 |
| Taken from two small books on the life, exile and death of Napoleon dated 1822 and 1823 purchased at a local thrift shop auction in Gravenhurst. |
ONE OF THOSE DAYS - IN THE ANTIQUE TRADE THAT STARTS STRANGE AND ENDS WEIRD
VETERANS OF THE PROFESSION EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED AS NORMAL FARE -
I ONCE AGAIN HAVE TO OFFER AN APOLOGY. I STARTED WRITING TODAY'S BLOG WITH THE BEST INTENTIONS. THE LATEST VISITOR TO THE SHOP WAS ONE OF MY LONG-TIME COLLECTOR FRIENDS, WE HAVE KNOWN FOR DECADES; AND, AS WE ARE FAMOUS FOR, ENTERED INTO AN AFTERNOON-LONG HERITAGE DEBATE. WE STARTED TO COMPARE ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE FINDS, AND NEAT HISTORICAL-TYPES WE KNOW, WHICH LED TO HOURS SPEEDING BY, WHILE WE SAT BACK IN THE STUDIO, ON VERY COMFORTABLE SOFAS, TALKING ABOUT EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING RELATED TO THIS COUNTRY'S PAST. SO WHEN YOU GET TWO STALWART ANTIQUE HUNTERS TALKING HISTORY, WELL, IT'S DRY, BORING, REPETITIVE STUFF TO MOST OTHER VISITORS TO THE SHOP, WHO TODAY, AMBLED, UNKNOWINGLY INTO OUR HERITAGE WORKSHOP; BUT A FEW PASSERSBY TOOK A TURN WITH US, TALKING ABOUT LOCAL HISTORY, AND THE NEAT STUFF THEY HAPPENED TO OWN. WHICH OF COURSE, DEVELOPED A WHOLE NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THINGS. WE SUDDENLY WANTED WHAT THEY HAD. CALL IT AN OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD, BUT WE ARE COMPETITIVE FOR THESE HISTORIC PIECES, RIGHT DOWN TO ARM WRESTLING. MY OLD FRIEND IS BOB BOOTH, AND THIS AFTERNOON WE HAD A BLAST CATCHING UP. BOB BOUGHT THE FIRST PIECE OF MUSKOKA MEMORABILIA SUZANNE AND I EVER SOLD. IT WAS A NAVIGATION COMPANY PLATE, SOLD AT A YARD SALE WE WERE HOSTING, BACK WHEN WE LIVED ON ONTARIO STREET, IN BRACEBRIDGE, IN THE MID 1980'S. BOB MADE THE PURCHASE, AND WE'VE BEEN FRIENDS EVER SINCE. WE DON'T MEET UP REGULARLY, BUT WHEN WE DO, IT'S GOING TO BE A BULL SESSION OF EPIC PROPORTION. WE BOTH LIVE HISTORY WITH ALL ITS ASSOCIATED ARTIFACTS. THIS WAS BOB'S FIRST TRIP INTO THE SHOP, SO HE HAD TO HAVE THE GRAND TOUR. HE'S STILL UP FRONT WITH ANDREW, VIEWING TOM THOMSON'S TENOR BANJO. HE MAY NEVER LEAVE. THAT'S OKAY. WE LOSE PEOPLE HERE ALL THE TIME. ACTUALLY, HE JUST NOW POKED HIS HEAD IN THE DOOR, TO SAY GOODBYE. SUZANNE ASKED ME IF I HAD ANY VOICE LEFT, AFTER FOUR HOURS OF STRAIGHT CONVERSATION. I THINK SHE'S BEING SARCASTIC BUT SHE KNOWS I LOVE TO TALK ABOUT THE GOOD OLD DAYS.
I HAVE TRIED TO SETTLE DOWN WITH THIS KEYBOARD ON SIX OCCASIONS, ONLY TO BE INTERUPTED BY MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY. THESE OF COURSE ARE WELCOME INTRUSIONS. WELL, MAYBE HALF OF THEM. THE REALITY IS, THAT IN THIS BUSINESS, WHICH IS STREWN WITH VEINS OF WEIRDNESS ON EVEN THE SLOWEST DAY, YOU HAVE TO BE OPEN TO ALL EVENUTALITIES, EVEN IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT THROWS NORMALCY OUT THE DOOR. WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE HAULING ITEMS IN, WHICH THEY HAVE AN INTEREST TO SELL, YOU CAN GET BOGGED DOWN WITH OVER-THE-COUNTER APPRAISALS. WHILE WE BUY VERY LITTLE OVER THE COUNTER, BECAUSE WE ARE PICKERS OURSELVES, AT THE VERY LEAST, WE WILL TRY TO HELP FOLKS IDENTIFY WHAT THEY HAVE, AND GIVE THEM A BASIC VALUATION. THERE ARE TIMES, WHEN WE ARE OPEN TO ACQUIRING THE SUBJECT PIECES, OR TENDING TO AN ESTATE THAT IS OFFERED TO US, WE LIKE TO KEEP OUR OPERATION VERY SIMPLE. WE ONLY HAVE ONE PICKER, WHO WE HAVE PARTNERED WITH; BECAUSE WE DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OF CREATING ADDED COMPLEXITY, WHERE IT CAN SWALLOW US IN PAPERWORK. IN OUR PREVIOUS SHOP, IN BRACEBRIDGE, WE HAD TWENTY OR MORE CONSIGNORS, AND HONESTLY, IT'S WHAT GOT US THROUGH THE 1990'S RECESSION. BACK THEN WE CHARGED THE LOWEST CONSIGNMENT RATE IN THE REGION, AND THAT WAS TWENTY PERCENT. THE AVERAGE IS FORTY PERCENT WHICH IS A BIG BITE. WE HAD TO UP OUR FEE TO TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT, THIS YEAR, WHICH IS STILL PRETTY LOW AMONGST OUR CONTEMPORARIES. SO TODAY WAS ONE OF THOSE OCCASIONS, WHEN WE HAD MORE SELLERS THAN BUYERS. THIS SITUATION OCCURS ABOUT THREE TIMES A MONTH, AND MAYBE ITS COINCIDENTAL, OR JUST BECAUSE IT'S AT THE END OF THE MONTH, WITH RENT AND MORTGAGE PAYMENTS LOOMING. WE DO SEE A LOT OF SELLERS IN PANIC, BUT AS A RULE, THIS GIVES US REASON TO BE SUSPICIOUS.
I HATE TO SAY THIS, BECAUSE IT WILL REFLECT BADLY ON THE COMMUNITY, AT LARGE, BUT WE DO HAVE A LOT OF DESPERATE PEOPLE SHOWING UP IN OUR COMBINED SHOP, TRYING TO SEEL ITEMS THAT ARE STOLEN. WHETHER IT IS TO PURCHASE BOOZE OR DRUGS, WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS ARRIVE AND STAGGER, TO OUR SALES COUNTER, WITH MATERIALS TO SELL, THAT THEY CAN'T (OR WON'T), TELL US WHERE IT CAME FROM; OR OFFER US ANYTHING THAT DEMONSTRATES CLEAR OWNERSHIP. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REPORT SUSPECTED THEFTS, BY THESE HAPPENSTANCE SELLERS, AND RE-UNITED THE PIECES WITH THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS. ON ONE OCCASION, WE HAD ABOUT TWENTY PIECES COME IN ON CONSIGNMENT, BUT WE KEPT THEM IN STORAGE, UNTIL WE COULD FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. HAPPILY, FAMILY CONTACTED US, REPORTING THAT A SON HAD TAKEN, THE ITEMS FROM THE HOUSE, WITHOUT HIS FATHER'S APPROVAL. WE WERE ABLE TO GET EVERYTHING BACK TO THE FAMILY THAT HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE HOUSE.
ONE OF MY MOST TROUBLING ENCOUNTERS, IN OUR BRACEBRIDGE SHOP, OCCURRED WHEN A GROUP OF PEOPLE SHOWED UP, ONE MORNING, AND STARTED YELLING BACK AND FORTH TO ONE ANOTHER, ABOUT FINDING PIECES OF INTEREST IN OUR COLLECTION. I STARTED TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING, BUT I JUST LISTENED AND WAITED FOR ONE OF THE CUSTOMERS TO APPROACH THE COUNTER. SEVERAL OF THE GROUP ARRIVED AT THE DESK TOGETHER, CARRYING FOUR OR FIVE SIGNIFICANT PIECES OF INVENTORY. THEY LOOKED MAD. WHICH SCARED ME. CONFRONTATIONS IN OUR BUSINESS HAPPEN ALL THE TIME, MOSTLY DUE TO MISTAKEN IDENTIFICATION. THE YOUNG MAN WAS FIRST TO SPEAK UP, WHEN HE ANNOUNCED THAT HE AND HIS MOTHER HAD FOUND "STOLEN" PIECES IN OUR SHOP. THE WOMAN, WHO HE IDENTIFIED AS HIS MOTHER, INTERRUPTED, BY CORRECTING THIS STATEMENT. "SIR, WE'RE NOT ACCUSING YOU OF STEALING THESE ITEMS. YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW THAT THE FELLOW WHO WAS HAVING THE YARD SALE, WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE SELLING OUR PROPERTY." THIS IS THE POINT WHEN THE DEALER FEELS BOTH ANGRY AND SMALL. VERY, VERY SMALL. SUCH THAT I FELT LOWER THAN THE SALES COUNTER. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN," I ANSWERED. "THESE ITEMS WERE BROUGHT IN BY A CONSIGNOR WHO I HAVE WORKED WITH FOR YEARS, WHO WOULD NEVER THINK TO STEAL ANYTHING AT ANY TIME."
WHAT HAD HAPPENED, WAS THAT THESE FOLKS HAD RENTED A HOUSE, NORTH OF BRACEBRIDGE, TO A YOUNG COUPLE, WHILE THEY WERE OUT OF THE COUNTRY. WHEN THEY GOT BACK, THE COUPLE HAD MOVED OUT, AND REMOVED HUNDREDS OF ANTIQUE PIECES FROM THE HOUSE. THEY FOUND OUT FROM NEIGHBORS, THAT THE YOUNG MAN WHO HAD BEEN LIVING THERE, HAD BEEN DUMPED BY HIS GIRLFRIEND, AND HAVING LIMITED RESOURCES TO CARRY ON LIVING IN THE HOUSE, HAD DECIDED ONE SATURDAY MORNING, THAT SPRING, TO HOST A YARD SALE. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT HE DIDN'T HAVE ANY OF HIS OWN PROPERTY TO SELL. SO HE SOLD MATERIALS THAT DIDN'T BELONG TO HIM. ALONG CAME OUR CONSIGNOR FRIEND, MAKING THE YARD SALE ROUNDS, AND HE MADE SOME PURCHASES OFF THE YOUNG VENDOR. THEY WEREN'T EXACTLY HEIRLOOM PIECES, OR PARTICULARLY VALUABLE, BUT THEY WERE QUITE COLLECTABLE. HERE I WAS, WITH MY FACE HANGING OUT, STARING AT THESE POOR FOLKS, TRYING TO RECLAIM THEIR POSSESSIONS LITERALLY ONE SHOP, ONE ARTICLE AT A TIME. THEY HAD A REASONABLE IDEA, THAT DEALERS HAD PURCHASED NINETY PERCENT OF THE BEST PIECES OFFERED BY THE YOUNG MAN, ON THAT SUNNY SPRING MORNING. THEY HAD ALREADY VISITED TEN SHOPS IN TWO DAYS OF SEARCHING, AND RECOVERED ABOUT TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE ITEMS.
I HELPED THEM AROUND THE SHOP, TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY MORE PIECES THEY HADN'T DETECTED, ON THEIR QUICK ROUND-ABOUT, AND I THINK WE RECLAIMED ANOTHER THREE VINTAGE CROCKS. I GAVE THEM ALL THE MATERIALS BACK, AND GOT THEM TO SIGN A RECEIPT FOR WHAT HAD BEEN TURNED-OVER. AFTER THEY LEFT, I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED THE CONSIGNOR, AND TOLD HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. AT FIRST, HE FELT THAT HE SHOULD BE SOMEWHAT COMPENSATED FOR WHAT HE'D SPENT AT THE BOGUS YARD SALE. I POINTED OUT TO HIM, THAT HE SHOULD KNOW, THAT IT IS A "BUYER BEWARE," SITUATION, IN OUR TRADE; AND IN THIS CASE, THE ONUS HAD TO FALL OUR BOTH OUR BROAD SHOULDERS. WE COULDN'T BLAME ANYONE ELSE, BECAUSE QUESTIONS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ASKED, AND SUSPICIONS FOLLOWED UP ON! WE HAVE TO PERFORM DUE DILIGENCE TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL, IF WE WANT TO AVOID SITUATIONS LIKE THIS. WHAT COULD HE HAVE DONE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES? FIRST OF ALL, ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS OF THE VENDOR. A TWENTY YEAR OLD WITH ANTIQUES IS NOT TYPICAL OR USUAL, AND ESPECIALLY ONE FLIPPING THEM FROM A DRIVEWAY IN THE HINTERLAND. WE TALKED ABOUT THE RISK FACTOR OUT THERE, AND WE AGREED TO BE MORE CAREFUL, ON BOTH ENDS, FROM THAT POINT FORWARD. I OFFERED TO COMPENSATE HALF THE LOSS, BUT HE WOULDN'T HEAR OF IT; WHICH WAS NICE OF HIM. ALTHOUGH WE TRY TO AVOID CIRCUMSTANCES LIKE THIS, EVEN VETERAN DEALERS CAN MAKE THE MISTAKE OF TRUSTING SOMEONE, WHO MAKES A COMPELLING ARGUMENT, BUT IS IN THE ACT OF COMMITTING FRAUD. THERE ARE A LOT OF TELL-TALE SIGNS, AND THAT'S WHY DEALERS HAVE TO PURSUE THE MATTER WITH A RIGOROUS LINE OF QUESTIONING. EVERY ONE WE DEAL WITH, HAS TO GO THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS, EVEN THOSE WE HAVE DEALT WITH FOR YEARS. WHILE I'M SURE IT'S ANNOYING TO THE POINT OF BEING INSULTING, THE END RESULT IS THAT WE MITIGATE THOSE UGLY POTENTIALS, OF HAVING THE POLICE SHOW UP AT OUR DESK, WITH A PICTURE OF A STOLEN ITEM, THAT WE MIGHT HAVE IN OUR SHOWCASE.
THOSE SELLING ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES, INCLUDING VINTAGE GUITARS AND EQUIPMENT, WHO HAVE NO REASON TO HAVE THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND WHO CAN'T TELL YOU WHERE THEY ACQUIRED THEM, ARE DISPATCHED IMMEDIATELY, BACK OUT THE FRONT DOOR. BY EXPERIENCE, MANY OF THESE CHARACTERS, AREN'T THE PERPETRATORS OF A BREAK AND ENTER, OR THE ORIGINAL THEFT. THEY ARE COMMISSIONED TO CARRY OUT THE DISPERSAL OF STOLEN GOODS, AND THEY'RE PROBABLY BEING HONEST, WHEN THEY CAN'T ANSWER, ABOUT WHERE THE ITEMS WERE PURCHASED, OR OTHERWISE CAME INTO THEIR POSSESSION. IF WE FIND SOMEONE TRYING TO FLIP A VALUABLE GUITAR OR PIECE OF SOUND EQUIPMENT, WE MAY ALREADY HAVE A LIST, OR KNOWLEDGE OF PIECES STOLEN IN THE REGION. THEFT VICTIMS EXPECT THAT THE THIEVES WILL VISIT A GUITAR SHOP, OR PAWN SHOP, TO UNLOAD THE ILL-GOTTEN GOODS. WHEN SOMEONE IS VIOLATED IN THIS FASHION, THEY OFTEN COME TO SEE US FIRST, AS WE ARE ONE OF VERY FEW BUSINESSES THAT SELL ONLY VINTAGE USED MUSIC EQUIPMENT (IN OUR MUSIC COMPONENT). SO WE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO OPP REPORTS ABOUT STOLEN PROPERTY, AND WILL PHONE IN ANY SUSPICIOUS SELLER, WHO HAS WHAT WE BELIEVE, IS THE SUBJECT GUITAR ETC. WHILE IT'S NOT AN EVERY DAY SCENARIO, IT DOES OCCUR FAR TOO OFTEN, AND ALWAYS MAKES US UNCOMFORTABLE. THE OTHER GIVE-AWAY, IS WHEN THE INDIVIDUAL WANTS A RIDICULOUSLY LOW AMOUNT FOR WHAT COULD BE A THOUSAND DOLLAR GUITAR. WE ASSUME THIS IS DUE TO AN IMMEDIATE NEED FOR MONEY, AND THE REALIZATION, THAT A GREEDY VENDOR WOULD JUMP AT THE CHANCE TO CLINCH THE DEAL. VERY SELDOM DO WE SEE IT THE OTHER WAY ROUND, THAT A PERSON WITH A "HOT" ITEM, WILL WANT TOP DOLLAR. THEY JUST WANT TO GET IN AND OUT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. THIS IS WHEN WE SHOW THEM THE DOOR.
SOMETIMES, A PERSON ARRIVING AT THE DESK, WILL BE EITHER STONED OR DRUNK, AND TRY TO SELL US ON SOME GREAT "PROPERTY", OF VARIED DESCRIPTION, AND SKETCHY PROVENANCE, WHO WE BELIEVE ACTUALLY OWNS THE ITEMS, BUT IS TOO FAR OUT-OF-IT, FOR US TO DEAL MAKE ANY KIND OF BUSINESS DEAL. WE HAVE HAD SITUATIONS, WHERE ANGRY PARTNERS, SHOW UP AT THE SHOP THE NEXT DAY, TRYING TO BUY BACK THE FAMILY HERILOOMS THAT A SPOUSE OR SIGNIFICANT OTHER SOLD DURING A BINGE. THEY MAY HAVE BEEN THE RIGHTFUL OWNER, BUT THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF THEIR MENTAL CAPABILITY, SUGGESTED A DEAL COULD NOT BE CONDUCTED FAIRLY EITHER WAY. SO WE JUST TURN THEM AWAY, AND SUGGEST THAT WE COULD TALK TO THEM WHEN THEY SOBER UP. WE NEVER SEE THEM IN THE SHOP AGAIN. WHICH IS FINE FOR ONE AND ALL, AND MAY HAVE EVEN SPARED THEIR FAMILY RELATIONSHIP. UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE OFTEN CONFUSED, WITH PAWN AND HOCK SHOPS, AND PEOPLE THINK THAT WE WILL GIVE THEM AN ADVANCE ON THEIR PROPERTY, THAT THEY CAN RECLAIM AT A LATER DATE, BY COMING UP WITH THE SET FEE. IT'S KIND OF SAD ACTUALLY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT HAPPENS IN AND AROUND CHRISTMAS, WHEN FOLKS RUN OUT OF MONEY FOR GIFT BUYING. THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW WE OPERATE, AND THEY OFTEN GET MAD AT US, FOR NOT EXCHANGING GOODS FOR A TEMPORARY LOAN. I'M NOT KIDDING. THEY WILL EVEN YELL AT US, FOR BEING JERKS, WHEN CLEARLY, WE DO NOT ADVERTISE OURSELVES AS A HOCK SHOP. IT DOES CREATE SOME TENSE MOMENTS, ESPECIALLY IF THE INDIVIDUAL IS UNDER THE INFLUENCE. WE HAVEN'T BEEN PUNCHED-OUT YET, BUT WE'RE ALWAYS CAREFUL ABOUT HANDLING THESE CUSTOMERS, AND SHOWING THEM AS MUCH RESPECT AS WE CAN, IN USHERING THEM OUT THE DOOR. WITHOUT OF COURSE, BEING RUDE. THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW OCCASIONS WHEN THE VISITORS DO BECOME CONFRONTATIONAL, BUT ONLY BECAUSE OF THEIR PREVAILING CONDITION. A FEW HAVE COME BACK TO OFFER AN APOLOGY THE NEXT DAY, KNOWING THEY HAD MADE UNFLATTERING COMMENTS. EVERYBODY DESERVES A SECOND CHANCE.
QUITE A FEW VISITORS TO THE SHOP, DON'T UNDERSTAND THE KIND OF PRECAUTIONS WE HAVE TO TAKE IN THIS BUSINESS, TO PROTECT OURSELVES FROM PERPETUATING THE SCOPE OF A CRIME'S AFTERMATH. FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE WERE TO BUY AN ANTIQUE SILVER TEA SERVICE, FOR A THOUSAND DOLLARS, ONLY TO FIND OUT LATER, IT HAD BEEN STOLEN DURING A BREAK-IN, WELL, A LOT OF MONEY WOULD BE LOST. OUR MONEY! EVEN IF THE THIEF WAS CAUGHT AND PROSECUTED, WE WOULD LIKELY BE OUT THE MONEY INVESTED. WE MADE THE MISTAKE SO WE HAVE TO SUFFER THE LOSS. IT'S THAT SIMPLE.
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER THE THEFT OCCURRED LOCALLY OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY. WITH LIGHTNING QUICK COMMUNICATIONS TODAY, AND THE ABILITY TO SEND A PHOTO IMAGE IN A SPLIT SECOND, WE COULD HAVE A PICTURE OF THAT SAME TEA SERVICE, TRANSPORTED FROM A ROOM IN OUR SHOP (AS TAKEN BY A CUSTOMER), TO EITHER THE POLICE, OR A VICTIM, SUCH THAT BEFORE THE VISIT CONCLUDES, WE COULD BE BUSTED FOR SELLING STOLEN PROPERTY. THE PENALTIES FOR THIS ARE SEVERE. AND, IT CAN CAUSE LASTING DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPANY NAME, AND PERSONAL REPUTATION. SO IF WE ARE DECIDEDLY DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH, ON OVER THE COUNTER TRANSACTIONS, IT'S BECAUSE OF THIS FEAR OF MAKING A MISTAKE, AND INADVERTENTLY BUYING STOLEN GOODS. IT HAPPENS TO A LOT OF FOLKS IN OUR PROFESSION. WHEN TIMES GET DIFFICULT ECONOMICALLY, WE ALWAYS SEE A PARALLEL INCREASE IN FOLKS SELLING ILL-GOTTEN WARES. AND WHILE MOST WHO APPROACH US WITH ITEMS TO SELL, ARE LEGITIMATE, THERE ARE STILL FAR TOO MANY TRYING TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK AND THEN EXECUTE A QUICK GET-AWAY. WE ALSO HAVE THE PROBLEM OF THEFT, LIKE EVERY OTHER RETAIL OPERATION, BUT WE MITIGATE THIS WITH MANY SECURITY MEASURES, AND MANY "EYES" AROUND THE BUILDING. BUT IT'S JUST PART OF THE BUSINESS, AND YOU LEARN QUICKLY HOW TO DEAL WITH IT, AND STAY ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE LAW.
THE JOYS OF SOLITUDE AND NATURE - THE INVIGORATION OF THE SENSES
"THIS IS A DELICIOUS EVENING, WHEN THE WHOLE BODY IS ONE SENSE, AND IMBIBES DELIGHT THROUGH EVERY PORE. I GO AND COME WITH A STRANGE LIBERTY IN NATURE, A PART OF HERSELF. AS I WALK ALONG THE STONY SHORE OF THE POND IN MY SHIRT SLEEVES, THOUGH IT IS COOL AS WELL AS CLOUDY, AND WINDY, AND I SEE NOTHING SPECIAL TO ATTRACT ME, ALL THE ELEMENTS ARE UNUSUALLY CONGENIAL TO ME. THE BULLFROGS TRUMP TO USHER IN THE NIGHT, AND THE NOTE OF THE WHIPPOORWILL IS BORNE ON THE RIPPLING WIND FROM OVER THE WATER. SYMPATHY WITH THE FLUTTERING ALDER AND POPLAR LEAVES, ALMOST TAKES AWAY MY BREATH; YET LIKE THE LAKE, MY SERENITY IS RIPPLED BUT NOT RUFFLED. THESE SMALL WAVES RAISED BY THE EVENING WIND ARE AS REMOTE FROM STORM AS THE SMOOTH REFLECTING SURFACE. THOUGH IT IS NOW DARK, THE WIND STILL BLOWS AND ROARS IN THE WOOD, THE WAVES STILL DASH, AND SOME CREATURES LULL THE REST WITH THEIR NOTES. THE REPOSE IS NEVER COMPLETE. THE WILDEST ANIMALS DO NOT REPOSE, BUT SEEK THEIR PREY NOW; THE FOX AND SKUNK, AND RABBIT, NOW ROAM THE FIELDS AND WOODS WITHOUT FEAR. THEY ARE NATURE'S WATCHMEN, LINKS WHICH CONNECT THE DAYS OF ANIMATED LIFE."
I HAVE THIS WRITTEN OUT, ON A PIECE OF PAPER POSTED ABOVE MY DESK; THE PAPER YELLOWED AND RIPPED, BUT CONTAINING THE MOST IMPORTANT PARAGRAPH, WHICH TO ME, IS AN ENDURING SOURCE OF DAILY INSPIRATION; ESPECIALLY WHEN AT TIMES, THE VIEW FROM HERE, HAS SEEMED DULL AND UNREMARKABLE……TIME FULL OF TURMOIL AND ANTICIPATION. THESE ARE THE WORDS CONTAINED IN THE CHAPTER, "SOLITUDE," AS WRITTEN BY LEGENDARY AMERICAN AUTHOR, HENRY DAVID THOREAU, IN HIS WELL LOVED BOOK, "WALDEN AND CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE."
I CAME UPON THOREAU'S WORK QUITE BY ACCIDENT. IT WAS ONE OF THOSE ACCIDENTS, THAT HAD A GOOD AND POSITIVE SIDE, AND CAME AT THE RIGHT TIME IN MY LIFE TO BE APPRECIATED.
I FOUND THE BOOK IN A BOX GIVEN TO MY MOTHER
When I was finishing up high school, in Bracebridge, I had some concerns about what field I would major in, when attending university. I didn't have a clue. I was interested in history and english, but I really didn't see myself becoming a teacher. I was too impatient. Too impulsive. I was above all, claustrophobic. Being confined to a classroom, was like being nailed into a coffin each day. And most important, I had hated school every year I had been enrolled, from grade one onward. Although family and friends thought I'd make a decent teacher, or possibly a professor, I was thinking more along the lines of "country philosopher," or a "bard," although I was pretty sure this wouldn't have been a very profitable pursuit. I was in a quandary because university was expensive, and I needed to make a wise investment in my courses of study. So I started to read more, in an attempt to loosen the old noggin, in order to consider all the possibilities….all the pertinent points of view. I have always felt writers knew about universal, philosophical stuff I needed to know, which explains why I have been drawn to books for most of my life.
My mother picked up a bag of books someone had left in the laundry room, of our apartment building, and she found some titles that appealed to her reading interests, and even retrieved one for me……and yes, it was my strange, rather unremarkable introduction to Henry David Thoreau. From the laundry room to my room. So it seemed like a worthwhile book to invest some time, and I even took it to work with me, for lunch-time reading. I was working as a shipper /driver at Building Trades Centre, in Bracebridge, where my father Ed was manager. I used to take small deliveries out to cottage properties, around the lakes, and on occasion, I'd have to wait for a contractor or owner to show up at the site, to sign for the delivery. I wasn't allowed to leave an order without a signature. So I had a lot of time out in the woods. So this day, I decided to take the book along, because I knew there was a good chance, I was going to be spending some quality time out in the bush waiting. Other drivers had warned me about this job, and the contractor, who was missing in action a lot. I wasn't wrong.
I remember going to this particular property on Healey Lake, just off the Fraserburg Road, (in Bracebridge), and having to wait more than an hour and a half, for the contractor to return from lunch. The small cottage was only missing the siding and the windows, of which I had some of both in the back of the truck. It was raining and I hated the idea of sitting in the truck for however long it was going to take, for someone to arrive back on site. So I wandered over to the cottage, with my book under my arm, and sat down just inside the front door, with my feet slung out on top of the first step, of the unfinished verandah. It was a beautiful setting, and the sound of the light rain on the leaves was so relaxing, yet strangely alluring at the same time. It was a contradiction as such; being an exciting solitude. A very inspirational place to spend time in contemplation. I contemplated a lot back then…..as my preparation for becoming a modern day philosopher…..which I actually thought was a profession.
After enjoying the scene for twenty minutes or so, I began delving into the world this author had made at Concord's Walden Pond. Why were his observations so revered? What did he know of life and times that I didn't? What did nature mean to him? So for the better part of the next hour, I read my first chapters of "Walden Pond" and quickly understood how astute an observer he had been, in his era, and in his region of the hinterland. It was at times, as if Thoreau himself, was sitting beside me, on this doorless portal onto the nature of Muskoka. The lake in behind, through a second open door, looked like shattered glass, with the fall of rain rippling its silver surface. I was sensing Walden Pond, even though, regionally, it was South Muskoka, in the Province of Ontario. I could actually see the point he was making via the book he wrote. This was the visual beyond the print, and his words rang true to what was happening around me, in this din of natural sounds and myriad occurrences of insects, birds, and animals. It was a gentle occasion, but it was electric at the same time, with so much going on…..deer leaping down the road, a beaver coming up from the lowland, and fish breaking the surface of the lake, lunging for the flies that hovered over its surface. It was as if he had opened a door for me, to see the true philosophy of unfettered nature……all from a perch above the thriving ferns beneath, and the evergreens making up the border of the country lane. The scene was remarkable because I was seeing it, in company of a true country philosopher. Even though I had always been a wanderer in nature, resorting to the woods and lakeland whenever possible, often with canoe and paddle, I witnessed something on this day, that I can only relate to, what David Grayson, once wrote, of an opening of the closed mind, to see to the horizon and beyond, in the universality of personal discovery. I couldn't claim, to having become a scholar in the works of Thoreau, after reading only several chapters, but it became a heavily relied upon book that I came to latch onto, to explain my own deepening interests in rural philosophy, and engaging nature to suit my wild wanderlust. My mother gave me a head start in the domain of philosophy, when she handed me this discard book, of which I have never been separated from, in spirit, since that spring day back in 1973.
This simple passage, that is posted by my desk, reminds me of that occasion, sitting in the doorway of a half finished Muskoka cottage, with the good company of Mr. Thoreau, at least in spirit. In some ways, it was my awakening to the possibilities that I could become a country philosopher after all……if however, I didn't measure the success of this career move, by the amount of money pocketed at the end of each week. My parents wanted me to be a teacher. A succession of wonderful girlfriends and male chums, bet I would become a teacher. I became a writer instead, and a sort of country philosopher on account of Henry David Thoreau…..and a book I consider my country bible. The pay sucks but the dividends are perpetually enlightening. All I have to do, is wander over to the adjacent woodlands, here at Birch Hollow, to regain my passion for discovery…..because I never return home, that I can honestly say, I didn't find anything to fascinate me. I could write a book about these "fascinations," with nature…..never once requiring an "app" to make the connection.
Thank you for taking a little time today, with the good Mr. Thoreau and me……always in your debt, for your faithful visitations.
No comments:
Post a Comment