Let me tell you about the birds and the bees (photo of my mom circa 1950) I was born in 1952, the year that Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected president of the United States. Growing up absurd in a small southern Ontario town in the 1950s and 1960s meant being fed a steady diet of..
Are the bees for the birds? The custom of “telling the bees” is a charming and ancient tradition where beekeepers inform their bees about significant events in their lives, such as deaths, births, marriages, and other major occurrences. This practice is believed to have its roots in Celtic mythology, where bees were seen as messengers..
Good Neighbor Sam What was the first film you ever saw in a “movie theatre”? I saw my first such movie in July of 1964 when I was 12 years old. Starring the iconic comedian Jack Lemmon, the film was a piece of fluff called “Good Neighbor Sam”, but for me this foray..
Bug-Itis got a-hold on me …or don’t let the bedbugs bite About 400 years ago, when I was a student at Oakridge Secondary School in London Ontario, one of the major events of the institution’s social calendar was a yearly dance featuring a group called the Mandala, commonly referred to, for some unknown reason, as..
My American Cousins, July 4, 1963, St. Albans Street on the corner of Church Street, Enosburg Falls, Vermont For Tammy MacBryde Farr Folding chairs and outdoor dining tables festooned with colorful paper table cloths were positioned at regular intervals across the vast corner yard of our cousin Robina MacBryde Randall’s Vermont home, like a series..
What’s in a name? Becoming SpongeBob “Sticks and stones will break my bones/ But names will never hurt me.” (An old adage which is a bare-faced lie) When I was barely eight years old and living in Georgetown, Ontario, an earth-shattering upheaval shook my identity to the core: I lost the name my parents..
This is Academy Award week and one the films in line for best picture is a brilliant courtroom drama titled Anatomy of a Fall ((Anatomie d’une chute). My family has always loved courtroom dramas. So I created trials with and for my students. Here is a first piece about courtrooms. Another one, about Duddy Karavitz,..
La complainte du bricoleur malhabile The unhandy handyman’s lament Mon ami Andy McClelland, musicien professionnel hautement qualifié, m’a dédié cette chanson, mais elle aurait pu être écrite pour mon père. My highly skilled professional musician friend Andy McClelland dedicated this song to me, but it could have been written for my father. ..
Valentines Day and a Box Social Grade 2 Miss Betty Jean Anderson (teacher) Georgetown, Ontario, Canada February 14, 1960 Chapel Street School Valentine’s Day…frenetic activity. Who would get the most cards? Popularity depended on volume. Messages: Be mine….You’re so sweet. Corny puns: Some Bunny Loves You (accompanied by a drawing of..
Still Life Georgetown, Ontario, Summer 1961 His name was Mr. Inglis. We called him the Merry Mailman. He delivered every envelope with the warmest of smiles. I would meet him in the streets of our neighborhood, especially during summer, As he made his daily rounds. He was also my baseball coach. So we..