Christmas Dinner

Dinner at Lynda and Peter's home has been a tradition for some time . All the family who are  able arrive at the home in the early afternoon and share precious time together before the feast. The turkey is always cooked perfectly and all the vegetables make for a feast for the Queen. Conversations around the table generate much chatter and probably to a stranger just noise. That is the way we like it with the interaction between family and friends.

Of course we still have the four generations present with Doris being the most elderly of our family at 96. She betrays her age in looks but recalls images from by gone years to keep our attention. Christmas is more special than the other birthdays and celebrations but families become fragmented when the age factor comes and members have to share their time among extended family functions..

We miss the people who are not with us in person at this time but we all have them in our hearts and know that it will be only a short time when we will once more be together. I receiver a gift this Xmas of our whole family at a recent family celebration and at the time we thought that it might be a long time before we all sit at the table as a complete family. I find this a little troubling but when I see the wonderful extended members to our clan I realize what a gift we have when we share our time with others.

Freezing rain

The forecast was for deadly freezing rain from Ontario to Newfoundland and they were correct. All night the ice built up and the cracking of the trees never stopped. Thousands out of hydro and damage tothe forests and town trees was terrific.

In our yard we have branches which were broken off from the neighbours trees. Shameful mess and cleanup will not be easy. We are fortunate with usually good winter weather but on the

first day of winter this year we are bombarded with a very expensive storm to the environment and our pocket books.

Snowman

We are all children when the snow becomes perfect for making snowballs and snowmen. The other morning the snow was perfect and I just had to go out and build one before the rain. Rolling the first ball was easy but when I rolled the second one I had to lift it on top of the first.

A beeping horn and a wave from my neighbor gave me extra strength so I managed to lift it even though I had a struggle.The head was easy and patting down Frosty was easy but he was naked.

I went into the garage and found a single green bed sheet for a scarf, two round balls for eyes and a beer bottle for a nose.

After finishing I stood back and felt OK being a kid for half an hour building a snowman.

Beautiful Snow

For years now Theresa and I have been coming home from Florida to green grass and fall like weather. We always wished for some snow to put us in the Christmas spirit. Well this year we are at home and received  the gift we wished for many times over. Nearly 30 cm of the white stuff landed on our doorstep followed by a little more this morning.

It felt good shoveling the driveway and seeing all my neighbours doing the same thing. It is one time when we actually work together and socialize. There is a little competition between two of my neighbors who try to be the first with a clean driveway and sidewalk. Bot these people are women and to make matters even worse is that sometimes they start so early they come to help me with my work.I appreciate their effort in keeping their property in perfect order and expecting others to do the same.

Our neighborhood looks great during every season but with the clean snow coating the trees and fences it brings a new level of beauty and we wish it would always be so. We are on a bus route so the city plows our road early and often. This means that our driveway gets a fresh layer of salty, wet snow which can freeze and cause a bump which is hard to remove. No sooner does the plow go by when we rush to clear the mess before freezing.

There is something to be said about seasons and the changes and challenges they bring so enjoy each one in turn and specially the beautiful snow.

Tourtiere

Every year at this time I get anxious to make a New Year favourite Tourtiere. Living in Quebec and having a large contingent of French Canadian friends and relatives  I was introduced to this pie long ago.

I have tried to use other peoples recipes for this dish but I always return to one I have used in the past and rely on it to do the job. This year we used the same mixture of pork and beef hamburg but I added a couple of extra spices. I use ginger in many of my favourite recipes and this year I added it to the tourtiere.

Probably no one will notice because ginger used properly becomes a subtle spice with rewarding results. All three of us got involved this year and if they taste as good as they look we will be very happy.

Stormy Day Fun

December 15th here in Oakville brought us over 25 cms of snow. The roads were snow covered and the traffic was practically zero. Theresa and I were being treated to a visit from our grand daughter Shawna Lynn from Ottawa so we invited the other grand children over for a game of Monopoly.

We own a deluxe game of Monopoly given to us as a Xmas gift but we never used it. It was over fifty years since I played the game but I remember the fun we used to have. We set the time for 10am and the players all showed up ready for some fun. We elected Lyndsay  as banker and she did a great job of explaining the rules as we forgot most of them.

As the game progressed the real fun began as people met the reality of losing their assets. We decided on playing four hours with a break for pizza. The time flew by and we closed the game on time. It was hardly over when we planned to get together for a games  night over the Xmas holidays.

We had a great time and as we departed everyone realized how much we missed. We plan to correct this by having games day often in the future.

Stocking Up

We see the squirrels running in every direction this time of the year with food for their winter hibernation. Theresa and I are somewhat like that as we can our harvest from our garden to provide food for the winter.Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and beets are canned and put away in our basement vault.
There is nothing as welcome in the winter as opening up a fresh bottle of strawberry jam or taking out frozen cherries to make a pie. This year Mother Nature was truly a wonderful force and I believe that we had a bumper harvest from our kitchen gardens and fruit trees.

Our apple trees were a washout last year but this year they are laden with fruit and we should see the orchard farmers being happy once again as they gather and sell their fruit. I believe this time of year is just as pleasant as the early days in spring when again Mother Nature  begins the growth cycle.

People who miss the harvest spirit some time in their life leave a big hole  in their experience of  one of the great recurring natural wonders, the circle of life.

Violence

I hear people talking about just how violent the world is today and I give thought about this subject. I turn on the television and there are numerous channels showing the detective like shows where death and destruction is depicted every minute or so. Movies that make it to the top are usually ones where our heroes are violent people performing violent acts.

The news cast usually headline the latest murder or some violent deed like a car crash or shooting in a public place like a school. The fact is we live in a violent society. Young kids are born into homes where violence is considered part of the entertainment world. I read an article in a family magazine while waiting for  a Dr. appointment and it pointed out the number of violent incidents that our children experience through the media and it was shocking.

We can hardly expect our children to be upset when they see real live violence as they are conditioned over their lives to every form of abnormal behavior.Violent actions are reported because the stories generate interest and sell advertisement. Christmas is right around the corner and a survey makes it blatantly clear that many of the soft ware games, toys and other gifts are orientated to violence.

We can not expect our children to be brought up in a vacuum but we can take action in supervising the time spent watching TV and the choice of programs. With the growing concerns there is research that developed means to control the use of the media and it does work. We cannot legislate all the required controls but we can support legislation which attempts to protect our youngsters environment concerning violence. Children emulate their parents and copy our habits so our viewing time and reading material should be carefully screened. This is a problem which will never go away so make sure we are good role models for our young people.

December 9,1995

I was checking my diary from my stay in the North and I see a very active few days before coming south for Christmas. We were in the middle of a deep freeze up and our utilidor froze completely. An utilidor is a heated pipe which carries the water supply from a tank beside our water lake to the hamlet tank. Our hamlet tank is used by the water trucks to distribute fresh water to all the homes and businesses.

The Cambridge utilidor is three miles long and is heated by four furnaces which pump hot antifreeze around the fresh water pipe. This is a normal procedure in the far north where temperatures and perma  frost makes it impossible to pump water by conventional means.

I was preparing to go home any day but I could not leave until this problem was solved. It was a yearly problem so I thought we could fire up the furnaces and get the water flowing. The workers knew better and tried every trick in the book in order to get the water flowing. Time was critical because out Hamlet water tank was nearly empty.

Everyone in the hamlet was told to ration water and the hotels were put on notice that trouble was brewing.Our water foreman quickly put the emergency plan into effect. Clear the snow from the lake to make a portable pumping station. Open up a hole through the 8 feet of ice and pump the water directly through to the water trucks. This is easily done but it puts the pressure on the workers because of the distance they had to travel.

It being only the 9th of December the men in the water department could look forward to long hours for the next five and a half months. The men worked, the water was delivered and the hamlet went back to normal delivery schedule. The water truck drivers had a mammoth job keeping up with the demand so we hired more casuals to help and added an extra man on the night shift.

Down here we take water for granted. Up there it is a matter of life and death. I was always proud of the manner in which the workers prevailed in conditions that were brutally cold. Because of their tenacity I was able to leave there for Christmas holidays without worrying about the water.

Christmas Preparations In Ikaluktutiak ( Cambridge Bay )

The high Arctic has a geographic characteristic which makes it unique in Canada. The land is baron and free from ant trees. The Inuit were sheltered from any thought of Christmas until a short time ago when Christian Missionaries swept through the land and shared their propaganda with the naive Inuit. Churches were developed and some even flourished but the problem that came with the conversion proved to be costly. The white man brought disease and a way of life that changed the face of the aboriginal people.

Christian rules and cultural differences caused many to become confused and the warm glow of the missionaries turned into something else when the government placed the responsibility for education in the hands of the churches. Residential schools were designed to take the Inuit culture out of the children and a whole generation of Inuit were left with few of their cultural and linguistic abilities. This is a shameful legacy from the people and institutions who fostered such a damnable system.

The idea of Christmas was one of the features that caught on with the Inuit and from early days celebrations were common in the Inuit families. Hamlets celebrated and Christmas trees were flown in and usually a large tree was decorated in the Hamlet community center. In our hamlet we had a local airline that used to take a plane load of tree in to the hamlet and many families decorated them in their homes. Schools and public buildings also became involved so the tradition was established.

The decorations were mostly hand made and in the old days but now everyone has access to commercial decorations. Christmas is a happy time with special events and in the darkest month of the Arctic winter Christmas is a bright time. I saw children with smiling faces singing Christmas carols and the spirit of sharing was strong among the Inuit. I loved the atmosphere of Christmas in the Arctic and it had a distinct Inuit flavor which carried over to the New Year.

Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave When First We Practise To Deceive

This quote has often been used after scandals erupt in any situation. Used after the fact it points to the true statement of telling the truth. Time after time individuals, companies, religious orders, and yes politicians ruin their lives by trying to deceive the public through less than truthful statements and schemes

Some of the most powerful men in the world have gone down because they refused to accept the truth and became involved in elaborate cover ups.. The latest of these actions are in the headlines every day. Mayor Ford and our Prime Minister thought they could cover up misdeeds by plotting elaborate schemes to fool the public.

People are usually ready to accept the fact that leaders make mistakes and are usually pardoned for their folly if they come clean and apologize sincerely. Our Prime Minister set himself up  as the white knight when it came to integrity and transparency. He ran on a ticket saying he would clean up Ottawa and punish those who do not conform to the Conservative ideology. Well it was not long before his PMO became the den of all that is wrong with the politics in Ottawa under his watch.

Had the Prime Minister told the truth from the beginning he would have had most people in Canada thinking he was doing the correct thing by ridding the Senate of corrupt people. He however permitted acts of deceitful behaviour to be committed in his office. He began a elaborate cover up involving many people and he lied about it. Now he is stuck with a story which is a lie and it is dragging him down .

The RCMP has come up with evidence which makes the Prime Minister look foolish. It is a little late now to turn back and Harper is caught in that web  which he helped to weave and for months has been under attack. I believe that even the most loyal of his friends realize that there was a cover up and it has hurt in a major way the manner in which Harper is being perceived today.

In every situation the truth will set you free if it is told openly and freely. This applies just as surely in personal life situations .

We All Shed A Tear For Mandela

Today the world lost one of the greatest men who effected change throughout countries crying for a leader to give them freedom. He was of the nature of Gandhi who believed in peaceful negotiated compromises rather than violence. A young man of six feet two and two hundred and forty pounds and a boxer and a physical presence who saw the means of change through negotiations dedicated his life to make the point.

Nearly three decades in a horrible prison working in the chock cliffs dimmed his sight but not his vision. He was released and immediately stared that freedom and change was in the future but through peaceful means. He stated on his release from prison that not a window should be broken but strength through quiet means will give them their goal. He worked miracles because of his leadership and rose to become the president of the South African Nation.

All of Africa claimed him and he was so much in demand that he had little time for personal family life but he managed. All the world cheered when he won the Nobel peace prize and in his humble way stated it was the people of Africa who really won the prize.

Everyone will shed a tear for this great man and it was a honor to be born in an era when such a great man made his mark. History will record his influence in terms of greatness next to only a few who had such a profound impact on the world in such a short time. I am glad that he is an Honorary Canadian Citizen.

Dreary December

December can be a dreary time if there is no snow. This year, as during most ,there is little chance for snow in Oakville. Everyone around will have a nice coating of the white stuff but we seem to miss it.Around us most people have their Xmas lights up and they look bright and cheerful,  but without snow they pale to the time when the ground is covered
.
People are beginning to get in the Xmas spirit and the malls are busy but I need some snow. We have an over winter bird who took up residence in one of our bird houses. Every night the bird blocks the opening with material from the nest but at day break opens up the doorway. There are two birds staying and I suppose they would stay here all winter anyway but we have never had birds staying in our houses before.

There is a real lapse in the bird population here right now and our cardinals and blue jays have disappeared. I trust they will come back to our feeders when I get around to filling them with sun flower  seeds. The Canada Goose population has increased during the last few weeks but when the cornfields get covered with snow they will move south.

Until the winter birds return I will have to watch the large gray and black squirrels try to get the food from the feeders.  Cannot wait until we have a real winter atmosphere.  

Conservatives Learn From Toronto Council

Toronto city council were fed up with the Mayor and so rebelled and took away most of the powers that the Mayor had. The House of Commons and the Prime Minister were experiencing a similar problem. The worthy backbenchers elected to serve in the house were muzzled by the PMO. The Prime Ministers Office is a group of unelected people who support the PM and do his bidding.

The members of the house became tired of the administration and the scripted manner that was demanded of the members. They were also tired of taking orders from the nonelected people from the PMO . The scandal in the Senate brought this discontent to a boil and this week there is a Conservative motion coming to the floor of the house curtailing the powers of the PMO. This is a rebellion of sorts and shows a divide in the caucus.

It is a long time coming and depending on the outcome could bring a wave of support for a new leader. Prime Minister Harper is a victim of his own making as we have been experiencing the most autocratic government ever in the history of Canada.

We will watch and see just how the PM will try to hold on to powers to keep his administration intact. Personally I see this as a great step forward for the party who might see it is the time for a change at the top. In any case we will see some movement away from the dictatorial manner in which our country has been controlled.

A Gift From The Past

I am a person who collects almost everything.Little items that were collected from the past were often tucked away in my many boxes of treasures. One of my oldest personal items came to my attention the other day when I was seeking some pictures for a book I am completing.

I was looking for pictures from the early fifties and came across two small items in an envelope. One item was a address book in black leather with gold gilding and the other was a gold eversharp pencil complete with extra leads.My oldest sister Grace gave them to me in 1955 before we began our travels to Pointe Claire, Quebec.

I was thankful for the gift and filled many of the spaces in the snall book with family and friends adresses,  birthdays and phone numbers. I used the book and pencil for years but

whnr it did not meet my needs anymore I retired it to the treasure box with the gold pencil.

When I found it the other day I immediately opened it and to my amazement most of the names in the book were either unknown to me at present or passed on. The family names are still relatively still active but the others are history. I checked the addresses against my present book and only a few were still there. For fun I attempted to phone a few of the numbers and only a few were still active.

This little book gave me an opportunity to bring back memories of the people recorded and I shared a short visit with them as I looked through a gift from the past.