HEADS-UP ABOUT LOCAL CRIME - IT'S TIME WE PAID ATTENTION TO THE INTRUSION OF CRIME INTO OUR REGION
IN THE SPRING OF 1990, I WAS COVERING GRAVENHURST COUNCIL, THEN UNDER MAYOR GORD ADAMS, FOR THE GRAVENHURST BANNER. I REMEMBER ATTENDING ONE MEETING, WHEN A DELEGATE FROM THE ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE, WAS IN ATTENDANCE, TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT LOCAL CRIME PREVENTION. I HAD KNOWN CONSTABLE MATT KELLY FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS BEFORE THIS, FROM THE PERIOD I HAD BEEN EDITOR OF THE BRACEBRIDGE HERALD-GAZETTE. MATT WAS A BIG HOCKEY FAN AS WELL, SO WE MET QUITE OFTEN ON OPPOSITE TEAMS, WHEN I WAS PLAYING FOR THE HERALD-GAZETTE RINK RATS. I HAD AN INKLING WHAT MATT, A CONSTABLE FROM THE BRACEBRIDGE ATTACHMENT, WAS GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT, WHEN IT WAS HIS TURN AT THE PODIUM. I DON'T THINK COUNCILLORS WERE FULLY AWARE WHAT HE WAS GOING TO TELL THEM, THAT ACTUALLY, IF MEMORY SERVES, DID COME AS A BIT OF A SHOCK.
CONSTABLE KELLY, WAS IN ATTENDANCE AT THE MEETING, TO DISCUSS A SORT OF NEGATIVE COMING OF AGE, FOR OUR SMALL SOUTH MUSKOKA TOWN. THE THEME OF THIS PRESENTATION, AS LEAST PART OF WHAT HE WAS IN ATTENDANCE TO DISCUSS, WAS THAT A TIME IN HISTORY HAD BEEN REACHED, WHEN THE CITIZENS OF GRAVENHURST WERE GOING TO HAVE TO FACE MODERN AGE REALITIES. CRIME IN ALL ITS UGLINESS WAS NOT ONLY ESCALATING, BUT BECOME MORE SERIOUS IN NATURE. IN SUMMARY, HE REPORTED IN A MOST SERIOUS MANNER, "FOLKS, IT'S TIME FOR GRAVENHURST CITIZENS, TO LOCK THE DOORS OF THEIR HOUSES AS A MATTER OF ROUTINE." LOCK CARS AND TRUCKS. LOOK AT NEW WAYS TO SAFEGUARD BUSINESSES. HE WAS ADDRESSING THE MUNICIPALITY AT THE SAME TIME. CITY CRIME HAD ARRIVED IN THE RURAL CLIME. OUR INNOCENT WAY OF LIVING, WHERE WE COULD LEAVE OUR DOORS UNLOCKED, AND OUR CAR WINDOWS OPEN AT NIGHT, HAD COME TO ITS END.
MATT KELLY WAS JUST STATING THE OBVIOUS. THE CRIME STATISTICS MADE IT CLEAR, TIMES WERE CHANGING, AND WHAT HAD BEEN A RURAL COMMUNITY, WITH LIMITED CRIME, WAS BEING INFLUENCED BY A GREATER FLOW OF TRAFFIC BY ITS COLLECTIVE DOOR. CRIMINALS WITH CITY EXPERIENCE, WERE ARRIVING HERE IN THE FALL AND WINTER SEASONS, TO BREAK INTO COTTAGES. AND, BY CONVENIENCE, ROB CORNER STORES, AND BREAK INTO AREA BUSINESS AND RESIDENCES FOR ITEMS THEY COULD RE-SELL. CASH WAS ALWAYS A BONUS. THE POINT BEING, IT WAS A SORT OF TURNING POINT, GRAVENHURST COUNCILLORS AT THE TIME, HADN'T GIVEN MUCH THOUGHT. I WOULDN'T DESCRIBE THEIR REACTION AS BEING SEVERE, OR IN TOTAL SHOCK, BUT MORESO, A REALIZATION THE CONSTABLE WAS RIGHT IN HIS PREDICTION. THE FUTURE WAS UPON US, AND LIKE COMMUNITIES ALL OVER THE PROVINCE, OCURENCES OF CRIMINAL ACTS WERE INCREASING AND SPREADING OUT FROM LARGER URBAN CENTRES.
A WEEK AGO, WE HAD A DONATION BOX STOLEN FROM OUR SHOP. WE FOUND OUT LATER, THAT QUITE A FEW OTHER RETAILERS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD HAD EXPERIENCED THE SAME CRIMINAL ACT. WELL, THE CRIME WAS SOLVED, AND THE PERPETRATOR CHARGED. THIS SHOULD MAKE US FEEL BETTER BUT IT DOESN'T. THERE WAS A HOLD-UP OF A BANK CUSTOMER, ON SUNDAY MORNING IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, AND CORRESPONDING GET-AWAY WITH STOLEN MONEY. IT COULD HAVE BEEN ANY ONE OF US, IN THE VICINITY THAT HOUR OF A SUNNY SUNDAY, WHO BECAME THE VICTIM OF CRIME. MAIN STREET CRIME. THERE ARE DRUG CRIMES, SHOPLIFTING, CAR BREAK-INS, HOME INVASIONS, PHYSICAL ASSAULTS, AND THEFTS FROM RESIDENCES, NOT TO MENTION RAMPANT VANDALISM. OUR BUILDING WAS TAGGED LAST SPRING. IT SUCKS. BUT LIKE CONSTABLE KELLY WARNED, IN THE WINTER OF 1990, THAT NEW ERA HAD ARRIVED.
COMING UP TO THE BUSY CHRISTMAS SEASON, EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE VIGILANT, ESPECIALLY SO, SECURING THEIR HOME, BUSINESS AND RECREATIONAL PROPERTIES. FOLKS USING BANK MACHINES, AND FOR THAT MATTER, COMING IN AND OUT OF BANKS, SHOULD BE AWARE OF THEFT POSSIBILITIES; THERE IS ALWAYS POTENTIAL FOR ARMED ROBBERIES. CITIZENS NEED TO REPORT CRIMES AND SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY, INSTEAD OF RESERVING THEMSELVES, NOT TO GET INVOLVED. CLEANING UP CRIME, AS A FIRST STEP, IS MAKING IT UNCOMFORTABLE FOR CRIMINALS TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT THEY DESIRE. WE NEED TO MAKE THIS A NO-FLY ZONE, WITH WATCHERS IN ALL QUARTERS, READY TO MAKE PHONE CALLS TO AUTHORITIES WHEN IT IS WARRANTED.
WE HAVE HAD NEARLY A QUARTER CENTURY IN THIS TOWN, TO ADAPT TO THE VERY SENSIBLE WARNING THAT CONSTABLE KELLY GAVE GRAVENHURST COUNCIL, ABOUT THE WAVES OF CRIME HEADED OUR WAY. SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE JUST FOUND OUT CRIME HAS INTRUDED UPON OUR SANCTUARY.
CHANGES AT THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE? BUT WILL THEY BE FOR THE BETTER?
I READ WITH GREAT CURIOSITY, A STORY IN THE LOCAL PRESS, THIS WEEK, ABOUT A STELLAR NEW STUDY OF GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE OPERATIONS AND POTENTIALS. AND REGARDING ITS FUTURE ROLE WITHIN THE MUNICIPALITY, WHICH WILL BE REVIEWED AND COMMENTED ON, BY THE NEWLY ELECTED GRAVENHURST COUNCIL SOMETIME IN JANUARY. I HAVE HAD MANY OPINIONS ABOUT OPERA HOUSE OPERATIONS, NONE OF THEM POSITIVE, AND HAVE NEVER ONCE BEEN ASKED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMITTEE PROCESS. DON'T THEY LIKE ME? WELL, I KNOW THAT ANSWER! MY SONS, BOTH DEEPLY IMBEDDED IN THE LOCAL MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT SCENE, WEREN'T ASKED TO CONTRIBUTE THEIR TWO CENTS' WORTH EITHER. IT'S A SORT OF FAMILY THING. WE DON'T TELL PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR. APPARENTLY, CRITIQUES AREN'T IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE TOWN. WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM ANY OF OUR CLOSE MUSIC ASSOCIATES, THAT THEY HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY CONTRIBUTING TO THIS CULTURAL REPORT EITHER. WHICH MAKES US WONDER, IT REALLY DOES, JUST HOW EFFECTIVE SUCH A REPORT CAN BE, WITHOUT MAJOR PLAYERS BEING INVOLVED. FOR US, RATHER THAN DRIVE OURSELVES CRAZY, TRYING TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE OPERA HOUSE, OR THE TOWN, TO ADAPT MORE COMMUNITY FRIENDLY RENTAL POLICIES, WE SIMPLY MOVED OUR SUCCESSFUL CONCERT SERIES TO ANOTHER VENUE AROUND THE BLOCK, TO ST. JAMES ANGLICAN CHURCH. THE COMMITTEE THAT HANDLES RENTALS FOR THE CHURCH, HAS BEEN AMAZINGLY ACCOMMODATING FOR OUR SHOWS, AND NOW WE WOULDN'T THINK OF CHANGING VENUES.
THE ARTICLE NOTED THAT CITIZENS HAD BEEN INVITED TO COMMENT, AND ONE WOULD THINK BY THE VERY SUGGESTION OF LOCAL INVOLVEMENT, IT WOULD MEAN JOHN Q. CITIZEN TYPES, BEING ASKED FOR AN HONEST APPRAISAL, OF WHAT WOULD MAKE THE FACILITY MORE USER-FRIENDLY, AFFORDABLE, AND PROGRAM SENSITIVE TO THE REAL CONSTITUENTS; NOT THE STANDARD OVERVIEW, OF THE FOLKS WHO LIVE HERE, BY OUT OF TOUCH OFFICIALS, THAT IS USUALLY WONKY AND OUT OF SYNC WITH ECONOMIC REALITIES. THE OPERA HOUSE IS SEEN AS A VENUE FOR THE WELL-TO-DO, NOT THE RUN-OF-THE-MILL. IF THE TRUTH HURTS? THEN THE TOWN SHOULD SERIOUSLY CONSIDER THE FACT THEY SELDOM SEEK OPINIONS OF US BURDENSOME PEASANTS. THE INPUT IS FROM A SELECT GROUP OF FOLKS THE TOWN TRUSTS WILL TELL THEM, TO A LARGE DEGREE, WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR. INSTEAD OF HURLING SOME STINGING REBUKES FOR PAST ERRORS IN JUDGEMENT, AND THE SHEER FOLLY OF HIGH RENTAL RATES, THE WHOLE CRITICAL COMPONENT IS TONED DOWN, SO AS NOT TO HURT ANYONE'S FEELINGS. THAT'S NOT THE WAY A GOOD COMMITTEE FUNCTIONS? RIGHT?
THE ONLY WAY THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE IS GOING TO IMPROVE ITS FORTUNES, IS IF A BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS ELECTED, TO STAND BETWEEN THE OPERA HOUSE MANAGER, AND TOWN COUNCIL. A BOARD THAT SUPPORTS BOTH SIDES, BUT ACTS AS AN ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY, FREEING UP BOTH SIDES TO WORK ON FINE TUNING OF OTHER THINGS UNDER THEIR JURISDICTION. THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST SHOULD NOT BE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS, (BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GOOD AT IT) AND THERE IS ONLY A VAPOR THIN SEPARATION BETWEEN BOTH AT PRESENT. AN ELECTED BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AS A POWER SHARING ARRANGEMENT, WOULD BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE BETWEEN THE TWO ADMINISTRATIONS, WITH CONSTITUENT VALUES FIRMLY REPRESENTED. HAVING TOWN COUNCIL FUNDAMENTALLY CALLING THE SHOTS, WHICH FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES IT DOES, MEANS WE CAN'T ESCAPE THE STATUS QUO OF A MONEY LOSING SITUATION. COUNCIL TRADITIONALLY DOESN'T LIKE THE IDEA OF UNBURDENING ITSELF OF AUTHORITY, AND DESPITE BEING UNABLE TO PULL OF AN "A" PERFORMANCE, MUDDLES ALONG WITH QUARTER MEASURES, THAT FALL SHORT AND CAUSE THE HISTORIC VENUE TO LOSE ITS CONSTITUENT APPEAL. THE OPERA HOUSE, FOLKS, ISN'T JUST A VENUE TO ENTERTAIN TOURISTS. IT IS FOR THE BENEFIT OF RESIDENTS. CONSTITUENTS. SO WHERE IS OUR VOICE? DO YOU MEAN THE APPOINTED COMMITTEE? APPOINTED COMMITTEES AS A RULE, DON'T RUN ROGUE. DRASTIC CHANGES WILL ONLY COME, WHEN THERE IS A GREATER LEVEL OF INPUT, FROM THOSE WHO HAVE A GREATER DESIRE TO KICK THE TAR OUT OF STATUS QUO.
THE ONLY DANGER WITH THIS, SHOULD THEY EVER FEEL IT SENSIBLE TO HAVE A BOARD TO SHOULDER SOME OF THE BURDEN, IS THE LIKELIHOOD COUNCIL WOULD WANT TO APPOINT DIRECTORS, INSTEAD OF ALLOWING CONSTITUENTS TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHTS, TO A MORE PUBLIC-RESPONSIVE ERA OF STEWARDSHIP FOR A BUILDING THEY OWN AS RESIDENTS OF THIS MUNICIPALITY. COUNCIL HAS TO HAVE A WILL TO MAKE PROFOUND CHANGES, AND I'M NOT GOING TO HOLD MY BREATH FOR ANYTHING PROFOUND TO COME OUT OF THE REPORT. I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW THE PROFIT AND LOSS SITUATION OF THE OPERA HOUSE, FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, BUT CONSTITUENTS ARE UNLIKELY TO SEE THESE FIGURES HANDED OVER TO THE PRESS. MAYBE IF THE ACCOUNTING FIGURES WERE KNOWN, RATEPAYERS MIGHT BE A TAD MORE INTERESTED IN HERALDING CHANGES IN ADMINISTRATION.
IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE TO RENT THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE, FOR MOST COMMUNITY-ORIGINATED EVENTS, CONCERTS AND TO SOME DEGREE, EVEN FUNDRAISERS. IF THIS NOTATION IS IN THE REPORT, COUNCIL WILL CONSIDER IN JANUARY, THEN GOOD FOR THE COMMITTEE. IF THE REPORT ALSO MAKES NOTE OF THE FACT, MOST CITIZENS OF THIS TOWN, HAVE NO REASON TO VISIT THE OPERA HOUSE, TO ATTEND ANY OF THE SHOWS OR EVENTS BEING HELD, THEN THIS WOULD BE AN ENLIGHTENING DOCUMENT. SHOULD IT BE RECORDED, THAT A MAJORITY OF RESIDENTS OF THIS TOWN, HAVE NEVER BEEN PAST THE THRESHOLD OF THE OPERA HOUSE, WOW, THIS WOULD BE A BIG STEP FORWARD. IF THERE IS A SMALL PARAGRAPH, OF ONLY A FEW WORDS, THAT INDICATES IT WOULD BE PRUDENT TO EMPLOY A BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AS A MEDIATION, ADVISORY, AND ADMINISTRATIVE PANEL, TO ASSIST BOTH THE TOWN AND THE OPERA HOUSE MANAGER, BY GOLLY, THIS WOULD THEN BE A BIT OF COMMITTEE HANDIWORK, I COULD TRULY GET TO LIKE. IF HISTORY SERVES AS AN EXAMPLE, IT WILL BE A REPORT AND STRATEGY FOR THE FUTURE, THAT ROUGHLY FALLS BEHIND THE SAME ERRORS, COMMITTED TIME AND TIME AGAIN, OVER MORE THAN A DECADE; A LOST DECADE, THAT HAS SEEN CONSTITUENTS BECOME FURTHER AND FURTHER DISENFRANCHISED, FROM A VENUE THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BENEFIT FROM, AND BE ENTERTAINED WITHIN. BUT CHANCES ARE, IT WILL BE A PLEASANT DOCUMENT, A STATUS QUO COUNCIL CAN LIVE WITH, SO ENOUGH SAID.
ONE OF THESE DAYS, OUR TOWN COUNCIL IS GOING TO REALIZE, THAT CONSTITUENTS ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THEIR GOVERNANCE. TURN OUT FOR THE PAST MUNICIPAL ELECTION WAS PITIFUL. AN INSIGHTFUL COUNCILLOR, OR MORE, WILL REALIZE THIS, AND STEP UP WHEN A STATUS QUO REPORTS COMES ACROSS THE COUNCIL TABLE, THAT IS MORE ABOUT FINELY HONED VERBIAGE, AND MODEST PROPORTION, THAN WHOLESALE CHANGE; THAT DISRUPTS THE SAME OLD, SAME OLD, ONCE AND FOR ALL. IF WE'RE GOING TO FORK OUT THE BIG BUCKS TO KEEP THE OPERA HOUSE AFLOAT, DAMN-IT, I THINK IT'S HIGH TIME WE HAD A SAY IN ITS OPERATION. SO WE'LL WAIT AND SEE, TO FIND OUT JUST WHAT THIS OVERHAUL MIGHT REPRESENT. MAYBE I WILL HAVE TO EAT MY WORDS. THAT IS A LOT EASIER OFF A LAPTOP, BEING THAT THE WORDS ARE ON A SCREEN, THAN IN THE OLD DAYS, WHEN I USED TO TYPE ON A MANUAL, WITH REAL INK AND REAL PAPER. I HOPE I AM WRONG ABOUT THIS. I JUST DON'T THINK SO. BUT AS I DID FOUR YEARS AGO, GIVING THE COUNCIL A CHANCE TO PROVE ITSELF, I WILL DO THE SAME FOR THIS NEW TERM. BUT I DON'T HOLD OUT MUCH HOPE. I'M SORRY TO ADMIT THIS.
CHRISTMAS IN MUSKOKA - WHITE OUTS, SQUALLS, BLIZZARDS, BITING COLD -
SO WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? HOW THE HECK DID WE GET BY IN ALL THE ROUGH WINTERS IN OUR HISTORY
WITH ALL THIS FUSS AND BOTHER ABOUT WEATHER EVENTS, I STARTED THINKING BACK TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS, WHEN WE HAD A BRUTAL WINTER EVERY YEAR. NOT JUST A BAD WINTER NOW AND AGAIN, OR EVERY FOURTH YEAR. THEY WERE ALL CRUEL, I SUPPOSE, IN THEIR OWN WAYS OF COLD AND SNOW, EXCEPT WE NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT TOO MUCH. IT WAS A CANADIAN WINTER FIRST OFF, AND WE ALSO GOT THE ADDED BONUS OF A MUSKOKA WINTER, BECAUSE OF THE LAKE INFLUENCES. LOTS OF BLOWING SNOW. I CAN REMEMBER ONE PARTICULARLY UGLY SNOWSTORM, JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS, THE YEAR I WAS IN GRADE ELEVEN, AT BRACEBRIDGE AND MUSKOKA LAKES SECONDARY SCHOOL. WHY DO I REMEMBER THIS PARTICULAR SNOW STORM? IT WAS THE DAY I MET ROY TENNANT, BRACEBRIDGE'S LEGENDARY DRIVING INSTRUCTOR. A MAN WITH THE DRIEST SENSE OF HUMOUR I'VE EVER KNOWN. A MAN, WHO, WHEN HE LAUGHED, SOUNDED LIKE A DEEP LUNG COUGH, BUT ENTIRELY FITTING FOR HIS LOW-GROWL DRIVING NARRATIVE, WHICH WAS A SORT OF HALLMARK. EVERY STUDENT WHO EVER TOOK DRIVERS' EDUCATION CLASSES, IN THAT PERIOD OF THE EARLY 1970'S, GOT ROY AS A DRIVING INSTRUCTOR. THERE WERE WARNINGS OF FORMER STUDENTS, TO THOSE NEARING THE ROAD-PRACTICE PORTION OF THE COURSE. THEY WEREN'T HORROR STORIES. JUST WARNINGS ABOUT HOW TOUGH HE WAS ON STUDENT DRIVERS WHO WERE LESS THAN SERIOUS IN HIS CAR. ROY WASN'T A FOOLING-AROUND KIND OF GUY.
AS A FORMER HOCKEY HISTORIAN, WORKING AS CURATOR FOR THE BRACEBRIDGE SPORTS HALL OF FAME, AT THE COMMUNITY CENTRE, I CAN ATTEST THAT ROY TENNANT WAS AN AVID HOCKEY PLAYER, COACH, MANAGER, AND SUPPORTER FROM EARLIER DAYS IN LOCAL SPORTS. I THINK I EVEN HAD ONE VINTAGE HOCKEY TEAM, ON DISPLAY, SHOWING ROY TENNANT AS THE STICK BOY. I DIDN'T KNOW THIS AT THE TIME, OF PRACTICE DRIVING, OR I WOULD HAVE TRIED TO ENGAGE HIM IN HOCKEY-TALKS, DURING OUR MOTOR TRIPS AROUND MUSKOKA. I THINK HE WAS THE STRONG SILENT TYPE, KEEPING HIS SPORTS CHATTER FOR HIS CHUMS IN RESTAURANT SCRUMS.
DURING THE BLIZZARD, THIS DAY SHORTLY BEFORE CHRISTMAS, I WAS SUPPOSED TO GO OUT AT AROUND TWO O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON, WITH MY DRIVING INSTRUCTOR FROM SCHOOL. I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE ROY TENNANT, AND AS RINK RAT AT THE SAME ARENA WHERE HIS PHOTOGRAPHS HUNG AROUND THE LOBBY, I DID KNOW HIM CASUALLY ENOUGH AND TOOK HIM SERIOUSLY RIGHT OFF THE BAT. HE ATTENDED JUNIOR AND SENIOR HOCKEY GAMES, SO I EVEN KNEW WHAT HE LOOKED LIKE UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL.
MY MOTHER MERLE, WAS MAKING SOMETHING IN THE KITCHEN OF OUR ALICE STREET APARTMENT, AND SHE KEPT TELLING ME, THERE WAS NO WAY THE DRIVING INSTRUCTOR WAS GOING TO SHOW UP IN THE PREVAILING STORM. I COULDN'T TELL HER SHE WAS WRONG, BECAUSE I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF THRESHOLD WOULD HAVE TO ARRIVE, BEFORE ROY WOULD CANCEL A ROAD TRIP, ON ACCOUNT OF BAD WEATHER. I DID EVENTUALLY SIT DOWN, AND TURN ON THE TELEVISION. IT WAS A SATURDAY AFTERNOON SO I MAY HAVE FOUND SOME CARTOONS, OR AN ALL STAR WRESTLING MATCH TO WATCH IN THE MEANTIME. YOU COULD HARDLY SEE OUT THE FRONT WINDOW OF OUR THIRD FLOOR APARTMENT. ON ONE TRIP BY THE WINDOW, HEADING TO THE BATHROOM, MERLE STOPPED AT THE WINDOW, MOVED CLOSER FOR A BETTER LOOK, AND THEN ASKED ME WHAT KIND OF CAR MR. TENNANT WOULD BE DRIVING. I JUMPED UP, TO SEE FOR MYSELF, AND BY GOLLY, THERE HE WAS. I KNEW THE CAR, AND IT WAS SAID BY THE CLASSROOM INSTRUCTOR, THAT MR. TENNANT WAS ALWAYS ON TIME, AND SUFFERED FROM IMPATIENCE. I HEARD THE FIRST HONK OF HIS HORN, AND I WAS TOLD, THAT BY THE THIRD, HE WAS THEN LESS THAN A MINUTE FROM LEAVING; OF COURSE DELAYING MY TOUR OF DUTY IN ROAD TRAINING. FORTUNATELY I ALREADY HAD MY BOOTS ON, AND THE COAT WAS HANGING ON THE RACK IN THE HALL, NEXT TO THE DOOR. I WAS DOWN THE STAIRS IN ABOUT TEN BIG STEPS, AND OUT THE FRONT DOOR BEFORE I COULD GET THE FIRST BUTTER FASTENED.
BY THIS TIME, ROY WAS ALREADY SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, AND THE CHAP WHO WAS TRAINING WITH ME, WAS IN THE BACK SEAT. I WAS THE FIRST TO DRIVE FOR THIS AFTERNOON SESSION. I SAID HELLO GENERALLY, TO BOTH CHAPS, AND GOT A RESPONSE FROM MY MATE, ROD BALDWIN, IN THE BACK SEAT, BUT A LOW TONED SNARLY GROWL FROM MR. TENNANT. "YOU'RE LATE MR. CURRIE," HE SAID. "PLEASE BE ON TIME FROM NOW ON." HE HAD A NASEL SITUATION GOING ON AS WELL, AND HE TALKED VERY SLOW. I HAD NEVER DRIVEN THIS CAR BEFORE, AND HERE I WAS, UNSURE ABOUT HOW TO GET THE CAR INTO DRIVE, WITH APPROPRIATE SIGNALS ENGAGED. OUR FAMILY CAR, HAD A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. I HAD NEVER USED AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE POINT I WANT TO MAKE NOW, IS THAT ROY GAVE ME CRAP FOR THE FIRST FORTY MINUTES OR SO. I DID EVERYTHING WRONG ACCORDING TO HIS STANDARD. I REMEMBER BEING AT THE CORNER OF ANNE STREET, TRYING TO TURN LEFT ON MANITOBA STREET, AND TRYING TO ACCELERATE, BUT DOING LITTLE MORE THAN REVING THE ENGINE. WHEN I LOOKED OVER AT ROY, HE WAS LOOKING STRAIGHT AHEAD INTO THE SPIRALING SNOW HITTING THE WINDSHIELD. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT STOP STREETS," HE ASKED, IN A VOICE BARELY AUDIBLE, BUT WITH A DEEP VIBRATION AKIN TO THE SOUND OF THE ENGINE IN ITS COMPARTMENT. I THOUGHT I HAD DONE EVERYTHING RIGHT. I LOOKED AT HIM, SO HE COULD EXPLAIN WHAT I HAD MESSED-UP. "I DIDN'T HEAR YOU COUNT TO THREE," HE STATED, AS IF TALKING TO THE DASHBOARD INSTEAD OF HIS STUDENT. ROY INSISTED THAT HIS STUDENTS COUNT TO THREE WHEN WE WERE STOPPED AT AN INTERSECTION, AND IF HE DIDN'T HEAR US PERFORM THIS RITUAL, HE DID WHAT ANY GOOD INSTRUCTOR WOULD! AS GOD IS MY WITNESS, I DIDN'T KNOW HE HAD HIS OWN BRAKE PEDAL, ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR BOARD. THE REASON I COULDN'T LEAVE THE INTERSECTION, WAS BECAUSE ROY HAD HIS BIG-BOOTED FOOT ON THE BRAKE. IT WAS A GOOD TEACHING EXERCISE, BECAUSE THAT'S THE LAST TIME I MISSED THE AUDIBLE COUNT. NONE OF US WANTED ROY TO GET MAD, AND MAKE THE TRIP ON THE BACK ROADS ANY MORE DIFFICULT THAN IT WAS GOING TO BE; THE NON TALKING PART WAS KIND OF HARD TO TAKE, BECAUSE WE COULD HEAR HIS THOUGHTS. I COULD EVEN HEAR HIS BROW CRINKLING WHEN I TURNED TO SHARP OR NOT TIGHT ENOUGH.
ON THIS DAY, I HAD TO LEARN FAST. ROY INSISTED. SO HE DECIDED TO LEAVE THE URBAN AREA OF TOWN, AND VENTURE OUT TO THE SNOW COVERED BACKROADS. ROY BELIEVED THAT THE FASTER YOU INTRODUCED YOURSELF TO ADVERSITY, THE SOONER HE KNEW IF YOU WERE GOING TO PASS THE COURSE. HE WASN'T BACKWARDS ABOUT SHARING THIS INFORMATION. PUTTING ROD AND I INTO A BLIZZARD SITUATION, DIDN'T CONCERN ROY WHATSOEVER. HOW DO I KNOW THIS. I REMEMBER BEING IN THE AREA OF UTTERSON, PORT SYDNEY, AND MARY LAKE, BUT THE ROADS WERE SO HEAVILY COVERED IN SNOW, AND THE STORM GETTING WORSE, THAT HONESTLY, I COULD ONLY SEE THE OUTLINE OF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TO GIVE ME A SENSE OF POSITIONING; WHICH WAS LEFT OF CENTRE ON THE CURVES THAT'S FOR SURE. I WAS REALLY SCARED OUT THERE, BUT ROY WAS AS COOL AS A WINTER CUCUMBER. AT ONE POINT, I DID START TO FISH-TAIL A BIT, AND THAT ROUSED HIM TO OFFER ME A WARNING.
"IF YOU DITCH THE CAR BOYS, YOU'RE THE ONES WHO ARE GOING TO BE WALKING TO GET A TOW TRUCK, NOT ME," HE GRUMBLED, WITH WHAT SEEMED LIKE A MILD CHORTLE AT THE END, AS HE LOOKED OUT HIS PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW. WELL SIR, THAT WAS ENOUGH OF A WARNING, TO MAKE ME GRIP THE STEERING WHEEL EVEN HARDER. WE WERE A LONG WAY FROM THE NEAREST SERVICE STATION, AND I ONLY HAD ON A THIN JACKET. ONE THAT WAS GOOD FOR DRIVING, BUT CRAPPY FOR HIKING THROUGH A WINTER BLIZZARD. "JUST DON'T GET OVER TOO FAR ON THE RIGHT SON, AND SLOW DOWN A BIT, AND WE'LL MAKE IT HOME ALIVE," HE SAID, WITH WHAT SEEMED A TONE OF AFFIRMATION, THAT I WAS DOING A GOOD JOB THUS FAR.
"PULL OVER, UP HERE," HE DIRECTED AT ME. "IT'S TIME FOR THE OTHER GUY TO GET UP HERE AND SHOW US HOW IT'S DONE." AT LEAST ROD HAD THE BENEFIT OF A FORTY MINUTE TUTORIAL, BEFORE TAKING OVER CARE AND CONTROL OF ROY'S INSTRUCTIONAL VEHICLE, WITH THE MAGIC BRAKE BENEATH HIS FOOT. THERE WERE SOME HAIR RAISING MOMENTS FOR MY DRIVING PAL, AND YET, WE MANAGED TO GO THROUGH THE EYE OF THE STORM, WITHOUT DITCHING THE CAR. THERE WERE A LOT OF OTHER DRIVERS, WITH LICENCES, WHO HAD LOST CONTROL, BUT NOT US. WE ARRIVED HOME SAFE AND SOUND, JUST A LITTLE MOIST FROM THE SWEAT OF DRIVING NEXT TO ROY, WHO ALSO, BY THE WAY, LIKED HIS CAR INTERIOR AT THE HEAT LEVEL OF A SWEDISH SAUNA. WHEN I WISHED ROY FAREWELL, HE ALWAYS ACKNOWLEDGED MY DEPARTURE, BUT I NEVER REALLY UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE WAS SAYING. IT COULD HAVE BEEN "GET LOST YOU LITTLE BUGGER," FOR ALL I KNOW. I'D SURE LIKE TO THINK WHEN ROD AND I WISHED HIM MERRY CHRISTMAS, THAT YEAR, HE RETURNED THE GREETING; BUT HIS RESPONSES WERE MORE VISUAL THAN AUDIBLE. I SENSED BY THE FURROWS ON HIS BROW, JUST VISIBLE UNDER HIS FEDORA, THAT HE WAS JUST GLAD WE HAD COVERED OUR FIRST FEW LESSONS, BEFORE CHRISTMAS, THAT YEAR, TOW-TRUCK AND ACCIDENT FREE. OTHERS IN THAT GLASS WEREN'T SO LUCKY.
I HATED DRIVERS' EDUCATION CLASS. I CAME TO LIKE ROY, BECAUSE OF ALL THINGS, HE WAS AN EXCEPTIONAL DRIVING INSTRUCTOR. I WANTED MY LICENCE, AND THE DISCOUNTED INSURANCE I WOULD QUALIFY FOR, IF I PASSED THE CLASS. TRUTHFULLY, I SPENT THE ENTIRE COURSE, OVER THE WINTER MONTHS THAT YEAR, STARING AT THE MAGNIFICENT HAIR, OF THE GIRL SITTING DIRECTLY IN FRONT. HER NAME WAS MARY, AND EVERY CLASS, I PROMISED MYSELF I WOULD ASK HER OUT, BUT NEVER MUSTERED THE COURAGE. I ALSO HAD TO RESTRAIN MYSELF FROM RUNNING MY FINGERS THROUGH HER HAIR, WHICH I FELT WOULD NOT BE APPRECIATED; SEEING AS IT WAS ENTIRELY NECESSARY TO GET A DATE FIRST, BEFORE HAIR FONDLING. BUT MARY, WITHOUT KNOWING IT, INSPIRED ME TO ATTEND CLASS, AND EVEN PASS THE THEORY PART OF DRIVERS' EDUCATION; AND ROY TENNANT, BY GOSH, GOT ME THROUGH MY ROAD INSTRUCTION WITH RELATIVE EASE. AT THE END, I DIDN'T GET THE GIRL, AND ROY NEVER SPOKE TO ME AGAIN, BUT I BECAME AN EXCEPTIONALLY TALENTED DRIVER IN SNOWSTORMS. EVEN TODAY, IN THE MIDDLE OF TWO SNOW SQUALLS, BETWEEN BRACEBRIDGE AND GRAVENHURST, I MADE IT THROUGH WITH EASE. ROY TAUGHT ME HOW TO DO THIS LIKE A PRO. HE WASN'T MUCH ON CONVERSATION, OR IN SOCIALIZING WITH HIS STUDENTS, BUT THAT'S NOT WHY HE WAS A DRIVING INSTRUCTOR. HE PUT US IN HARM'S WAY, BECAUSE HE BELIEVED IN THE "TRIAL BY FIRE"WAY OF TEACHING. I NEVER GET TOO UPSET WHEN I DRIVE INTO INCLEMENT WEATHER, BECAUSE I ALWAYS SENSE ROY IS SITTING BESIDE ME,IN SPIRIT, GRUMBLING ABOUT THE NHL SCORES FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE. ROY WAS AN UNSUNG HERO OF DRIVER'S ED. MARY, THE UNSUNG HERO, OF A CLASSROOM ROMANCE, SHE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT. I GOT MY LICENCE ON THE FIRST TRY, AND HAVE NEVER CAUSED AN ACCIDENT IN FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF DRIVING ALL OVER GOD'S HALF ACRE. I THINK THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD ENDORSEMENT OF ROY TENNANT'S IMPACT ON A YOUNG DRIVER. I THINK HE DID SAVE MY LIFE, MANY, MANY TIMES. HE TAUGHT ME HOW TO DRIVE SAFELY. HE TAUGHT ME HOW TO DRIVE THROUGH A CANADIAN WINTER, WITH ITS MUSKOKA INFLUENCES. IT JUST NEVER OCCURS TO ME, EVEN WHEN I HEAR THE WARNINGS ABOUT BAD DRIVING CONDITIONS, THAT I SHOULD STAY HOME INSTEAD. AS ROY USED TO SAY, "IF YOU LIvE IN MUSKOKA, YOU HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO DRIVE IN ALL CONDITIONS."
I WAS WONDERING, A MOMENT AGO, HOW WE GOT ALONG A HUNDRED YEARS AGO IN THIS REGION OF ONTARIO, WHEN IT CAME TO WILD WEATHER, AND HEAVY SNOW. HOW ABOUT FIFTY YEARS AGO? WOULD FOLKS BACK THEN LAUGH AT US, FOR BEING WEAK KNEED, WHEN IT COMES TO CLOSING UP SCHOOLS AND ADVISING MOTORISTS TO STAY OFF THE ROAD? FIRST OF ALL, OF COURSE, MOST WOULD HAVE LISTENED TO RADIO STATIONS OUTSIDE THE AREA, AND EVEN THE REGIONAL TELEVISION STATIONS, PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE CARRIED MUCH IN THE WAY OF MUSKOKA NEWS. MOST OF US TOWNIES, FROM BACK IN THE 1960'S AND EARLY 70'S, FOUND OUT ABOUT SCHOOL CLOSINGS BY WINDING UP AT THE FRONT DOOR OF BMLSS. THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY WE WOULD HAVE HEARD BY WORD OF MOUTH, FROM SOME OF THE RETURNING STUDENTS HEADING BACK UP HUNT'S HILL; LONG BEFORE WE COULD GET DOWN TO THE HOLLOW, AND THE BRIDGE OVER THE MUSKOKA RIVER. I'D BE INTERESTED TO KNOW HOW MANY DAYS, DURING MY FIVE YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL, WERE ACTUALLY, BUSES-CANCELLED "SNOW-DAYS."
EVEN AS A PRETTY FAIR DRIVER, WITH A GOOD DRIVING RECORD, I DO PAY ATTENTION TO ROAD CONDITION WARNINGS. I DON'T PUT MY FAMILY AT RISK, BY TAKING TO AREA HIGHWAYS IN BLIZZARD-LIKE CONDITIONS. I LIKE THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS, TO MORE ACCURATELY REPORT WEATHER CONDITIONS AND ROAD CLOSINGS. I THINK LIVES HAVE BEEN SAVED AS A DIRECT RESULT. TODAY, FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE DIRE WARNINGS FOR PEOPLE TO STAY OFF THE ROADS, ESPECIALLY IN THE BRACEBRIDGE AND GRAVENHURST AREAS. WE HAD TO MAKE THE TRIP, FOR BUSINESS, AND WHILE I'M NEVER SO STUBBORN (LIKE MY FATHER), THAT I WON'T TURN AROUND, AND ADMIT I WAS WRONG TO CHALLENGE THE WRATH OF MOTHER NATURE, WE ONLY ENCOUNTERED MILD SNOW FLURRIES. THE MOST ADVERSE SITUATION, WAS THAT MUSKOKA BEACH ROAD HADN'T BEEN PLOWED BY BRACEBRIDGE TO THE STAGECOACH ROAD. HIGHWAY ELEVEN WAS NOT SANDED TO MY COMFORT LEVEL AS OF ELEVEN THIRTY IN THE MORNING.
OF COURSE, THIS IS THE DYNAMIC OF SNOW SQUALLS AND THEIR RIBBON BANDING ALL OVER THE PLACE. THERE IS HOWEVER, A IMBEDDED PROBLEM WITH OVER-REACTION AS WELL. THIS IS A TOUGH TIME OF YEAR FOR THE RETAIL COMMUNITY, AND TELLING THE PUBLIC TO STAY OFF THE ROADS, AND STAY AT HOME FOR THEIR WELL BEING, CAN HAVE A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT DOWN SIDE TO LOCAL ECONOMIES. THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY DOESN'T WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO DANGEROUS TRAFFIC SITUATIONS, BUT AS WE ALL KNOW, BAD ACCIDENTS CAN HAPPEN IN PERFECTLY FINE WEATHER, DURING THE LIGHT OF DAY. I CAN NEVER REMEMBER A TIME, GROWING UP IN MUSKOKA, THAT CITIZENS WERE WARNED ABOUT LEAVING THEIR HOMES, OR GETTING ON THE HIGHWAYS. IT WAS A COMMON SENSE ISSUE, AND WHEN YOU LIVED THROUGH THESE MUSKOKA WINTERS, YOU KNEW THE CONDITIONS THAT WOULD KEEP YOU OFF THE ROADS AND CLOSER TO HOME. DO WE HAVE POORER TRAINED MOTORISTS THESE DAYS, THAN IN MY YOUTH? THE WINTERS, AS FAR AS I RECALL, ARE LESS SEVERE TODAY, ON AN AVERAGE, THAN I REMEMBER THEM BEING AS A KID. ARE THE TOWN SNOW, REGIONAL AND PROVINCIAL REMOVAL CREWS WORKING WITH THE BEST EQUIPMENT FOR THE HEAVY SNOW? ARE THE SALTERS SALTING? THE SANDERS SANDING? ARE WE BEING SHORT CHANGED, ON ACCOUNT OF FRUGAL BUDGETING? ARE WE WORKING WITH LESS EQUIPMENT, AND STAFF THAN IN OTHER YEARS? ARE BUDGET RESTRAINTS CAUSING DELAYS IN SNOW REMOVAL? I MEAN IT'S NOT THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE SNOW SQUALLS IN HISTORY.
ANYWAY, DRIVE SAFELY OUT THERE.
From the Christmas in Muskoka Archives
THE PAINTING ABOVE, IS FROM THE MID 1800'S, AND IS OF A CANADIAN FARMSTEAD. THIS IS ANOTHER PAINTING THAT I USE FREQUENTLY, TO INSPIRE STORY LINES FOR FEATURE ARTICLES, I WRITE MONTHLY, FOR REGIONAL PUBLICATIONS IN ONTARIO.
CHRISTMAS IN GRAVENHURST - MUSKOKA COOKERY HERITAGE - HEIRLOOMS YOU PROBABLY NEVER THOUGHT OF - BUT MORE VALUABLE THAN YOU MIGHT THINK
I can't recall exactly when we began collecting old handwritten recipes but it's one of those things, in the antique trade, that kind of happens a bit here and a bit more over there, until one day you find, quite by accident, you've begun yet another collection of something. We employed a restored steamer trunk now, to hold our vintage cookbooks and old paper.
We acquired most of our inaugural collection from Suzanne's family, hundreds of carefully written-out recipes, on all types of paper, from invoices to advertisements, the backs of can labels, to dated journal pages, yanked from their bindings. Most of these, like the ones we find at auctions, are tucked into a wide assortment of cookbooks, and on one occasion, at an estate auction in Bracebridge, we acquired about a hundred beautifully written, and curiously appointed jottings, on all kinds of paper materials, including cigarette packaging. What has become rather compelling, and historically significant, is that these handwritten recipes, and cooking notations, are the personal, social, cultural, legacy of cookery. I've owned a number of rare pioneer journals, in my years collecting Muskoka heritage items, but it wasn't until we began researching local cookery heritage, that these handwritten heirlooms became more than just passed-down recipes. They were, in their own way, important culinary journals, representing decades, centuries of passed-down cooking advice. Recipes that were often copied into published books. Here we were, actually hunting and gathering the original recipes, most having been handed down from one generation to another……until unfortunately, there was no family left to assume stewardship.
So here were these interesting, hand-composed recipe pages, with tell-tale traces of gravies, molasses, finger-prints of sugar and cinnamon, oil stains, and side notes that often ran over the edge of the paper. Some even smelled like the spices of those old kitchens. What we found fascinating, was the kind of paper folks used, to pass on these recipes, to family, friends and neighbors. Remember the days when neighbors borrowed cups of sugar and milk, a pound or two of floor and a smidgeon of baking powder? Recipes were exchanged and borrowed, and were written on the most amazing articles. We've got handwritten recipes neatly printed onto medical appointment cards, store invoices, magazine and phone book pages, memorial notices, inside portions of macaroni boxes, on advertising notices, backs of hydro and water bills, and just about anything else, one could write on, in a pinch, and pass it on to someone else.
Grandmothers loved to pass down coveted cook books, stuffed with handwritten recipes, to grateful daughters, daughters-in-law, and grand-daughters, in the past, because they had most to do with culinary enterprise. While it might not be politically correct today, and there are many proficient male cooks, history is what it is. The collections of recipes were precious to the culinary artist, just as they are to many, still today, jammed onto kitchen shelves, stacked up on oak hoosier cupboards, and still looking battle-weary, but ready to bring order to chaos at a moment's notice. I've honestly felt heartsick, when we find a large collection, being offered at an estate sale, and it seems such a shame, like cast-off family photographs, that these little gems of kitchen heritage, are leaving the family forever. We make every attempt to purchase these lots. On one occasion, we simply couldn't justify the expense of the box of cookbooks, but took full advantage of the books and old paper, that were cast to the garbage pile, when the new owner decided to cull the collection, in front of us, and tossed out the very items we were trying to purchase in the first place. The oldest books were of no interest to the buyer, and these were unceremoniously dumped in a box they intended to leave behind. They wanted the newer cookbooks, not the old. The price was right, and we became the stewards of some great paper heritage, and some valuable vintage cookbooks.
At around this time of year, Suzanne begins rummaging through the old recipe books, most of them family heirlooms, passed down over the centuries, to find some of her favorite Christmas-season recipes. We've got about a thousand versions of Christmas cake and puddings, but many of them have little deviations from the norm…..some changes to suit the particular taste of the cook and family. Suzanne will bake for weeks, to build up the stock-pile of goodies for the holidays, and as I've mentioned before……as a lover of kitchen alchemy, I'm mesmerized by the aroma permeating from that room in the house, over the entire Christmas season. She's already dropping hints about the big shopping we need to do, for things like dried fruit and nuts, and that's the beginning, in earnest, of a most merry, and delicious holiday season at Birch Hollow.
Suzanne and I have launched a blog-site on our collection of handwritten recipes, and you can have a wee peak by clicking onto,
http://muskokavintagerecipes.blogspot.com/
SO WHAT IS THE WRITER / HISTORIAN'S FAVORITE AUTHOR / MOST COLLECTIBLE BOOK
I can only explain my fascination with Martha Stewart, by the fact, she has validated much of what I've been doing over a life-time. As an antique collector, and dealer, since I was in my late teens, her attention to heritage pieces, antiques, collectibles, kitchen and otherwise, has taken some of the tarnish off my own impression of the industry. Admittedly, there have been a number of times in my profession, with the hard work of restoration, for sometimes poor remuneration, that I seriously thought about spending all my time writing instead of hustling and restoring antiques. I could buy antiques because I liked them, as household decoration, just not as an enterprise of business. Seeing as I've been an antique dealer, in one way or another for about 35 years, at least, the way Martha Stewart has drawn attention, and increased profile of vintage enhancements, decoration and functionality, I have noticed a new wave of home decorators have generated, who purchase what we hunt and gather. And of course, in some cases, refinish ourselves. The antique business has actually become vibrant and exciting, just as I had begun in the enterprise, as a recent graduate of university, back in 1977. I adored history, and antiques had an allure I can't quite explain. But this is a hard and demanding industry, that most of the time, weighs investment value above all else. What is happening now, is that home decorators and antique and collectible hobbyists, are experimenting with "as-is" items, preferring to handle repairs and refinishing to suit their decorating, and use requirements. The hunter-gatherer "Me" is hugely happy, that I have to refinish less, and arrive at a profit sooner than ever before. I can't speak for antique dealers generally but I can tell you from experience, and comments I've heard from customers in the past, that Martha Stewart has definitely played a roll, in the expansion of interest in antiques in contemporary housing adornment and design.
The fact is, I'm a big Martha Stewart fan because of this, and yes, I have all of her books. Most are first editions. The only first edition I need to acquire, is the early 1980's release of her landmark success, "Entertaining," which was a milestone in so many ways…..and certainly helped launch a tremendously prosperous career in the self-help industry, where she has a legion of loyal fans, who watch her television shows daily, purchase the products she endorses, and buy her many books that help in the home and garden. Despite the criticism she's had to face, and the obstacles to get to this stage, she is certainly one of the best known names in the home and lifestyle business. I'm very pleased to own her books. My Christmas list for my family, should they decide to look at it this year, once again includes my great desire to own a signed (inscribed would be nice) copy of "Entertaining." I know where one is, formerly owned by one of her friends from Westport, Conn., but it's priced rather high. You never know what my adoring family will come up with……on Christmas morning.
I'm sure it may seem strange, for a collector of Canadiana, and one who has a track record of buying old, rare non-fiction histories, to confess to this affection for Martha Stewart books, but truthfully, I'm still in the antique enterprise because of her work. And I'll tell you, we'll be pulling out her Christmas-themed books, before long, and looking at some interesting new ideas for decorating the cluttered nooks and crannies of Birch Hollow. It's not Martha's Turkey Hill, by about a million degrees, but we are proud of its humble heritage none the less. And the company of antiques. We're just in love with the stuff. We have the centuries covered here, and whether it's in the kitchen, the bedroom, the recreation room, or the living room / dining room, you just can't get away from heirloom companionship. In the kitchen…..that wonderful room, where tantalizing aromas permeate through all the accumulated history here……we've got those heirloom recipes, passed down through the ages, by so many thoughtful culinary artists. We're proud to include them in our Christmas celebration.
No comments:
Post a Comment