THE SILVER LINING OF WINTER BEYOND THE ECONOMICS OF THE CHRISTMAS SEASON
IT'S A TIME TO PAUSE, REFLECT, AND LOOK AROUND AT THIS AMAZING LAKELAND
HERE'S AN OPENING EDITORIAL FOR HOCKEY FANS OUT THERE. THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS HAVE A PROBLEM. NO FOOLING. BUT IT'S NOT ON THE ICE LEVEL. THE ROOT DYSFUNCTION IS IMBEDDED IN OWNERSHIP. AND AFTER A 9-2 DRUBBING FROM NASHVILLE THE OTHER NIGHT, THEIR COURSE OF ACTION? "STAY THE COURSE." I CAN'T RECALL HOW MANY TIMES I'VE HEARD THAT DIRECTIVE. PUNCH IMLACH. OH BOY, DOES THAT EVER DATE ME. HERE'S THE PROBLEM IN A NUTSHELL. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A MANAGEMENT PROBLEM, GOING BACK TO THE ORIGINAL SIX. THE DIFFERENCE BACK THEN, CIRCA THE LATE 1960'S, WAS AT BEST, A PART TIME JOB, WHEN EVEN THE TOP PLAYERS IN THE LEAGUE, WERE MAKING BETWEEN TWENTY AND THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS PER SEASON; AND POSSIBLY A LITTLE LESS. IT WAS A JOB THAT DEPENDED ON A PASSION MOST PLAYERS TODAY HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED; TOO MUCH MONEY CAN SUCK THE PASSION OUT OF A LOT OF THINGS. THE OLD DAYS? WHEN A PLAYER'S CAREER WASN'T GOING TO END WITH A MILLION DOLLARS IN THE BANK. THEY DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A DECENT PENSION, BUT THEY DID HAVE DAMAGED KNEES AND BACKS, FROM YEARS OF GETTING BEAT UP FOR THE GOOD OF HOCKEY. WHILE THEY PLAYED, THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF TALENTED YOUNG HOCKEY PLAYERS, JUST WAITING FOR ONE OF THE REGULARS TO GET INJURED, SO THAT THEY COULD GET THEIR CHANCE IN PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY. I ONCE INTERVIEWED FORMER MAPLE LEAF DEFENCEMAN, BOB BAUN, AND APOLOGIZED HEARTILY, FOR ASKING HIM A VERY FAMILIAR QUESTION. "KNOWING YOUR LEG WAS IN BAD SHAPE, IN THAT PLAYOFF GAME, WHY DID YOU COME BACK ONTO THE ICE TO FINISH THE GAME?" IF YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS INCIDENT, BAUN HAD BEEN INJURED THE SHIFT BEFORE, BUT DESPITE HIS LEG BEING BROKEN, HE WENT RIGHT BACK OUT, AFTER ONLY MINOR ASSISTANCE FROM THE TRAINER, DETERMINED TO FINISH THE GAME AS HE HAD STARTED; AND BY THE WAY, WOUND UP SCORING THE WINNING GOAL. HE ANSWERED THIS WAY. THERE WAS A ROW OF YOUNG NHL HOPEFULS SITTING RIGHT BEHIND THE BENCH, WAITING FOR ONE, OR MORE OF THE STALWART, REGULAR LEAFS, TO BE KNOCKED OUT OF THE GAME; IN ORDER TO GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO SUIT UP. THERE WAS NO WAY HE WAS GOING TO LOSE HIS JOB, JUST BECAUSE HE HAD A BROKEN LEG. I SHOOK HIS HAND, AND NEARLY LOST MINE IN HIS IRON GRIP. WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO, IS GUMPTION, AND HE HAD LOTS. THE LAST STANLEY CUP WINNING LEAFS FOR GOSH SAKES, WERE OVERFLOWING WITH eGUMPTION, PASSION, AND THE TEXTBOOK DEFINITION OF TEAM WORK. TODAY, COME ON! AS LONG AS THE LEAF FANS KEEP BUYING THE TICKETS, AND FILLING THE ARENA, WHETHER IT'S TO WATCH THE LEAFS OR THE OPPOSITION KICK THEIR ASSES, THERE IS NO SERIOUS INCENTIVE TO MAKE THE BIG CHANGES, THAT CAN CRAFT A TRULY EXCITING AND WINNING CLUB THESE DAYS. STATUS QUO ON A BUDGET, TAKES ME BACK TO 1968, WHEN THE SLIDE BEGAN. I WAS A HUGE MAPLE LEAFS FAN FOR MOST OF MY LIFE. I EVEN LASTED THROUGH THE SEASON WHERE SPECTATORS WORE PAPER BAGS OVER THEIR HEADS, WITH EYES CUT OUT, BEING IDENTIFIED AS THE "UNKNOWN FANS." I REMEMBER THE SEASON COACH RED KELLY WAS PLACING SMALL PYRAMIDS SHAPED ICONS UNDER THE TEAM BENCH FOR GOOD LUCK, AND EDDY SHACK, ON A RETURN CONTRACT WITH THE LEAFS, USED TO PERFORM PIROUETTES AT CENTRE ICE, DURING THE INTRODUCTION; WHICH WAS USUALLY THE MOST EXCITING PART OF THE GAME. AS FOR A SOLUTION? SPEND SOME MONEY, AND BRING IN HUNGRY PLAYERS AND A COACH WHO HAS THAT WILD AMOUNT OF GUMPTION, TO SCULPT A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM. IT'S EASY TO BLAME THE PLAYERS. THE BUCK STOPS WITH SHAREHOLDERS. ARE THEY EVEN HOCKEY FANS? HOW CAN THEY LET THIS DECLINE INTO HOCKEY MISERY, HAPPEN EVERY SINGLE YEAR? THEY DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO STOP THIS NONSENSE. WE'VE HEARD HOW MUCH THE FRANCHISE IS WORTH. HOW ABOUT RE-INVESTING IN THE LEAF FANS, WHO ARE MAKING IT SUCH A WEALTHY FRANCHISE. BUT ONE THING'S FOR SURE. THE MAPLE LEAFS FANS WILL NEVER ABANDON THEIR CLUB. GOOD FOR OWNERSHIP. THE FANS? I THINK THEY'RE QUITE USED TO LOSING BY NOW. THEY'VE HAD DECADES TO FINE TUNE IT. THIS OVERVIEW HURTS ME, BECAUSE MUCH OF MY YOUTH WAS INVESTED IN BEING A MAPLE LEAF FAN. I STILL FEEL CHEATED AND THE HURT DOESN'T GO AWAY. ESPECIALLY AFTER THE SPORTS ON THE EVENING NEWS, WHEN THEY FIND OH SO MANY WAYS TO MAKE FUN OF WHAT USED TO BE SUCH AN NHL ROLE MODEL. WELL, THAT'S MY LEAF OVERVIEW FOR 2014. I ALWAYS DO ONE EDITORIAL SLAM EACH YEAR, JUST TO VENT MY LATENT FRUSTRATION. NOW BACK TO CHRISTMAS IN MUSKOKA.
THERE'S A HUSH OVER THE LAND. OH, WAIT A MINUTE, HERE COMES ANOTHER SNOW SQUALL. IT WAS JUST THE QUIET BEFORE THE CONTINUING STORM. IT ISN'T OFFICIALLY WINTER, BUT IT IS MOST DEFINITELY MUSKOKA.
IN THE BUSINESS SENSE, YESTERDAY WAS A WRITE-OFF AS THEY SAY. WITH ALL THE TRAFFIC WARNINGS THROUGHOUT THE DAY, IT WASN'T SURPRISING TRAFFIC AT OUR GRAVENHURST SHOP HAD WHITTLED DOWN TO A TRICKLE. MANY OF ANDREW AND ROBERT'S MUSIC STUDENTS CANCELLED THEIR LESSONS, WHICH WAS SENSIBLE, AND THE SAFEST THING TO DO, CONSIDERING THE TERRIBLE DRIVING CONDITIONS. WE DECIDED TO CLOSE UP THE SHOP EARLY, AND SUZANNE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE A FAMILY DINNER FOR A CHANGE. LIKE TELEVISION'S, "BLUE BLOODS," THE WEEKLY DRAMA ABOUT A NEW YORK CITY POLICE FAMILY, WE USED TO INSIST ON, AT LEAST ONE FAMILY MEAL EVERY WEEK. WITH BUSINESS INTERESTS EXPANDING, AND THE FACT BOTH BOYS ARE IN A NEW COUNTRY BAND, THE ONLY TIME WE GET TO SIT DOWN, ENJOY A COUNTRY BREAKFAST, AND TALK AS A FAMILY, IS ON SUNDAY MORNINGS, WHILE WATCHING THOSE WONDERFUL EPISODES OF "PETTICOAT JUNCTION;" THAT REMINDS THEM OF MY SIMILARITIES TO "UNCLE JOE CARSON." DO YOU REMEMBER THE LINE, "THERE'S UNCLE JOE AND HE'S MOVING KIND OF SLOW AT THE JUNCTION." I LAUGH AND THEY LAUGH AND WE ALL GET ALONG JUST FINE.
GETTING HOME EARLY, AS A DIRECT RESULT OF SNOW SQUALLS, MEANT WE COULD ACTUALLY HAVE A SIT-DOWN SUPPER, WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS. I LOVE THE TRIMMINGS. FRENCH ONION SOUP, AND BAKED HAM ON A BED OF RICE. RUNNING A FAMILY BUSINESS IS TOUGH, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, AND WE MOST OFTEN WORK SIX DAYS STRAIGHT, IN THE SHOP, RECORDING IN THE STUDIO, AND TEACHING GUITAR, SOMETIMES UNTIL EIGHT O'CLOCK. ON SUNDAYS, IF THE WEATHER CO-OPERATES, WE MAY FIND OURSELVES OUT AND ABOUT, ANTIQUE HUNTING. WE LOVE OUR ENTERPRISE, AND ALL ITS ASSORTED COMPONENTS, BUT IT'S ALSO NICE TO SCORE A LITTLE DOWN TIME AT HOME. AND AS YOU MIGHT SUPPOSE, WHEN WE GET OVER-TIRED, WE SNAP AT EACH OTHER THROUGHOUT THE DAY; THAT SOUNDS ALOT LIKE, "HEY, WHO ARE YOU CALLING STUPID? STUPID!" SO AS FAR AS BEING A BIG HAPPY FAMILY, WE ARE NOT ALWAYS ON THE SAME PAGE. WE EVENTUALLY WORK OUT OUR SITUATIONS OF IMPASSE, AND MOVE ON WITH THE VERY NEXT CHALLENGE. FOR EXAMPLE, JUST NOW, ANDREW LET ME KNOW, WE ARE GOING TO LEND OUR THREE HUNDRED POUND CASH REGISTER TO A LOCAL BANK, AS A DISPLAY PIECE FOR A SPECIAL EVENT. IT SITS IN THE FOYER OF THE SHOP, AND WE CALL IT "THE WIDOW MAKER," BECAUSE IT IS SO BLOODY HEAVY AND AWKWARD. I MADE IT CLEAR, AFTER THE LAST INCIDENT OF BACK STRAIN, THAT THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS GOING TO TRANSPORT THE BEAST, OR EVEN LIFT IT OFF THE TABLE. WE HAVE A CART FOR SUCH MOVING PROJECTS, BUT THIS PIECE HAS A PERSONALITY OF ITS OWN; AND HONESTLY, I THINK IT'S POSSESSED BY A FORMER CLERK, WHO AT THE MOMENT, LIKES WHERE IT AS BEEN POSITIONED. AS I NOTED PREVIOUSLY, WE DON'T ALWAYS AGREE IN THIS FAMILY, A LITTLE BIT LIKE TELEVISION'S "THE WALTONS'S," UP THERE ON "WALTONS MOUNTAIN." ANDREW, STARRING AS "JOHN BOY," IS GOING TO HAVE QUITE A MISSION, TO GET THIS CASH REGISTER, ONCE AT A GENERAL STORE IN THE HAMLET OF ORVILLE, NEAR PARRY SOUND, OFF ITS PRESENT PEDESTAL, AND HAULED UP THE STREET TO THE BANK. "GOOD LUCK SON," I CHORTLED. "BETTER RENT A CRANE."
BESIDES HAVING A NICE FAMILY GET-TOGETHER, LIKE WE USED TO HAVE MOST DAYS OF THE WEEK, WE TALKED ABOUT THE UPCOMING CHRISTMAS SEASON, AND WHAT STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE TO GET THE SHOP READY; WHICH HAS DEFINITELY BECOME MORE IMPORTANT THESE DAYS THAN THE HOUSE. ACTUALLY, THE STORE IS OUR SECOND ABODE, IF WE WERE TO LOOK AT THE HOURS SPENT IN EACH. THE HOUSE THESE DAYS, IS PRETTY MUCH THE PLACE WE HANG OUR CAPS AND THEN DOZE OFF, WATCHING TELEVISION; ONLY TO WAKE UP LATER WITH A CAT AS A MOUSTACHE, OR HAT. WE KNOW WE'RE HOME BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A STORE CAT. I DOZE OFF THERE TOO, BUT NOTHING THIS LAPTOP CURLS INTO MY LAP. WE CAN'T SIT FOR FIVE MINUTES AT BIRCH HOLLOW, WITHOUT A CAT INTRUDING ON OUR PERSONAL SPACE. THIS MAY NOT SEEM A DISADVANTAGE, AND QUITE WARM AND CUDDLY, EXCEPT FOR THE FACT, MY UPPER LEGS LOOK LIKE I HAVE SOME ILLNESS, THAT GENERATES REDS SPOTS. CHUTNEY AND ZAPPA KNEAD MY LEGS TO MAKE THEMSELVES COMFORTABLE, AND THE NET RESULT IS, I LOOK LIKE I'VE BEEN INJURED BY SHOT-GUN PELLETS.
THE OTHER NIGHT, WHEN WE DID OUR CAT-COUNT, WE WERE MISSING ANGUS. WE LOOKED EVERYWHERE, AND ASSUMED THAT HE HAD GOT BEHIND ONE OF OUR PUMP ORGANS (WE HAVE THREE). SUZANNE USES THE TRIED AND TRUE STRATEGY, OF OPENING A CAN OF TUNA, KNOWING HE'D SPRING FORTH FOR DINNER. STILL COULDN'T FIND HIM. OURS PETS ARE NOT OUTDOOR CATS, BUT WE HAVE HAD TO RETRIEVE A FEW OF THEM, WHEN THEY'VE FOUND AN OPPORTUNITY TO SNEAK OUT THE BACK DOOR, WHEN WE'RE BRINGING IN THE GROCERIES. FINALLY WE JUST DECIDED TO WAIT HIM OUT, AND LISTEN FOR SCRATCHING AT THE WOODWORK, IF HE HAD SOMEHOW BECOME CLOSED INTO A CLOSET. SUZANNE SAT DOWN FOR A CUP OF TEA, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, HEARD A RUSTLING BESIDE HER THAT WAS EITHER A BIG MOUSE, OR A CAT IN THE PROVERBIAL HAT. ANGUS HAD MANAGED TO CLIMB INTO SUZANNE'S CLOTH BAG OF OLD YARN, HUNG OFF THE BACK OF PRESS-BACK CHAIR. HE COULDN'T GET OUT. WE HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG HE HAD BEEN "IN-THE-BAG," (NOT LIKE I USED TO GET AT THE BRACEBRIDGE PRESS CLUB). NO HARM DONE. THE WOOL WASN'T DAMAGED, AND NEITHER WAS THE BAG, BUT I SUSPECT ANGUS WON'T USE IT AS A NESTING AREA IN THE FUTURE.
I WENT OUT TO DO SOME SHOVELING AFTER DINNER, BECAUSE I HATE DOING DISHES. I WILL CLEAN THE LITTER BOX NIGHTLY, AS AN ALTERNATIVE CHORE TO DOING DISHES. I WILL DO THE DISHES, IF SUZANNE ISN'T HOME. WHEN SHE'S SUPERVISING KITCHEN CLEAN-UP, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO MEET HER STANDARDS OF THE BIG THREE ASPECTS OF PROPER WASHING. I DON'T WASH ACCORDING TO HER WISHES. I DON'T STACK THEM IN THE DRYING RACK, TO HER SPECIFICATIONS, AND WHEN IT COMES TO DRYING THEM, FORGET ABOUT IT! SHE STANDS BEHIND ME SNIPING AND REACHING OVER MY SHOULDER TO CORRECT DISH PLACEMENT. I UNDERSTAND HER TO BE RIGHT ABOUT THIS, BUT NO MATTER HOW MUCH I HAVE TRIED TO PLEASE HER IN THIS REGARD, I HAVE NEVER MADE THE GRADE. WE'VE BEEN MARRIED MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS, AND I'VE BEEN FAILING THROUGHOUT OUR TIME TOGETHER, WHEN IT COMES TO KITCHEN MAINTENANCE. I JUST MAKE SURE TO FIND ANOTHER CHORE SHE DOESN'T WANT TO DO, LIKE THE LITTER BOX, AND SHOW HER WHAT I CONSIDER AN EVEN TRADE. LAST NIGHT, HAVING HAD A BIG, WONDERFUL, AND DELICIOUS DINNER, WITH APPLE CRISP FOR DESSERT, I WENT OUT TO SHOVEL THE SIDEWALKS AND DRIVEWAY OF BIRCH HOLLOW. YOU KNOW, DESPITE THE FACT I HAD TO HAVE MY TOQUE PULLED DOWN TO MY EYEBROWS, IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL PRE-WINTER EVENING. THE BIRCH HOLLOW TREES AND SHRUBS WERE BEAUTIFULLY ATTIRED, AND THE BOG WAS HAUNTINGLY STUNNING, AS THE SPIRALS OF WINDBLOWN SNOW, PUSHED OVER THE LOWLAND, DAZZLING IN CRYSTAL LIGHT FROM THE ILLUMINATION OF THE STREET LAMPS. IT WASN'T TOO COLD AND THERE WERE LOTS OF FOLKS TENDING THEIR DRIVEWAYS AT THE SAME TIME. ON MORE THAN A FEW OCCASIONS, DURING THE SNOW REMOVAL TASK, IF SUZANNE HAD BOTHERED TO LOOK OUT THE FRONT WINDOW, SHE WOULD HAVE SEEN ME STANDING LIKE FORMER MONTREAL GOALTENDER, KEN DRYDEN, WITH MY CHIN ON THE HANDLE OF THE UPRIGHT SNOW-SHOVEL. I LEANED ON IT OFTEN LAST NIGHT, AS I LOOKED OUT OVER THIS PICTURESQUE COUNTRY, WE CALL OUR HOME DISTRICT. IF TIMES WERE REVERSED, AND WE WERE BACK IN PIONEER TIMES, BEING ISOLATED DEEP IN THE WILDS OF THE FRONTIER, I KNOW THAT I WOULD FEEL A TAD UNSETTLED, BY THE EARLY ARRIVAL OF SO MUCH SNOW, AND ONLY HAVING A MODEST LOG SHANTY TO KEEP THE COLD WEATHER OUT. HERE, NOW, I COULD HEAR THE TRAIN PASSING UPTOWN, AND HEAR SNOWMACHINES SOMEWHERE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. OUR STREETS WILL BE PLOWED BY EARLY MORNING, AND I WON'T HAVE TO HOOK-UP THE HORSE TO THE CUTTER, AND THEN CLIMB BENEATH A BUFFALO ROBE, TO THEN SLED MY WAY TO WORK. FOLKS THINK I'M OVERLY SENTIMENTAL FROM THE GET-GO, SO THIS ROMANTIC OVERVIEW OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WON'T SEEM SURPRISING. IT WASN'T A GREAT DAY FOR BUSINESS, AND TODAY WASN'T A LOT BETTER, BUT BOY OH BOY HAVE WE SURE HAVE GOT GOOD LOOKS. IF "PICTURE POSTCARD" IMAGES IS WHAT YOU LIKE, THE RECENT SNOWFALL SHOULD BE QUITE SATISFYING. IF YOU DESPISE PRETTY PICTURES, AND HATE SNOW REMOVAL, AND ALL IMPLEMENTS IN THIS REGARD, THEN IT MIGHT BE TIME TO VISIT A TRAVEL AGENT. FROM SAGE OLDTIMERS, THIS MAY BE THE WINTER THAT ENDS ALL WINTERS. I'M GOOD FOR THE TIME BEING, UNTIL IT GETS UP TO MY NECK IN THE DRIVEWAY.
IT WAS A FAMILY TRADITION TO TAKE AN AUTO TRIP IN THE EVENINGS BEFORE CHRISTMAS, TO SEE THE TWINKLING LIGHTS
When we moved to Gravenhurst, in 1989, and shortly thereafter, having had the recession collapse the housing market, Suzanne and I had a tough time keeping our home financed. We were looking close-up at what was shaping up to be a frightening economy, and a house that had lost twenty percent of its market value, in just over a year; along with having two youngsters who had a lot of demands at Christmas. There are times of retrospective, Suzanne and I sit pondering just how close we came to losing it all. Like getting intimate with a twister, we saw that era's recession from the inside, and watched the misery extend, knowing some of our friends had lost their jobs and homes. But we are both highly competitive, and have never walked away from a bigger opponent, just because we thought we'd lose the fight.
Suzanne from pioneer stock, and good old me from a family that wrote the book on "pay cheque to pay cheque living," we began a period of austerity, that would last until the present. We've never changed back, and now could write a modern day tome, about "frugal living for non-Scots." Actually, Suzanne has a little blood from a few rogue ancestors from Scotland, so we are probably influenced in this way as well. In order to get by with less, and give our boys a long and interesting Christmas celebration, we would start about two weeks in advance, taking short evening road trips around town, to see the home light displays. Suzanne would pack some treats and bring along a thermos full of hot chocolate, and with a few dollars worth of gas, we could motor around the area in frugal luxury. It's actually how we got to know more about our partner Gravenhurst neighborhoods. At night, you find out a lot about the way folks live and relax; and of course, we judged them initially by the extravagance of their Christmas light displays. But we studied their creativity. Just because there were thousands of lights, didn't make them the best displays. It seemed that a lot more home owners decorated their houses with outside lights back then. I suppose hydro costs, like gas, was a little bit cheaper in the early 1990's. You know, it was a cheap, simple, no fuss, no muss pre-Christmas tour, with lots of cookies and cakes, and maybe if we had some extra cash, a few slices of pizza. Andrew and Robert used to love the evening trips, and we went out in all kinds of weather; and because we were only traveling close to home anyway, we'd venture forth in a blizzard, play Rudolph, and light the way through town.
Suzanne and I still do something similar, but only a few times, in the days just before Christmas. We like to see our town, and region all lit up, and laden with sparkling snow. We sometimes bring a hot beverage and a tin of her freshly made Christmas treats, and now we reminisce about the good old days, when the boys were younger. We don't recollect with any sort of regret, because we are realists about the passage of time. We're just so pleased, to be part of the boys' lives so many years later, especially in respect to our business operation. We put on a big effort at Christmas, because it has always been an important time of the year for Andrew and Robert; two lads, who thankfully, always understood our financial situation, and enjoyed activities we came up with, for celebration of the season, that were home-made and of small cost. It was always about family, and I hope they will never forget that Christmas is a time of kinship and kindness, more so than just a time of year to run up debt, buying lots of gifts. As kids, the motor trips to see the lights of their new hometown, made them look kindly upon Gravenhurst, and feel they belonged here. When Suzanne would take them in the sleigh, up for a treat at Sloans Restaurant, just before Christmas, it was a special event at a low cost. We didn't have a lot of money to spare, so any extra cash was invested wisely. Visiting Sloans for a burger and fries was most definitely a wise investment for everyone. Sitting under those beautiful Frank Johnston watercolors of old Gravenhurst, and depictions of the steamships at Muskoka Wharf. Those original Johnston paintings, turned Andrew into a steamship fanatic back then, and I can't tell you how many models he made from Lego, based on those full of life paintings, framed and mounted on the walls of that landmark restaurant.
Now Andrew and Robert have their own Muskoka Road shop, and they love to decorate for the Christmas season. Andrew especially, has always been in charge of decorating, both at Birch Hollow and here at the shop. (I'm writing in their music studio today). Although a lot of changes have occurred since our days motoring around town, enjoying the festival of lights, as a Christmas preamble, the boys still have a lot of passion for those humble, folksy, hometown Christmases we have always enjoyed as a family; with its evident connection to history, antiques, collectables, and really good friends who have made this place a mainstreet social club. It's nice to hear the voices of our music associates, gathering for the Saturday morning socials; good folks like Jimmy, Bob, Steve, Sean, Dave, Bob G., Betty, Fergus, Leah, John, Alyssa and Charlie, just to name a few. It's true, they come for the freshly baked cookies, Suzanne makes on Friday nights; but they bring us coffee, and some times, farm fresh eggs. I love listening to these characters tell their music stories, and when they wander into the studio, we often talk politics for something completely different. At Christmas, by golly, it's a whole neighborhood unto itself, and we love every moment of this social / cultural togetherness; because it is in our tradition of a folksy, modest, jovial, hometown recognition, of a time of year we look forward to; and not just for the presents. If our friends didn't drop by, and stay for an egg nog, cookie or cake, we would be disappointed. It's like having the entire cast of "It's a Wonderful Life," drop by for a visit. We've got lots of room to fit everyone in!
I plan to beg my way out of kitchen chores, after supper, so I can play in the snow again. Did I mention the "enjoy Muskoka" part?
NOTE: THE COLUMN PRINTED BELOW HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST ARCHIVED BLOGS IN NEARLY FIVE YEARS OF WRITING THESE LOCALIZED ONLINE EDITORIALS. IT'S ALSO ONE OF MY FAVOURITES BECAUSE IT IS TRULY THE REASON OUR FAMILY MOVED TO GRAVENHURST IN THE FALL OF 1989. HUGH CLAIRMONT WAS GRAVENHURST'S MOST PROLIFIC PROMOTERS. THE REST IS HISTORY.
WHO WILL TELL THE STORIES……. ABOUT WHAT IT WAS REALLY LIKE IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS?
OR WILL FUTURE GENERATIONS WANT TO KNOW? WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE HERE, IF WE HADN'T BEEN BORN?
TO BORROW A LITTLE MORAL SNIPIT FROM THE MOVIE, "IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE," IF HUGH CLAIRMONT HAD NEVER BEEN BORN….WELL SIR, OUR FAMILY WOULD NOT HAVE MOVED TO GRAVENHURST, BACK IN THE AUTUMN OF 1989. NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THERE WOULD BE A LOT FEWER CLAIRMONTS IN THIS TOWN.
NO, I'M NOT COMPARING GRAVENHURST TO BEDFORD FALLS. BUT I AM VERY DEFINITELY STATING, THAT WE CURRIES WERE VERY MUCH INFLUENCED TO MOVE TO GRAVENHURST BY THE GOOD MR. CLAIRMONT. I TRULY BELIEVED, THAT IF HUGH LIKED THE PLACE, AND FOUND IT HAD EVERYTHING ONE NEEDED TO BE HALE AND HARDY THROUGH LIFE, IT WOULD BE PERFECT FOR OUR YOUNG FAMILY, AT THE TIME, PLANNING A MOVE SOMEWHERE SOUTH, EAST OR WEST FROM BRACEBRIDGE. WELL, HUGH WAS BORN, HAD FAMILY, ENTERTAINED US, IN MUSIC AND HIS COLUMNS, AND WAS A PERSUASIVE AMBASSADOR FOR THE TOWN "ALWAYS"……AND ITS DEFENDER, IF ANYBODY GOT A LITTLE LIPPY ABOUT GRAVENHURST'S STATE OF THE UNION……POLITICS, CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS, SOCIAL ACTIVITIES OR SPORTS. IT TOOK A FAIR BIT TO RUFFLE HIS FEATHERS BUT HE DIDN'T LIKE YOU TAKING CHEAP SHOTS, AT HIS HOMETOWN'S EXPENSE. I NEVER REALLY SAW HUGH GET MAD, BUT I DID HEAR HIM GET EVEN MANY TIMES. HE WAS A WORTHY WORDSMITH AND A KEEN DEBATER…..BUT EVERY CLARIFICATION I EVER HEARD FROM HIM, WAS ON HIS GROUNDS, HIS TERMS, AND UNDER HIS DIRECTION. IT WASN'T EASY FOR AN ADVERSARY TO GET A WORD IN, AS THEY SAY, "EDGE-WISE!" HIS RETORTS WERE LINE CANON FIRE AND THAT LOUD TOO!
ONE WINTER NIGHT, NEAR CHRISTMAS, A SHORT WHILE BEFORE WE BEGAN SERIOUS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT MOVING, SUZANNE AND I MET HUGH DEEP IN THE "INNER SANCTUM" OF SLOAN'S RESTAURANT. WE WERE THERE FOR SUPPER, AND HE HAD JUST COME IN, AFTER SOME CROSS COUNTRY SKIING. HE WAS COVERED IN SNOW, AND THE MELT WATER WAS STREAMING DOWN HIS FACE AS IF HE WAS CRYING…….BUT HE WAS LAUGHING TOO HARD TO HAVE TEARS OF SORROW. A WAITRESS FRIEND, MRS. WALKER I BELIEVE, SAID SOMETHING LIKE, "HUGHIE, YOU'RE GETTING THOSE NICE FOLKS ALL WET…..AND THE TABLE CLOTH…….COME AND SIT DOWN." HE CAME IN LAUGHING OUT LOUD…..HE SAT DOWN LAUGHING OUT LOUD, AND AFTER WE SAID FAREWELL AT THE END OF DINNER, WELL BY GOLLY, HE LEFT THE RESTAURANT LAUGHING AND SINGING, AND YELLING AT ALL THE OTHER PATRONS HE KNEW. THERE WAS NOT A HAPPIER, MORE CONTENTED MAN ON EARTH, THAN HUGH CLAIRMONT. IT'S NOT JUST MY OPINION EITHER. HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A KING OR A TOWN CRIER BUT HE DIDN'T LIKE TO BE WEIGHTED DOWN BY UNNECESSARY PROTOCOLS, OR CHAINS OF OFFICE.
WHILE WE WERE TOGETHER, TUCKED INTO THE WARM BOSUM OF THE INNER SANCTUM, HUGH ASKED SUZANNE IF SHE'D EVER CONSIDER MOVING TO GRAVENHURST. I HAD ALREADY TALKED WITH HUGH ABOUT THIS A DOZEN OR MORE TIMES, WHEN WE'D GET TOGETHER WITH WRITER BRANT SCOTT, AT THE STAR MOTEL, FOR A WEE PINT OR A DOZEN. BRANT AND I USED TO TAKE OFF FROM THE HERALD-GAZETTE EARLY ON NON-PRESS DAYS, AND GET IN SOME RECREATION AT THE SQUASH AND FITNESS CLUB. AFTER I'D BEAT HIM, I HAD TO QUELL THE ANGER IN MY OPPONENT, BY BUYING SOME ROUNDS. ON MOST OF THOSE NIGHTS WE WERE IN GRAVENHURST, WE'D RUN INTO HUGH, SOMETIMES EVEN AT MUSKOKA SANDS, AND WE HAD SOME MEMORABLE CONVERSATIONS. SUZANNE, ON THIS NIGHT, ASKED HIM A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THINGS TO DO IN GRAVENHURST, AND ABOUT THE HIGH SCHOOL……AS SHE WAS THEN A TEACHER AT BRACEBRIDGE AND MUSKOKA LAKES SECONDARY SCHOOL. HE CERTAINLY HAD SOME COMPELLING ARGUMENTS FOR RE-LOCATING, AND I'VE ALWAYS REMEMBERED THAT TABLE-SIDE CHAT, BECAUSE, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IT WAS ONE OF THE CONSIDERATIONS ON THE EVE OF REAL ESTATE HUNTING. WITH OUR AGENT AT THE TIME, JOHN DALZELL, OF REMAX, WE LOOKED AT FOUR GRAVENHURST HOUSES….WHICH WAS A LOT TO TAKE IN, AND WE PUT AN OFFER IN ON ONE. WITH A LITTLE TWEAKING, ADDING A FEW EXTRA DOLLARS, WE CLOSED THE DEAL FOR THE HOUSE AT BIRCH HOLLOW, PERCHED SO NICELY ABOVE THE BOG AND BORDER WOODLANDS. I COULDN'T WAIT TO LET HUGH KNOW WE HAD TAKEN HIS ADVICE. BY THE WAY, AS A SIDEBAR HERE, IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR THE EDITORIAL ASSISTANCE OF MUSKOKA TODAY, DURING OUR FIGHT TO CONSERVE THE BOG, WHEN IT WAS BEING CONSIDERED AS A NEW SUBDIVISION, A FEW YEARS BACK, WE WOULD HAVE LOST THE BATTLE. IT WAS SAVED THANKS TO PUBLICITY GIVEN TO US FROM MARK CLAIRMONT AND EDITOR LOIS COOPER. I WILL NEVER FORGET THEIR HELP, AND THEIR EDITORIAL SUPPORT GENERALLY, WHICH MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE TO OUR UNDERFUNDED, RAG-TAG BUNCH OF DEFENDERS.
AS FOR BEDFORD FALLS, AND GRAVENHURST……THANK GOD HUGH WAS BORN, BECAUSE OUR LIVES WOULD ALL BE SO MUCH DIFFERENT NOW…….AND I'M PRETTY SURE, IF WE COULD WEIGH THE "WITH" AGAINST THE "WITHOUT," WE WOULDN'T BE AS HAPPY EITHER. FROM THE FIRST FEW DAYS AS A REPORTER WITH MUSKOKA PUBLICATIONS, I GOT TO MEET REGULARLY WITH HUGH, WHEN HE'D BE IN BRACEBRIDGE TO ATTEND A FRIDAY ROTARY CLUB MEETING. HE'D COME INTO THE NEWSROOM WITH GREAT THUNDEROUS BLUSTER, AND GOOD CHEER, AND ALL WORK WOULD STOP……EVEN INTERVIEWS IN PROGRESS….BECAUSE HE WAS JUST THAT KIND OF PERSON, YOU WANTED TO TALK WITH…..OR HEAR HIS STORIES ABOUT OLD TIME JOURNALISM. THERE WASN'T MUCH HE DIDN'T KNOW, OR HAVE AN OPINION ABOUT. THE BEST QUALITY OF HUGH CLAIRMONT, FOR US, WAS THAT HE NEVER, EVER PUT US DOWN AS "GREEN" REPORTERS, LIKE SOMEONE OF HIS EXPERIENCE COULD HAVE IMPOSED ON ROOKIES. HE TREATED ALL OUR NEWS STAFF WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT, AND HE NEVER SHOWED UP IN THE NEWSROOM WITHOUT OFFERING A FEW NEWS TIPS HE'D HEARD ON THE STREET. HE WAS ALWAYS A RELIABLE SOURCE AND HE HAD A NOSE FOR NEWS, AS THEY SAY.
HOW MY WRITING YEARS WOULD HAVE CHANGED
Hugh was happy we had finally re-located. It wasn't too far along, in our Gravenhurst residency, before Hugh reminded me that he had a plan, sometime down the road, to start a project that would need an experienced writer. I was working as a columnist, at the time, for a couple of publications, but when Hugh and son Mark finally called me up……everything else was of much lesser concern. When they asked me if I'd be interested in joining a new publication venture, to be known as "Muskoka Today," I was absolutely thrilled. I met with father and son, at their new office on First Street, and after a couple of hours discussing the potential, I shook hands, thanked them for including an old journalist like me in their exciting new plans, and headed home to tell Suzanne what a smart move it had been, to listen to the advice Hugh, when he said we'd be a lot happier in Gravenhurst. My column was headed, "Hometown Advantage," and amazingly, my portrait was sketched by Hugh's friend, Frank Johnston, one of Canada's finest print makers and watercolorists. It was the nicest I've ever been treated as a writer. And it happened right here in Gravenhurst. How could I not love this place?
I am not the historian of choice in this town. Not even close. To some I'm an interloper, and maybe even a transient historical type, who will pretend to be interested in local chronicles, and then bugger off after being painstakingly tutored. I've never tried to be intrusive honestly, but I've also never been accused of being a shrinking violet either. But I do understand, that arriving here in the fall of 1989, doesn't even today, by trial of time, qualify me to be anything more than an apprentice historian…..which in strictest protocol, means fetcher of tea, coffee and butter tarts, for heritage meetings. If my name comes up at heritage committee meetings, it's probably for all the wrong reasons. I've become somewhat of a rogue historian locally, and it means I don't get invited to the annual Historian's Ball, or get to go on the heritage junkets my contemporaries plan. But when they might ask, undaunted, what my qualifications are, and why I should be fast tracked into the rank and file of area historians, I will tell them, I learned more sitting and writing in the Muskoka Today office, than if I had been privately tutored by the best of the best historians.
My work space, when I needed one, was situated between Mark's editorial desk, and wherever Hugh happened to be standing or sitting. He moved around a lot. I don't know how this happened, all the time, but I was for many days, the middle Clairmont, when fire and brimstone between the two writers would erupt. Yup, there were a lot of editorial disagreements, which always worked out, and I understood all the pressures of a small publication trying to survive……and after awhile, so as to feel part of the current events, I'd start yelling my opinion as well. This was a fabulous learning experience. I didn't have single regret, offering to write for the Clairmont boys, who put out a quality product, with a little extra kick-back to the old days……and that pleased a lot of readers in our town, who praised the respectful way the paper handled local history, and interviewed the many characters, like Shorty, who were fixtures in our own little "Bedford Falls." They reminded us, about the contributions that had been made to our town, by the most unassuming, quiet and gentle citizens……who would talk to Hugh like he was family……and that's how he found remarkable stories no other paper or journalist could. He had a way with people, that made them volunteer the most amazing stories……many about the real human heritage of Gravenhurst. He was a humanist. His history of the community, that was important to him, was the human side…..the personal stories that were often neglected by formal histories, reporting on major events, building, fires, misadventures, milestones etc. He wanted to know your story. He made those who thought of themselves as ordinary, feel extraordinary when they left his company…..and he turned back to his typewriter, to write up the interview. He knew what Gravenhurst was all about. He knew what made it tick. He understood its misfortunes, missed opportunities in history, its dark side, and what gave it such a resilience, to take shortfall, and build something out of it.
I'd sit there for hours, watching Hugh do his thing. Whether it was talk on the phone to one of his buddies, or if someone came into the office for a wee chat. I listened to the dialogue between father and son, publisher/ editor and ace columnist. At times, I have to confess, that it was like being part of an old movie script, about newspaper life, back in the 1940's, because this is what was so entertaining….and absolutely historical. I was getting a history lesson every time I went to work. But I wasn't being lectured. I was just letting it all seep in….and not wanting the learning curve to end. Even sons Andrew and Robert would come into the office with me, and listen to the same animated discussion. They knew Mark would offer them time on the computer to play some video games. They had a blast, and frankly, so did I. If Hugh Clairmont had never been born. I wouldn't be writing this blog today. We wouldn't have a main street business. Our boys wouldn't have a popular vintage music shop, or work at the Opera House, or on The Barge, or have graduated Gravenhurst High School……or son Robert, wouldn't have won the Gordon Sloan Music Award. Suzanne wouldn't have transferred to GHS, and we wouldn't have ever known Birch Hollow, as a family homestead. Which means we wouldn't have these cats (two on my lap) that we rescued from The Bog. All of this…..and I could go on and on, if I hadn't known Hugh Clairmont, and believed his sincere invitation…..that Suzanne and I should bring the family, and start all over again……in the embrace of all the characters…..all the good neighbors of Gravenhurst. When I told John Black what Hugh had said, that night at Sloans, all he said was, "Well you should listen to him…..he knows what he's talking about."
Sometimes when we think of history as burdensome and boring, maybe we should draw our own parallels to the story of Bedford Falls, in "It's a Wonderful Life," and how all our lives are indeed intertwined and relevant to each others actions, reactions, and onward missions through time and place. We are the history makers.
I was tending a small campfire in the back yard, here at Birch Hollow, when CKCO reporter, and long-time friend, Gar Lewis, called Suzanne, on that memorable Christmas, to let me know he'd heard that Hugh had only recently died. I won't kid you, about all of us that day, getting choked up, because he was a hard guy to replace in all our daily comings and goings. If someone reminisced that "Hugh Clairmont was larger than life," they would be telling an historical truth. Without a doubt.
Ironic and strange as this might read, I was tending my same Yule-time fire, in the backyard, the next year, at about the same time as the call had come in from Gar Lewis, when I could hear, off in the distance, the sound of a lone trumpet through the lightly falling snow. I wondered if it had something to do with Hugh. Well it did. Mark was playing at graveside for his father, which I think has become a Christmas tradition, at the Lakeside Cemetery, a short distance from our home at Birch Hollow. Whenever I hear it, I can see Hugh just as clearly, as he was that evening, hovering over Suzanne and I in Sloans Restaurant, wishing us both a Merry Christmas…..and by God, he meant it.
Our family owes a lot to Hugh Clairmont. To the Clairmonts generally. Muskoka Today was a fun experience for those early years. And yes, it was history in progress, and there was always a lot to learn.
Thanks once again, for taking a few moments out of your busy day, to let a story spinner weave a tale of history and goodwill……a Gravenhurst story. Please come and visit once again…..when you have a few moments to spare.
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