor in any part of Canada.

As a teen I worked in plastic factories making car parts. I  recall that one plastic injection machine I used was designed in and built in Italy. When my day making plastic steering wheels was done, I'd get in my Swedish car, the parts made in Europe but assembled in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I'd drive home.

Winter driving can be a challenge

In two days I'll tell the whole story but today my wife and I had to drive to Stratford to pick-up a friend. The friend has to have eye surgery in two days in a town two full hours southwest of Stratford. Winter weather being so unpredictable, we made the pick-up today and now we only have an hour left to travel to get our friend to the somewhat distant hospital.

The weather was so unpredictable that it would have been dangerous to stop. Many drivers go too fast in bad winter conditions. The image today was shot some time ago but it is a good example of what we were up against.

Non native Yucca withstands winter well

I'm always amazed to see the bright green and yellow striped leaves of a yucca plant poking up above the snow each winter. Yuccas are not native to Ontario. No surprise there. These are tropical, or at the very least, sub-tropical plants.

 
Yet, transplanted to Ontario these hardy plants are known to survive winters in which the temperature drops to -30 degrees. At minus thirty no one cares whether its Fahrenheit or Centigrade. It is simply cold.

Heavy snow can damage the tall leaves and long periods of arctic-cold weather can damage the roots if the root system is too shallow.

With travel difficult, we turn to the Internet

We often hear how awful the Internet is. Spreads lies. Spreads hate. It is dangerous. I have found the Internet to be a wonderful place, filled with neat people who have the same interests as I. The City Daily Photo group is a good example of the positive side of the Internet.

I learned about the game Rubik's Race from a lady who lives in one of the former Russian satellites in eastern Europe. I thanked her for the tip. My granddaughters love the game and we play often.

I've enjoyed and shared photos with folk from all around the world and had interesting chats as well. All is not bleak. (By the way, I have found both Rubik's Race and Otrio to be two fun games.)

And today's photo showing me, a grandfather, playing Rubik's Race with his oldest granddaughter, Fiona, was taken by my youngest granddaughter, Isla. The seven-year-old didn't do too shabby  a job, eh?

The Michigan Central Station

This is the Michigan Central Station that once stood on the southeast corner of Clarence and Bathurst Streets in downtown London, Ontario. Built in 1887, it was demolished in 1937 after sitting idle for years. The last train left the station in early summer, 1915.

Like many attractive buildings that once dotted the London streetscape, it was designed by the famous Detroit architect F. H. Spier. Spier designed numerous buildings in London and throughout southwestern Ontario. Many of which, I understand, are now gone.

Getting out during the provincewide shutdown

 

In Canada we have provinces and not states as in the U.S. I live in the province of Ontario, Canada's largest province. Today Ontario is operating under a provincewide shutdown edict. But one thing folk can still do is get out and exercise if alone or with only those living in your personal bubble. An emergency has been declared as the province battles a very severe covid-19 outbreak.

Not your usual walking stick

Say walking stick and I think of a rather odd insect that looks a lot more like a walking stick, and by that I mean a stick that walks, rather than an insect. But today walking stick means something different. Maybe even a little more straight forward. Walking stick refers to a pole often used by seniors to assist them when walking.

I don't use a walking stick or pole. Maybe I should. The lightweight poles, it is claimed, take weight off the ankles, knees and hips. Using the poles activate the upper body muscles and help in keeping one's balance. I walk but I have taken a few falls. I have two bruised knees as a write this. My wife doesn't walk because she's taken a couple of bad falls. Maybe I should be reconsidering my resistance to walking sticks.

Electric cars are not coming; they are here!

 

Although I see a fair number of Teslas on the streets of London, Ontario, I am always surprised to see one. An electric powered car. Purely powered by a battery. No engine. None. Amazing. And the cost . . . wow! All that money and no engine and lots of sales. Who would have thought?

London once had a Ford Motor Company plant just outside town. I understand it was located there to save the company money on local taxes. A hundred years ago Ford may have pulled a similar stunt when it moved automobile production from Detroit to Highland Park.

Ford may return to the London area in the future. It is talking about building electric vehicles in Canada. I wonder if the Fords will be as slick in appearance as the Teslas.

The gone but not forgotten domed Service Centres

Today for a number of reasons, I'd like to simply post a link to an article I wrote some years ago for a digital newspaper. Click the link and be rewarded with an interesting story.

Celebrating the Doomed Domes of Woodstock Service Centre (Includes interview) (digitaljournal.com)

Living in a bubble

 

 

Skiing is on hold with the local hill is closed thanks to covid-19. And school work is being done from home using notebooks and pads. With few places to go, Londoners are finding ways to entertain themselves while remaining in their family bubble. In our home, it appears jigsaw puzzles are one answer.

St. Luke's in the Garden connected to Sir Adam Beck

 Many Londoners don't even realize the little St. Luke's in the Garden chapel exists. Situated well back from the road, the non denominational chapel was built in 1932 by the Women's Sanatorium Aid Society in memory of Sir Adam Beck and his wife Lady Beck.

To learn more about Beck, here is an excellent link: Sir Adam Beck.

The chapel sits on the CPRI grounds. CPRI was originally The Queen Alexandra Sanatorium, a facility for the treatment of people suffering from tuberculosis. It opened its doors on April 5, 1910. In April, 1949 it was renamed The Beck Memorial Sanatorium. It closed September 6, 1972 only to be renamed and repurposed as CPRI.

Today the chapel is a popular choice as a place to hold a wedding. It's a place to say one's wedding vows without having patina of religion hanging over the ceremony.

CPRI: Child and Parent Resource Institute

 

Located in the west end of London is a multi-building facility known as CPRI. It is big and hard to miss. It is  located on a major connecting road. And yet, I doubt many Londoners could tell you what CPRI stands for. Answer: Child and Parent Resource Institute.

CPRI provides short-term highly specialized and individualized consultations, assessments and treatments for children and families. And the help is not always all that short-term.The treatment is tailored to the parents' and the child's specific needs and goals. It is seen as an interdisciplinary service with teams composed of many different professionals working together.

I once knew a nurse who enjoyed caring for a child on weekend who lived in one of the buildings on the grounds of the CPRI complex. She loved that little girl. In writing this post I checked out the CPRI online site. It explains how the institute provides needed attention and care for children suffering from mutism, having mood and anxiety issues, autism and much more.

Today all eyes were on Washington

Today, all around the world, there was one story: the seige of the U.S. Capitol. President Trump spoke to his followers, worked them into a frenzy and off they marched to the U.S. Capitol building. They pushed past barriers, climbed walls and broke windows to gain entry to the building, possibly the figurative heart of democracy in the United States.

I'm Canadian. I live hundreds of miles distant from Washington, D.C. And yet, I don't feel all that removed from the disastrous actions of the day. If there is one thing following the posts of members of this group has confirmed for me, it is that the concerns, the interests, the stuff that brings people joy are universal. 

But there is a corollary: it is not just the good, the positive, that is universal. It is also the bad. What happened in Washington today is a warning to all of us. The Yanks are not unique. 

I was born shortly after the end of the Second World War. I had a good friend who wore embroidered leather shorts held up by shoulder straps. His family had fled Austria and moved to Canada. Another friend was Japanese. His family had fled the distant island at war's end. I liked both boys and wondered how their nations could be the cause of a world war. 

"There but for the grace of God go I," my mother said. Don't watch what is happening in the States with Donald Trump and feel smug. Take it as a warning. "There but for the grace of God go I."

Masks, hand sanitizer and tissues are now de rigeur

This was taken in my dentist's waiting room but the objects shown are found today almost everywhere. 

Enter a building and immediately one is asked to use the hand sanitizer. If you don't have a mask, you will be offered one and you must take it or be prepared to leave. No mask, no entry. 

And the tissue may be on display but one must try not to use one. Using a tissue raises concern in those around you. Use one and someone may appear from nowhere wielding a thermometer.

Dental check-ups are different today

Going for one's six month dental check-up and cleaning isn't the same as it was pre covid-19. When one arrives you cannot just walk in. The entry door is locked. Access is controlled.

Patients must call first. A staffer comes to open the door but before the patient gains complete entry to the office, questions must be answered and the patient's temperature taken. If the patient runs the gauntlet successfully, they are allowed entry into the waiting room where they wait, alone.

When the dental hygienist arrives the patient may have a difficult time recognizing what should be a familiar face. The put-the-patient-at-ease smile is hidden behind a dense, tight-fitting mask. Hygienists always wore masks but in the old days the mask didn't appear until the dental work was underway.

Other gear obscures the hygienist's face as well: special glasses and a large, clear face shield. And the patient has the option of wearing some pretty big, tight-fitting protective glasses as well. Clearly, this is a high risk activity.

Talking has always been difficult when one is in the dental chair. But now there is an air purifier roaring in the corner and the hum of a new whole-building ventilation system adds a constant background hum.

And the cost? It's up somewhat as someone has to pay for all the changes. (It should be noted that some of the changes are very good and will remain after covid-19 is beaten. Dental offices are high risk areas when it comes to bacterial contamination. Banishing the swirly-water sink may have been an action long overdue.)

Backyard Sled Jump

Some kids don't have to travel far to find something to do in the snow. This little boy lives in a suburban neighbourhood build on a small hill. His backyard in open, devoid of trees, and slopes up to meet the yard of the neighbour living above.

In the winter the little boy and his brother create a backyard sled run in their backyard. At the bottom, if there is adequate snow, they often build a ramp and a jump for their sleds. It looks like great fun but in an average year onlookers might say it also looks dangerous. Not this year. Covid-19 makes almost all activities safe in comparison if the activity keeps a kid distanced from the highly infection virus.

Missed a bullet, an icy bullet

 

An ice storm was forecast. Freezing rain followed by snow and dropping temperatures was expected. Power outages were a possibility. We missed a bullet, an icy bullet. The winter storm failed to materialize. And that was wonderful as the roads in my neighbourhood are still snow-dusted and slippery with frozen slush from the last winter blast.

My fave 2020 photo: a corona-19 safe Halloween

 

There were lots of questions surrounding Halloween. No one seemed to know if it would even happen. Would children want to go from home to home trick and treating? Would homeowners be willing to open their doors to costumed children?

The answer was not a resounding yes but it was mostly positive. Blue masks were worn on top of Halloween masks and social distancing was practised by all. Some homeowners put candy in a bag, stuck the bag on the end of something like a hockey stick and awarded the brave children while maintaining a safe distance.

Hopefully, 2021 will not be a repeat. Surely, we will all be vaccinated by fall.

The lockdown continues

No shopping. No dining. Even going to the park is frowned upon. But kids just gotta get outside and my youngest granddaughter did just that. She went sledding on the small slope across from our London home.

She had fun and I got tested. Now, I am sure I do not have osteoporosis. Despite my age, my bones are fine. The slope was damn slippery, and yes that is the correct use of the word damn. Down I went. Spread-eagled. A slow check of all my limbs revealed nothing amiss. No broken bones. I got a pass.

Immediately afterwards I got a hot chocolate. My granddaughter didn't think I should play any longer on the hill. I take too many risks. I could get hurt. She took me home.

How do you spell optimism? B-O-L-E-R M-T

 

How do you spell optimism? Me, I spell it B-o-l-e-r M-o-u-n-t-a-i-n. Why? The province is in the middle of an almost complete lockdown to check the soaring number of covid-19 cases and what is Boler Mountain doing? Making snow. Boler believes it will open soon and the staff is busy making snow in order to be ready for the anticipated crowds of mask-wearing skiers.

Yup. That's optimism.

Tracks in the snow confirm wildlife lives in the city

 

Huge expanses of unbroken snow don't last long in the city. And no it's not kids playing in the snow who are leaving the tracks. It's wildlife. Getting about in winter can be hard for small animals, especially when the snow is deep. So, the first animal to pass makes the path and the following critters deepen and widen the now preferred route.

Sadly, our natural world is shrinking. According to the BBC, "Wildlife populations have fallen by more than two-thirds in less than 50 years." The tracks, so common in the wild sections of the city, are signs of hope alerting us to the fact that we share our world.

A Blanket of Snow Keeps Burrows Warm

 

Under all that snow there's life. Lot's of life. Squirrels, rabbits possibly even a fox or two. And of course there are birds. All are protected from the harshest cold by the warm blanket of snow. It insulates and keeps the cold arctic wind at bay. It even provides clean water for the wintering wildlife.

How do we know for certain that there is life under the deep snow and sagging tree limbs? Footprints. Lots and lots of footprints left by little animals scampering here and scampering there.

Neighbours Sharing Culture and Cookies at Christmas

Canada is a land of immigrants. Even families like mine with supposedly deep family roots going back decades, even centuries, are relative newcomers, Unless you are an indigenous Canadian, you are a newbie.

At Christmas one of our neighbours, a lovely lady originally from Turkey, makes baklava and shares it with friends and relatives. This year she sent her daughter to our home with a plate of Turkish sweets.

Baklava is the sweet on the right. It is made from thin layers of phyllo pastry separated by coarsely chopped nuts in a thick syrup with a honey-base. I'm not sure what is on the left but it might be maamoul, a type of date-filled cookie. Our neighbour's version is coated with icing sugar and flaked coconut.

Is baklava a Turkish dessert? Today yes but it may have originated in Greece. At least, that is the story according to many Greeks. But keep digging and you will find claims piled on claims until, if you dig deep enough and go back far enough, you might find your search ending in Assyria in the 8th century B.C.

As for the maamoul, it may have originated with the Phoenicians although the Egyptians often take credit.

What can we learn from a plate of cookies? Well, that our world is place in flux. What you consider "your culture" may just be "something borrowed."