Plaques often found on historic Stratford homes

If you wondered how I found out so much about the Charles Moore home in Stratford, it was relatively easy. Many of the finest, historic homes in the little southwestern Ontario town carry plaques. These tell the year in which the home was built and the name of the first owner/resident.

Charles Moore home in Stratford. Built 1915.

This home is one of my favourite homes to be found anywhere. It was finished in 1915. Immediately the builder, Charles Moore, 27, and his new bride Myrtle Harris, 22, moved in. The couple had postponed their wedding for a year and half while their home was completed.

The young couple lived in their Edwardian Classic home all their lives. They grew old together in that home. Myrtle passed away in 1983 at 90 and Charles was forced by his advancing age to move into a senior residence in 1990. He died three years later at 105 years of age.

Wouldn't you love to see the interior of this home. They rarely build homes with such elegance today. Agreed?

A 3 day series: 1st, check window treatment

 

While visiting Strathroy I noticed the window treatment on the large windows on the rear wall of an older home. These windows were unique in number, in shape and even in the decoration surrounding each one. I thought this window treatment amazing. 

I stopped, got a picture and then walked around to the front of the home. The front of the place was equally amazing and tomorrow I'll share the why with members of the group.

Should rabbits eat red holly berries?

The rabbits around our home enjoy feasting on many of our decorative shrubs. The green holly with the bright red berries is a favourite with both birds and small animals, like rabbits.

We worry that the red berries, while enticing to wildlife during the depths of a cold winter, may not be good for them. Are the berries toxic, we wonder.

The answer, I believe, is that the berries are the best food, even for cold and hungry rabbits. That said, the berries are not apparently dangerous when eaten but in  small amounts by hungry, little animals like our local rabbits. 

The rabbits around our home enjoy feasting on many of our decorative shrubs. The green holly with the bright red berries is a favourite with both birds and small animals, like rabbits.

We worry that the red berries, while enticing to wildlife during the depths of a cold winter, may not be good for them. Are the berries toxic, we wonder.

The answer, I believe, is that the berries are the best food, even for cold and hungry rabbits. That said, the berries are not apparently dangerous when eaten but in  small amounts by hungry, little animals like our local rabbits. 

The berries seem to be well tolerated.

Sledding hills often closed by concerned city bureaucrats

Part of the hill, so popular with children and even families, has been closed by the city. A father who operates a popular exercise gym in the city, was seriously injured while sledding on the hill with his family. Reportedly, there was a fairly dangerous jump created by neighbourhood kids and the gentleman struck the jump, became airborne and struck his head. It is not known if he was wearing a helmet. A fractured skull was his most serious injury but he suffered other injuries as well.

A very long snow fence has been erected and the snow jump has been removed. Folk in the area are questioning whether the fenced slope is, in fact, where the fellow was sledding. Why? The closed area is thick with brush and dotted with trees.

Most children sledding on the long slope gravitate to the area with smooth, deep snow and devoid of brush and trees.

Surprised to see a Champion grader plowing court

 

London, like much of North America, is getting snow, lots of snow. And when snow comes, the snowplows are not far behind. (Oh heck, I confess, in truth the plows can be quite far behind. There have been times when two, even three days, have passed before a plow appeared to clear our suburban street. On occasion the plow never shows up at all. The city just leaves it to the sun to clear the street and court.)

But today I was happy to see a plow. I was also surprised to note that it was a Champion grader. This make of grader was made in Goderich a little more than an hour north of London. Sadly, it must be reported that the plant, after more than a century of operation, was  closed and the work moved to the southern States where workers make few demands.

Ontario, like many northern states, has lost a lot of manufacturing jobs to the southern States. I don't know the details but the move didn't seem to benefit the Champion company. After moving, it closed.

Chinese glass plant not welcome in Stratford

Visit the southwestern Ontario city of Stratford and you are sure to see signs protesting the locating of a Xinyi glass plant in the town made famous by the Stratford Festival.

CBC reports: A Stratford, Ont., citizens' group is demanding a review of glassmaker Xinyi Canada and its proposal to build a $400-million float glass factory in the community. The group is alleging the Chinese-owned company is a threat to national security. 

The critics also claim the proposed factory would more than double the size of the community's carbon footprint. Anyone familiar with Stratford would understand the immensely damning quality of that argument.

The CBC goes on to report that in a letter sent to Minister Navdeep Bains it is claimed:

"The ownership of the company is basically a bit of a network of holding companies and sub-entities, almost all of which are registered in the Cayman Islands or Virgin Islands and many of the principals involved in those companies have overt links, either to the Chinese government or the Chinese Communist Party."