NEW YEARS IN GRAVENHURST -

A SHORT TIME TO A NEW YEAR - A CRICKET - A HEARTH - THE FIRE WITHIN

OVER THE PAST WEEK, SUZANNE AND I HAVE MOTORED ALL OVER THE AREA OF SOUTH MUSKOKA. IT'S TRUE, WE HAVE BEEN ON MUSKOKA BEACH ROAD, MORE THAN ANY OTHER, AS IT IS OUR PREFERRED ROUTH NORTH AND SOUTH, TO BRACEBRIDGE AND BACK. THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WE SIMPLY HAD TO STOP TO ENJOY THE VIEW, BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE ICE AND SNOW HAD ADORNED THE MASSIVE EVERGREENS, AND OF COURSE THE MAPLES OF THE NATURAL CATHEDRAL, JUST NORTH OF THE FORMER JONES' FARM. EVEN TODAY, AFTER CONSIDERABLE THAWING, IT WAS BEAUTIFUL TO SEE, AND PASS UNDER. EVEN THE WALKS AROUND BIRCH HOLLOW HAVE BEEN FULL OF AMAZING SIGHTS OF WINTER DECORATION. TO THINK WE COULD HAVE BEEN ON A TROPICAL BEACH INSTEAD. I DON'T EVER TELL ANYONE OF OUR FRIENDS, OR ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER, THAT THEY'RE FOOLISH FOR VACATIONING IN OTHER PLACES…..BECAUSE THEIR CHOICE IS THEIR CHOICE. BUT YOU KNOW, IF YOU CAN DROP THE "I HATE WINTER ATTITUDE," AND RE-VISIT MUSKOKA,……TO SEE CLEARLY, THROUGH THE WINDSWEPT SNOW, WHAT THIS REGION OFFERS IN SCENIC DIVERSITY, AND ACCOMMODATION IN SO MANY WAYS, MAYBE IT WOULDN'T SEEM SO MUCH OF A DISADVANTAGE TO HAVE A STAY-CATION. EVERY DAY WE'VE BEEN OUT TO SEE THE LANDSCAPE, AT ALL TIMES OF THE DAY, EVEN AFTER DARK, AND HAVE ENJOYED ALL THE TREATS WE COULD ACQUIRE FROM LOCAL RESTAURANTS AND ASSORTED SHOPS WE LOVE TO VISIT.

AND WHEN WE ARRIVE HOME AGAIN, TO THE SNOW-COVERED EVERGREENS AND LILACS, AND THE HEAVY BOUGHS OF THE BIRCHES, AND MAPLES, IT IS NO DISADVANTAGE TO DAWDLE ON THE HARD-PACKED LANE TO THE HOUSE, TO DRINK IN ALL THE GRANDEUR OF A MUSKOKA HOMESTEAD.

TONIGHT I HAVE TAKEN ONE MORE TURN AT THIS KEYBOARD, IN THIS OIL-LAMP ILLUMINATED OFFICE, AND FOUND NOTHING BUT PEACE AND QUIET IN THE HAUNTED SOLITUDE. MY FRIEND THE CRICKET HASN'T BEEN SEEN FOR AWHILE. I DON'T REALLY MISS IT, BECAUSE THE CHIRPING WAS SOMEWHAT IRRITATING. BUT I WISHED HIM WELL, NONE THE LESS, AT THIS FESTIVE TIME OF THE YEAR, AND SINCE THEN, I'VE CAUGHT SIGHT OF HIM SEVERAL TIMES…..BUT THE CHIRPING HAD CEASED. I SUPPOSE HE HAS RETURNED TO A SAFER, LESS TRAVELLED PART OF THE HOUSE, WHERE HE MAY HAVE A FAMILY……A CIRCLE OF FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS TO RING IN THE NEW YEAR. OF THIS I WISH THEM THE VERY BEST AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

I WILL BE MUCH MORE SPORADIC WITH THESE BLOGS, IN THE NEW YEAR, AS I HAVE MANY OTHER WRITING PROJECTS CURRENTLY ON THE GO. I WILL BE CARRYING-ON MY NEWLY LAUNCHED COLUMN ON THE PARANORMAL, IN "THE GREAT NORTH ARROW," BEGINNING IN FEBRUARY, AND I'VE ALREADY BEGUN PLANNING FOR A YEAR PLUS FEATURE COLUMN ON ANTIQUE HUNTING FOR "CURIOUS; THE TOURIST GUIDE," (AVAILABLE LOCALLY), ALSO STARTING NEXT MONTH. SUZANNE IS GETTING READY TO LAUNCH HER FAMILY HISTORY BLOG-SITE IN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO, AND WE'RE STEPPING UP THE ANTIQUE TRADE OURSELVES, WORKING WITH THE BOYS IN THEIR (MUSKOKA ROAD) SHOP EXPANSION, WE EXPECT TO GET UNDERWAY BY EARLY SPRING……..IF EVERYTHING LINES UP THE WAY WE EXPECT. AND OF COURSE WE'VE GOT THE WINTER CARNIVAL SONG IN PREPARATION, AND SOME SCARVES IN PRODUCTION TO BE WORN BY THE MEMBERS OF "PRESSURE POINT." IT LOOKS LIKE 2012 WILL START WITH A BANG. THE WEATHER ISN'T SEVERE, I HAVEN'T BEEN STUCK IN THE DRIVEWAY YET, AND THERE'S BEEN NO NEED FOR EITHER A BOOST OR A TOW. WHAT A GREAT MUSKOKA WINTER.

ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR VISITING THIS BLOG-SITE OVER THE PAST TWO MONTHS, AS A CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS PRIMER. I WILL BE WORKING AT THIS BLOG-SITE IN THE FUTURE BUT NOT QUITE AS REGULAR. HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE GRAVENHURST WINTER CARNIVAL THIS WINTER.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FOR A SECOND TIME TODAY!!!!

NEW YEARS IN GRAVENHURST -

CITIZENS ARE THE GUARDIANS OF HOMETOWN VALUES - NOT TOWN COUNCIL - THEY'VE GOT A COUNCIL TERM, WE HAVE PERMANENT RESIDENCY

THE CITIZENS OF GRAVENHURST NEED TO TAKE BACK THEIR TOWN. SERIOUSLY! THERE ARE SO MANY TIMES, THESE DAYS, WHETHER IT IS VIA THE MEDIA, TUCKED BENEATH UNASSUMING HEADLINES IN THE LOCAL PRESS, OR JUST IN THE LOOSE SPEECHES GIVEN AROUND TOWN, BY GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES, AND SUNDRY OTHER SPOKESPEOPLE……THAT SEEM TO SAY, BETWEEN THE LINES….."SUCK IT UP, TAKE YOUR MEDICINE, WE'RE IN CHARGE. SMILE AND SHUT UP! OH AND YES, CUT US A TAX CHEQUE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!"

THERE'S THE ASSUMPTION OF POWER OVER THE PEOPLE…..SUCH THAT THE AVERAGE CITIZEN HERE, MIGHT FEEL AS IF THEY'RE ON THE BOTTOM OF A GIANT GROUP-TACKLE, OF THOSE ASPIRING, RATHER DEMANDING, TO REPRESENT US. I'VE USED IT AS AN EXAMPLE BEFORE, BUT I CAN FIND MANY PARALLELS WITH THE OLD MARX BROTHERS' "HAT GAG," TO WHAT I SEE HERE AS THE SCRAMBLE TO OUT-RANK AND OUT-MUSTER ONE ANOTHER. EXCEPT OF COURSE WHEN IT COMES TO REMOVING THE VANDALIZED RED PIANO, PROBABLY STILL ERODING INTO EARTH, ON MUSKOKA ROAD, WHERE IT WAS UNCEREMONIOUSLY DUMPED THIS PAST FALL. THEN IT'S THE CASE OF THE REVERSING ORDER OF WHO IS IN CHARGE, AND CITIZENS WILL MOST LIKELY BE THE ONES WHO FINALLY GET FED-UP, AND MOVE THE PIANO THEMSELVES. HERE'S THE THING.

GRAVENHURST COUNCIL DOES NOT DEFINE MY RESIDENCY IN THIS COMMUNITY. THEY ARE BUT A FOUR YEAR BLIP ON THE RADAR, AND SINCE WE MOVED HERE IN THE LATE 1980'S, I'VE SEEN A LOT OF BLIPS. I THINK THE MEDIA PAYS FAR TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO THESE FOLKS, AND I THINK IT DISTRACTS THEM FROM THE BUSINESS THEY WERE ELECTED TO LOOK AFTER. NOT BEING THE PINNACLE DEFINITION OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CITIZEN OF THIS COMMUNITY……AND THAT'S WHERE I SEE A GROWING INTEREST TO MICRO-MANAGE TOO FAR INTO OUR DOMAIN. I WORRY ABOUT THE QUEST FOR POWER, AND THE WAY IN WHICH WE LOOK TOO OFTEN, ON TOWN HALL, FOR DIRECTION ON WHAT WE SHOULD BE MANAGING OURSELVES……AS CITIZENS WHO HAVE MADE THEIR HOME IN THIS TOWN, AND MAY HAVE ROOTS GOING BACK TO THE PIONEER HAMLET. THERE SEEMS TO BE TOO MUCH REVERENCE BEING BESTOWED ON THE POWERS OF TOWN HALL, TO SHAPE OUR FUTURE. DIDN'T WE LEARN ANYTHING FROM THE "OZ" EXPERIENCE, THAT THERE IS NO WIZARDLY WAY TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS WITHOUT CONSENSUS AND COMPLIANCE AT ALL LEVELS. OTHER THAN THAT, YOU'RE JUST MAKING CHANGES, AND STANDING BACK FOR EITHER THE APPLAUSE OR THE HISSING.

FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE ARE UNHAPPY ABOUT THE LACK OF ENTERTAINMENT AT THE OPERA HOUSE, SHOULD WE BE LOOKING TO TOWN HALL FOR A SOLUTION? OR SHOULD WE BE LOOKING AT OURSELVES, AND ASKING "WHAT'S WRONG WITH US? WHY CAN'T WE MAKE CHANGES TO THE ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM, AS A CITIZENS GROUP?" IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE MONTHLY FILM NIGHTS, AT THE OPERA HOUSE, AND THE COMMITTEE THAT BROUGHT IT TO FRUITION. A BIG SUCCESS. A LOT OF POTENTIAL. BUT CITIZEN DRIVEN. A GROUP NEEDS TO BE FORMED TO HELP MAKE CHANGES TO THE OPERA HOUSE ENTERTAINMENT PROFILE, AND WE MUST RECOGNIZE SOONER OR LATER, COUNCIL IS NOT THE BEST JUDGE OF WHAT WILL ENTERTAIN US. AS FAR AS INFLUENCING COUNCIL, NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT! IT DOESN'T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE, TO YELL AT COUNCIL, DEMANDING, "GIVE US ENTERTAINMENT OR ELSE!" NOT WHEN WE HAVE THE POWER AS A CITIZENRY, TO ORGANIZE, LEGITIMIZE AS A CULTURAL GROUP, AND LOBBY TOWN TO CONSIDER THE NEW AGENDA.

I HAVE WRITTEN THESE BLOG-ATORIALS OVER THE PAST TWO MONTHS, WITH AN AIM TO SHOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS, TO RE-FURBISH HOMETOWN PRIDE AND VALUES, HISTORY AND CULTURAL LEGACY, THAT WE HAVE EARNED SINCE THE 1860'S. OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, THE NEGATIVITY BOUNCING AROUND OUT THERE HAS BEEN DEMORALIZING TO A LOT OF CITIZENS, WHO ARE PROUD OF THEIR FAMILY CONNECTIONS TO THIS SOUTH MUSKOKA COMMUNITY. THE MAIN STREET BUSINESS COMPLAINING, HAS PUT US ALL IN A VERY POOR LIGHT, ECONOMICALLY, HISTORICALLY AND SOCIALLY…….APPEARING BY SOME ACCOUNTS, TO BE SLIPPING BENEATH THE WATER-LINE, SURELY TO SINK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE REGIONAL ECONOMY. OTHER TOWNS ALWAYS SEEM TO HAVE IT BETTER THAN WE DO…..OR IS IT THE CASE, THEY ARE FAR MORE PRO-ACTIVE, AND WILLING TO TURN A STINKER OF A SEASON, INTO THE FERTILIZER FOR THE NEXT. THE CITIZENS OF THE COMMUNITY HAVE LET OTHERS LEAD THE CHARGE, MAKE THE COMMENTS, AND WRITE THE EDITORIALS (OF WHICH I AM A PART), AND THE RESULT, HAS BEEN A LESSENING OF IDENTITY AND AN APPARENT WATERING DOWN OF COMMUNITY PRIDE.

NOW WHEN I SEE, AND JOIN IN, THE ANNUAL BENEVOLENT WORK FOR THE LESS FORTUNATE, IN OUR TOWN, LET ME TELL YOU…….THERE ISN'T A THING WRONG WITH HOMETOWN PRIDE, CHARITY, NEIGHBORLINESS, AND COMPASSION. IT JUST GETS OVERLOOKED AT TIMES, WHEN FOR EXAMPLE, WE READ ABOUT THE G-8 DEBACLE, THAT PUT US UNFAIRLY IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT…..AS IF THE CITIZENS THEMSELVES WERE RESPONSIBLE ……. OR THE HEADLINES ABOUT KICK-BACKS AT THE NEW RECREATION CENTRE…..THAT WE GOT CLOBBERED WITH, AS RUN OF THE MILL TAXPAYERS. AND WHEN OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, WISH TO DROP ANOTHER BIG WAD OF CASH, (TELLING US NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT NOW……YOU CAN PAY FOR IT LATER) WE LOWER OUR HEADS AS IF TO SAY, "GO AHEAD, TAKE IT ALL." THE RATEPAYER'S GROUP HAS DONE A GOOD JOB, AND I'M GLAD TO HAVE THEM, BUT THEIR MEMBERSHIP IS NOT THE END-ALL, AND IT DOESN'T MAKE THEM OUR OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN. THE CITIZENS OF THIS TOWN, WHETHER INDIVIDUALLY, OR AS A NEW GROUP IN THE FUTURE, MUST MAKE IT CLEAR TO OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, NOT ALL THEIR PLANS FOR OUR COMMUNITY ARE GOING TO BE UNCHALLENGED, MORALLY AND LEGALLY IF THE NEED REQUIRES. RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE CREATING THE CHECKS AND BALANCES, AND AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, RATING THEMSELVES ACCORDINGLY. WOULD ANY OF THE COUNCILLORS GIVE THEMSELVES "F'S" FOR THIS YEAR'S PERFORMANCE? YEA, WELL LET'S MOVE ON.

I THINK HOMETOWN VALUES HAVE HAD THE CRAP BEAT OUT OF THEM. AND IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE UNLESS WE BAND TOGETHER, AND INITIATE COUNTER MEASURES, TO PROTECT WHAT WE MUST, IN ORDER TO REGAIN THE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, CULTURAL CONTROL , WE ARE STAKE-HOLDERS OF. IT ISN'T THE MANDATE OF OUR ELECTED COUNCIL TO PUT BUMS ON THE OPERA HOUSE SEATS. THAT'S OUR JOB. AND WE CAN DO THAT. DO WE HAVE THE WILL TO TAKE BACK WHAT BELONGS TO US, AND MAKE THE CHANGES THAT SHOW THE NAYSAYERS, AND THOSE WHO CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHO'S BOSS OF WHAT FUNCTION, THAT PEOPLE POWER ISN'T JUST A SAYING……BUT A REALITY OF REACTION;…. TO A SERIOUS NEED TO RESTORE PRIDE IN THE TOWN WE HAVE RESIDED, AND WILL RESIDE IN THE FUTURE.

WHO THE HELL AM I? WHAT RIGHT DO I HAVE TO SUGGEST THIS REBELLION OF HOMETOWN VALUES? HOW DARE I SUGGEST TAKING BACK WHAT BELONGS TO US, AS CITIZENS? AM I TRYING TO START AN INSURRECTION? ALAS, I DON'T HAVE THIS KIND OF FOLLOWING. BUT A "NEW NORMAL?" I AM PROMOTING THIS RIGHT NOW!

I'M JUST A HOMETOWN-PROUD KIND OF CITIZEN, WHO IS TIRED OF TOWN HALL ACTING AS A DEFINITIVE, OVER-RIDING MODEL, OF WHAT KIND OF COMMUNITY WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE…….AND TAKING CREDIT FOR WHAT A LOT OF HARD WORKING CITIZENS HAVE ACCOMPLISHED……OVER DECADES, WHO NEVER HAD ONE POLITICAL INCLINATION…..BUT HAD HOMETOWN VALUES THAT WERE, AND CONTINUE TO BE UNSHAKABLE. THESE ARE THE FOLKS WHO ARE LEADING US FROM ADVERSITY, NOT THE REPRESENTATIVE OF TOWN COUNCIL. OUR FUTURE SUCCESSES, DEPEND ON A NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TOWN GOVERNANCE, APPRECIATING THAT THEY ARE THE ELECTED STEWARDS OF OUR PROPERTIES, AND OUR REPRESENTATIVES TO THE DISTRICT AND THE PROVINCE……BUT THEY HAVE NO AUTHORITY, NO PRIVILEGE, TO DEFINE US AS HOMETOWNERS. AND THAT DEFINITION ISN'T UP TO THIS BLOGGER. IT IS UP TO THE COLLECTIVE OF CITIZENS, WHO AREN'T WILLING TO SELL-OUT THEIR RIGHT, TO ASSIST THE SHAPING OF THE FUTURE FOR GRAVENHURST.

IT COULD WELL BE THE CASE, THE CITIZENS FIND IT APPROPRIATE, DOWN THE LINE, TO FORM AN ACTION COMMITTEE, TO DEAL WITH TOWN HALL. SUCH A MOVEMENT GROWS FROM DISHARMONY, AND WHEN WE GET NEWS OF THIS YEAR'S TAX INCREASE, POSSIBLY IT WILL HERALD THE CREATION OF SUCH AN INTERVENTION GROUP.

I LIKE THIS TOWN, AS DOES MY FAMILY, AND WHETHER IT IS AS A PERMANENT RESIDENCE, OR A PLACE TO DO BUSINESS, AS WE HAVE THREE IN OUR FAMILY, WE HAVE NO DESIRE TO RE-LOCATE TO ANYWHERE ELSE. BUT WE KNOW THERE ARE MANY SITUATIONS IN THIS TOWN, THAT MUST CHANGE IN THE FUTURE, AND WE KNOW THAT OUR RESPONSIBILITY, AS CARING CITIZENS, IS TO GET INVOLVED TO FACILITATE AND ENCOURAGE CHANGE WHERE WE CAN. BUT IT WILL TAKE MANY HUNDREDS OF CITIZENS, TO MAKE THIS A NEW YEARS INITIATIVE, FOR THERE TO BE ANY MEANINGFUL SHIFT, FROM THOSE WHO WATCH, AND CRITICIZE, TO THOSE WILLING TO JUMP, WITH ENTHUSIASM, INTO THE CENTRE OF THE RECLAMATION.

I HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR THE NEW YEAR. I HAVE GREAT HOPES FOR THIS TOWN GENERALLY. I HAVE UNYIELDING RESPECT, FOR THE HISTORY THAT HAS BEEN RECORDED HERE, AND THE FINE CITIZENS WHO HAVE BEEN ITS BUILDERS, FROM THEN TO NOW.

HAPPY NEW YEARS.

NEW YEARS IN GRAVENHURST -

AN OLD YEAR, NEW YEAR, AN ANNIVERSARY, I DID WHAT HE SAID WAS IMPOSSIBLE…..HAVE I GOT 35 MORE TO GIVE: CERTAINLY!!!!!!

JUST AFTER SUNRISE THIS MORNING, THERE WAS EVIDENCE A TRAVELLER HAD BEEN THIS WAY BEFORE ME. WITH THE NEW FALLEN SNOW, THESE FOOTPRINTS DOWN THE PATH TOWARD THE BOG, WOULD HAVE BEEN FILLED IN, SHORTLY AFTER BEING IMPRINTED. THAT'S HOW HEAVY THE SNOW HAS FALLEN THIS MORNING. THERE IS NO EXIT FOOTPRINTS, TO SHOW THE HIKER MAY HAVE ALREADY DOUBLED-BACK, AS THE TRAIL ENDS ABRUPTLY, JUST BY THE LOOK-OUT AT BOG LEVEL. CURIOUSLY THE FOOTPRINTS TRAILED OFF OVER THE FROZEN LOWLAND, AND I COULD MAKE-OUT THE TINY LINE AS IT HIT THE SPRAWLING BRANCHES OF THE BORDER CEDARS. IT IS A PRECARIOUS WALK, AS THE GROUND IS ONLY HARDENED, WITH THE RECENT COLD, ON THE GRASS MOUNDS, SET LIKE STEPPING STONES OVER THE MARSH. CUTTING THROUGH THE LOWLAND ARE A MYRIAD OF SNAKING CREEKS THAT, EVEN WHEN THE SNOW ISN'T ON THE GROUND, YOU CAN'T SEE CLEARLY BECAUSE OF THE MATTED GROWTH OF MANY YEARS. IT IS POSSIBLE TO EXIT AT THE WEST END OF THE ACREAGE, BUT THAT TAKES CONSIDERABLE EFFORT BREAKING THROUGH THE THICK BRUSH. I HAVE DONE THIS, AT GREAT PERIL, AND THE MUD WAS UP TO MY KNEES, AND BOOTS FULL OF BOG WATER.

IT IS AN AMAZING SCENE OUT HERE, AS IT HAS BEEN FOR MOST OF THE PAST WEEK. LISTENING TO THE WIND OFF THE LAKE, AND THE SNOW FALLING DOWN IN HUGE SPIRALS, ONTO THE SMALLER SHRUBS, MIXING WITH THE CONSTANT WASH OF THE CREEKS AND THEIR CATARACTS. WINTER AT LAST. BOSKO AND I STAND ON THE HIGH SIDE OF THIS BOWL OF LANDSCAPE. CONTENTLY LISTENING TO THE PLEASANT DIN, PLUS THE SOUNDS OF CHILDREN LAUGHING, ON A NEARBY SLEDDING HILL. A WIND-BURST SENDS A BIG DROP OF SNOW ONTO BOSKO'S HEAD…..AND FOR A MOMENT, HE'S NOT SURE WHAT COMES NEXT. AH, THERE IT IS. A FULL BODY SHAKE. HE'S BACK!

THE CHALLENGE - THE BIOGRAPHY - I YAM WHAT I YAM AND THAT'S ALL THAT I YAM

There are moments, and only a few of them every day, when I will suddenly stop work, lean back in the chair, tip the tea cup to see if I've got any left, and then, as if startled by a ghost, ponder silently, "What the hell am I doing here?" I haven't got dementia, and I pretty much know where I am…..it's just one of those self imposed pin-pricks to the skin, to see if you're still alive after all these years. It's like this. Why am I so contented?" "Why does this view from here to there, seem so satisfying?" You see, I was taught, as a young writer-in-training, that being a gonzo-reporter, covering war zones, battle-fields, killing fields, the overthrowing of governments, natural disasters, and assorted other precarious adventures, was the way to spark creative enterprise…..and lead a fully charged writer's existence.

A long-time writer friend, once said to me, after a night of gonzo-reporter drinking, "Currie, you stupid bastard; you'll never make it as a writer living in Muskoka." So I drew back, and punched him right in the face. Then I hit him again with a left hook, that toppled him against the wall. What's important to note here, is the heavy drinking part I'm not proud of, and secondly, the fact my mate wasn't particularly injured by my punches. So he started boxing, and by golly, the sucker hit me four or five times all over my beautiful face. When we stopped whaling on each other, Scott asked me why I hit him. "You said you were sleeping with my wife!" I answered. "Jesus, get your ears check," he answered. "I said you'll never make it as writer living in Muskoka." "Oh," I responded, sheepishly, wiping blood off the tip of my nose. We were both hockey players, so we were kind of used to dust-ups…..just not drunken ones. That's why we always told ourselves, on the brink of entering the bar, "No jugs of beer." Being in the print business, locally, had its fringe benefits. Folks were always buying us beer. Jugs of beer. I guess we were the closest thing to celebrities they got in the hotel. But it almost killed us, and I was starting to get a boxer's cauliflower ear.

Scott had been my best man, which really made me mad….you know, the wife thing. He was a talented writer, and a good friend…..until the drink took over sensibility. He was a world traveller, an adventurer, one who didn't shy away from anything that may have given him a front-pager, or a shot at the daily press. We were growing apart, you see, and he had his eyes set on the world. I had mine set on the region. He hit me on the back of the head, as we headed off home, re-iterating what a goof I was, for wasting writing talents stuck in the hometown rut. I knew what he meant. I'd had other writers lament the same way. It was the reason it was hard to get good writers to stick around, with the challenge-limits of our weekly newspaper. Scott was mad, that a capable writer, who could have done so much more in life, to enhance his career, would opt instead for a hinterland retreat. He believed, mistakenly, that I was being cowardly, when in fact, my decision was as heartfelt as asking Suzanne to be my wife. I understood the limitations. I realized the degree of difficulty, to become a best selling author, from the tiny cabin tucked into Birch Hollow. The last time he visited here, I appeared too domesticated and settled, and he hit me one last time on the back of my peak cap, and well, we shook hands, he went off to conquer the world, and I went on a walk with Suzanne in the woodlands.

His compelling argument, over the years, made me ponder seriously, if I should join up for this quest for the holy grail, or just retire gently with the satisfaction, I'd done what I wanted….written what I enjoyed working on, and felt it was more important to be attached to some place, than constantly on the move…..working globally, hot spot to hot spot. I wouldn't be any good dodging gun-fire. I'd get picked off the first hour. I'm a big bald target.

Each time I have one of these moments, I know that being contented here, in this cradle of Muskoka, this wondrous comfort zone of hometown, and good neighborhood, is by far the best choice for the writing I wished to pursue. It's not that I'm out of the news business entirely, as I'm an avid viewer of about three news hours every day. I just don't want to be in those zones. I have a low tolerance for pain and suffering. Even a cat scratch hurts like hell.

Sometimes I do wonder, a little longer, what it may have been like, to have been a roving reporter / writer, chasing stories-lines all over God's earth. Yet in only a moment, I can be rescued from this temptation, by just looking out this window over The Bog, knowing full well I made the right decision way back then, and no place on earth, could have inspired me more than this amazing snow-clad vista.

MY 35TH YEAR IN WRITING - BUT DON'T TELL MY FAMILY - THEY'VE SUFFERED ENOUGH

ON NEW YEAR'S DAY, I WILL CELEBRATE RATHER HUMBLY, QUIETLY, AND WITHOUT A SINGLE "POPPED" BALLOON, MY 35TH YEAR AS A WRITER. MY FAMILY DOESN'T KNOW THIS, OR THAT I AM WRITING THIS BIT OF BIOGRAPHICAL "WHO CARES?" I'D RATHER THEY DIDN'T KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN TOUGH ON THEM, MUCH MORE THAN ON ME.

LIVING WITH A WRITER, YOU SEE, IS FULL OF CONSEQUENCE. SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE, AS SUCH; RATHER I JUST FELT IT NECESSARY, IN CASE MY FRIEND SCOTT IS READING THIS OVERSEAS, TO KNOW THAT I WAS TRUE TO MY WORD. IT'S ALSO TRUE THAT I HAVEN'T AUTHORED A BEST SELLING NOVEL, ON THE SHELF OF LOCAL BOOK STORES, AND MY NAME DOESN'T APPEAR UNDER THE DOUBLED BANKED HEADLINES IN THE DAILY PRESS. BUT THEN, I HAVEN'T SEEN HIS NAME ASSIGNED A BEST SELLER EITHER.

MY FAMILY HAS SURVIVED THE WRITER'S WILD MOOD SWINGS, WRITING STALEMATES THAT INITIATE TANTRUMS, THE BEATING OF THE TYPEWRITER MOMENTS, AND THE "WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME" JAGS, THAT NEVER HAVE ANY RESOLUTION…..JUST ME FALLING TO SLEEP IN THE MIDDLE OF SELF-LOATHING, AWAKENING, FORGETTING WHAT WAS PISSING ME OFF, AND RETURNING ONCE AGAIN TO THE TYPEWRITER TO COMPOSE A FEW MORE PAGES.

GADS, WHY WOULD ANY ONE WANT TO CELEBRATE THAT! THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OF SELF-DOUBT, OVER-INDULGENCES, TOO MUCH BOOZE (WHEN I WAS DRINKING), AND A SHORTAGE OF MUSES…..BECAUSE I SCARED THEM ALL AWAY. WRITING HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY SEDUCTRESS, AND SUZANNE HAS OFTEN ACCUSED ME OF HAVING AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART, WITH MY OLD UNDERWOOD TYPEWRITER. SHE'S ACCUSED ME, AT TIMES OF TURMOIL, OF TURNING TO IT FOR SOLACE, INSTEAD OF HER SOFT, GENTLE EMBRACE. IT'S A FAIR COMMENT. WRITING IS A WAY OF VENTING ALL KINDS OF STUFF, AND IT'S ACTUALLY SAVED OUR MARRIAGE…..BECAUSE WHAT I CURSE AT IT……I DON'T CURSE AT ANY ONE ELSE.

AT THE SPARK OF MIDNIGHT, IN THE CANDLE ON OUR HARVEST TABLE, I WILL HOIST A GLASS OF BUBBLY WITH MY WIFE, AND LADS, WISHING FOR ALL THE BEST FOR A BRAND NEW YEAR. I WILL, OVER THE COURSE OF THE NIGHT, THINK BACK OVER 35 YEARS, TO THE FIRST TYPEWRITER, A SPERRY-RAND, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, I BELIEVE, THAT HELPED ME LAUNCH A CAREER THAT MIGHT EVEN MAKE IT HALF A CENTURY…..IF SUZANNE HELPS ME WATCH MY DIET…..AND CONTINUES TO HIDE THE BOOZE.

I'VE WRITTEN SIX BOOKS. ALL HAVE SOLD-OUT NOW. I DIDN'T MAKE A DIME, BUT BY GOLLY, I HAD A LOT OF FUN. I'VE DONE RESEARCH FOR THE PROVINCE, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, BOTH RESULTING IN SMALL BOOKS BEING PUBLISHED, AND I'VE WORKED AS A REPORTER, EDITOR, FEATURE EDITOR, AND ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF MOST PUBLICATIONS IN THIS REGION….AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER, THAT MAY HAVE ENDED BADLY. WHY THE HELL NOT? WHO NEEDS BRIDGES ANYWAY?

I STARTED OUT AS A REPORTER WITH THE MUSKOKA LAKES-GEORGIAN BAY BEACON, IN MACTIER, BECAME ITS NEWS EDITOR EVENTUALLY, WENT ON TO BECOME NEWS EDITOR OF THE HERALD-GAZETTE, AND THE MUSKOKA ADVANCE, AND ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE MUSKOKA SUN, NEWS EDITOR OF THE GRAVENHURST BANNER, AND ASSISTANT EDITOR OF THE MUSKOKAN. I WAS A LONG-TIME COLUMNIST FOR MUSKOKA TODAY, AND HAVE WRITTEN FOR THE WAYBACK TIMES, AN ANTIQUE MONTHLY. I CURRENTLY AUTHOR "CURRIE'S CORNER" IN THE WONDERFUL NEW "GREAT NORTH ARROW," NORTH OF HUNTSVILLE, SOUTH OF NORTH BAY, AND "CURIOUS: THE TOURIST GUIDE," BOTH TERRIFIC PUBLISHERS TO WORK WITH. I'VE HAD MY WRITING TRANSLATED AND PUBLISHED IN AN ICELANDIC MAGAZINE, AND I'VE PARTICIPATED IN PARANORMAL STORIES FOR JOHN ROBERT COLOMBO'S WELL KNOWN BOOKS, AND BARBARA SMITH'S GHOST STORIES OF ONTARIO.

IF I WAS A SUITCASE FOLKS, I'D HAVE A LOT OF STICKERS ALL OVER MY BODY, FOR PROJECTS I'VE WORKED ON. JUST NOT FOR THE MILES I'VE TRAVELLED. ONCE I ARRIVED HERE, AFTER GRADUATING UNIVERSITY, I WAS HAPPY TO STAY AND SEEK MY FORTUNE AS A LOCAL WRITER. OKAY, SO I'M STILL LOOKING FOR MY FORTUNE. IF HOWEVER, A FORTUNE CAN BE MEASURED BY CONTENTMENT, THEN I AM A TRULY WEALTHY MAN……WITH A VERY UNDERSTANDING FAMILY.

SUZANNE SAID TO ME ONE DAY, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WHY THE VAN LOOKED SO WEIGHTED-DOWN. SHE WAS RUNNING A YARD SALE AT THE TIME, AND I MUMBLED ON PURPOSE, AND SUGGESTED IT WAS JUST SOME RECYCLING TO TAKE TO THE LANDFILL SITE. WHAT SHE DIDN'T KNOW, WAS THAT IT WAS LOADED TO THE CEILING WITH MY PUBLISHED COLUMNS. BUNDLES AND BUNDLES OF PAPERS, DATING BACK TO THE DAYS OF THE BEACON. I HAD NO BACK-UP. NONE OF THE COLUMNS HAD BEEN CLIPPED. I WAS LITERALLY THROWING OUT MY ENTIRE NEWSPAPER HISTORY. WHEN SHE FOUND OUT, SHE WOULDN'T TALK TO ME FOR TWO DAYS. EVERY TIME SHE'D TRY, ALL THAT WOULD COME OUT WAS "WHY?" WELL, WHEN SHE CALMED DOWN, I INFORMED HER, THAT I DIDN'T CONSIDER THE WORK, IN THOSE YEARS, TO HAVE BEEN MY BEST EFFORT. LIKE THE ARTIST WHO DESTROYS THE STUDIES AND SKETCHES, SO THAT THEY NEVER MAKE THEIR WAY TO A GALLERY FOR SALE, I WAS FEELING VERY MORTAL, AND I KNEW MY WORK TODAY WAS SO MUCH BETTER AND MORE DIVERSE THAN WHAT APPEARED IN SMUDGED INK ON ALL THOSE PAGES……THAT MAY HAVE BEEN RECYCLED FOR THE BETTER……EVEN AS TOILET PAPER.

I TURNED OVER A NEW LEAF, YOU SEE, AND MAYBE I DID TAKE MY FRIEND'S ADVICE TO HEART AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. WHAT I WANTED TO DO, WAS TO PROVE EVEN MORE SUBSTANTIALLY THAN BEFORE, HOW STAYING HERE IN GRAVENHURST, IN THE CRADLE OF MUSKOKA, HAS BEEN THE WIND IN THE OLD SAILS FOR ALL THESE YEARS, AND I WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING. IT MIGHT MEAN WRITING SOME SORT PULITZER CALIBRE STUFF IN THE NEW YEAR, OR GOD FORBID A NOVEL. POINT IS, AND I TOOK A COUPLE OF POPS OFF THE CHIN FOR ADMITTING THIS (AND A FEW TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD), BUT I MADE THE RIGHT DECISION, AS A WRITER, TO STAY WHERE THE INSPIRATION WAS……I DIDN'T HAVE TO SEARCH FAR, TO FIND A BOTTOMLESS WELL.

SUZANNE AND THE BOYS KNOW I'VE BEEN A WRITER FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. TRUTH IS, THEY HAVEN'T READ MORE THAN ONE PERCENT OF WHAT I'VE WRITTEN AND THAT HAS BEEN PUBLISHED OVER THE DECADES. THEY CAN BE FORGIVEN. I'M NOT SURE I CAN BE, FOR MY TIRADES AND MOOD SWINGS, AND ARTISTIC TANTRUMS. THEY'VE BEEN VERY KIND INDEED, AND THAT HAS MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. WITH THESE BLOGS, OF WHICH I HAVE FIVE, I'VE BEEN GLOBE-TROTTING, LET ME TELL YOU. I'VE GOT READERS IN THE STRANGEST PLACES ON EARTH, AND MY CIRCULATION, WITH PRINT INCLUDED, IS HIGHER THAN EVER BEFORE. I THOUGHT I WAS GETTING GOOD MILEAGE WHEN "CURIOUS; THE TOURIST GUIDE" WENT ON-LINE, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, BUT THE BLOGS HAVE CERTAINLY PUT THE WORLD AT THE TIPS OF THE CALLOUSED FINGERS, TAPPING AT THIS KEYBOARD.

IT WAS SON ROBERT WHO HOOKED ME UP, AND SENT ME ON THAT WORLD ADVENTURE I'D SHORTCHANGED MYSELF…..OR SO SCOTT USED TO TELL ME…… BEING JUST A FAMILY MAN, WITH A HOUSE, A FENCE, SOME CATS AND DOMESTIC CHORES AT A SEMI URBAN BUNGALOW, IN A NEAT LITTLE PLACE WE CALL BIRCH HOLLOW…….IN AN EVEN NEATER TOWN, KNOWN AS GRAVENHURST.

THIRTY-FIVE YEARS. I'M GOING TO OPEN A BEER (NOT A JUG), AFTER MIDNIGHT, AND TOAST AN ODYSSEY I WILL NEVER FORGET…..NOT FOR THE BULLETS DODGED, OR THE CONFLICT AVOIDED, BUT THE REALITY I KEPT SENSIBLE PROPORTION, AND WROTE ABOUT WHAT I KNEW BEST……AND RESPECTED THE MOST. MUSKOKA.

MY MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT IN 35 YEARS ATTACHED TO A TYPEWRITER? IT WAS THE AFTERNOON LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR OF ONTARIO, JOHN BLACK AIRD, PHONED ME TO OFFER CONGRATULATIONS ON A STORY I'D WRITTEN FOR THE MUSKOKA SUN, ON CAMP OUCHIGEAS, ON LAKE ROSSEAU. HE WAS A BIG SUPPORTER OF THE SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN WITH SERIOUS ILLNESS. I HAD A LOVELY CHAT, AND HE SAID SOMETHING LIKE, I HOPE THEY'RE PAYING YOU WELL (AT THE PAPER), TO WHICH I ANSWERED…."WELL SIR, NOT REALLY." IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN THE PUBLISHED CALLED ME INTO HIS OFFICE, TO LET ME KNOW HE TALKED TO THE HON. MR. AIRD, AND INDEED, HE SUGGESTED MY JOURNALISM DESERVED A RAISE. THE PUBLISHER LAUGHED. I NEVER GOT THAT RAISE. STILL ONE OF MY NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS.

THANKS FOR READING THIS BLOG. THERE'S SO MUCH MORE TO COME.

HAPPY NEW YEARS, EVERYONE!!!!

FOOTNOTES ONE AND TWO:

SUZANNE HAS ALREADY KNIT THE FIRST SIX INCHES OF THE FIRST SKOKIE SCARF, FOR THE WINTER CARNIVAL CELEBRATION. IT IS ONE OF THREE OR A DOZEN SHE IS PREPARING FOR THE EVENTUAL VIDEO FOR "PRESSURE POINT'S" UPCOMING WINTER CARNIVAL SONG…….CURRENTLY BEING WORKED ON IN THE STUDIO OF ANDREW CURRIE'S MUSIC, ON MUSKOKA ROAD. I'M NOT SURE IF SCARF PRODUCTION IS AHEAD OF SONG WRITING, BUT HOPEFULLY WE'LL FINISH SUCCESSFULLY FOR ALL CONCERNED. I'VE NEVER BEEN SO CONFIDENT OF MUSICIANS AND KNITTER…..AND SKOKIE TO BE OF SUCH ENDLESS WINTER-TIME INSPIRATION.

JUST A QUICK UPDATE. THE RED PIANO IS STILL SNOW-COVERED, IN ITS PATHETIC STATE OF ABANDONMENT, ON THE VACANT LOT ON MUSKOKA ROAD, DEEP[ IN THE BIA AREA. WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF IT WAS GIVEN A PROPER BURIAL. RIGHT NOW, IT'S A MONUMENT TO A FAILED LOCAL INITIATIVE, AND NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH, BY THOSE WHO DECIDED ON A BUSKER'S VENUE, PAINTED THE PIANO, AND SET IT ON THE STREET. IT IS NOW AN EYESORE. FOR THE CAUSE OF BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT, HERE'S SOMETHING THAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED. SO, IF I WAS MAYOR……MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION, WOULD BE TO START OFF 2012, WITHOUT THE RED PIANO IN FULL VIEW…….OF ALL THE PEOPLE VISITING OUR MAIN STREET.

1971 Muskoka Winter Carnival

NEW YEARS IN GRAVENHURST -

MORE FROM THE 1971 BROCHURE, OF THE IST EVER MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL

I BEGAN AS A PATRON OF THE MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL, AND THEN AS ITS REPORTER, AND THEN, AS A NEW DAD, THEN A PATRON WITH A FAMILY….WHO ALSO WAS A REPORTER. I ALWAYS ENJOYED THE WINTER CARNIVAL BECAUSE IT CAME AT A TIME WHEN IT WAS PRETTY QUIET AND VERY COLD HERE IN SOUTH MUSKOKA. THERE WAS A NEED FOR SOME KIND OF COMMUNITY EVENT, AND THE WINTER CARNIVAL BROUGHT A LOT OF ACTIVITY TO A STATUS QUO REGION. THERE WERE SNOWMOBILERS, DOWNHILL SKIERS, CROSS COUNTRY SKIERS, SLEDDING, CURLING, SKATING AND HOCKEY, BUT THAT WAS THE ROUTINE STUFF. PUT IT TOGETHER, AND ADOPT A WINTER WEASLE…..I MEAN OTTER, AND THROW IN SOME NATIONAL ADVERTISERS, BREWERIES, AND WINTER JUST ISN'T THE SAME AGAIN.

AS A REPORTER THE WINTER CARNIVAL ALWAYS CAME AT A TIME WHEN WE NEEDED SOMETHING……ANYTHING TO FILL THE NEWS PAGES. WE COULD COUNT ON THE WINTER CARNIVAL ACTIVITIES TO MAKE AT LEAST ONE MAJOR PHOTO SPREAD, AND DUST ANOTHER TWENTY OR SO IMAGES THROUGH THE PAPER THAT NEXT WEEK. EVEN AFTER THIS, WE'D HAVE SOME GOOD LEFT-OVER SHOTS TO FILL THE WHITE SPACE OF GENERALLY EVENTLESS FEBRUARY. VALENTINES DAY DOESN'T HELP WITH PHOTOGRAPHS. SO WE DID LOOK FORWARD TO ALL THE EVENTS, ESPECIALLY THE POLAR BEAR DIP THAT PROVIDED MANY GREAT PHOTO OPS. SURE IT WAS COLD, BUT IT WAS WORTH IT. WE ALL LIKED PHOTO CREDITS AND THE WINTER CARNIVAL WAS THE EVENT TO COVER, AS THERE WAS A WIDE DIVERSITY OF ACTIVITIES. GETTING THE EVENT FOR KIDS WAS THE GUARANTEE OF A FRONT PAGE SHOT……BECAUSE, AS THEY SAY, KIDS AND PETS SELL PAPERS. BUT YOU KNOW, AFTER YEARS OF COVERING THE WINTER CARNIVAL, I ACTUALLY FOUND MYSELF GETTING INTO THE WHOLE CELEBRATION THING…..THAT WINTER WAS MORE EXCITING AND FULL OF OPPORTUNITY THAN I HAD THOUGHT. I DISLIKED WINTER BECAUSE OF A CRAPPY CAR, AND THE EXPENSE GETTING BOOSTS ALL WINTER LONG. WHEN I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN AN ACTUAL WINTER CELEBRATION, I HARDLY NOTICED THE SNOW AND COLD…….UNTIL I GOT BACK HOME AND MY TOES BEGAN TO THAW; OR HAD TO CALL THE TOWING COMPANY FOR ANOTHER BOOST.

I'M PLEASED THAT THE WINTER CARNIVAL HAS BEEN REVITALIZED HERE IN GRAVENHURST, AND THAT SKOKIE, THE OLD OTTER, HAS COME OUT OF RETIREMENT. AND IT'S WHAT HAS INSPIRED US, AND THE GROUP "PRESSURE POINT," TO COMMENCE A WRITING PROJECT, TO CREATE A NEW WINTER CARNIVAL SONG, FOR GRAVENHURST…..A 2012 UPDATE FROM ALL THE OTHER SKOKIE AND WINTER CARNIVAL SONGS FROM THE PAST.

FOR NOSTALGIA'S SAKE, HERE ARE SOME REPRINT PAGES, FROM THE 1971 PROGRAM, WHICH WAS THE FIRST-EVER MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL.

NEW YEARS IN GRAVENHURST -

LEAVE IT TO THE HISTORIAN - 1971 PROGRAM FOR THE FIRST MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL - IN EXCELLENT CONDITION

IT'S WHAT US HISTORIANS DO. COLLECT INTERESTING RELICS. I'VE BEEN BUYING AND SELLING MUSKOKA MEMORABILIA FOR MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS NOW. THIS ONE WAS KEPT IN MY MUSKOKA PAPER FILE, AND I'M GLAD I DIDN'T GET TEMPTED TO SELL IT. THAT'S THE CONTRADICTION OF BEING BOTH AN HISTORIAN, AND A BUYER AND SELLER OF OLD STUFF. YOU CAN'T KEEP IT ALL. OR AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT SUZANNE TELLS ME, WHEN I ARRIVE HOME WITH ANOTHER VAN-LOAD OF ANTIQUES ETC.

I WENT TO THE VERY FIRST MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL, BUT I WAS PROBABLY TOO CHEAP TO BUY THE FIFTY CENT PROGRAM. I THINK THIS ONE CAME FROM AN ESTATE AUCTION IN GRAVENHURST SOME YEARS AGO.

"The Muskoka Winter Carnival will add another recreational event to the year-round calendar of happenings in one of Ontario's favorite playgrounds," wrote Ontario Premier, John Robarts. "Those of you helping launch this first Muskoka carnival are participating in what will surely become a most successful annual event, resulting in a large boost to Ontario's winter tourist industry. Muskoka is generously endowed with natural and man-made facilities for winter sports. The proximity of large population areas suggests that the Muskoka Winter Carnival may one day be recognized as a major North American event. I congratulate those of you who have planned or are participating in this first Winter Carnival, and I wish you many exciting days of fun."

The Minister of Tourism, the Hon. James Auld, wrote, "I welcome this opportunity to extend greetings to those of you who are taking part in the First Annual Muskoka Winter Carnival. As Minister of Tourism and Information, for the Province of Ontario, I am always pleased to see local organizations taking a lead in actively promoting their regional tourist attractions. Muskoka is renowned for its many advantages during the summer months. It is indeed gratifying to see the development of organized activities in the winter season during which time Muskoka has a great deal to offer to the outdoor enthusiasts."

"It is with a great deal of pleasure that I extend a warm welcome on behalf of the District of Muskoka, to those of you who are participating in the first annual Muskoka Winter Carnival. You will find that all the traditional pleasures of winter enjoyment are easily accessible in Muskoka, which ranks with some of the finest vacation areas. To date the emphasis of our tourist industry has been placed on the summer months. Through the Muskoka Winter Carnival, the many pleasures of the Muskoka area during the winter months will be publicized to everyone's advantage. It is to be hoped that the Muskoka Winter Carnival will have the effect of encouraging summer residents to winterize their cottages and to prove to the vacationing public that Muskoka is the place to enjoy a winter vacation."

The above letter of introduction was written by the first chairman of the new created District of Muskoka level of government, Milton A. Tibbett.

What you can also see, from the first three letters published in the souvenir program, is that the emphasis was on boosting tourism, creating a national and international buzz, and maybe, just maybe, getting our cottage owners to insulate their cottages, so they can enjoy winter activities…..just like they do in the summer season. Keep in mind, this insulating-the-cottage plan, has created problems of its own, due to increasing road maintenance demands which increase each year, as does the budget for winter road maintenance. I'm digressing. But what you don't see, in the first three letters, is anything that would suggest how great it would be if local families would come out as well. It was a "given" right? Well, not really. Who will be putting on the Winter Carnival? Where will the volunteers come from, to fill the roles of big show operators? It was designed as a tourism promotion.

The Carnival's first chairman, Hugh Mackenzie, wrote the last of the four "introductory" letters, and was the only one to mention "family," and that could be perceived as meaning local families were also welcome to attend. I'm sure this was his intent. "The Muskoka Winter Carnival Committee was formed in the summer of 1969 and has worked diligently from that date to the present, to provide what we anticipate will become the most exciting Winter Carnival in Canada. As you glance through this program, you will see that each day contains events for both the spectator and the participant. Each day is filled with social and recreational activities. Each day is filled with fun. We believe that every member of the family will find some activity suited to their outdoor interests during this week of festivities."

But Mackenzie, who would later become District Chairman, and then the Mayor of Huntsville, added the tourism cap to the introduction, writing, "It is our hope that your experience here will encourage you to look to Muskoka in the future as a place to enjoy all of your wintertime recreational activities. We hope too, that those of you who have summer cottages in this area, will learn through this Carnival, of the great potential for winter that Muskoka has to offer, and, that this will encourage you to winterize your summer home. We trust that you will discover a fresh, new and exciting Muskoka, during the time that you spend with us. Once again, may I welcome you, on behalf of all of us who have been involved in creating the Muskoka Winter Carnival."

Undoubtedly due to provincial funding, grants, etc., and sundry other promotional advantages, the idea was to draw as many folks to Muskoka as possible during the winter season. It was a marketing strategy that had one giant hole in it! It wasn't aimed at pleasing the local population, as such. It was a combined business enterprise, that while undoubtedly a contributor of jobs and economic advantage, failed in the long-run because it maintained this "them and us" relationship throughout its history. It's not that Muskokans didn't attend, but they weren't the target audience. The whole fuss was, as the letters indicate, to encourage summer folks to give a "Muskoka winter" a try. Meanwhile, Muskokans weren't of much interest, accept as volunteers to staff the venues. They'd take our money, but we were not the preferred patrons. This was perpetuated year after year. To the point many area residents got tired of the tourism gimmicks, when in fact, from the beginning, the carnival should have been far more inclusive and welcoming to everyone…..whether you were packing money in that big wallet, or just a yocal looking for something to do. Hugh Mackenzie was the more generous of the four letters of introduction, and I think he was genuinely concerned about local participation……that made us feel somewhat welcome to the event. But it is clear this was an economic development issue, and what organizers were watching for, was the attendance data…….so where were these patrons coming from? Were cottagers part of the mix? To what percentage? Even then, they would have discovered, as they did for years after this, that it was the year-round residents that bulked out the three town carnival. It never became one of the best in the country, and I would venture to say, it wasn't even close. You just don't dislodge the Quebec Winter Carnival quite that easily.

The Gravenhurst Winter Carnival's rejuvenation, and Skokie's de-moth-balling, is very encouraging. I think this will be the third event of the re-birth, although I stand to be corrected. As I wrote in a number of blogs last January, I hope the Gravenhurst Winter Carnival Committee, and Town Council, will make this a "people" event…..a "family" fete; regardless of where patrons happen to be from; if they are of the tourist-ilk, or cottager population, day-travellers, or Muskokans, who call this place home 24-7. If there was an error with the Winter Carnival at its inception, it's that they didn't make it clear…..abundantly clear, that it was an event "FOR MUSKOKANS, BY MUSKOKANS, AND EVERYBODY ELSE IS INVITED TOO." It can be a tourist-friendly event, while still being aimed at pleasing the folks who live here year-round. It is the success behind carnivals in Port Carling and Port Sydney, that have been operating for ages, by catering to community interests. As it is expected the locals will be running it, why the heck shouldn't they be invited as the special guests. It doesn't mean other folks aren't welcome…..but that hometowners don't feel subservient to all others attending. There's more to life and times than catering to tourism. Back in 1971 this editorial would have been blacked out; the writer run out of town on a rail. Or worse.

From what I have seen so far of the Gravenhurst version of the Winter Carnival, over the past two winters, it is very much a hometown celebration……open to everyone, but big on local values and friendships. Kid friendly too! I like that.

I'll have more information from that inaugural program in tomorrow's blog. Join me.

Suzanne just bought some Skokie-colored wool today, to make scarves for the band members of "Pressure Point," to put them in the creative mood, while they're in the studio, coming up with a 2012 version of a Winter Carnival song, specially written for their hometown. Watch for updates.

Now I've got to listen to the ticky-tacky of knitting needles for the next month. Aye, but it's for a good cause!

Winter Carnival

NEW YEARS IN GRAVENHURST

SKOKIE SONG A WORK IN PROGRESS - I MEAN THAT - WE HAVE A CONSENSUS, AND IT'S A GO

JUST OVER A YEAR AGO, I WROTE THREE OR FOUR BLOGS ABOUT THE REVITALIZATION OF THE OLD MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL, WITH A GRAVENHURST THEME, AND PROVIDED SOME BACKGROUND ABOUT THE MID-WINTER EVENT. I WAS A CONSTANT COMPANION OF THE GNARLY OLD OTTER, WHEN I WAS A REPORTER FOR THE LOCAL PRESS, BACK IN THE LATE 1970'S AND THROUGH THE 1980'S. I STARTED GOING TO WINTER CARNIVAL EVENTS IN THE EARLY 1970'S, WITH MY GIRLFRIEND GAIL AND MATES, AND THAT'S WHEN IT STRETCHED NOT ONLY THROUGH MUSKOKA, BUT LASTED FOR OVER A WEEK. THERE WERE EVENTS LIKE THE "KIN-HUTCH," AT A BRACEBRIDGE HOTEL, MID-WEEK I BELIEVE, RUN BY THE KINSMEN CLUB, AND ALL THE SERVICE CLUBS GOT IN ON THE ACTION. THERE WERE SPONSORSHIPS FROM SNOWMOBILE DEALERS AND BREWERIES…..WE STILL OWN ONE OF THE CUSTOMIZED BOTTLE OPENERS FROM THE PERIOD.

IT WAS A REALLY NEAT WINTER-TIME FETE THAT INVOLVED HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS. EACH TOWN HAD THEIR OWN INTERESTING VENUES, AND THE WHOLE EVENT WAS LARGELY AIMED AT IMPROVING WINTER TOURISM. IT COMPANIONED WITH THE AUTUMN'S CAVALCADE OF COLOR, WHICH HAD A HUGE LOCAL FOLLOWING. THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE ZENITH PERIOD OF VOLUNTEERISM IN OUR REGION, BECAUSE BOTH EVENTS REQUIRED A HUGE WORK FORCE TO PULL OFF. IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR THE PARTICIPATION OF THE SERVICE CLUBS, IT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE DIED MUCH SOONER THAN IT DID. BUT IT WAS FUN. PEOPLE ENJOYED GETTING INVOLVED. BUT OVER TIME, POLITICS AND ADMINISTRATIVE BURDENS, LIQUOR LICENSE RESTRICTIONS, AND INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS, GRADUALLY TOOK THE FUN OUT OF OLD SKOKIE. THE EVENT BECAME MORE ADMINISTRATIVE AND FISCAL, THAN IT WAS FUN. IT BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP UP THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED TO MAKE IT ALL WORK.

ONE OF THE BURDENSOME PROBLEMS, WAS THAT THERE WAS THIS MANDATE TO CREATE HUGE EVENTS. MAYBE IT WAS THE FAULT OF THE HALCYON 1970'S, AND THE REALITY, THE EVENT TOOK OFF ALMOST FROM INCEPTION…..AND THAT'S KIND OF THE PROBLEM…..WHEN YOU GET A WINNER IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF YEARS…..AND ORGANIZERS BELIEVE THEY HAVE TO EXPAND AND CREATE MORE OPTIONS. WHICH OF COURSE REQUIRES MORE VOLUNTEERS.

ORGANIZERS OF THE GRAVENHURST WINTER CARNIVAL, CAN ENJOY QUITE A LARGE AMOUNT OF SUCCESS, IF THEY OPERATE A SMALL, WELL EXECUTED EVENT, THAT IS ENJOYABLE FOR THE VOLUNTEERS. BUT HERE'S THE TICKET. IT SHOULD BE AN EVENT FOR THE CITIZENS OF GRAVENHURST, THE FAMILIES, THE KIDS, AND FOLKS IN MUSKOKA WHO WANT TO JOIN IN. IF ORGANIZERS DECIDED TO MAKE THIS A HUGE TOURIST EVENT, IT WILL NOT SURVIVE. A COMMUNITY FETE……(THERE SHOULD BE MANY IN A YEAR) WILL HELP INSPIRE OUR CITIZENRY……AND RIGHT NOW, IT IS A HUGE DEFICIENCY ON THE TOWN MAP, WHETHER COUNCIL CARES TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT OR NOT. WE NEED TO INSPIRE OUR TOWNSFOLK. LET THEM HELP BUILD SOMETHING WONDERFUL HERE, THAT THEY CAN FEEL A PART OF……NOT JUST A COMMERCIAL GIG, TO TRY AND ATTRACT VISITORS AND THEIR WALLETS. THE PORT CARLING WINTER CARNIVAL, ONE THAT I AM FAMILIAR, IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF SUCCESS IN A SENSIBLE PACKAGE, AIMED AT ALL THOSE WHO LIKE MUSKOKA WINTER, AND ADORE PORT CARLING. IT WORKS BECAUSE THEY HAVE KEPT SENSIBLE PROPORTION, AND CONTINUED TO PERFECT THE EVENTS AND THE SCHEDULE.

SINCE BEGGING MY LADS TO RE-VISIT THE IDEA OF CREATING A MODERN VERSION OF THE WINTER CARNIVAL SONG, TO HERALD THE ARRIVAL OF SKOKIE TO TOWN, THINGS HAVE BEEN MOVING ALONG QUICKLY, AND IDEAS ARE EXPLODING LIKE NEW YEAR'S FIREWORKS. I CAN'T REVEAL TOO MUCH, OTHER THAN "PRESSURE POINT," IS TAKING ON THE TASK, AND WILL HAVE A SONG BY WINTER CARNIVAL TIME. AND THAT'S GREAT NEWS. SO WATCH THIS BLOG SITE FOR UPDATES. IN THE EARLY 70'S, IN MY FAMILY'S APARTMENT IN BRACEBRIDGE, BRAD AND BONNIE VEITCH WERE VISITING FRIENDS……AND AS A FAVOR, CAME INTO OUR PLACE, SAT ON THE COUCH, AND PERFORMED THEIR BRAND NEW WINTER CARNIVAL SONG. IT WAS GREAT. AS A SIDEBAR, ANDREW AND ROBERT, THROUGH THEIR MOTHER SUZANNE, ARE COUSINS OF MR. VEITCH, A FORMER PRINCIPAL OF GRAVENHURST PUBLIC SCHOOL.

I WILL OFFER A WEE BIT OF CARNIVAL HISTORY IN THE NEXT BLOG, FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T KNOW SKOKIE WAY BACK WHEN……..THE OTTER AND I HOISTED A FEW BACK IN THOSE DAYS, WHEN I WAS A POOR REPORTER, AND HE / SHE WAS A LITTLE FRAYED AROUND THE EDGES…..BUT HAD DEEP POCKETS. A LOT OF FUN, THOSE WINTER CARNIVALS…..BUT ALWAYS FOR THE SIMPLEST, MOST LOW KEY REASONS. IT WAS GOOD TO SEE FAMILIES INVOLVED. THAT'S OUR BIGGEST SHORTFALL HERE. DOING SOMETHING FOR OUR OWN. AND OUR CONTRIBUTION WILL BE A SKOKIE SONG THAT BY GOLLY, HAS THE FAMILY AT HEART. THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHS I EVER TOOK, AS A REPORTER, FEATURED KIDS HAVING A GREAT TIME AT WINTER RECREATION. IT WAS GOOD FOR THE WINTER BLAHS, THAT'S FOR SURE.

MORE TO COME.

NEW YEARS IN GRAVENHURST -

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE OUT THERE - MUSKOKA IS MAGNIFICENT - EFFICIENCY REVIEW, WE CAN ONLY HOPE

SUZANNE AND I HEADED OUT FOR A LITTLE MOTOR-TRIP THIS MORNING, AND THE LANDSCAPE WAS DAZZLING. I DON'T WANT TO GET ALL EMOTIONAL, BUT YOU KNOW, HEADING NORTH ON THE BEACH ROAD, MY FAVORITE ROAD IN THE DISTRICT, WAS AN ETHEREAL JOURNEY, IF EVER THERE WAS ONE. I DON'T THINK THAT THERE WAS A MORE SCENIC PLACE ON EARTH, THAN HEADING THROUGH THE PASTURE OF THE JONES FARMLAND, AND THEN PASSING BENEATH THE CATHEDRAL PINES JUST TO THE NORTH. IF AN ARTIST WAS TO CAPTURE THIS SAME SCENE, OR A PHOTOGRAPHER SNAPPED THE IMAGE, THERE WOULD BE FOLKS WHO'D CLAIM THEY WERE UNREALISTIC OR PHOTO-SHOPPED. IT WAS THAT PICTURESQUE! WE DROVE AS SLOW ALONG THIS PAINTED LANE TO ENJOY EVERY BIT OF NATURAL SPLENDOR. THIS WAS A PERFECT WAY TO ENJOY THIS CELEBRATORY TIME BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS. FOR THE WRITER-KIND, I JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THIS…..BUT IT'S WHAT MUSKOKA HAS BEEN DOING FOR ME SINCE THE 1960's WHEN OUR FAMILY LEFT THE FOREST OF INDUSTRIAL SMOKE STACKS, IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO, AND BROUGHT THEIR KID TO LIVE IN THE HINTERLAND. THEY GAVE ME THE BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER…..THAT YEAR. NEWS THAT WE WERE MOVING TO MUSKOKA. I WOULD ONE DAY COME TO MARRY "A BORN IN MUSKOKA" GIRL, FROM DOWNTOWN WINDERMERE, AND HAVE TWO MUSKOKA-BORN LADS. SCENES LIKE WE WITNESSED THIS MORNING, AREN'T LOST ON ANY OF US CURRIES. WE KNOW HOW LUCKY WE ARE TO LIVE IN SUCH A PARADISE AS THIS. DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT FROM TIME TO TIME? THE SAD REALITY IS, WE HAVE SO MANY FOLKS HERE, NEW TO MUSKOKA, WHO COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT THE WELFARE OF THE LAKELAND. IT'S JUST A PLACE TO LIVE. A RESIDENCE TO FACILITATE AN EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY. I WONDER IF THEY'D EVEN THINK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES OF A DRIVE ON THE DON VALLEY, ON THE HUSTLE TO WORK, AND A GENTLE, NO TRAFFIC MEANDER THROUGH THE CATHEDRAL PINES HERE?

AS WE PROMISED, WE HAVE EMBARKED ON ANOTHER FABULOUS STAY-CATION IN MUSKOKA, MOSTLY GRAVENHURST, AND I HAVEN'T ONCE FELT ANY SHORTFALL, OF NOT BEING IN AN AIRPORT, ON A PLANE, HUSTLING TO MAKE CONNECTIONS, TRANSPORTATION WOES OF ANOTHER KIND, OR FELT THAT OUR SURROUNDINGS WEREN'T AS UPLIFTING AS TROPICAL BEACHES OR LOUNGING BY THE POOL WITH EXOTIC BEVERAGES. WE ARE BUNDLED APPROPRIATELY IN OUR CHRISTMAS SWEATERS, SOCKS AND BOOTS, HAVE A HOT CHOCOLATE IN A THERMOS FOR THE BACKROADS MOTOR-TRIP, AND HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO ITINERARY TO FOLLOW, SCHEDULE TO OBEY, OR RENTAL ANYTHING TO PAY; OTHER THAN THE CLERK IN THE GAS STATION KIOSK, WHEN I NEED A TAD MORE FUEL. SUZANNE BROUGHT ALONG SOME OF HER HIGHLY REVERED CHRISTMAS CAKE THIS MORNING, AND WE NIBBLED AND CHATTED ALL THE WAY TO THE RE-STORE, WHERE WE COME TO BROWSE FOR ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES. WE ARE SELDOM DISAPPOINTED. THIS MORNING I GOT A HUGE EASEL, AN AREA ARTIST WAS FINISHED WITH, AND A NEW LENS FOR AN OVERHEAD LIGHT IN OUR BATHROOM, BOTH AT AFFORDABLE PRICES. WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS ANTIQUE-HUNTING THING FROM OUR FIRST MONTH DATING, IN THE EARLY 1980'S, TO THE PRESENT, AND WE'VE SELDOM BEEN BORED WITH EACH OTHER'S COLLECTING INTERESTS……YOU MIGHT SAY, WE FASCINATE EACH OTHER IN THE PURSUIT OF HISTORY. SHE LIKES THE ART I FIND, AND I ADORE THE HERITAGE QUILTS SHE FERETS OUT, PLUS A MYRIAD OF OTHER THINGS FROM KNITTING NEEDLES AND OLD WOOL, TO TAPESTRIES FROM ANOTHER CENTURY. STAY-CATIONS ARE NO DISADVANTAGE WHATSOEVER.

AS FOR SUZANNE, HAVING ENJOYED COTTAGE LIFE ON LAKE ROSSEAU, AND A HOUSE IN THE VILLAGE OF WINDERMERE, AS WELL AS HAVING HAD A SUMMER JOB FOR A LONG TIME AT HER FAMILY'S MARINA (BELOW WINDERMERE HOUSE), WHERE DO YOU GO TO FIND A BETTER VACATION…….EVEN WHEN YOU'RE WORKING, IT'S LIKE A HOLIDAY. I ENJOYED MUCH OF THIS MYSELF, WHEN SUZANNE'S FATHER WAS ALIVE, AND WE USED TO HIKE INTO THE COTTAGE ON A DAY LIKES THIS, WITH THE BOYS IN TOW, AND TAKE A PICNIC. WE COULD SIT ON THE DOCK OF THE BOATHOUSE, AND WATCH THE DEER FEEDING ON THE CEDAR ALONG THE SHORE OF FLORENCE ISLAND, LAKE ROSSEAU. IT WAS A WONDERFUL TIME IN ALL OUR LIVES, AND NOTHING COULD HAVE LURED US FROM THIS FOUR SEASONS PARADISE.

WE HAVE SOME MORE HOLIDAY TIME TO ENJOY BEFORE SUZANNE HEADS BACK TO WORK (I WORK FROM HOME….WHICH MAKES HER MAD), AND A LOT MORE ANTIQUING ADVENTURES TO PURSUE. BUT THE OPENING CHAPTER OF "ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE," IS STILL MY MOST FONDLY REFERRED LITERARY PASSAGE……THE ACCOUNT OF THE EARLY MORNING MOTORCYCLE TRIP THROUGH THE COUNTRYSIDE. THE SCENIC ADVENTURES WITNESSED, IN PASSAGE, FROM HERE TO THERE, MOST OF US MISS ENTIRELY FROM A TRULY FULFILLING, SENSORY, EXPLORATORY, NATURAL POINT OF VIEW. IT DEMANDS FULL ATTENTION, FOR THE QUALITIES OF LIFE, AND NATURE, TO BE INTERPRETTED PROPERLY. TO BE THANKFUL OF THE BEAUTIFUL SURROUNDINGS, THAT MOST OF THE TIME, WE JUST WHIP PAST IN OUR FRENZIED, HARRIED EXISTENCES. TAKE A TIME TO SEE MUSKOKA FOR WHAT IT IS……..A TRULY RESTORATIVE PLACE ON EARTH,…..AND THE PLACE WE CALL HOME.

EFFICIENCY REPORT - ONE CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE GOODIES INSIDE

IT IS GOOD TO KNOW THAT THE EFFICIENCY REVIEW OF THE MUNICIPAL OPERATIONS, IN THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST, HAS FOUND SOME AREAS THAT CAN BE IMPROVED UPON…….TO MAKE THINGS A LITTLE LESS OPPRESSIVE FOR THE TAXPAYERS. HERE'S THE KICKER. THIS IS FOR COUNCIL TO BOUNCE ABOUT, AND DECIDE UPON, AND SEEING AS THERE ISN'T AN ELECTION FOR THREE YEARS, THERE'S NOT MUCH WE CAN DO GENERALLY, TO INSIST THAT THESE IMPROVEMENTS TOWARD EFFICIENCIES ARE FOLLOWED, AND ADOPTED AS THE NEW WAY OF DOING BUSINESS. THEY MAY DECIDE TO TAKE SOME AND LEAVE THE REST. IT DOES UNDOUBTEDLY, DEPEND ON COUNCIL VOTES ON THE IMPLEMENTATIONS, DEPARTMENT BY DEPARTMENT. HOW FAST WILL THESE "BETTER PLANS" BE IMPLEMENTED, IF USED AT ALL?

FOLKS HERE, AND EVERYWHERE IN OUR REGION OF THE PROVINCE, NEED TO BRING THEMSELVES UP TO SPEED, ABOUT THE MOVEMENT TO CHANGE THE WAY DISTRICT GOVERNMENT AND THE MUNICIPALITIES GOVERN. IF COUNCILLORS LOOK AT THE HUNDRED ODD AREAS THAT COULD STAND IMPROVEMENT, IN THIS MUNICIPALITY, AND THINK IT'S GOING TO BE TOUGH TO IMPLEMENT, THEY SHOULD READ CAREFULLY, WHAT THE CHANGE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE WILL MEAN IN THE FUTURE. IF THEY THINK THE DOCUMENT IN FRONT IS TOUGH ON THEM, THEY REALLY NEED TO START ASKING SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE KIND OF RE-VAMPING BEING DEBATED AROUND THE REGION. REGARDLESS WHAT OVERHAUL MAY EVENTUALLY BE EMPLOYED, IT WILL BE A HUGE WHALOP FOR THOSE COUNCILLORS WHO MIGHT BELIEVE IT DIFFICULT TO EMPLOY THE LATEST SMATTERING OF EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS. A RESTRUCTURING OF REGIONAL GOVERNMENT WILL BE LIKE SLIDING DOWN COARSE SANDPAPER. I'M ALL FOR EFFICIENCIES, BUT I'LL BET A GROUP OF KNOWLEDGABLE CITIZENS, RATEPAYERS, AND INTERESTED OTHERS, WOULD HAVE ADDED AT LEAST 10 PERCENT MORE CHANGES THAN WHAT THE EXPERTS CAME UP WITH. WE SEE OUR GOVERNANCE DAILY. AND YES, WE DO HAVE SOME EXPERTS, WHO SHAKE THEIR HEADS, AND THEN CRADLE-IT IN THEIR HANDS, AFTER READING THE LOCAL PRESS COVERAGE OF THE LATEST DEBACLE……THAT WILL INEVITABLY COST US EVEN MORE MONEY. A NEW POOL COMES TO MIND. GEEZ, CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS POOL MISADVENTURE? WILL IT HOLD WATER? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY FOLKS ARE CROSSING THEIR FINGERS THAT THIS MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT WILL HOLD WATER? THERE ARE NO MORE FINGERS TO CROSS!

OF COURSE WE HOPE FOR THE BEST. BUT WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO HOPE! THERE'S BEEN ENOUGH MONEY SPENT ON THIS PROJECT TO DATE, THAT NARY A DROP OF THAT PRECIOUS WATER, SHOULD WIND UP IN GULL LAKE.

WILL WE HAVE TO PUT SOME DYE IN FIRST, TO CHECK?

WHEN THE NEW BRACEBRIDGE POOL WAS OPENED, IT WAS THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE. SO WHERE THE HELL IS THE WATER GOING? I'M ASSUMING THEY FOUND OUT!

JUST ONE MORE THING? SPEAKING AND WRITING ABOUT EFFICIENCY. YOU KNOW THAT RED PIANO (EYESORE) STUCK ON THE VACANT LOT, UP ON THE MAIN STREET? HERE'S AN IDEA FOR EFFICIENCY ONE! GET RID OF IT! IT'S REACHED ITS EXPIRATION DATE…..AS A SERVICE TO AREA BUSKERS.

NEW YEAR IN GRAVENHURST -

IT'S TIME FOR THE RED PIANO TO DISAPPEAR - REALLY

I WROTE A BLOG QUITE A FEW WEEKS AGO….ACTUALLY, MORE THAN THAT, ABOUT THE ILL-FATED RED PIANO, THAT WAS NEVER A GOOD IDEA, FROM ITS ORIGINAL POSITIONING AS A BUSKER'S VENUE, ON MUSKOKA ROAD……ABUTTING A PLYWOOD BARRICADE COVERING OVER THE BARRENS LEFT BY THE EARLIER FIRE THIS YEAR.

WHEN ROAD CONSTRUCTION BEGAN IN THE LATE SUMMER, TO FINISH UP THE LAST BLOCK OR SO, IN THE MAIN STREET REVITALIZATION, THE PIANO, PAINTED RED, THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO ATTRACT BUSKERS BY THE BASKET-FULL, WAS PLACED BACK INTO THE VACANT LOT THAT IT HAD ONCE FRONTED, AND WAS IN LESS THAN PLAYING CONDITION.

EVER SINCE, THE NOT QUITE LEGENDARY RED PIANO HAS HAD THE CRAP BEAT OUT OF IT……AND IS NOW QUITE SEE-THROUGH. AS IT WAS TOWN SANCTIONED, AND ENDORSED BY OTHER FOLKS IN TOWN…..OTHER GROUPS, IT IS NOW A COMPLETE EMBARRASSMENT TO THE TOWN……AND SHOULD BE REMOVED. UNLESS OF COURSE, THIS IS A PROJECT TO DETERMINE HOW LONG IT WILL BE BEFORE VANDALS AND NATURE HAVE IT REDUCED TO SAWDUST.

HERE'S A NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION FOR THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST. REMOVE THE BROKEN, VANDALIZED, DETERIORATING RED PIANO…..BECAUSE IT IS A SAD MARKER OF A LETHARGIC COMMUNITY, AND IF IT REMAINS…..IT'S SPEAKS VOLUMES ABOUT OUR FORTITUDE, AND PRIDE…..AS A TOWN, AND AS A MAIN STREET BUSINESS COMMUNITY……

I WILL PROVIDE PHOTOGRAPHS AND UPDATES UNTIL IT IS REMOVED.

NEW YEARS IN GRAVENHURST -

GETTNG PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY - FAMILY EVENTS - FOR ALL INCOMES - WHEN VOLUNTEERING IS POLITICS FREE

I HAVE BELONGED TO MANY COMMITTEES. THERE WASN'T ONE THAT I DIDN'T COME TO DESPISE BY THE END OF MY TERM OF OFFICE. TO THE POINT…….AND ALL OUR FAMILY HAS OPTED FOR THIS APPROACH, THAT WE CURRIES WOULDN'T BELONG TO ANY COMMITTEE, THAT WOULD HAVE PEOPLE LIKE US FOR MEMBERS. THIS ISN'T TO SUGGEST THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH COMMITTEES, AND WE RESPECT THE DEMOCRATIC APPROACH, JUST THAT THE PROCESS CAN BE OVERLY CUMBERSOME, AND DISCOURAGING FOR THOSE ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN!

WE LIKE OUR INDEPENDENCE TOO MUCH TO JAM OURSELVES INTO THE COMMITTEE BOX STRUCTURE. IT JUST WOULDN'T WORK. WE'D BE CLAWING TO GET OUT, THE MOMENT WE GOT IN. ANDREW HAD A TERRIBLE TIME BELONGING THE THE LOCAL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, AND FOUND OUT WHAT A POWER STRUGGLE CAN DO WHEN GIVEN THE RIGHT ACCELERANT. SO WHEN I WROTE, EARLIER TODAY, ABOUT A FULL FLEDGED, "ALL BELLS AND WHISTLES," PROJECT TO CREATE A SONG FOR THE 2012 WINTER CARNIVAL, HERE IN GRAVENHURST, BOTH SONS THOUGHT IT WAS FANTASTIC…..AND WERE COMING UP WITH IDEAS RIGHT OUT THE DOOR, DOWN THE DRIVEWAY, UP TO THE STORE, AND I COULD STILL SEE THEM MOUTHING-OUT IDEAS IN MY REAR-VIEW MIRROR, AS I DROVE AWAY. I LIKE THAT ABOUT THOSE LADS. BUT IT WASN'T LIKE THIS A YEAR AGO. LET ME EXPLAIN.

AT ALMOST THE SAME TIME OF YEAR, I BROUGHT UP THE IDEA OF DOING SOMETHING SIMILAR, BUT POSSIBLY RE-VISITING SOME OF THE MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL SONGS OF THE PAST, WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY BONNIE AND BRAD VEITCH, AND OF COURSE THE HOWARD CABLE ORCHESTRA BACK IN THE 1970'S, IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE DISTRICT WIDE MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL……WITH A LITTLE RE-VAMP OF THEIR OWN. WHAT WE HAD PLANNED THEN, WAS TO SEEK APPROVAL FROM THE ORIGINAL ARTISTS TO DO A COVER FOR THE 2011 EVENT. WHAT WE DID THEN, WAS TO LET THE CARNIVAL COMMITTEE KNOW WE WERE GOING TO DO THIS, AND THEY COULD BENEFIT FROM THE EXTRA PUBLICITY SUCH A RE-ISSUE WOULD GENERATE. THAT GOT US INTO A QUAGMIRE INITIALLY, AS IT BECAME APPARENT, THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO APPEAR AS A DELEGATION TO MAKE AN OFFICIAL PRESENTATION…..IN ORDER TO SECURE THE COMMITTEE'S APPROVAL BEFORE GOING AHEAD WITH THE PLAN. IT WAS A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE EVENT, AND IT WAS SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT EVERYTHING ON HOLD, IN PRODUCTION, TO GO THROUGH THE SCHEDULING OF MEETINGS, AND THEN FACE THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING REJECTED. SO WE DECIDED TO SHELVE WHAT WAS A GOOD AND SIGNIFICANT PROJECT AS A RESULT OF PROTOCOLS THAT WE COULDN'T DEAL WITH…..AND DO ALL THE CREATIVE WORK TO GET THE PROJECT OFF THE GROUND.

THIS YEAR, I WORKED THROUGH A NUMBER OF SCENARIOS, AND DECIDED TO GO COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT WITH THE PLAN, AND RATHER THAN USE OTHER ARTISTS' MATERIAL, AND PERFORM COVERS OF THEIR WORK, TO INSTEAD COME UP WITH SOMETHING UNIQUE WITH A GRAVENHURST STAMP. WHILE THERE ARE STILL ARTIST DECISIONS TO HAMMER OUT, AND ALL THE CREATIVE ENTERPRISE TO LET LOOSE IN THE STUDIO, IT SEEMS A GOOD BET, THERE WILL BE A NEW WINTER CARNIVAL SONG IN TIME FOR THE 2012 EVENT. IT'LL BE A FUN-INSPIRING, LIGHT HEARTED WINTER SONG FOR GRAVENHURST GENERALLY. WE HOPE THE WINTER CARNIVAL COMMITTEE WILL LIKE THE IDEA, AND THAT THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST WILL BENEFIT FROM THE PROMOTION OF TOWN, BY THEIR OWN EAGER-BEAVER CONSTITUENTS. THIS IS NOT A PROFIT MAKING SCHEME WHATSOEVER, AND WILL BE DONE PURELY AS AN ENDORSEMENT OF THE WINTER FETE, AND TO SUPPORT THE VOLUNTEERS WHO GIVE SO GENEROUSLY OF THEIR TIME, TO REJUVENATE THIS WONDERFUL OLDTIME EVENT. IF IT IS DECIDED, TO GO TO THE EXTENT OF A "FOR SALE" CD, THE MONEY OVER AND ABOVE PRODUCTION COST, WILL BE DONATED TO THE WINTER CARNIVAL COMMITTEE, TO HELP OFFSET COSTS FOR THEIR 2013 EVENT. NO ARTISTS DOING THIS PROJECT WILL BENEFIT FINANCIALLY…..AND THERE WILL BE NO STUDIO FEES. THIS IS A COMMITTEE-LESS, FOR-FUN PROJECT, THAT WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, WILL INCORPORATE A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS…….AND THERE WILL BE AN ACCOMPANYING VIDEO COMPONENT. AND IT WILL BRING SOME PUBLICITY, HOPEFULLY, TO OUR REGION, AND BRING OUT SOME FOLKS TO ENJOY THE WEEKEND CELEBRATION. COPYRIGHT OF THE SONG WILL REMAIN WITH THE WRITER(S), MUSICIANS, WHO CREATE THE MUSIC.

WE HOPE EVERYONE, IN EVERY GROUP ASSOCIATED WITH PUTTING THIS EVENT ON, WILL APPRECIATE THE GENEROSITY OF OUR COMMUNITY MUSICIANS, DOING THIS PROJECT FOR SHEER ENJOYMENT……AND TO, IN THEIR OWN WAY, WORK TO HELP THIS COMMUNITY INITIATIVE, TO CREATE A FUN WINTER WEEKEND IN GRAVENHURST FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY. IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF FUN MAKING IT, FROM THE EXCITEMENT SHOWN EARLY-ON.

WORK WILL BEGIN ON THE PROJECT SOON, FROM THE MAIN STREET STUDIO, IN THE OLD MUSKOKA THEATRE.

NEW YEARS IN GRAVENHURST -

WINTER CARNIVAL NEXT FOR GRAVENHURST - CAN OLD POP, THE IDEAS MAN, CONVINCE MUSICIAN FAMILY, AND TALENTED SINGER….. TO GO SKOKIE!!!

FOR ALL MY YEARS ON THE REPORTING BRIGADE OF THE MUSKOKA PRESS, IT WAS THE MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL THAT MADE A TOUGH CANADIAN WINTER A LOT MORE FUN. COLD. BLOODY COLD, BUT AN ENJOYABLE ALTERNATIVE FROM SLOW NEWS AND SHOVELLING SNOW.

I TOOK SO MANY PHOTOGRAPHS OF SKOKIE, WE WERE ON A FIRST NAME BASIS. WELL, IT'S TRUE, WE DID USE SOME UNFLATTERING NAMES…..LIKE WINTER WEASLE AND SUCH. BUT I'LL TELL YOU, THAT BACK IN THE EARLY YEARS, OF THE 1970'S, THE CARNIVAL WENT ON FOR A FULL WEEK, WITH LOTS OF VENUES AROUND MUSKOKA. I COVERED THE BRACEBRIDGE COMPONENT. IT WAS A HUGE AMOUNT OF WORK FOR THE ORGANIZERS BUT FOLKS SEEMED TO APPRECIATE THE EFFORT EXPENDED. THE WORSE THE WEATHER WAS, THE MORE PARTICIPATION WENT UP. IT WAS A GOOD MID-WINTER BREAK, ESPECIALLY FOR FAMILIES. THE FACT THAT THE CARNIVAL BECAME TOO EXPENSIVE, AND LABOUR INTENSIVE WAS OBVIOUS. INSURANCE FOR THE EVENTS WAS A BIG CONCERN, AND I WAS COVERING AN EVENT, INDOORS, IN BRACEBRIDGE, WHEN ONE OF THE VOLUNTEERS WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED, DURING A WEIGHT-LIFTING COMPETITION. THE LOCK WASN'T SECURELY FASTENED, FOR ONE SIDE OF THE WEIGHTS, IN THE BENCH-PRESS EVENT. WHEN IT WOBBLED, AND THE COMPETITOR LET ONE END DOWN, THE WEIGHTS FELL OFF ONTO THE SPOTTER'S TOES, AND THEN THE BAR CAME UP WITH LIGHTNING SPEED, CATCHING THE BLOKE UNDER THE CHIN. IT HURT. IT SOUNDED LIKE IT HURT. IT'S THE KIND OF OCCURRENCE THAT MAKES TOWNS CRINGE, AND INSURANCE COMPANIES SHARPEN THEIR PENCILS. BUT THE WINTER CARNIVALS THAT ARE MOST SUCCESSFUL, ARE THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN KEPT SMALL AND MANAGEABLE, AND LOOK AFTER THEIR VOLUNTEERS WELL. A HAPPY GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS IS THE GREAT PIVOT TO EVERYTHING THESE DAYS. GRAVENHURST HAS RE-CREATED A GOOD, SMALL, MANAGEABLE EVENT, AND WE LIKE THE POTENTIAL.

I STARTED LAST YEAR, ASKING ANDREW AND ROBERT ABOUT WRITING A SONG FOR THE GRAVENHURST EDITION OF THE REJUVENATED MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL…..IN THE TRADITION OF FINE MUSICIANS LIKE BRAD AND BONNIE VEITCH, WHO WROTE ONE BACK IN THE 1970'S, AND FAMED (STILL CREATING) ORCHESTRA LEADER, COMPOSER, HOWARD CABLE, WHO ONCE LIVED IN MUSKOKA…..AND THOUGHT THE WINTER CARNIVAL, A GOOD SUBJECT FOR A NEAT AND MEMORABLE 45. SO I THOUGHT THAT WITH THEIR SMALL GROUP, "PRESSURE POINT," WITH TALENTED SINGER DANI O'CONNOR, THEY COULD COME UP WITH A MORE UP TO DATE VERSION OF THE SKOKIE ANTHEM, RESPECTING THE NEWLY REFURBISHED EVENT…..AND ITS FUTURE IN THE REGION. THEY HAVEN'T BEEN COMMISSIONED TO DO IT, BUT FEEL IT IS A SUBJECT THAT INTERESTS THEM. DANI O'CONNOR, AND HER GROUP, HAVE BEEN GETTING A HUGE AMOUNT OF AIR TIME ON MOOSE FM, THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON, FOR HER COMPOSITION OF "SOCKS," ABOUT, YOU GUESSED IT, GETTING SOCKS FOR CHRISTMAS. NOW A HALIBURTON "CANOE FM," IS ALSO BEGINNING TO PLAY SOME "PRESSURE POINT" SONGS…..AND WELL……THIS ARMCHAIR MOTIVATOR BELIEVES IT'S TIME TO GIVE THE WINTER WEASLE…..I MEAN SKOKIE, SOME BACKGROUND MUSIC. SOMETHING LIGHT AND LIVELY. DEFINITELY NOT A HUNTING-SKOKIE KIND OF SONG….BUT ONE THAT IS MEMORABLE, AND WILL BRING THAT OLD GNARLY OTTER BACK, YEAR AFTER YEAR. A SONG THE KIDS WILL HUM, AND THE ADULTS WILL FIND APPROPRIATE MOTIVATION FOR BRAVING WIND, SLEET, FREEZING RAIN, SNOW UP TO THE CHIN…..AND ALL THAT OTHER WINTER STUFF, JUST TO PARTICIPATE IN A WINTER FESTIVUS FOR THE REST OF US……..PANCAKE EATING, LOG SAWING, BED RACING…..YOU NAME IT!

WILL I BE ABLE TO CONVINCE THEM……I'M JUST THE ROADIE AFTER ALL. MAYBE YOU CAN ENCOURAGE THEM. HAVE A CHAT……SHOW THEM AN ARRAY OF TASTEFUL SKOKIE PICTURES, IN PLAYFUL SITUATIONS…..TO INSPIRE THEM. THIS WILL TAKE MORE LOBBYING THAN JUST ONE BLOGGER IN CYBERSPACE.

ROBERT, THIS MORNING, READ OVER MY SHOULDER AS I WAS MAKING THESE NOTES, AND ACTUALLY NODDED HIS HEAD. LAST YEAR, AT THIS TIME, THEY SHOOK THEIR HEADS, LAUGHED IN MY FACE, AND SAID "DAD, LEAVE THE MUSIC BUSINESS TO US." NOT BEING ONE TO BE THWARTED, OR DISCOURAGED BY STALEMATES, I'VE TAKEN UP THE CAUSE ONCE AGAIN…….IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR GRAVENHURST, GOOD FOR THE WINTER CARNIVAL FOLKS, AND IT WOULD DELIGHT GOOD OLD SKOKIE.

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHO IS IN THAT SKOKIE SUIT? I HAVE. SOME NOTED NOTABLES TAKE TURNS. A SORT OF CELEBRITY SKOKIE. I'LL REVEAL MORE LATER ON.

NEW YEARS IN GRAVENHURST -

CHRISTMAS PASSES SO FAST - I'M TRYING TO HANG ON A LITTLE LONGER - TO JUSTIFY ALL THE PREPARATIONS

There was one year, when the lads were much younger, when we really needed the charm of the Christmas tree to extend past the festive season. In fact, (it was a polyester tree) we went right through New Years, Ground Hog Day, Robbie Burns, Valentines, St. Patricks and it finally came down on Easter Monday. Short of haggis hanging from the tree, each of the occasions had appropriate tree attire. I don't know what was bugging us that particular year, but you know, that tree made us feel good, and celebratory, by its green bushy presence. Now here's what happened in order for this tree to last this long. I had to beg. Thus, I obviously needed it more than any one else. As a daily writer, I have all kinds of motivational needs…..objects that, for one reason or another, inspire me. It can get a little weird, especially with some of the sculptures I purchase, that generate my own creative enterprise. Don't know why, just need them.

Suzanne is accountant-minded. She's a teacher, a knitter, sewer, quilt repairer, blanket re-binder, a gardener and about as persnickety an individual as you can find on the planet. She can not abide stale dated advertisements, and cringes at any signboard anywhere, that has expired, and is still mistakenly posted. She does not believe in tardiness in such cases; just that there must be general malaise, on their part, tidying up after an event. She'll point them out to me, whether it is a banner for an antique show, that was held two weeks previous, or a billboard that is only days outdated. Much as if I'm supposed to stop the car, jump out, and rip the darn thing from its mounts. So getting back to the Christmas tree. I can't believe she tolerated that tree being up until Easter. It must have drove her nuts, to wake up every morning, and see that Christmas…..still, wasn't quite done yet. In retrospect, she would acknowledge that period, and that extended holiday season, without making any comment whatsoever, about her sheer joy having a St. Valentines Day tree, and a St. Patrick's version as well. Easter bunnies on a Christmas tree. Gads.

So last night, thinking her in a good humor, I suggested that it would be nice to keep the newest polyester tree up an extra week, following New Years. Ya know, I've had all kinds of looks from this lady, over the past two and a half decades, but this was a glare showing more contempt than I'd ever seen. Even when she commanded me to sleep on the porch for having to many schnapps. It was like I'd asked if I could bring the hulk of the titanic into the livingroom. Geez, it was just the wrong time, wrong mood, and obviously there was a gravy issue in the kitchen. While I thought I was going to sneak this through, without a lot of fuss, a little inconsistency with the gravy sunk my battleship. What she knows of me, is that I sneak something small past, that seems quite minor and inconsequential, and then it kind of blossoms into something monstrous….apparently like extending Christmas time beyond its official designation.

Suzanne has had to put up with a lot of my excesses in the past, and although this may not seem like a big deal…..to have an extra week with my expensive, store-bought shrubbery, it's the cumulative thing you see. She remembers stuff like, telling her I'd be right home from the tavern, and then showing up three days later with wet hockey equipment, someone else's jacket, and the wrong car. So I don't really expect her to give me much of a break, even though I've been relatively good for the past decade…..in terms of not drinking to excess, running amuck with my former hockey and fishing chums (all banned now from the property), and hauling home stuff from the landfill site for refurbishing.

She didn't offer anything definitive but I'm sure with some coaxing, I can buy a few extra days for the tree. Years earlier, I was able to work the wee lads, to throw on some "please mom, pretty please, can we mom, can we," pleading, but now they just say, in passing, "dad, keep us out of it. We're not getting mom mad at us." So I'm kind of left to Suzanne's mercy, and I'm pretty sure she'll demand some trade-offs. We're like big league corporations, the way we negotiate concessions from each other, for one's favor, at the other's counter-proposal. I guess if I have to participate in its on-schedule dismantling this year, I'll do so with that trademark grumbling, I'm known for, here in the neighborhood, jam the sucker in the box, in protest, and get on with the important domestic stuff……like tidying-up my newspapers, and straightening my piles of books. The tree is a diversion, you see, because as long as it's up, she forgets about the askew books and my daily newspapers.

Look, she's a wonderful partner, and means well all the time. I'm certainly not a textbook slob….although my mother thought so, and I have many idiosyncrasies myself. I can not stand a crooked picture, and Suzanne couldn't care less about this. I could have everything else collapsed on top of itself, but by God, there shall be no crooked painting at Birch Hollow. We deserve each other I think. There are two lucky people out there, and they don't even know it.

NEW YEARS IN GRAVENHURST

EXPANSION PLANS - EXCITING DAYS AHEAD - 2011 WAS A BANNER YEAR AS A SMALL BUSINESS - BUT YOU WON'T READ THIS IN THE PRESS

A WHILE BACK, I WROTE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR, ABOUT THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY OF THE MAIN STREET IN GRAVENHURST. I MADE A POINT OF ASKING THE MEDIA, TO PLEASE EXTEND THEIR INVESTIGATION OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, AND TALK WITH THOSE PROPRIETORS NOT TYPICALLY ASKED FOR AN OPINION, ABOUT THEIR STAKE IN LOCAL COMMERCE. AT THAT POINT WE WERE ALL GETTING FED-UP WITH THE DOOM AND GLOOM STUFF, THAT DOES NOTHING TO PROMOTE ANYTHING BUT SELF-PITY. I'VE NEVER KNOWN FEAR AND TREMBLING TO BE A GOOD BUSINESS PROMOTION ANYWHERE ON EARTH. IT WASN'T ONLY THE PRINT MEDIA THAT WAS MAKING THE DOWNTOWN APPEAR AS IF IT HAD ONE FOOT ON A BANANA PEEL. WE COULD WATCH SURFACE-RESEARCHED VIDEO CLIPS ON THE EVENING NEWS, SPREADING THE WORD THAT THE GRAVENHURST MAIN STREET WAS THE HANG-OUT OF DESPAIR. MEDIA COVERAGE WAS PERPETUATING THE UNFORTUNATE REALITIES OF ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN, BUT THEN ADDING THE WEIGHT OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS ONTO THE GENERAL MALAISE…..SUCH THAT ONE MIGHT ASSUME THE MAIN STREET WAS GOING TO DISAPPEAR ENTIRELY AS AN ECONOMIC ENTITY.

WHAT I ASKED FOR AT THE TIME, AND DIDN'T GET, WAS A NEWSPAPER RE-ACTION. A WILLINGNESS, AS FAIR REPRESENTATION, TO TALK WITH BUSINESS OWNERS WHO DIDN'T FEEL THIS WAS THE CASE….AND THAT DESPITE SOME BUSINESSES NOT DOING SO WELL, AND FIRE SCENES AND LAGGING CONSTRUCTION CAUSING OBVIOUS BUSINESS IMPEDIMENTS, THERE WERE OTHERS DOING QUITE WELL. THE GENERAL BROAD STROKES OF ASSUMPTION WERE JUST THAT….AND NEEDED TO BE CORRECTED. THEY WEREN'T. THERE WAS NO EFFORT TO INVESTIGATE THE MAINSTREET BUSINESS COMMUNITY, OR THE COMMUNITY GENERALLY, TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE WELFARE OF OUR MERCHANTS AND OTHER BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIAL PERSUITS. THE MEDIA WHEELS DON'T HAVE ANY OBLIGATION TO A BLOGGER, AFTER ALL…..BUT THEY DO HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, OF WHICH OUR FAMILY IS GAINFULLY OCCUPIED. EACH TIME THEY LATCH ONTO THE GLOOM AND DOOM SCENARIO, WHAT THEY DO, IN FACT, IS CAST DOUBTS ON ALL OUR BUSINESS ENTERPRISES, (PRESUMABLY ADVERTISERS) WHETHER WE ARE DOING WELL, OR JUST SURVIVING…..AND CONTENT TO DO SO FOR THE TIME BEING. YOU'D ALMOST THINK THEIR ADVERTISERS MIGHT POINT THIS OUT. AS A LONG SERVING WRITER ABOUT THIS AND OTHER MUSKOKA COMMUNITIES, AND AS AN OBJECTIVE REPORTER, IT IS NECESSARY TO REPRESENT ALL SIDES OF THE STORY…..NOT JUST THE CONVENIENT CONNECTION TO SOURCES THAT SEEM TO SUPPORT THE ASSUMPTION. WITHOUT MAKING A SINCERE EFFORT TO GET THE OTHER SIDE….THEY HAVE LEFT THE MATTER WITH LITTLE COUNTER-POINT, EXCEPT WHAT IS BEING REFUTED ON THE STREET. AND IT IS!

SO THE ONLY WAY TO GET REPRESENTATION FOR OUR POINT OF VIEW, ON THE MATTER, IS TO PUT UP……OR STOP BLOGGING. ANDREW AND ROBERT, IN THEIR MODEST MAIN STREET MUSIC SHOP, BEING TOLD OVER AND OVER THAT BUSINESSES WERE SUFFERING, (AS THEY SHOULD BE) JUST WRAPPED UP NOT ONLY AN EXCELLENT CHRISTMAS SEASON, BUT ARE ONLY A FEW DAYS AWAY FROM RECORDING A REALLY SOLID YEAR…..DESPITE THE APPARENT ODDS OF DOING SO. SO GOOD IN FACT, THAT BY NEW YEARS, WE WILL PRETTY MUCH DECIDE ON EXPANSION PLANS…..NOT A HUGE ONE, BUT ONE THAT IS PROPORTIONAL TO THEIR FINANCIAL SUCCESS. WE'RE ALL PRETTY HAPPY ABOUT THIS, BUT THE REAL JOY IS THAT WE HAVE SUCH A LOYAL CUSTOMER BASE, THAT DOES NOT TAKE THE MEDIA REPORTS SERIOUSLY, AND ARE BOTH SUPPORTERS OF LOCAL BUSINESSES, AND APPRECIATIVE OF CUSTOMER SUPPORT BEYOND THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE. THIS ISN'T INTENDED TO BE A SELF-SERVING BUSINESS-PUMPING BLOG. I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF SWAY. IT'S ABOUT PROMOTING THE NOTION, THAT OUT THERE……MIXED IN WITH THE FOLKS WHO AREN'T HAVING SUCH GOOD FORTUNE IN BUSINESS, ARE THOSE THAT ARE THRIVING AND THINKING OF EXPANSION…..AND OTHER BUSINESS INTERESTS LOOKING AT VACANCIES WITH THEIR OWN BUSINESS ASPIRATIONS. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MEDIA TO REPRESENT ALL SIDES OF THIS STORY…..NOT JUST THOSE STORIES THAT FIT THE PATTERN OF WHAT SEEMS LIKE AN APPROPRIATE STORY-LINE AT THE TIME.

In the new year, it would be great to see a revitalized collective of business associations in this town, from one end to the other, shore to shore, come together to accentuate the positive, and opt for a more aggressive, positive, customer-seeking initiative…..that networks across an entire town…..and get rid of the fragmentation that is not working…..and hasn't for decades. We are a large business community not just the pods of commerce that get played up by limited, zonal advertising. The Wharf is as integral to the main street's success, as the ballooning commerce at the south end, where I've got to tell you, we possess one of the best LCBO stores in the region if not beyond. An interesting survey, would be to find out how many out-of-towners (not just cottagers or day travelers) come to that store specifically because of its selection and design, from Bracebridge and area, and then go on to shop at our other businesses before they leave. We need to tap into our positives. The Wharf is a big deal, and when you see the parking lots jammed, to overflowing, at this time of the year…..at the dinner hours, somebody is benefitting by running good, adaptable businesses. Think of all the employees. There are plenty of economic positives in this community, if a reporter, with a little time on their hands, could invest in research……to uncover whether or not, there are legitimate claims to this "prosperity" claim, being made by the mad blogger. I'm not speaking for these businesses, just validating their right to be asked the same questions, as those who feel the end is near…..and provide such an apocalyptic overview, time and again.

Andrew and Robert have some expansion plans to work on…..and it will take time and money to pull it off. For us, even a small increase of floor space is a big decision, as we are careful, and frugal with our business decisions. Our investment is based on customer satisfaction with what we are providing as a business. If they don't like what we're doing, or find the service we are providing is lacking, or that our attitude is arrogant and inconsistent, then we would first…..correct the situation to their satisfaction. They decide whether or not we expand our business. At present, we have every reason to believe, our customers kind of like what the boys have done over the past five years. Thus, this will be a huge consideration, come New Year's Eve, when we decide on expansion, or status quo. Either way, we're not moving an inch as a business, being very much convinced the main street of Gravenhurst, is still a good place to invest.

Happy New Year.

CHRISTMAS IN GRAVENHURST -

CRICKET ON THE HEARTH - A DUSTING OF SNOW - CHRISTMAS CHEER - AND WHAT A KIND AND CARING TOWN THIS IS

NO MATTER HOW AGITATED I MIGHT BE, OR FRUSTRATED ABOUT SOMETHING GOING WRONG, OR FEELING AS IF I'D LIKE TO HURL A TYPEWRITER INTO THE LILACS, WHICH IS THE GENERAL MOOD-SWING OF THE WRITER IN RESIDENCE, A STINT DOWN HERE IN THE ARCHIVES……WORKS EVERY TIME. YOU KNOW, WHEN I BEGAN THIS SPECIAL BLOG SERIES, FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON, I WROTE ABOUT A BANDY LEGGED WEE BEASTIE, THAT HAD SOMETIME THIS PAST AUTUMN SEASON, BECOME AN UNEXPECTED RESIDENT HERE. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A FAMILY OF CRICKETS, WHICH I PRESUME TO BE THE CASE, OR JUST ONE OUTCAST WITH NO OTHER PLACE TO GO. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN IT IS QUITE ANNOYING, TO SEE HIM HOPPING ABOUT WITH SO MUCH DISREGARD FOR THE LANDLORD. AT FIRST, THE CHIRPING STARTED TO SERIOUSLY ANNOY ME BECAUSE IT WAS IMPROMTU, SUCH THAT I'D EXPECT A SUCCESSION OF CHIRPS, BUT GET A VERY INTERRUPTED SEQUENCE……MAKING ME STOP AND WAIT FOR IT TO RESUME. I CAME, IN ONLY MINUTES, TO DEPEND ON THAT FAMILIAR SOUND. I HAVEN'T HEARD THE WEE CHAP IN A WHILE, AND I WAS BEGINNING TO THINK A SPIDER HAD TAKEN HIM TO DINNER……OR AS DINNER.

SO WHEN I CAME DOWN HERE, A FEW MOMENTS AGO, WITH AN ANNOYING NEIGHBOR ISSUE (HAVE A FEW PROPERTY RIGHTS ISSUES WITH AN ABUTTING RESIDENT), I WAS SMOKING OUT OF MY EARS LET ME TELL YOU. IT ONLY HAPPENS SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR, BUT ALREADY 2011 HAS BEEN TWICE THE NORM. SUZANNE SENDS ME TO MY ARCHIVES ROOM, KNOWING FULL WELL, I'LL JUST QUIETLY SIMMER AND WRITE SOMETHING. I DON'T, BY THE WAY, EVER, EVER, SIT DOWN AND WRITE AN EDITORIAL MAD…..AND IF I DO, IT WILL NEVER BE PUBLISHED. IT IS A LONGSTANDING RULE. SUZANNE HAS BEEN MY EDITOR FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES, AND SHE CENSORS ALL THE MAD OUT OF THE COPY. IT'S ONE THING TO PRESENT AN ARGUMENT, BUT QUITE ANOTHER TO USE VENOM ON THE TIP OF THE ADJECTIVES. IT HAS NO PLACE ANYWAY. AN EDITORIAL IS CORRUPTED BY EMOTION. SUZANNE HAS HAD TO CUT QUITE A LOT OF EMOTION OUT OF STORIES IN THE PAST…….AND ON AT LEAST FIFTY PERCENT OF THE OCCASIONS, I JUST SCRAP THE WHOLE PIECE. FAIR PLAY IN EDITORIAL COPY, DEPENDS ON REASON, AND I DON'T FIND ANGER SUITS THE PURPOSE…..OTHER THAN TO LET OFF SOME STEAM, AND READ IT BACK FOR PERSONAL SATISFACTION……..NOT FOR THE SHOCK AND DISMAY OF READERS. THEY DON'T DESERVE IT EITHER.

So this little cricket has been hopping about in the corner of the room, where there is an old hockey stick and skates stored, awaiting the next game of frozen pond shinny. I haven't heard it singing, chirping or talking (like a Walt Disney character), so I guess it is either not interested in mating, or has figured out it annoys me……so much so that I tried to catch it several times, using human cunning and deception. Didn't work. So here I am, with less of the anger I arrived here with, watching this little beast jump about, in some sort of insect dance I'm not familiar……and I've started to write again. Do you see sparks coming from these words….smell a little spontaneous combustion? Suzanne worries she might come down here one day, and find my slippers full of smoldering ash, and nothing else. Except maybe this cricket, who will possibly find the materials to make a better nest for this family. I haven't forgotten what made me mad in the first place, and I'm going to be ever watchful of the same oversight happening again, but largely, the Christmas spirit has overcome me once more…….and should opportunity present, before I finish work here, I shall offer the hand of goodwill to my cricket colleague, that has today taken my mind on a playful meander, without too much consequence. Now let me be clear. When I say I'll offer him my hand….come on….give me some credit. I didn't mean I was going to squash him……and I certainly realize the leg to hand differential. It will be a symbolic kind of thing….like burying the hatchet.

One of the editorial points I wanted to make, today, was about the tremendous outpouring of support, this Christmas season, from all quarters of this community, to help those in economic crisis. From the regional churches, town organizations, clubs, leagues, banks, the business community, students in elementary and high school, to the citizenry in general, who found the resources and time, to make donations to those in need. I'm sure the Salvation Army is well aware of the high level of benevolence in our community, and it is so pleasing to know the general concern residents have for one another. If ever there was a need to identify community pride, precisely, to fill some need for identification, and where this benevolence exists…..well folks, it is with all of you. The demonstration of generosity has been overwhelming, and shows that we are a community that sticks together when the going gets rough……and that is what we find looking back through history. The willingness to, time and again, go out on a limb to help someone in need. And situations can reverse, and often the benefactors of once, are amongst those donating back, to help other neighbors down on their luck. It should make us all proud of being from Gravenhurst……

I want to extend thanks, once again, to all those performers and volunteers, who helped us run our Christmas concert, for the food bank, at the magnificent Gravenhurst Opera House, and for the kindness, and directorship once again, of our old friend, Fred Schulz, our only choice for master of ceremonies. The boys are still being complimented on the successful outcome of the show…..but they'll tell you honestly, it couldn't have been done without the many volunteers, who show up each year ready to pitch in…….and it's a great feeling to have so many friends….who care so much…..about the welfare of our town.

We also want to acknowledge the Gravenhurst Rotary Club, for offering to cover the rental cost of the Opera House this year. What a kind gesture.

There now, I've just heard a cricket chirp….or whatever you call it. Possibly it agrees with what I've just written. Seeing as we're living under the same roof, it's so much better to agree with one another……except on politics of course. We won't go there!!!