Antique hunt getting ready for summer at the shop; a haunting little painting from 110 years ago

The eerie embrace of spring popular and pine in The Bog

A strange and haunting 1904 oil on cloth probably Canadian by F. M. McMillan

A DAY ON THE ROAD - A DAY IN THE CITY - A DAY IN THE COUNTRY - IT'S FINALLY SPRING

THOSE OLD TIME ROAD TRIPS MAKE ME FEEL LIKE A ROOKIE DEALER AGAIN

     SUZANNE ACTUALLY SUGGESTED, THAT I NEEDED TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE TODAY. OF COURSE, I THINK SHE WAS REFERRING TO "MY" HEADING OUTSIDE, TO MAKE OUR HOMESTEAD LOOK MORE ATTRACTIVE WITH RAKE AND SHOVEL. OF COURSE, PLAYING ALL THE RIGHT CARDS, TO MAKE ME FEEL BAD, SHE REMARKED, ON MY WAY OUT THE DOOR, THAT OUR HOUSE LOOKED MORE LIKE A LOGGER'S SHANTY. I LIKE TO THINK OF IT AS RUSTIC, AND COUNTRY CHIC. SHE IS NOT AMUSED. I TELL HER THAT THE LILACS ARE BUDDING AND PRETTY SOON, THEY WILL WREATH OUR LITTLE URBAN CABIN WITH GREEN AND LILAC, AND MAKE US FORGET THAT WE SHOULD RE-STAIN THE SIDING, AND BUY A REAL LAWNMOWER.
     AS I'VE BEEN INVESTING A LOT OF TIME RECENTLY, TRYING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ONGOING CRISIS IN THE UKRAINE, I HAVE BEEN WORRYING SUZANNE. WHEN SHE CAN HEAR MY TAPPING ON THIS KEYBOARD, IN THE KITCHEN, HERE AT HOME, OVER AND ABOVE THE STEAMING TEA KETTLE, AND SOME BOILING VEGETABLES, IT'S TIME, IN HER MIND, TO INSIST I GO OUTSIDE TO PLAY. JUST LIKE DEAR OLD MOM, WHEN SHE USED TO OPEN THE DOOR ON SATURDAY MORNINGS, WHEN WE LIVED IN BURLINGTON, MAKE A MOTION WITH BOTH HER ARMS, TOWARD THE EXIT, AND I'D TRUNDLE MERRILY DOWN TO THE RAVINE, WHERE RAMBLE CREEK TUMBLED DOWN TO THE LAKESHORE IN MINOR RAPIDS. THIS MORNING, I JUST YELLED BACK, FROM THE STEP, THAT I'D MEET HER AND ANDREW IN THE VAN. SO MUCH FOR HER PLANS TO EMPLOY ME AS PROPERTY HANDIMAN. "WE'VE GOT A SHOP TO RUN, DEAR, AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY ELVES WORKING FOR US, WHO WILL BRING US OUR INVENTORY." NOT REALLY A COMPELLING ARGUMENT, BUT IT IS THE TRUTH AFTERALL. THIS IS ALWAYS A WICKED TIME FOR ANTIQUE DEALERS, TRYING TO BUILD THEIR SHOP INVENTORIES, IN TIME, FOR THE BUSY SUMMER SEASON, WHICH FOR US, IS ONLY A FEW WEEK'S AWAY. WHEN IT COMES, BY GOLLY, IT IS WITH A BUSINESS CRUNCH. A KIND OF CHOKE-HOLD, WHEN IT BECOMES UNLIKELY, TO HAVE A BREAK IN THE ACTION. EVEN A WASHROOM BREAK. SUMMER IN MUSKOKA IS FABULOUS, BUSINESS WISE, BUT SOMETIMES, IT DOES BECOME OVERWHELMING, UNLESS YOU HAVE A LARGE STAFF. WE DON'T. WE KEEP IT SIMPLE, AND AFFORDABLE, AND THAT SEASONAL SUCCESS, ALLOWS US TO REMAIN FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR, WHEN SALES EVENTUALLY SLOW TO A TRICKLE. AT THE PEAK, IT'S SO MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO GET OUT ON THESE CROSS COUNTRY JAUNTS, WHICH I FIND SO ETHEREAL AND STORIED.
    SO FAR, IT HAS BEEN A VERY ACTIVE SPRING, DESPITE INCLEMENT WEATHER. WE'RE KIND OF SURPRISED BY THIS, BUT WE'RE NOT COMPLAINING. BUT WITH NEW COMPETITION COMING TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, IT HAS FORCED US TO HUNT A LITTLE HARDER, LONGER, AND BETTER, TO KEEP OUR EDGE. BETWEEN US, WE'VE GOT ABOUT A CENTURY'S WORTH OF EXPERIENCE IN THE COLLECTING FIELD, SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO EMPLOY IT ALL, TO KEEP UP WITH THE NEW FOLKS ON THE BLOCK.

     THERE'S LOTS OF WORK TO DO HERE AT BIRCH HOLLOW. I THINK IF I HAD STARTED TODAY, I WOULD BE FINISHED YARDWORK BY THE FIRST OF JUNE. BY THE FIRST OF MAY, I WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE THE FRONT YARD RAKED. SUZANNE HAS JUST GONE OUT, LOOKING FOR THE RAKE, SO YOU NEVER KNOW. SHE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE "RAKER" IN THE FAMILY. I DETEST RAKING. OOPS, SUZANNE JUST STORMED THROUGH THE DOOR, TWICE IN TWO MINUTES, LOOKING FOR A KNIFE, SO THAT SHE CAN CUT OFF THE REIMS OF DUCT-TAPE THAT I WRAPPED AROUND THE SHAFT OF THE RAKE, TO CONNECT IT TO A AN EXTENSION ALUMINUM POLE, FOR PULLING THE SNOW OFF THE ROOF. IT WORKED GREAT, BUT I KNEW THIS DAY WOULD COME. I WAS SUPPOSED TO DISCONNECT THE TWO PIECES LAST WEEKEND, BUT MINDLESSLY PROCRASTINATED FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. IT WAS A PERFECT DAY FOR YARD WORK, WHICH IS WHY I LOADED THE FAMILY INTO THE VAN INSTEAD, FIRST THING THIS MORNING; AND THEN HIT THE OPEN ROAD. IT WAS FANTASTIC. IT BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES OF OUR FORMER ROUND THE LAKE ADVENTURES, OF ABOUT A DECADE AGO, DOWN TO SUTTON AND JACKSON'S POINT. WE'D ALWAYS STOP IN ORILLIA FIRST, AND THEN ON TO BEAVERTON, WHERE WE COULD FIND FOUR OR FIVE PLACES TO HUNT ANTIQUES, AND COLLECTABLES. OUR OLD FRIEND DREW, HAD TWO ANTIQUE MALLS, IN BEAVERTON, FROM WHEN WE STARTED TO VISIT; ONE BEING DOWNTOWN, AND THE OTHER BEING ON THE HIGHWAY, IN THE FORMER OFFICE OF THE ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE. THERE WAS A FLEA MARKET THERE WE LOVED TO VISIT, AND THERE USED TO BE A SUNDAY "BOOT" (SECOND HAND) SALE IN ONE OF THE GROCERY STORE PARKING LOTS. ON DAYS LIKE THIS, WE'D FIND OURSELVES WITH LOCALLY PURCHASED SANDWICHES AND PIZZA, AND PICNIC ON EITHER THE LAKESHORE, OR BY THE CREEK, WHERE THERE WAS A SKATEBOARD PARK. IT WAS A BUSY LITTLE PARK, WITH A NICE PIONEER MUSEUM, AND IT WAS ALWAYS A PLEASANT RESPITE BETWEEN SHOPPING GIGS.
    AS I'VE SAID, AND WRITTEN MANY TIMES BEFORE, THE WAY WE'VE HANDLED THE ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE PROFESSION, HAS NEVER BEEN WITHOUT CREATURE RECREATIONS. WE NEVER GO ON AN ANTIQUE HUNT, WITHOUT CELEBRATING THE ONTARIO COUNTRYSIDE. MAYBE THIS IS WHY WE THINK DIFFERENTLY OF OUR ENTERPRISE. NATURE AND HISTORY GO TOGETHER, AND WE HOPE THIS IS REFLECTED IN OUR GRAVENHURST SHOP. ALTHOUGH OUR REGIONAL TRAVELS DON'T REPRESENT THOUSANDS OF MILES, WE CAN SAY THAT OUR HUNT AND GATHER REGION, IS AS FAR NORTH AS BURK'S FALLS, WEST TO MAGNETAWAN, EAST INTO ALGONQUIN PARK, SOUTH TO COOKSTOWN, WITH STOPS IN THESE AREAS, INCLUDING HUNTSVILLE, ROSSEAU, PORT CARLING, BALA, BRACEBRIDGE, ORILLIA, BARRIE, BEAVERTON, SUTTON, JACKSON'S POINT, AND QUEENSVILLE. THE DRIVE IS MAGNIFICENT AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, AS EVERYTHING IS STARTING TO BUD IN THE FULL SUNLIGHT. WE CAME HOME FROM ORILLIA THIS AFTERNOON, THROUGH RAMA, AND ENJOYED A POP STOP IN THE VILLAGE OF WASHAGO, ANOTHER FUN LITTLE BURG, WHERE WE USED TO VISIT WEEKLY, IN SEASON, WHEN KAY'S COLLECTION WAS OPEN, IN THE OLD BLACKSMITH SHOP. THEN WE USED TO ENJOY AN ICE CREAM TREAT AT THE OLD MILL, AS WE SAT DOWN AT THE RIVER'S EDGE TO WATCH THE EMERALD WATER, RUN THROUGH THE OLD MILL BUILDING. I PENNED A LOT OF SHORT STORIES, SITTING ON THE BENCH, AT WATERSIDE. IT WAS AMAZING. UNFORTUNATELY, THESE PLACES ARE NO LONGER OPEN, BUT WE HAVE OUR MEMORIES. AS I INCH TOWARD SENIOR CITIZENSHIP, I SPEND MUCH MORE TIME RECALLING EVENTS, THAN PARTICIPATING IN NEW ONES. I TIRE EASY THESE DAYS. I'M KILLING MYSELF SLOWLY HUNCHED OVER THIS INFERNAL CONTRAPTION, WITH A KEYBOARD. IT MOCKS ME, AND STEALS MY COPY WHEN IT FEELS LIKE IT!
     IT WAS A WONDERFULLY FRUITFUL DAY FOR COLLECTING. ROBERT HAD TO WORK IN THE RECORDING STUDIO TODAY, SO HE MISSED OUT ON THESE BIG FINDS. IT ALMOST MADE HIM CRY, WHEN ANDREW TEXTED HIM ABOUT FINDING A PROMO PRESSING OF AN LP, BY THE "UGLY DUCKLINGS," ONE OF CANADA'S MOST SOUGHT AFTER AND PRICEY RECORDS FROM THE 1960'S. ANDREW WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE FOUR GUITARS, INCLUDING A HARD TO FIND "NORMAN", WHICH HE PLAYED ALL THE WAY HOME. WE LIKED WHAT HE WAS PLAYING, SO INSTEAD OF GETTING BACK ONTO HIGHWAY 11, WE DECIDED TO DETOUR OURSELVES THROUGH COOPER'S FALLS, TOWARD BARKWAY, AND BACK HOME. NOTHING LIKE A MUSICAL RIDE. SUZANNE FOUND SOME SEWING COLLECTABLES, AND COOKBOOKS, SHE NEEDS FOR HER LITTLE LIBRARY; PLUS WE FOUND A GOOD CONDITION VICTORIAN ERA TOP HAT, THAT FITS ME, AND A STELLAR LITTLE LANDSCAPE FROM CAROUSEL COLLECTABLES, IN ORILLIA, ALWAYS A MANDATORY STOP ON OUR MOTORING ADVENTURES.
     I AM A FICKLE CHARACTER, WHEN I'M HUNTING FOR INTERESTING PIECES OF ART. I CAN BE MOVED BY THE SPIRITS. IN TWO VISITS TO THEIR SHOP, I'VE FOUND TWO WELL EXECUTED PAINTINGS; THE LAST TIME IT WAS A WATERCOLOR FROM NORTHERN ONTARIO, WHICH CAME HOME WITH US, AND TODAY, IT WAS AN UNUSUAL, HAUNTING, COMPELLING OIL ON CLOTH, PAINTED BY "F.M. MCMILLAN," AND DATED 1904. IT HAS BEEN VARNISHED, SOMETIME IN ITS PAST. THE FRAME IS PARTICULARLY FASCINATING, WITH A RICH VENEER. WHILE IT HAS SOME DAMAGE, TO THE VENEER, IT SUITS PERFECTLY, THIS DARK, SOMBRE LANDSCAPE, THAT MOST DEFINITELY TELLS A STORY, IMPORTANT AT THE TIME TO F.M. MCMILLAN. THE FACT THE MIDDLE OF THE PAINTING HAS NO OTHER LANDMARK THAN HORIZON TREES, IT GIVES THE PAINTING A SENSE OF DISTANCE, THAT WHILE SEEMINGLY UNREMARKABLE, SUGGESTS AN HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE TO THE IMAGE. IT WAS A PLACE FAMILIAR TO THE ARTIST, AND IT WAS PROBABLY NEVER OFFERED FOR SALE. IT HAS HAD A ROUGH LIFE, WITH SURFACE WEAR ON BOTH THE FRAME AND THE ART SURFACE, BUT NOTHING DETRACTS FROM ITS SPLENDID, HISTORIC AND EERIE GLOOM. IT'S A SIMPLE COUNTRY ART PIECE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE A CANADIAN SCENE. IT IS A VERY SEASONAL PIECE, WHICH TO ME, LOOKS SOMEWHAT LIKE LATE AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER, ESPECIALLY IF IT IS A LANDSCAPE FROM ONTARIO.
    HONESTLY, IT'S THE KIND OF PAINTING THAT I'D LIKE TO PEN A SHORT STORY ABOUT; AND MAYBE I SHALL IN THE COMING WEEKS. BUT I'LL TELL YOU ONE THING; I WAS ONLY IN THE CAROUSEL COLLECTABLES SHOP, LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES, WHEN IT CAUGHT MY EYE. IT ALMOST PULLED MY EYE OUT OF ITS SOCKET. I DON'T CHALLENGE SENSATIONS LIKE THIS. I GO IN THAT GENERAL DIRECTION, AND AS HISTORY SERVES, I'M USUALLY INTRODUCED TO SOMETHING THAT MESHES WITH MY INTEREST IN ART AND HISTORY. TWO COMPELLING REASONS TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK. I HAVE A RULE. IF IT REACHES OUT AND COMMANDS ME TO COME CLOSER, THERE'S USUALLY A REASON. WHEN I TALK ABOUT ENCHANTED PIECES? CASE IN POINT! I CAN WALK BY THOUSANDS OF ART PIECES, AND ENJOY THE VIEW, BUT COME AWAY WITHOUT FINDING EVEN ONE THAT COMPELS ME TO BRING IT HOME. THIS ONE, BY MCMILLAN, GRABBED ME RIGHT BY THE OLD HEARTSTRING, AND USUALLY, I WELCOME THE INTRUSION ON MY WALK-ABOUT. I HAVE A LITTLE TRICK OF THE TRADE, I USE ON SUCH OCCASIONS, BUT DON'T LAUGH (AND IT PROBABLY WON'T WORK FOR YOU ANYWAY). YOU SEE, I MAKE THE SOUND OF THE WIND. I DON'T SING A SONG, OR MUTTER A FEW LINES OF VERSE. I MAKE THE WHOOSHING SOUND OF THE WIND, AS IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN HEARD BY THE ARTIST, WHEN HE WAS MAKING THE ORIGINAL SKETCH FOR THIS PAINTING. IF IT IS ONE THAT I WILL BUY, THE SOUND OF THE WIND WILL MAKE IT COME ALIVE FOR ME; AS IF THE STORY IS BEING WRITTEN ITSELF BY SENSORY PERCEPTION. THIS PROBABLY READS LIKE THE RAMBLING OF A CRAZY-MAN, BUT I'VE NEVER BEEN LET DOWN YET, USING THIS TECHNIQUE. SO I'M GOING TO SPEND THE EVENING STARING AT THIS LITTLE GEM, THAT WHILE A FAIRLY BASIC PERIOD PAINTING, IT IS MOST DEFINITELY WHAT I CONSIDERED "STORIED," MEANING, THE ARTIST HAD A MUCH MORE IMPORTANT REASON FOR PAINTING THIS SCENE, WHICH IS PRETTY MUCH VOID OF ANYTHING DRAMATIC. NO HOMESTEAD IN THE CLEARING. NO HORSE AND WAGON COMING THROUGH THE FIELD. NO LIVESTOCK. NO BARN OR RAIL FENCE TO BE SENE. I HAVE A HUNCH THE SMALL CLUSTER OF THREE TREES, WAS RELEVANT TO THE ARTIST. I HAVE SEEN THESE BEFORE, WHERE THERE ARE ACTUALLY GRAVEMARKERS, ONLY PARTIALLY VISIBLE ABOVE THE GRASS AND ROCKS. WHILE I HAVEN'T FOUND THE TOMBSTONE YET, I'VE GOT SOME STUDY TIME TO INVEST THIS EVENING.
     WE ALSO PICKED UP A GREAT STEAMER TRUNK, THAT WAS SHIPPED MUCH, MUCH EARLIER IN THE 1900'S, ON THE CUNARD PASSENGER SHIP "SAXONIA," FROM LIVERPOOL TO MONTREAL; THE TRUNK BEING OWNED BY A CHAP NAMED HITCHINGS. THE LABEL IS STILL IN PASTED ON THE INSIDE. THE FUNKY PART, IS THAT IT WAS REFINISHED PROBABLY IN THE 1970'S, WITH A FIBREGLASS DESIGN WHICH MAKES IT LOOK PRETTY NEAT. WE SELL A LOT OF OLD STEAMER TRUNKS AND CHESTS, AND THEY ARE VERY SOUGHT AFTER, IF THE PRICE COMES IN AT UNDER A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS. CEDAR BOXES ARE ALSO VERY DESIRED THESE DAYS, AFTER YEARS OF BEING CONSIDERED TO HEAVY AND LARGE FOR THE CONTEMPORARY BEDROOMS. TODAY, FOLKS ARE FINDING ROOM FOR THEM. THESE TRUNKS AND CHESTS HOLD A HUGE QUANTITY OF HOUSEHOLD MATERIALS, FROM BEDDING, PILLOWS AND QUILTS, TO SILVER, CHINA, AND A LOT OF DOCUMENTS IF YOU HAVE KNOW WHERE ELSE TO HOUSE THEM SAFELY. I USED TO STRIP THEM DOWN AND REFINISH THE WOOD, INSIDE AND OUT, BUT THEN I FOUND OUT, IT WAS MUCH BETTER, TO LET THE NEW OWNER DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES, HOW THEY WANT THEM RECONDITIONED. THE GREAT PART ABOUT THIS, IS THAT WE CAN KEEP THE PRICES DOWN. REFINISHING WAS ALWAYS A BEASTLY TASK, SO SELLING THEM IN "AS IS, AND AS FOUND," CONDITION, WORKS QUITE WELL.
     WE'RE IN A BIT OF A PANIC ACTUALLY, BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF INVENTORY TO GET SHOP-READY, AND BECAUSE OF MY PASSION FOR GAD-ABOUTS, A PRETTY FAIR WHACK OF TIME HAS BEEN LOST. SUZANNE REMINDS ME OF THIS CONSTANTLY. YET, AS I REMIND ALL MY FAMILY MEMBERS, YOU CAN'T RUN AN ANTIQUE SHOP WITHOUT A COMPANION ADVENTURE. I KNOW PEOPLE WHO DO, SETTLING INSTEAD, TO BUY OVER THE COUNTER ONLY. I JUST COULDN'T BE IN THIS PROFESSION WITHOUT TRAVEL, AND THE ENJOYABLE RECREATION WE FIND ALONG OUR ROUTE. THIS WAY, IT IS A HERITAGE EXPERIENCE, EACH AND EVERY TIME. OH, THE STORIES WE COULD TELL, ASBOUT HOW WE FOUND THE PIECES OF OUR COLLECTION. WE THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR OUR CUSTOMERS TO KNOW; TELLING THEM WHERE WE FOUND THE ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES THAT FASCINATED THEM.
     MORE ANTIQUE TALES OF WOE, ADVENTURE, AND EXCITEMENT YET TO COME THIS WEEK.

A Framed View of a small town at a time of international crisis; Some Antique Capers out on the Yard Sale Ramble

Just arrived, 1950's circa. Gibson Guitar and Amplifiers  Store Banner

Our favourite keepsake given to us by well known Canadian writer and sleuth of the paranormal,
 John Robert Colombo. The tiny book seen above is about UFOS.

WHAT'S IN THE FRAME NOW? WHAT WILL BE IN THE FRAME TOMORROW, AND THE DAY AFTER THAT?

IF THE INTERIM PRESIDENT OF THE UKRAINE IS RIGHT, WORLD WAR THREE IS CLOSER TODAY, THAN IT WAS YESTERDAY!

     ON THE NEWS, LAST EVENING, I WATCHED A SHORT FILM CLIP, SHOWING THE LAST MOMENTS OF A MILITARY HELICOPTER'S FLIGHT, ALONG THE BORDER AREA OF EASTERN UKRAINE; BEING VAPORIZED IN LESS TIME THAN A HUMAN HEARTBEAT, FOLLOWING A SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE ATTACK.
     OBVIOUSLY, SEEING THE EXTENT OF THE EXPLOSION, THOSE ON BOARD WERE KILLED INSTANTLY. A REALITY OF WAR, OR JUST ANOTHER DAY LIVING IN A CRISIS REGION OF THE WORLD? FACING FACTS, IF I KNEW THAT THE HELICOPTER GUNSHIP, WAS DESTROYED IN SYRIA INSTEAD, I WOULD THINK TO MYSELF, RIGHT OR WRONG, "OH WELL, IT'S THE WAY THINGS ARE, OVER THERE, THESE DAYS." TRAGEDY IS AN EVERYDAY ACTUALITY. I DON'T LIKE, THAT THIS WAR IS STILL RAGING, (BUT THEY HAVEN'T SOUGHT MY OPINION) AND INNOCENTS ARE PERISHING ALMOST HOURLY, AS A RESULT OF WHAT COMES DOWN TO A SENSELESS CONFLICT; BUT I STILL GO TO BED SOMEWHAT ASSURED, MY FAMILY HOME WON'T BE HIT WITH A STRAY BOMB ON ITS ACCOUNT. WHEN YOU GO TO BED, KNOWING THAT ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST FEARED SUPER POWERS, HAD A HAND IN THIS TRAGIC, PROVOCATIVE EVENT, AS A PREAMBLE TO WAR, IT'S THE KIND OF WORRISOME SCENARIO, THAT INSTANTLY TRUMPS A LOT OF OTHER DAILY NEWS. AT LEAST FOR ME. EVERY DAY I AWAKEN, HOPEFUL THAT THE MORNING NEWS WILL BE AS CHEERFUL, AND UPBEAT AS I FEEL. I WAS DISAPPOINTED THIS MORNING, JUST AS I HAVE BEEN, ALMOST EVERY MORNING THIS MONTH. IT REALLY IS THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO, FORCING US TO FACE-UP TO THE DISTINCT POSSIBILITY, THINGS COULD BECOME GLOBAL REAL FAST; AND QUITE DEADLY. IT'S NOT GOING TO BE AN INCONVENIENT WAR, IF IT HAPPENS. IT WILL IMPACT EVERY ONE OF US, REGARDLESS WHERE WE LIVE. IT WILL INFLUENCE THE WORLD FINANCIAL SITUATION, AND IT WILL HIT US LOCALLY, FROM THE PUMPS TO THE MEAT COUNTER; POSSIBLY TO THE EXTENT OF DIMINISHING THE NUMBER OF SUMMER VISITORS. WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE IMPACTED LIGHTLY, IF THERE IS A SUPER POWER ENGAGEMENT. IT'S THAT SIMPLE. SO IT DOES BEG A FEW QUESTIONS, ABOUT OVERALL STABILITY, IF AND WHEN TENSION IGNITES.
     THE BIRDS GOT ME UP AT DAYBREAK THIS MORNING. I DIDN'T WANT TO GET UP. AFTER AWHILE I DIDN'T WANT TO LAY THERE EITHER. YOU KNOW THE FEELING. THERE'S A GOOD POSSIBILITY, THAT IF YOU NOD OFF AGAIN, YOU'LL HAVE ONE OF THOSE WILD AND CRAZY DREAMS ABOUT RUNNING NAKED THROUGH THE OFFICE, OR BEING CHASED BY SOME CRAZY LOOKING CRITTER, WHILE YOUR LEGS FEEL LIKE THEY'RE WEIGHTED DOWN WITH IRONS. MY REPEATING NIGHTMARES RECENTLY, ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED IN THE VERY EARLY MORNING, INVOLVE ME BEING ON A PLANE. I DON'T LIKE FLYING AND AFTER THE MALAYSIAN JET CRASHED (YET TO BE FOUND) LOSING ALL SOULS ON BOARD, MY OWN STUBBORN FEARS HAVE BEEN CHASING ME, ALMOST EVERY OTHER DAY. I'VE FLOWN MANY TIMES IN MY LIFE, BUT NEVER ONCE, ACTUALLY ENJOYING THE EXPERIENCE.
     SO THIS MORNING, I MAY HAVE EVEN BEEN TRYING TO KEEP MYSELF FROM FALLING BACK TO SLEEP, FEARING ANOTHER SUDDEN, UNWELCOME PLANE TRIP, TO NOWHERE IN PARTICULAR. I JUST STARED OUT THE WINDOW, AT THE INTRICATE BLACK ON WHITE, OF CRISS-CROSSING, BARE, MAPLE BOUGHS, STARKLY SET AGAINST THE STILL-BRIGHTENING SKY. THE BIRDS THAT HAD WOKEN ME UP, FLITTED ABOUT IN THE BRANCHES, CHIRPING AWAY, AND ALTHOUGH QUITE PLEASANT, WHILE HAVING MY COFFEE, HAD PROVEN TO BE SLEEP REDUCING, WHEN STILL HAVING AN HOUR OR SO, BEFORE THE ALARM CLOCK BELL, WOULD SCARE THE BEJESUS OUT OF ME. SO I EVENTUALLY CONTENTED MYSELF BY DAYDREAMING, VIA THIS FRAMED VIEW UPON THE VENERABLE MAPLES, THAT IN A STRONG WIND, BRUSH UP AGAINST THE FRONT VERANDAH. IT WAS PEACEFUL, AND CHEERFUL ENOUGH, ONCE I ADJUSTED TO ALL THE SOUNDS OF AWAKENING NATURE OUTSIDE, AND INDOORS; AS THE CATS SEEMED TO KNOW I WAS AWAKE, MEANING, TO THEM, IT IS TIME FOR THEIR BREAKFAST. IF THEY KNOW WE ARE AWAKE, THEY WILL STICK THEIR PAWS UNDER THE DOOR, AND RATTLE IT, OR WORSE, SCRATCH AT THE PINE TRIM AROUND THE DOOR, WHICH ALWAYS GETS A RESPONSE FROM ME. SO FAR, IN THIS MORNING HALF-SLUMBER, THEY HAD SATISFIED THEMSELVES, BY CURLING UP AT THE DOOR INSTEAD. IT'S NOT VERY OFTEN THEY ARE SO PATIENT. I COULD EVEN HEAR THEM PURRING. IT WAS SOOTHING TO THEM AND ME. SUZANNE WAS LETTING-ON SHE WASN'T AWAKE, BUT I KNOW DIFFERENTLY. SOMETIMES, WHEN I'M FEELING THE NEED FOR A PRANK, I GET UP, AND LET ONE OF THE BEASTIES INTO THE BEDROOM. IN A FEW MINUTES, SHE WILL YELL OUT, "THANKS A LOT," AND I KNOW SHE'S NOT TALKING TO THE CAT, WHICH IS USUALLY ANGUS. HE CAN KNEAD HER RIGHT OUT OF THE BLANKETS, IN ORDER TO GET THE ATTENTION HE THINKS HE DESERVES. I DON'T FEED THE CATS AS A RULE, BECAUSE MY JOB IS LITTER BOX MAINTENANCE, IN ALL ITS POOPY, SMELLY GLORY.
     AS I WAS STILL COMFORTABLY LODGED BENEATH MY OWN COVERS, I STARTED TO CONCENTRATE ON THIS SCENE OUTDOORS, AND THE WAY IT WAS SO NICELY FRAMED BY THE NATURAL COLOR OF THE WINDOW TRIM. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A PAINTING JUST LIKE THIS, BUT THEN, WHAT FOR? I'VE GOT A LIVING PICTURE, THAT REFLECTS ALL THE SEASONS OF THE YEAR. BUT I DID START TO THINK ABOUT THE DAY'S CHORES AHEAD OF ME, AND ABOUT WHAT I WOULD MOST LIKE TO WRITE ABOUT, FOR PURPOSES OF THIS BLOG. I WENT TO BED LAST NIGHT, AFTER HEARING ABOUT THE LATEST VIOLENCE AND DISORDER, IN THE UKRAINE, AND RUMINATING ABOUT WHAT THE RUSSIANS MIGHT DO NEXT. IN AWHILE, I WOULD HEAR THE MORNING NEWS, ABOUT ABDUCTIONS OF OBSERVERS, THE SHOOTING DOWN OF A HELICOPTER GUN-SHIP, AND SEE AMERICAN TROOPS SERVING WITH NATO FORCES, LANDING IN POLAND. SO IT'S ONE OF THOSE UNFORTUNATE ASPECTS OF BEING OBSESSED BY NEWS, THAT I STARTED, QUITE UNEXPECTEDLY, TO PONDER, THEN RAMBLE ALOUD TO SUZANNE, OVER COFFEE, HOW OUR OWN TOWN, MIGHT BE SIMILARLY FRAMED FOR STUDY; SUCH THAT I COULD MAKE SOME INSIGHTFUL COMMENT, EACH DAY, ABOUT THE VARIABLE MOOD OF OUR CITIZENRY, AS WE GET CLOSER TO POTENTIAL WORLD CALAMITY. I WENT TO SLEEP LAST NIGHT, PLAYING OVER AND OVER, THE WORDS OF THE UKRAINE'S INTERIM PRESIDENT, SUGGESTING VERY SERIOUSLY, THAT THE RUSSIAN INTERVENTION IN HIS COUNTRY, WAS PUSHING THE CONFLICT INTO WORLD WAR THREE. IT'S KIND OF HARD TO GET SOMETHING LIKE THAT OUT OF YOUR MIND. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER, TO HAVE SLEPT THROUGH THE STOMACH DISCOMFORT, OF HAVING HAD A DAGWOOD SANDWICH JUST BEFORE BED, THAN HEARING SOMETHING LIKE THAT, FROM A MAN WHO IS VISIBLY SCARED, OF WHAT IS YET TO COME. SO I CONCOCTED THIS IDEA, OF TRYING TO WRITE A SMALL EDITORIAL PIECE EACH DAY, MAKING SOME OBSERVATIONS, ABOUT HOW SMALL TOWN LIFE, IS BEING COMPROMISED (OR NOT) BY A CONFLICT, HALF A WORLD AWAY. I DON'T THINK IT'S EVEN MAKING A SLIGHT RIPPLE IN OUR CALM, MIRRORING POOL, AT THIS TIME. SO WHEN WILL THIS CHANGE, AND WHAT MIGHT THE VOYEUR OBSERVE OF THE TRANSFORMATION? IT IS A NON-ISSUE RIGHT NOW, AND THERE ARE NO ANTI-RUSSIAN, OR ANTI-UKRAINE DEMONSTRATIONS OUTSIDE GRAVENHURST TOWN HALL; ALTHOUGH I'M WONDERING ABOUT THOSE CITIZENS WHO HAVE ROOTS, AND FAMILY, IN THIS PART OF EUROPE; AND HOW WORRIED THEY MUST BE, ABOUT THE ESCALATION OF TENSIONS. THEY WILL UNDERSTAND THE MOOD OF THE RUSSIAN BEAR, AND THE CONSEQUENCE OF ITS ANGER.      UNLESS YOU DIG DEEP HERE, THERE'S NOT MUCH TO SEE, OR REPORT ON. IT'S PRETTY MUCH "SITUATION NORMAL." A REMARKABLE SCENE, ONLY IN THE SENSE THAT IT IS A SMALL ONTARIO TOWN, TUCKED INTO THE BEAUTIFUL HINTERLAND, GOING ABOUT ITS DAILY BUSINESS. NO MORE CONTROVERSIAL THAN ANY OTHER TOWN IN A PROVINCE ON THE VERGE OF A SPRING ELECTION. THERE MAY BE A COUPLE OF MOTORISTS, SHOWING IMPATIENCE FOR OTHER DRIVERS, ON MUSKOKA ROAD, OCCASIONALLY HONKING THEIR HORNS; A FLIPPED BIRD HERE AND THERE, AND POSSIBLY BEFORE TOO LONG, THERE WILL BE GROUPS OF PEOPLE, MATES, YELLING AT EACH OTHER FROM ACROSS THE ROAD. IF I WAS A REPORTER, LOOKING FOR A HEADLINE, REFLECTING THE ACTUALITY OF THE MOMENT, IT WOULD HAVE TO READ, "GRAVENHURST TRAFFIC CAUSES NO CONCERN," OR "KIDS ON BIKES NARROWLY MISS PEDESTRIANS IN SIDEWALK SHOWDOWN."
     WHAT I REALLY WANT TO KNOW, IS WHAT OUR COMMUNITY WAS LIKE, AND HOW THE CITIZENRY FELT, AND EXPRESSED THEIR FEARS, DURING THE DAYS JUST BEFORE THE FIRST DEADLY SHOTS, AND BOMBS, IN THE EXCHANGES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR. IN FACT, AS AN HISTORIAN, I HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR YEARS, TRYING TO FIGURE THE SAME THING OUT, FOR THE PREVAILING ATMOSPHERE OF OUR PIONEER SETTLEMENT, DURING THE YEARS OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, OF THE 1860'S; WHEN THERE WERE BRITISH SUBJECTS, FROM CANADA, SERVING WITH BOTH THE FEDERAL AND THE CONFEDERATE ARMIES. I REALLY WANT TO FIND SOME JOURNAL ENTRY, AND NEWSPAPER ACCOUNT, THAT WILL TELL ME, IF OUR CITIZENRY HERE, IN THE FIRST MUSKOKA HAMLETS, WERE AWARE OF THE ADVANCEMENTS OF THE CIVIL WAR. WE KNOW FROM HISTORICAL RECORD, THAT NEWSPAPERS FROM ENGLAND AND MONTREAL, WERE GETTING TO THE SETTLERS, VIA THE FIRST POSTAL DROP OFFS, GOING BACK AS FAR AS 1861; WHEN MAIL WAS BROUGHT ALONG NARROW FOOT TRAILS FROM ORILLIA TO SOUTH MUSKOKA. THERE WAS CONCERN, THAT THE WINNING ARMY MIGHT TURN ITS SIGHTS ON CANADA, AFTER THE INTERNAL CONFLICT IN THE UNITED STATES, HAD BEEN DECIDED. I BELIEVE IT IS SOCIALLY AND CULTURALLY IMPORTANT, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT WAS LIKE, LIVING IN A TOWN AND REGION LIKE OURS, IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE WAR, AND DURING. THERE IS VERY LITTLE RECORD OF THIS, BECAUSE THE FOCUS OF HISTORIANS, HAS BEEN ON THE WAR EFFORT, AND WAR INDUSTRY, MORE SO, THAN WHAT OUR CITIZENRY WAS THINKING, WORRYING ABOUT, AND DOING AT THE SAME TIME. IT'S WHY I THOUGHT ABOUT FRAMING THIS PERIOD OF TIME, WHEN MOST CRITICS SEEM TO AGREE, WE ARE AT A TIPPING POINT BETWEEN SUPER POWER ASPIRATIONS; SOMETHING WE THOUGHT WOULD ONLY EVER BE PORTRAYED, AND EMBELLISHED-UPON, VIA BLOCKBUSTER MOVIES.
     AND FOR THE RECORD, IT'S CERTAINLY NOT MY INTEREST, IN ANY WAY, TO CREATE A SENSE OF FEAR AND TREMBLING, BY RETURNING TIME AND AGAIN TO THIS EVER-CHANGING, BUT DISTANT SITUATION, IN THE UKRAINE. THE CRISIS? IT IS VERY REAL. IT IS VERY LIKELY, THE RUSSIANS WILL INVADE EASTERN UKRAINE, PRIOR TO THE COMING COUNTRY-WIDE ELECTION IN MAY; AND IT'S MORE THAN LIKELY, THAT NATO AIRCRAFT AND WARSHIPS WILL BE READY TO EXCHANGE FIRE, TO PROTECT NOT ONLY THE UKRAINE'S RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION, BUT TO SAFEGUARD THE BALTIC COUNTRIES GENERALLY. WHILE IT WOULD SEEM PRETTY LOGICAL, ESPECIALLY WITH CLEAR EVIDENCE, NATO PACKS A BIG PUNCH, THAT RUSSIA SHOULD BACK OFF, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE, THEY HAVE ANY FEAR OF RETALIATION, FOR TAKING WHAT THEY WANT, WHEN THEY WANT IT! SO WHEN I GET THIS INSPIRATION, THIS URGE, TO CHRONICLE THE TIME IN OUR COMMUNITY, ON THE CUSP OF SOMETHING WE HAVE FEARED SINCE THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS, I HOPE IT WILL NOT BE SEEN AS WISHFUL THINKING ON THE WRITER'S PART, FOR A MEATY HEADLINE, AND AN "I TOLD YOU SO," AFTER THE FACT.
    I WISH WE HAD FULL RECORDS TODAY, OF WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN THOSE DAYS, LEADING UP TO THE FIRST OR SECOND WORLD WAR, SO THAT WE COULD MAKE COMPARISONS. WE DO KNOW FOR SURE, THERE WAS NO PANIC. THERE WAS CLEAR AND DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE, OF A BRAVE RESOLVE, AS CITIZENS BANDED TOGETHER, IN GROUPS, AND AS A COMMUNITY, TO ASSIST THE WAR EFFORT. FEAR? OF COURSE THERE WAS FEAR? BUT HOW DID IT MANIFEST ITSELF? I KNOW HOW CITIZENS REACTED AFTER THE DECLARATION OF WAR, BUT NOT BEFORE. TREPIDATION IS HARD TO MEASURE. HARD TO CHARACTERIZE BY A GENERAL OVERVIEW. WE MIGHT THINK WE KNOW, BUT MOST OF THE EMOTION WAS HELD CLOSE. POSSIBLY IT WAS THE CASE, NO ONE WANTED TO SHOW WEAKNESS, AS WE CAME CLOSER TO THE BRINK. I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE. I WASN'T THERE. EVEN MY PARENTS DIDN'T FEEL IT WAS NECESSARY, FOR THEIR SON TO KNOW THESE THINGS; THIS KIND OF PERSONAL RETROSPECTIVE. THAT'S WHAT SCHOOLS WERE FOR! I HEARD MY DAD SAY THIS A THOUSAND TIMES, WHENEVER I WANTED HIM, IN CASUAL CONVERSATION, TO SHARE HIS HISTORY WITH ME. HE DIDN'T FEEL IT WAS NECESSARY TO SHED LIGHT ON THOSE DAYS BEFORE THE WAR, AS THE REALITY OF LOOMING CATASTROPHE BEGAN TO SET IN ONTO THE HOMEFRONT! HIS WAR BEGAN THE DAY HE ENLISTED IN THE NAVY, WITH HIS BUDDIES FROM THE CABBAGETOWN NEIGHBORHOOD. THEY THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AN ADVENTURE, WITH THREE SQUARE MEALS A DAY. SO WHAT WAS THE RELEVANCE OF KNOWING WHAT OTHERS FELT, WHO DIDN'T HEAD OVERSEAS. THE DECLARATION OF WAR MAY HAVE BEEN PREDICTED BY CITIZENS, BUT THEY DIDN'T REVEAL MUCH OF THEIR EMOTIONS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. WHAT ABOUT TODAY'S CITIZENRY? BEING ON THE SAME BRINK OF WAR, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO MANIFEST FROM THESE DAYS, UNTIL THE OUTRIGHT DECLARATION, THAT A WAR HAS SUDDENLY COMMENCED? OR WILL THERE BE OUTRIGHT JUBILATION, IF WAR IS AVERTED? MIGHT THERE BE AN AUDIBLE SIGH OF RELIEF. A GATHERING OF CITIZENS IN THE TOWN SQUARE, TO SHOW APPROVAL, FOR THOSE WHO NEGOTIATED A PEACE DEAL? OR WILL IT BE A CASE OF NO REACTION AT ALL? SHOULD THERE BE AN ARMED CONFLICT, HOW WILL OUR CITIZENS TAKE THE NEWS? OR WILL THIS STILL BE A WAR TOO FAR AWAY TO CAUSE ANY REAL CONCERN?
     TODAY, FOR INSTANCE, THERE HAS BEEN RADIO NEWS ALL MORNING, AND AFTERNOON, ABOUT RUSSIAN WAR EXERCISES, TAKING PLACE ON THE BORDER OF EASTERN UKRAINE. IT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED, THAT THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT IS CONCERNED ABOUT AN IMMINENT INVASION OF THIS PORTION OF THE UKRAINE, OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, OCCURRING JUST AS THE REGION OF THE CRIMEA, WAS OCCUPIED BY RUSSIAN TROOPS, A MONTH AGO. THERE IS EVERY REASON, WITH CONSIDERABLE HISTORICAL EVIDENCE, AND PRECEDENTS, TO BELIEVE, RUSSIA IS PLANNING AN INVASION SOON. ALMOST EVERY DAY, SINCE THE INITIAL INVASION, WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THERE HAS BEEN AN "ESCALATION OF TENSIONS." SO WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT WILL COME NEXT? HOW MANY CITIZENS IN THIS COMMUNITY, ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS UNFOLDING STORY, THAT COULD CHANGE THEIR DAY TO DAY LIVES? EVEN WITH PHONES AND HOME INTERNET, NOW A COMMONPLACE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND REGION, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF PERMANENT RESIDENTS ARE ACTIVELY LISTENING, OR READING, ABOUT THIS WORLD THREATENING SITUATION, OF RUSSIAN AGGRESSION? PERSONALLY, BUT WITHOUT THE ADVANTAGE OF A PROPERLY EXECUTED SURVEY, I THINK THE PERCENTAGE IS LOW. ALARMINGLY LOW. I THINK IT IS THE CASE, A MAJORITY OF CANADIANS BELIEVE THIS WILL BE SORTED-OUT EVENTUALLY, AND IT WILL END WITHOUT THE BIG BOOM. SO WHEN LOOKING OUT ONTO THE COMMUNITY HERE, IN SOUTH MUSKOKA, AS I SUPPOSE IT WOULD BE IN ANY SMALL CANADIAN TOWN, ONE ISN'T LIKELY TO SEE ANY EVIDENCE, THAT THE CITIZENRY CONSIDERS A PENDING WAR, EVEN IF IT COULD BE THE ONSET OF WORLD WAR III, AS SOMETHING WARRANTING ANY SIGN OF PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION. I DOUBT VERY MUCH IF THERE ARE EVEN MANY COFFEE SHOP CHATS ABOUT IT, OR DISCUSSIONS OVER DINNER. IT'S JUST NOT THAT INTRUSIVE, AT THIS POINT. SHOULD IT BE? AND WHAT WOULD WE DO TO SHOW OUR CHAGRIN, IF WE INDEED POSSESSED IT?
     IT'S NOT A CASE THAT WE ARE APATHETIC, OR UNSYMPATHETIC, TO THE PLIGHT OF THOSE CITIZENS OF THE UKRAINE. IT'S NOT THE CASE WE ARE IGNORANT, OR SO SELF CENTERED, THAT WE REFUSE TO BOTHER OURSELVES WITH SOMEONE ELSE'S PROBLEMS. I DO THINK, WE MAY BE DE-SENSITIZED GENERALLY, BY OUR BUSY LIFESTYLES, AND THE STRESSES OF SURVIVAL IN BUSINESS AND EMPLOYMENT. IN A LONG LIST OF PRESSING ISSUES, TENSIONS IN THE UKRAINE SEEM PRETTY MOOT, COMPARED TO HAVING ENOUGH MONEY IN THE BANK, TO COVER THIS MONTH'S MORTGAGE PAYMENT, OR HAVING LEFTOVER FUNDS TO KEEP THE KIDS IN CLOTHES, AND FOOD ON THE TABLE. MAYBE IT'S THE CASE WE HAVE ENORMOUS FAITH IN THE LEADERS OF THE WORLD, AND THE EXPERT NEGOTIATORS THEY EMPLOY, TO TAKE CARE OF THINGS LIKE THIS; LEAVING US TO LOOK AFTER THE DAILY CHORES. AS WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO TO ABATE THE CRISIS, IT SEEMS REASONABLE, THAT WE WOULD TURN IT OVER TO THE MASTER POLITICIANS TO MOP UP WHATEVER SPILLS. I WANT TO BELIEVE THIS. I HAVE GREAT FAITH IN MANY WORLD LEADERS, AND I DO ANTICIPATE MANY MORE PEACE INITIATIVES TO UNFOLD, AS TIME GOES BY, TO ALLEVIATE THIS TEMPEST IN THE PROVERBIAL TEAPOT. OF COURSE, THERE'S NOTING PROVERBIAL ABOUT IT. UNLESS THAT HELICOPTER EXPLODED ON ITS OWN, AND THE FOREIGN CREW OF OBSERVERS, KIDNAPPED THEMSELVES. IT IS POSSIBLE TO HAVE TOO MUCH FAITH, THAT OTHERS WILL HANDLE THE PROBLEM. WHAT DEPTH AND BREADTH OF A PROBLEM, A CRISIS, WILL CREATE PUBLIC OUTRAGE, AND A SHOW OF PROFOUND CONCERN, ABOUT THE WELFARE OF OUR COUNTRY AND THE WORLD? I'M JUST NOT SURE ABOUT THIS. THE ENVIRONMENT? HOW DAMNING IS A WAR IN REGARDS TO IRREVERSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION? WHEN MIGHT WE SENSE OR SEE HOW OUR LITTLE BURG, ON THIS BIG PLANET, WILL REACT TO THE ONSET OF MILITARY CRISIS?
     TODAY, THERE IS NOTHING AT ALL, FROM WHAT I SEE FRAMED OF THIS TOWN, AT THIS MOMENT OF HISTORY, TO SUGGEST WE ARE IN ANY SIGNIFICANT WAY, FACING A CRISIS. IF THERE IS DEEP CONCERN AND MINDFUL PONDERING ABOUT THE "WHAT IFS" OF A WAR WITH RUSSIA, IT DOESN'T SHOW HERE AND NOW. ARGUABLY, WHY WOULD IT? IT'S NOT LIKE WE ARE GOING TO BE HIT BY A NUCLEAR MISSILE OR ANYTHING. YET AM0NGST US LOCAL CITIZENS, THERE ARE THOSE OF UKRAINIAN, POLISH, ROMANIAN, GERMAN, HUNGARIAN, AND RUSSIAN ANCESTRY, WHO HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF SO MANY OTHER FRIGHTFUL EVENTS OF WORLD HISTORY, THAT PLAYED OUT ON THIS SAME EUROPEAN FRONT. IS IT TO BE EXPECTED, THEY ARE THE MOST PENSIVE OF OUR CITIZENRY, ANXIOUSLY AWAITING THE MOMENT THE CRISIS ESCALATES; OR ON THE OTHER SIDE, RESOLVES IN A PEACE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE ADVERSARIES? THIS DOESN'T SHOW ITSELF IN THE FRAME TODAY. THERE IS REALLY LITTLE DIFFERENCE IN THIS APRIL DAY, THAN THE SAME DATE A YEAR AGO, OR THE YEAR BEFORE THAT, AND SO ON. UNLESS YOU WERE LISTENING TO A RADIO, OR WATCHING A NEWS CLIP ON A CELL PHONE, OR LAPTOP, IT WOULD BE A DAY LIKE ANY OTHER, LIVING IN THE RURAL CLIME. NO BIG DEAL. STUFF TO DO, PLACES TO GO, FOLKS TO MEET UP WITH, KIDS TO PICK UP FROM THE PARK. AS THE CRISIS BUILDS, AND THE THREAT OF INVASION, OF THE UKRAINE, COMES DOWN TO A MATTER OF HOURS, WILL THE SCENE HERE CHANGE? AGAIN, THE PRECEDENTS OF HISTORY TELL US, THAT UNTIL WAR IS DECLARED, THERE WON'T BE ANY REAL SIGN OF OUR OUTRAGE, OR FEAR, ABOUT THE DANGEROUS DAYS AHEAD. IF WAR IS DECLARED, WE WILL OBVIOUSLY FIND OUR PLACE, AND ORGANIZE SOME WAY TO CHANNEL OUR CONCERNS AND AMBITIONS, TO ASSIST THOSE IN THE FRONT LINE OFFENSIVE. JUST AS WE HAVE DONE IN PRIOR WORLD CONFLICTS.
     IN THIS SITUATIONAL FRAMING TODAY, THERE IS A MAINSTREET ON THE MOVE. THERE ARE PLENTY OF FOLKS WANDERING ABOUT, SOME VISITORS TO TOWN CHECKING OUT THE LOCAL ARCHITECTURE, DARTING IN AND OUT OF LOCAL BUSINESSES, SOME TOTING BOXES, OTHERS DINING ON THE RUN, WITH SLICES OF PIZZA IN HAND; A FEW EATING BUTTER TARTS RIGHT OUT OF THE BAKERY'S BOX. THOSE WHO ARE TIRED, SITTING ON THE PARK BENCHES, WHEN IT STOPS RAINING. THERE ARE STREET CORNER CONVERSATIONS, ABOUT THIS AND THAT, AND LESS THAN POLITICAL DEBATES, ON CORNERS AND IN ALCOVES, BETWEEN FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES. THERE IS NO HARRIED PACE TODAY. NO ONE IS RUNNING, NO ONE IS SHOWING ANY INTEREST IN BUSTLING, TO GET THEIR TASKS COMPLETED. IT IS A QUIET, BUT BUSY SATURDAY, FOR THIS LAST WEEKEND OF APRIL. THE WEATHER AND LOCAL FLOODING ARE THE TWO MOST TALKED-ABOUT SUBJECTS, THAT I'VE HEARD SO FAR. A CONFLICT IN EUROPE? IT'S NOT ON THE TIP OF THE TONGUE, THAT'S FOR SURE. IF IT WAS, WHAT WOULD THOSE CONVERSATIONS SOUND LIKE? WOULD A SINGLE SOUL CRY OUT, "ARE WE ALL GOING TO DIE?" OR IS THAT WHAT WOULD BE WRITTEN INTO THE MOVIE SCRIPT, IF INDEED, OUR PRESENT SITUATION, WAS A CRISIS FOR WRITERS IN HOLLYWOOD.
     THERE IS NOTHING I SEE, OR EXPERIENCE IN LATE APRIL, OF 2014, THAT WOULD SUGGEST THERE WAS ANYTHING DANGEROUS, IN THE CANADIAN HEARTLAND, ABOUT THIS DAY IN HISTORY. NOTHING OF A THREATENING NATURE. NOTHING THAT WOULD LEAD ANY OF US TO BELIEVE, BY BODY LANGUAGE, OR OVERHEARD CONVERSATION, THAT ANYTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN TO RUIN THE PLEASURES OF THE DAY. UNLESS, OF COURSE, IT SHOULD RAIN WHILE WE ARE OUT FOR A STROLL. IN SO MANY WAYS, THIS IS, I THINK, A GOOD WAY TO BE! WHAT AFTERALL, CAN BE GAINED, BY RUNNING AMUCK, CALLING OUT WITH RECKLESS ABANDON, THAT "THE SKY IS FALLING!" WHO WILL BE BETTER FOR THE EFFORT? WHO WILL BE SAFEGUARDED BECAUSE OF THIS WARNING, IF THE SKY IS FALLING SOMEWHERE ELSE, WHERE WE ARE NOT STANDING? IT IS TO BE ASSUMED THEREFORE, THAT THE COMMONALITY OF THE SITUATION, AT PRESENT, IS THAT WE ARE NOT, OURSELVES, FACING ANYTHING MORE IMMINENT, THAN THE APPROACH AND PASSING OF THE EVENING HOURS, INTO THE VERY NEXT DAY; THE MORNING THAT I MAY ALSO WAKE EARLY, AT THE INSISTENCE OF THE BIRDS IN THE MAPLE BOUGHS, ATTRACTING ME ONCE AGAIN, TO FRAME THIS BIT OF NATURE AND SKY, AS THE POETIC MOSAIC, OF WHAT I SHALL ENCOUNTER ON MY DAILY ROUNDS; SOME OF IT I WILL LIKE, AND OTHER ASPECTS, I WILL DREAD. AND IT WILL BE THE NEWS OF THE DAY, THAT WILL EITHER INCREASE MY PULSE, OR SETTLE MY NERVES, INTO A PLEASURABLE TOLERATION, FOR EVEN THE DREADED THINGS OF A NON-COMBATIVE DAY, HERE IN THE HEARTLAND OF MUSKOKA.
     I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOCAL CHANGES, IN THE COLLECTIVE DEMEANOR, OCCUR AS THE CRISIS IN EUROPE ESCALATES. AND WHEN WAR IS FINALLY DECLARED, HOW WE WILL ALL COME TO ADJUST, AND COPE, AS WE ALWAYS HAVE, WITH THE RIGORS OF A "NEW NORMAL." AS MANY OF US EXPERIENCED AFTER THE EVENTS OF 9-11, WILL WE FEEL COMPELLED TO GATHER TO SUPPORT THE WAR EFFORT? YET A WORLD WAR IN EUROPE, WOULD RAPIDLY ECLIPSE THE CASUALTIES OF 9-11. WE HAVE A LOT YET TO DISCOVER OF OURSELVES, IN A POTENTIAL NUCLEAR EVENT, THAT BY THE WAY, HAS BEEN PREDICTED SINCE THE EARLY 1960'S.
     ON THIS DAY, WE ARE SAFE! TOMORROW? I'M NOT SO SURE ANYMORE!

THE FANTASTIC SIDE OF ANTIQUE COLLECTING - YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT

ANTIQUE DEALERS WHO FAIL - NEVER FOUND IT - THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO LOOK

     EVEN THE MOST EXPERIENCED ANTIQUE HUNTER, CAN MISS A BIG FIND, IN THE MIXED INVENTORY OF A COLOR-FILLED, HUGELY DIVERSE FLEA MARKET, OR FUNDRAISING SALE. A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO I WAS AT A FLEA MARKET, IN GRAVENHURST,  AND MISSED AN IMPORTANT CABINET UP FOR SALE, THAT HAD BEEN COVERED-OVER WITH AN ASSORTMENT OF DRIED FLOWERS AND CHIPPED ORNAMENTS. I FOUND A NUMBER OF INTERESTING PAINTINGS I WANTED, AS THE ASKING PRICES WERE FAIR. I MUST HAVE SPENT TWENTY MINUTES, CIRCLING AROUND THE CHEST OF DRAWERS, SEEING EVERYTHING ELSE, BUT NOT THE CARVED GRAPES ON THE CUPBOARD DOORS. WHEN I BENT OVER TO PICK SOMETHING I'D DROPPED OFF THE FLOOR, GEEZ, THERE IT WAS…..AN 1870'S QUEBEC MADE BUFFET, WITH TWO GROUPINGS OF HAND-CARVED GRAPES AS ADORNMENTS. I COULDN'T BELIEVE THE NUMBER OF ANTIQUE DEALERS AND COLLECTORS IN THE VICINITY, AND NO ONE, INCLUDING ME, HAD SEEN THIS IMPRESSIVE VICTORIAN FURNITURE, THROUGH THE FOG-OF-SALE-SCROUNGING. THERE WAS A SUGGESTED SALE PRICE, ATTACHED TO THE TOP, AND I ASKED SUZANNE, MY ACCOUNTANT, TO GO TEN DOLLARS HIGHER THAN THIS CEILING. I KNOW MANY DEALER-TYPES WHO WILL TRY TO LOW-BALL AT THESE SALES, WHICH, IN THIS CASE, WAS FOR A CHARITABLE CAUSE. WE ALWAYS, AND I MEAN ALWAYS, OFFER MORE MONEY THAN IS REQUESTED FOR OUR CHOICE OF PURCHASES, BECAUSE THEY ARE KINDLY FOLK WHO WORK HARD TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY. I KNOW WHAT THE PROFIT WILL BE, AS SOON AS I PICK SOMETHING OUT I WANT TO BUY. I HAVE LITTLE USE, PERSONALLY, FOR DEALERS WHO HAGGLE WITH CHARITABLE GROUPS, JUST TO MAKE A FEW EXTRA BUCKS. CIVILIANS? WELL, IT WOULD BE NICE IF THEY DIDN'T HAGGLE, BUT AT LEAST THEY'RE NOT HELL BENT ON STAGGERING PROFIT-MAKING, WHEN THEY DO BARTER. BARTERING IS PART OF THE ANTIQUE TRADE AND PRETTY MUCH THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. IT'S JUST NOT OVERLY SENSITIVE OR PERSONALLY CREDIBLE, IN MY OPINION, TO BEAT DOWN A GROUP THAT IS TRYING VALIANTLY TO HELP IMPROVE LIFE IN OUR COMMUNITY. I LOVE THESE SALES, AND I DON'T MISS THEM, AS A RULE, UNLESS I'M FORCED TO BE IN TWO TOWNS AT THE SAME TIME. THIS WEEKEND, WE HAD A BALL THANKS TO THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, AT ST. JOSEPH'S CATHOLIC CHURCH IN BRACEBRIDGE. WHAT GREAT FUN, AND WONDERFUL HOSTS. THANKS FOR ORGANIZING THIS ANNUAL SALE. IT'S A DANDY. GOT ALMOST A VAN-LOAD THIS YEAR.

     I HAVE, AT BEST, SCOOTED AROUND THE ISSUE OF ANTIQUE HUNTING, AND WHAT COMPELS DEALERS TO STAY THE COURSE. I WOULD HAVE NO INTEREST IN ANTIQUES, OR EVEN ART, IF THERE WASN'T SOME MAGIC ATTACHED. I HAVE NEVER PLACED PROFIT AS THE END ALL. MANY TIMES, IT WAS ALSO, ACCORDING TO THE ACCOUNTANT, MY FAILING. I'D SHOW UP AT OUR FORMER SHOP, WITH SOME INCREDIBLY ODD ITEM, LIKE A PIECE OF ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE, (A COFFIN OR EMBALMING MACHINE) OR A SCULPTURE TOO BIG TO GET DOWN THE STAIRS. I'VE ALWAYS LIKED ODD-BALL COLLECTIBLES, THAT OTHER PEOPLE LOOK AT WITH DISDAIN. IT IS TRULY THE CASE FOR ME, THAT ARTICLES LIKE THIS, SPEAK TO ME EVERSO SOFTLY, BUT EMPHATICALLY…."BUY ME…..TAKE ME HOME…..I'M YOURS." SUZANNE, AS MY BUSINESS PARTNER, HAS ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD MY NEED TO BE A LITTLE LEFT OF CENTRE……AN ODD DUCK, YOU MIGHT SAY. AS I WRITER, I'VE GOT EVEN MORE QUIRKS, AND I AM HEAVILY SUPERSTITIOUS. IT'S WHY I PAY ATTENTION, OUT ON THE ANTIQUE HUSTINGS, WHEN SOME ANTIQUE OR PIECE OF ART, BECKONS ME TO PAY ATTENTION. EVERY WILD AND CRAZY PIECE I'VE EVER PURCHASED, FOR OUR BUSINESS, HAS BEEN SOLD. IF I BOUGHT SOMETHING JUST BECAUSE I LIKED IT…..THIS WOULD BE AVERAGE AND PREDICTABLE. I'M NEITHER. BUT AS STRANGE AS THIS MAY SEEM, TO THE SPECTATOR, THE MORE UNUSUAL THE PIECE, THE EASIER IT WILL BE TO UNLOAD, AND RATHER QUICKLY. YES, THERE'S THE TRADITIONAL FARE, AND IT'S TRUE, THEY ARE OUR "MEAT AND POTATOES" SUSTENANCE; SO FOR BASIC SURVIVAL-INVENTORY, IT KIND OF DEPENDS ON HAVING A LARGE SELECTION OF THESE PREDICTABLE PIECES SUZANNE LOVES. WHEN THE LARGE AND GROTESQUE ITEMS SELL, WELL, I'M LEFT WITH NICE PIECES BUT ONES I CONSIDER "FOR PROFIT" ANTIQUES. GOOD FOR INVESTMENT. I'M GLAD I'VE GOT THEM, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO MAKE A PROFIT AT SOME POINT. OF COURSE, THE BIGGEST PROFIT WE CAN GET, IS FROM SOME WEIRD, OUT OF PLACE ART-PIECE, THAT WHILE MIGHT HANG AROUND THE SHOP AWHILE, WILL EVENTUALLY SELL FOR A CONSIDERABLE HIKE FROM THE PRICE I PAID. THERE ARE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH HOUSING BIG AND STRANGE STUFF, SO THE PRICE HAS TO REFLECT A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS. SUCH AS HOW HARD WAS IT TO FIND, HOW FAR DID WE HAVE TO DRIVE TO FIND IT, TRANSPORTATION COSTS, HAULING IT TO THE SHOP (OR HOME), REPAIRS, HIRED FOLKS NEEDED TO SET IT IN PLACE, AND THE SPECIAL TREATS I HAVE TO BUY SUZANNE TO MAKE UP FOR MY ECCENTRICITY. YOU SEE, SUZANNE DOESN'T BUY THIS "ECCENTRIC" EXCUSE, FOR THE CRAZY THINGS I DO. I USED TO GET AWAY WITH IT A LOT. THEN SHE STARTED TO FIGURE OUT, I WAS THE LEAST ECCENTRIC PERSON SHE KNEW…….BUT ONE OF THE MOST CUNNING AND SUBSEQUENTLY, ANNOYING. I CAN'T EVEN PLAY THE "ECCENTRIC" WRITER ANY MORE, AND SHE HAS DEVELOPED AN ACCOUNTANT'S WAY OF DEALING WITH ME…..IN ALL REGARDS.

     I HAVE WATCHED MANY ANTIQUE DEALERS FAIL, BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE INDUSTRY. THEY EXPECTED TOO MUCH. THEY GOT INTO THE BUSINESS OF BUYING AND SELLING ANTIQUES WITHOUT HAVING COMPLETED AN APPRENTICESHIP, AND WHILE THEY KNEW HOW TO FLIP PIECES, ON A FLEA MARKET BASIS, THEY DIDN'T APPRECIATE THE NUANCES OF THE TRADE…..BEYOND COMMERCE. EXPERIENCED ANTIQUE DEALERS ARE SORT OF LIKE MAGICIANS. THEY HAVE A LOT OF TRADE SECRETS THEY WILL TAKE TO THEIR GRAVE. EVEN IF THEY WERE IN THEIR LAST HOUR OF LIFE, THEY WOULDN'T REVEAL THE SECRETS THEY'VE KEPT CLOISTERED IN MEMORY, SINCE THEY BEGAN THE ANTIQUE HUNT……USUALLY AS YOUNGSTERS, STARTING SMALL, AND GRADUATING TO DIAMOND POINT ARMOIRES, AND ANTIQUE GLASS, ART, CHINA, POTTERY AND FURNITURE. THEY HAVE A PASSION THAT DOESN'T REALLY SHOW ITSELF, BECAUSE THERE'S A DISADVANTAGE IN WEARING ONE'S ENTHUSIASM IN THIS TRADE. THE MOST SUCCESSFUL AMONGST US, ARE NOT BOASTFUL ABOUT THEIR COLLECTIONS. THEY DON'T START DOING THE "VICTORY DANCE" WHEN THEY FIND A GOOD PIECE. YOU WILL HARDLY EVER SEE A VETERAN DEALER, SHOW ANY EMOTION WHATSOEVER, EVEN IF THEY BOUGHT A TOM THOMSON ART PANEL AT A YARD SALE FOR FIVE BUCKS. I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT THEY DO WHEN THEY HOP BACK INTO THE VAN, THEY'RE DRIVING, BUT YOU JUST WON'T HEAR A MURMUR, OR ANY SOUND DEFINABLY SIMILAR TO "GLEE." THEY MIGHT ASK THE VENDOR IF HE OR SHE HAS ANY MORE OF THESE LOVELY LITTLE BIRCH PANEL PAINTINGS, AND ALWAYS POLITELY, YET THERE IS NO NEED TO ENGAGE IN ANY MORE CONVERSATION THAN THIS. I HAVE ALWAYS LAUGHED ABOUT THOSE HOBBY DEALERS, WHO JUMP UP AND DOWN, AND START MOUTHING OFF ABOUT THE BIG FINDS, EVEN BEFORE THEY'VE LEFT THE SUBJECT PROPERTY, WHERE THEY MADE THE PURCHASE. NOW THAT'S JUST STUPID. ONE DEALER I DIDN'T LIKE, USED TO TELL ME ABOUT THE "BIG SCORE" HE GOT AT SOME SALE. IN FACT, HE'D TELL ME THIS, EVEN IF WE WERE STANDING SIDE BY SIDE THE GENTLEMAN WHO HAD JUST SOLD HIM A BOX OF BOOKS, OR SACK OF COMICS.

     I WALK AWAY FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE AT THESE SALES, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR ANTICS. I DON'T PARTNER WITH OTHER ANTIQUE DEALERS AS A RULE. I WILL LISTEN TO THEM, AND SELL THEM PIECES, BUT I WILL NEVER COLLABORATE. A LOT OF DEALERS ARE LIKE THIS. SOME LIKE TO PARTNER AND NETWORK, WHILE MANY PREFER SEPARATION FROM DEALERS THEY'RE NOT SURE ABOUT…..OR WHO THEY FEEL, COME ON TOO STRONG. SUZANNE AND I HAVE BEEN IN THIS GROUPING SINCE WE BEGAN IN THE TRADE. WE APPRECIATE THE WORK OF OUR FELLOW DEALERS. WE JUST DON'T WANT TO CLIMB IN BED WITH THEM. I RESIGNED FROM A RECENT APPRAISAL PROJECT I WAS WORKING ON, FOR THIS PRECISE REASON. IT'S A PROFESSIONAL THING, AND I DON'T EXPECT ANY ONE TO REALLY UNDERSTAND IT…….BUT IT WORKS FOR US, AS REPUTATION IS AN IMMENSELY DIFFICULT QUALITY AND QUANTITY TO PRESERVE IN OUR LINE OF WORK. IT TAKES DECADES TO BUILD UP TRUST, AND ONE SECOND TO SCREW IT ALL INTO THE GROUND. ONE MISTAKE COULD COST YOU ENOUGH CREDIBILITY, TO KILL YOUR BUSINESS IN A SMALL TOWN. I DON'T TAKE RISKS. BUYING, YES. RISK IS INHERENT IN THE INDUSTRY. IT'S PART OF THE GAME. BUT MY ASSOCIATIONS ARE CAREFUL, AND WELL RESEARCHED. THE PROFESSION HAS ITS PROBLEMS, AND ITS CHARACTERS. THIS IS ALSO ITS LEGACY FROM BEFORE THE DAYS OF CHARLES DICKENS, AND THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP.

     ONE LADY I USED TO KNOW, WOULD START JUMPING ON THE SPOT, YELPING, ABOUT THE INCREDIBLE DEALS SHE GOT. MEANWHILE, THE SALE HOST IS STARING IN DISBELIEF. I WALK AWAY SILENTLY BUT QUICKLY. THERE WAS ANOTHER ANTIQUING "TOOL," (PARDON MY UNKIND ASSESSMENT OF HIS CHARACTER) WHO BOUGHT A BAG OF WADE NURSERY RHYME (TEA) FIGURINES FROM A LOCAL THRIFT SHOP. I SAW HIM PICK UP THE BAG OF ABOUT A HUNDRED PIECES, LOOK AT THE PRICE, WHILE THANKING GOD FOR MAKING THIS HIS LUCKY DAY. THE BAG-LOAD OF TEA FIGURES WAS ONLY TEN DOLLARS. IN MINT CONDITION, THEY WOULD PROBABLY BE WORTH FOUR TO FIVE DOLLARS EACH. A GINGERBREAD MAN WOULD BE MUCH MORE THAN THIS, BECAUSE THE FIGURINES WERE MADE SO THIN, AND FRAGILE, MANY DIDN'T SURVIVE THE ROUGH HANDLING OF THE KIDS, WHO USUALLY GOT TO PLAY WITH THEM, BEFORE THEY WERE PUT UP ON THE WINDOW SILL…..LIKE OUR APARTMENT, WHERE MERLE LIKED THEM, POSITIONED IN A THEME GROUPING, BATHED BY THE AFTERNOON SUNLIGHT BEAMING THROUGH THE KITCHEN GLASS.

      THE GOOF GOT OUTSIDE, AND STARTED TELLING EVERYONE WHO WENT INTO THE STORE, WHAT A GREAT DEAL HE GOT AT THE THRIFT SHOP. WHAT DIDN'T HE UNDERSTAND ABOUT "THRIFT SHOP," AND ITS FUNDRAISING TO HELP THE LESS FORTUNATE? SO THE PEOPLE COMING INTO THE STORE, ACTUALLY STARTED COMMENTING TO STAFF, ABOUT THE HUGE PRIZE THE GUY OUTSIDE GOT…….AND "ARE THERE ANY MORE BAGS OF TEA FIGURINES?" THE GIRL AT THE COUNTER, WAS A HEART BREAKER. SHE SAID, CALMLY, WITH A LITTLE SMILE, "THEY WERE ALL THE CHIPPED ONES. THE GOOD ONES ARE GOING IN NEXT MONTH'S SILENT AUCTION." THE TEN DOLLAR BAG OF WADE FIGURES WAS BASICALLY WORTHLESS, BECAUSE IN THE COLLECTING FIELD, CHIPS ARE A BIG DOWNER, AND UNLESS IT'S A FILL-IN PIECE, UNTIL THE COLLECTOR GETS A PRISTINE FIGURE AS A REPLACEMENT, THE DAMAGED GOODS ARE OF NO REAL VALUE. IF THIS SUPPOSED DEALER HAD SOME EXPERIENCE, OR AT LEAST BEEN WILLING TO TALK TO ONE OF HIS CRONIES, IN THE STORE AT THE SAME TIME, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RE-INVEST THE TEN DOLLARS IN SOMETHING MORE SIGNIFICANT. LIKE THE SIGNED ORIGINAL OIL PAINTING, I BOUGHT INSTEAD, WHILE HE WAS REJOICING HIS BIG COUP.

     Another collector, now deceased, had a huge chip on his shoulder. He wanted to be considered a big time dealer, although he did everything contrary to what makes a good dealer, an even better, more profitable and accomplished dealer. When he had a short-lived shop, I used to visit occasionally, and talk with him about the antique trade. Well, it was more like, he talked and I listened reluctantly, and then picked him clean of every antique I could find in his shop that was undervalued. We call them "sleepers." I tried to help the guy improve himself, but I found it impossible to change him fast enough to save his shop, or his place in this highly competitive business. He was aggressive with his attitude, and felt that he knew everything there was to know about antiques and collectibles, and that basically, I should mind my own business. I've had lots of folks tell me this recently, and I always comply. So with this gentleman, we called "Horhay," I'd let him tell me how a piece he had, was worth ten times his asking price, but for me, I could have it for a ten percent discount from the sticker amount. He'd spend his time trying to sell me crap, and then I'd say something like, 'Well, it's hard to resist, but you know, I kind of like that wooden bowl over there." He'd be so pissed that I dropped my focus on his sale's pitch, the sales pitch, that he'd usually say, "Ah you can have that for half price. It's new you know?" I'd become mute from this point, and let him tell me how he was ripping me off, even letting me buy such a low-line piece. The danger for me was keeping a straight face, because I really wanted, after paying for it, to tell the guy just how ridiculous and stupid he was……as this was the genuine article, worth four to five times more than than the junk he was trying to sell me in the first place. He was so full of himself, that one day, he arrived at the sales desk at a local thrift shop, with a dollar record in hand. When he finished making his purchase, he stood at the counter and told the check-out girls, how he had just bought a rare five hundred dollar record, that he was going to sell online. What a jerk to do something like this, and he was wrong by the way. I took a peak, and as my two sons are experts in vintage vinyl, and 78's, he was just blowing smoke. He closed-up his business shortly after, because he found customers annoyed him with stupid questions. Truth is, there are thousands of these kind of half-ass dealers, ruining the industry for those of us who have paid our dues, worked hard, and studied ceaselessly for decades, to get to this stage of competence.

     I have taken the time with many friends to offer a few basic tips about buying and selling for profit. The self-help books will tell you to buy what you like, and always buy quality. While I always buy with high regard for quality, I seldom buy what I like. I have to buy what you might like, instead, seeing as my profession depends on my being able to flip these pieces for profit. I was told by a writing professor, in my first year of university, that if a piece of writing I produce, is understood by only me, then "wad it up," and toss into the garbage bin…..and try again. This time, to try and appeal to readers generally. At least if you're interested in selling a book, or increasing readership. The same goes for antique hunting, as a profession. Buying what you like can get you into a lot of trouble. Buying for others is the real trick of the trade, and requires a huge amount of exposure to what's going on in the industry as a whole, and what collectors are looking for. The big deal right now, is to appeal to home decorators, and in part, we can thank Martha Stewart and a host of others, for breathing new life into the antique trade. The ultra modern interior designs are incorporating antiques side by side contemporary furnishings and art, and the look, as they say, is "rather fetching." So my advice to fledgling dealers, who think they're pretty smart, and well travelled, is to admit you're a liar, and you suffer from delusional episodes. The antique trade takes years of cruel and punishing mistakes, to make perfect. There is no end to your studies. The rules change constantly, and the trends are not predictable…..just that there will be a new one every six to eight months, and your survival will depend on intuition, and resolve to read, learn, immerse, and ask pertinent questions of those veterans of the industry. We won't tell you everything, because you're a potential competitor. But if you are humble and approachable, and want to learn outside the box, then you must show respect to those who are imbedded in the industry. I'll tell you why being imbedded in the industry, prohibits us from telling all we know. There are estates out there, waiting to break forth, that can make an antique dealer very wealthy. Patience is most definitely a virtue.

Muskoka History Resources To The Main Street of Gravenhurst; Storied Muskoka Worth Exploring

A Centennial History of the CNE signed by the author to boat racing legend Harold Wilson owner of Miss Canada

We are bringing our history resource service to the main street of Gravenhurst. Got a question about local history? Give us a try.

 MUSKOKA HISTORY RESOURCES - TO THE MAIN STREET OF GRAVENHURST

HISTORIANS WITH A STORY TO TELL - DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR ARCHIVES MATERIAL TO SHARE?

     TWICE A YEAR, OR MORE, BASED ON THE SPECIFIC PUBLICATION SHOVED IN MY FACE, I WILL BECOME ILL WITH ANGER, ABOUT THE LIBERTIES TAKEN TO DESCRIBE THE SO CALLED "MUSKOKA LIFESTYLE;' BY THE VESTED INTEREST, WHO DON'T SEEM TO HAVE A CLUE, THAT MUSKOKA LIFESTYLE, ALSO INCLUDES THOSE CITIZENS WHO HAVE TO VISIT THE FOOD BANK, TO AVOID STARVING TO DEATH. THEIR MUSKOKA, FALLS UNDER THE HEADING, "THE LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS," NOT THE POOR AND DESTITUTE. SUZANNE AND I CERTAINLY DON'T FIT INTO THE LIFESTYLE, AS SHOWN IN GLOSSY ADS, EVEN THOUGH MY WIFE'S FAMILY OWNED A LAKE ROSSEAU COTTAGE. IT OF COURSE, WAS A FAMILY HOMESTEAD FIRST, BEFORE IT WAS USED AS A COTTAGE. IT WAS A NEAT PLACE, BUT IT DIDN'T HAVE A HOT TUB AT THE END OF THE DOCK. THE LUXURY WAS A ROOF, A DOCK, AND OF COURSE, THE BEAUTIFUL LAKE. WHENEVER I SEE THIS LIFESTYLE REFERENCE, USED RECKLESSLY, I WANT TO RESPOND, WITH THE UNEARTHLY SPARKS OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE; TO CHALLENGE THE WRITERS AND PUBLISHERS, WHO IRRESPONSIBLY PORTRAY MUSKOKA, IN THE ILLUMINATION OF DAZZLING WEALTH, AND LUXURIOUS LIVING; ONLY BECAUSE OF THIS LIMITED FOCUS FOR THE SAKE OF EXPLOITATION AS ONLY A MEANS TO PROFIT.
     THE SO CALLED, "ADJUSTED TRUTH" THAT SUITS A PARTICULAR NEED, FOR A BUSINESS PROTOCOL, THAT IN ALL OTHER DEGREES, REPRESENTS MORE FICTION, THAN FACT. I HAVEN'T HAD MY FILL OF IT YET, THIS YEAR, BUT EACH SPRING, I WILL RUN INTO SOME TOOL, IN THE PRINT MEDIA, WHO HAS REVISIONIST PLANS, TO TAKE OVER THE REGION, AND SCULPT IT INTO A LAKELAND MONEY TREE; AS IF THAT'S THE WHOLE STORY, ABOUT WHAT MAKES THIS REGION KNOWN, AND RESPECTED AROUND THE WORLD, FOR ITS BEAUTY AND HOSPITALITY. MOST HISTORIANS OF THE REGION TODAY, JUST CRINGE, INHALE IT INTO THEIR SOULS, AND THEN BURY IT DEEP, DEEP WITHIN; VERSUS SAY, TRYING TO UNDO ALL THE FABRICATIONS, AND GENERALIZATIONS, CREATED TO SUIT WHAT BUSINESS WANTS MUSKOKA TO BE!  MUSKOKA AND OUR TOWN DESERVE BETTER, AND MORE SENSITIVE TREATMENT, CONSIDERING THAT WE HAVE A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF FOLKS, LIVING BENEATH THE POVERTY LINE.
     MAYBE, IN A SMALL WAY, BRINGING OUR HISTORICAL RESOURCES ENTERPRISE, UP TO THE MAIN STREET, IS THE RESULT OF THIS DISLIKE FOR THE RELENTLESS BASTARDIZATION OF OUR HERITAGE, FOR FINANCIAL GAIN. THOSE WHO BELIEVE THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO RECONSTITUTE OUR LEGACY; TO MAKE IT SEXY AND LUSCIOUSLY APPEALING, TO THOSE WITH THE CASH TO MAKE MUSKOKA DANCE TO THEIR OWN DRUMBEAT. I COME FROM A SCHOOL OF THOUGHT, THAT HISTORY IS HISTORY. WHAT MAKES IT SIGNIFICANT, IS THE CAPABILITY OF THE RESEARCHER, TO INFILL WHAT ISN'T KNOWN. I'M A LONG WAY FROM AN HISTORICAL PURIST, BUT I'M A LOT CLOSER THAN THESE FOLKS. IT'S ONE THING TO PROFIT FROM HISTORY. I USED TO BE IN THE MUSEUM BUSINESS, AND SUZANNE AND I ARE ANTIQUE DEALERS. SO WE PROFIT FROM HISTORY PERPETUALLY. BUT WE RESPECT THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCURACY AND FACTUAL REPRESENTATION. IF WE DON'T KNOW A DETAIL OF HISTORY, WE WILL TRY EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO FIND THE MISSING INFORMATION. BUT AS FAR AS EMBELLISHING OUR HISTORY, OR GENERALIZING, ON WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE IN THIS REGION, THEN AND NOW, WE WON'T COLOR WHAT ISN'T ALREADY COLORED. OUR HERITAGE IS COLORFUL ENOUGH AS IT IS!  
     WHEN WE OPENED OUR BASEMENT ANTIQUE SHOP, ON UPPER MANITOBA STREET, WHICH WOULD BE BACK IN THE LATE 1980'S, I USED TO JOKE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY, THAT IT WAS THE PERFECT PLACE TO WRITE. AS IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A PLACE OF BUSINESS, SELLING ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES, SLOW BUSINESS DURING THE RECESSIONARY YEARS OF THE EARLY 1990'S, ALLOWED ME A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF FREE TIME, TO RESEARCH MUSKOKA HISTORY, AND TAKE ON SOME FREELANCE PROJECTS. ONE OF THE FIRST ASSIGNMENTS, WAS A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BRACEBRIDGE SENIOR CITIZENS' CLUB. THEN THERE WAS THE COLUMN SPACE I WAS OFFERED, IN THE MUSKOKA ADVANCE, TO WRITE "SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BRACEBRIDGE," WHICH A FEW YEARS LATER, MORPHED INTO "BRACEBRIDGE SKETCHES," AND THEN FINALLY "MUSKOKA SKETCHES," BY THE TURN OF THE NEW CENTURY. I WROTE COLUMNS AT MY SALES DESK, IN BETWEEN TRANSACTIONS (HOURS UPON HOURS), AND STARTED TO SUBMIT FEATURE STORIES TO THE MUSKOKA SUN AS WELL. THIS, OF COURSE, AFTER AN ELEVEN YEAR WRITING RELATIONSHIP WITH MUSKOKA PUBLICATIONS AND THEN THE BRACEBRIDGE EXAMINER, AND GRAVENHURST BANNER.    DURING THIS SAME PERIOD, OF THE MAINSTREET SHOP, I EVEN GOT INVOLVED IN RESEARCH FOR THE BIOGRAPHY OF ROGER CROZIER, FORMERLY OF THE DETROIT RED WINGS OF THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE. THIS WAS ON THE CUSP OF ROGER SETTING UP "THE CROZIER FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN," IN MUSKOKA, AND THE UNITED STATES. I WOULD EVENTUALLY BECOME PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR OF THE MUSKOKA CHAPTER. ROGER, OF COURSE, WAS A BRACEBRIDGE HOMETOWNER. AFTER HIS HOCKEY CAREER, HE BECAME A BANK EXECUTIVE WITH MBNA. I WROTE ABOUT A MILE OF EDITORIAL COPY, FOR A SPECIAL ROGER CROZIER TRIBUTE SUPPLEMENT, TO THE HERALD-GAZETTE, WHICH WAS LATER RE-PUBLISHED, IN ITS ENTIRETY, IN THE MBNA NEWSLETTER, THAT HAD A HUGE CIRCULATION FROM CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS, IN WILMINGTON, DELAWARE. IT GOT ME A FREE TRIP TO DELAWARE TO VISIT WITH ROGER; SO THAT LITTLE OFFICE SPACE, IN AN ANTIQUE SHOP, IN A QUIET TIME OF RETAIL, PRETTY MUCH CHANGED MY LIFE. I WOULD EVENTUALLY CLOSE THE SHOP, TO WORK WITH ROGER'S FOUNDATION, WHICH I UPHELD WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM UNTIL A FEW YEARS AGO. A LOT OF HISTORICAL PROJECTS WERE SEEDED BACK THEN, AS A RESULT OF A REALLY LONG OFF-SEASON; WHICH ONLY SEEMED TO END WHEN JULY ROLLED AROUND. THINGS, THANKFUL, ARE A LOT DIFFERENT NOW. I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THE BUSY SEASON IS MUCH LONGER IN THIS NEW CENTURY.
     WE HAVE BEEN QUIETLY WORKING AWAY ON RESEARCH PROJECTS AT OUR NEW SHOP, ON THE MAIN STREET OF GRAVENHURST, AND WE HAVE ACTUALLY UNDERTAKEN SEVERAL MAJOR ONES IN THE PAST YEAR; INCLUDING A PUBLISHED HISTORY OF A REGIONAL GOLF AND CURLING CLUB, WHICH WAS INCREDIBLY INSIGHTFUL, PRIMARILY BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST SERIOUS BUSINESS CHRONICLE I'D EVER WRITTEN. BUT MORE AND MORE, SUZANNE AND I ARE BEING ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT REGIONAL HISTORY, FROM FOLKS WHO HAVE KNOWN US SINCE THOSE SHOP DAYS IN BRACEBRIDGE. AND WE HAVE HAD TO ASK FOR ASSISTANCE FROM THE GRAVENHURST ARCHIVES COMMITTEE, A GROUP ALWAYS READY TO LEND A HAND, TO SOLVE AN HISTORICAL IMPASSE. SO WE FINALLY DECIDED, NOW THAT WE ARE BOTH CONSIDERED HERITAGE ITEMS OURSELVES, THAT WE WOULD BE MORE PUBLIC ABOUT OUR HERITAGE RESOURCES, WHEN PREVIOUSLY, WE DIDN'T ACTIVELY PROMOTE IT, BECAUSE WE WERE SWAMPED GETTING THE SHOP UP AND RUNNING. WE COMPLICATED IT ALL, TIMING WISE, WITH THE EXTRA WORKLOAD OF CREATING THE COOKERY ARCHIVES, WHICH IS STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS, AFTER THE FIRST FULL YEAR OF OPERATION. IT'S NICE TO SEE SOME MUSKOKA CHEFS USING OUR RESOURCES. AS PART OF THE MUSKOKA HISTORY RESOURCES, WE NOW HAVE A BONUS COLLECTION OF REGIONAL COOKBOOKS, THAT WE KEEP ON-SITE FOR REFERENCE. WE COULD ALWAYS USE MORE. WE ONLY SELL OFF THESE BOOKS IF WE HAVE DOUBLES, OR TRIPLES, OF THE SAME BOOK. BUT WE ARE WILLING TO SHARE WHAT WE HAVE IN OUR SMALL BUT GROWING ARCHIVES COLLECTION.
     SO YOU'LL SEE PUBLISHED ABOVE, MY LITTLE "MUSKOKA HISTORY RESOURCES" SIGN, FOR THE SHOP, WHICH HOPEFULLY, WILL ENCOURAGE VISITORS TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR DISTRICT; AND FEEL COMFORTABLE CHATTING WITH A COUPLE OF WELL-TRAVELLED, WELL-TUTORED, AND HISTORICALLY ENCUMBERED, (AND A LITTLE CRUMPLED AROUND THE EDGES) HISTORIANS, WHO LIVE AND BREATHE THE HISTORY OF MUSKOKA. SUZANNE'S FAMILY SETTLED IN THE UFFORD AREA, OF THE PRESENT TOWNSHIP OF MUSKOKA LAKES, BACK IN THE EARLY 1860'S, REPRESENTING BOTH THE SHEA AND VEITCH FAMILIES, AND WAS A LONG-TIME RESIDENT OF THE VILLAGE OF WINDERMERE, ON LAKE ROSSEAU. I DON'T HAVE TO REPEAT MY CREDENTIALS, BUT I FIND IT WONDERFUL ENTERTAINMENT, TO HAVE HERITAGE TALKS ROUTINELY WITH OUR GUESTS. SUZANNE AND I JUST DECIDED TO OFFER THIS AS A FREE SERVICE, FOR THE FOLKS WHO COME TO SEE US. SEEING AS THERE ARE A LOT OF CLAIMS THESE DAYS, ABOUT MUSKOKA LIFESTYLE, AND ALL THE ACCOMPANYING DISTORTIONS, AND LIBERTIES BEING TAKEN BY NON-HISTORIANS, THIS SEEMED THE PERFECT TIME, AND PERFECT LOCATION, TO OFFER THOSE WHO WANT THE TRUE STORY, TO ASK THOSE CLOSEST TO THE CHRONICLE. IF WE DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER OURSELVES, WE'LL FIND OUT FOR YOU.
     I REMARKED TO SUZANNE, LAST NIGHT, THAT I HAVE HAD THE LONGEST APPRENTICESHIP, AS AN HISTORIAN, IN NOT ONLY THE REGION, BUT IN THE WHOLE FREAKING WORLD. BY THIS I MEAN, THAT I HAVE NEVER STOPPED BEING REVERENT TO THOSE WHO HAVE HAD MORE EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD, THAN ME (AND YES, THERE ARE A FEW OF THOSE FOLKS AROUND). I'M REVERENT TO HISTORIANS WHO HAVE PASSED, WHO MENTORED ME IN MY EARLY YEARS, SUCH AS WELL KNOWN MUSKOKA HISTORIANS, LIKE ROBERT BOYER, LESLIE TENNANT, (BOTH WHO HAVE PASSED), AND GARY DENNISS, ONE OF THE MOST PROLIFIC OF OUR MUSKOKA WRITERS, WHO TAUGHT ME ABOUT REGIONAL HERITAGE AT BRACEBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOL. AS YOU KNOW, BY READING THIS BLOG, I FEEL HUGELY INDEBTED TO HISTORIANS LIKE HUGH MACMILLAN, AND DAVE BROWN, WHO GAVE ME THE RARE OPPORTUNITY, TO DISCUSS THE INTIMATE DETAILS OF HUNTING AND GATHERING HISTORIC DOCUMENTS, AND THEN USING THEM TO MY ADVANTAGE. THEN THERE WAS GRAVENHURST RESIDENT, A CIVIL WAR HISTORIAN, TOM BROOKS, WHO PASSED AWAY LAST YEAR. I REMEMBER THE DAY HE RODE HIS HORSE OVER TO BIRCH HOLLOW, TO BUY A COPY OF OUR BOOK ON THE NAMING OF "BRACEBRIDGE," AND "GRAVENHURST." I REFUSED TO TAKE MONEY FOR THE BOOK, BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH RESPECT I HAD FOR HIM AS AN HISTORIAN. I MADE A TRADE INSTEAD. I ASKED HIM TO SIGN OUR COPY OF THE MOVIE "GETTYSBURG," OF WHICH HE WAS ONE OF THE CONFEDERATE ARMY RE-ENACTORS, IN RETURN FOR OUR BOOK. AND A CARROT FOR HIS HORSE.
     SUZANNE AND I VIEWED THE TWO PART FILM, ON THE EASTER WEEKEND, AND WATCHED TOM GET KILLED TWICE IN THE MOVIE. HE LAUGHED ABOUT THIS, DURING THAT CONVERSATION. HE JUST PUSHED HIS WAY INTO THE TWO MAJOR SCENES, AND THE CAMERA LOVED HIM. WE BOTH GOT A LITTLE TEARY-EYED, BECAUSE TOM WAS SUCH A NEAT CHAP, WHO WAS SO EASY TO TALK TO; AND HE WAS SO INCREDIBLY INTUITIVE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF WAR, ON THIS CONTINENT AND IN EUROPE. I ALWAYS WANTED TO PAIR HIM UP WITH MY OLD FRIEND, CHARLIE WILSON, WHO USED TO WORK AT THE MBNA OFFICE IN WILMINGTON. I WORKED WITH CHARLIE ON THE ROGER CROZIER BIOGRAPHY, BUT WE HAD SOME GREAT DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR, AND I TOLD HIM ALL ABOUT OUR FRIEND TOM BROOKS. NOW BOTH ARE DECEASED, AND IT WILL BOTHER ME TO THE END OF MY LIFE, THAT I HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO ARRANGE A MEETING, WHEN CHARLIE FLEW UP TO MUSKOKA ONE WEEKEND. IT WAS THE ONE WEEKEND TOM WAS ON ONE OF HIS RE-ENACTMENT TOURS OF DUTY. BUT I AM ENORMOUSLY PROUD, TO PUT THESE NAMES ABOVE MY OWN, AND THE ONLY HOPE I HAVE EVER HAD, WAS THAT I WOULD ONE DAY, BE CONSIDERED WORTHY OF THE TITLE, "HISTORIAN," AS THEY WERE, IN THEIR ACCOMPLISHED LIVES. SUZANNE HAS SHARED EVERY RESEARCH PROJECT, SINCE WE MARRIED, IN THE EARLY 1980'S, I CAN HONESTLY SAY, SHE HAS SHARED THIS APPRENTICESHIP, WITH THE SAME PEOPLE, FOR LONG AND LONG.
    YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE HOW MANY HERITAGE QUESTIONS SHE GETS, OVER-THE-COUNTER, AND HOW MANY NIGHTS SHE SPENDS HER FREE, TIME GOING THROUGH OUR FILES, TO HELP A CUSTOMER LOCATE A BUILDING, OR FIND A FAMILY REFERENCE, IN LOCALLY PUBLISHED HISTORIES. AND SHE HAS ASKED FOR HELP FROM A FRIEND, CONNECTED TO THE GRAVENHURST ARCHIVES, AND BOY OH BOY, WHAT A NICE FEELING IT IS, TO BE ABLE TO NETWORK AND CONNECT PEOPLE, TO A FAMILY HERITAGE LOCALLY, THEY HAD NEVER FULLY KNOWN PREVIOUSLY. SUSPECTED, YES! THEY JUST DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO TURN. OF COURSE WE'RE GLAD TO HELP, AND WE HAVE QUITE A FEW FRIENDS IN THE HERITAGE FIELD, SO WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA WHERE TO GO FOR ANSWERS. WE'RE NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT ON OUR MISSIONS, BUT CLOSE.
       ANOTHER REASON, WE'VE DECIDED TO GO PUBLIC WITH THIS FREE SERVICE, IS THAT I'VE GROWN A LITTLE WEARY OF SURFACE-SKIMMER WRITERS, (I WON'T CALL THEM HISTORIANS), WHO ROUTINELY BORROW OUR WORK FOR THEIR OWN BENEFIT. AS FAR AS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, GADS, I'M QUITE USED TO READING MY MATERIAL, RECONSTITUTED IN THE BOOKS OF OTHERS, WITHOUT EVER HAVING GIVEN PERMISSION, WHICH IS THE PROTOCOL AFTERALL. I FIGURE THAT IT'S PROBABLY TIME, BEFORE ANY MORE IS BORROWED, AT LEAST WHILE I'M STILL ALIVE, THAT WE CLAIM OWNERSHIP OF CONTENT WE'VE RESEARCHED, AND DEVELOPED, INTO PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS; ALONG WITH WORK WE'RE STILL PRODUCING FOR A VARIETY OF WRITING PROJECTS. IT'S NOT THAT I AM ADVERSE TO BEING QUOTED, BUT I SURE HATE READING A BOOK, IN A "FOR PROFIT" VENTURE, AND FINDING THAT I HAVE BEEN QUOTED WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE, OR PERMISSION. IF I WAS DECEASED, THIS, WITH APPROPRIATE CREDITS, WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE. I DO THIS ALL THE TIME. BUT IT IS ALWAYS IDENTIFIED, AS THOROUGHLY AS POSSIBLE, INCLUDING THE PUBLICATION INFORMATION, FROM ANY BOOK QUOTED FROM; NO EXCEPTIONS. I AM ALWAYS WILLING TO CO-OPERATE WITH AUTHORS, AND WE USUALLY ASSIST ON A HALF DOZEN, OR MORE PUBLICATION PROJECTS EVERY YEAR; SOME THAT ONLY HAVE A MINOR CONNECTION TO MUSKOKA. AND BY THE WAY, I DON'T MAKE A DIME ON THIS BLOG, ALTHOUGH SOME BELIEVE I MUST PROFIT SOMEHOW. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE COMMERCIAL ADS, ACCOMPANYING THIS BLOG, IN TWO YEARS, I HAVEN'T RECEIVED ONE CENT OF PROFIT. SO IF I USE A NAME, OR MAKE A REFERENCE, NONE OF IT IS BEING USED TO PAD MY RETIREMENT INCOME. SUZANNE AND I CAN BE HIRED TO RESEARCH AND WRITE LOCAL HISTORIES, BUT THIS IS QUITE SEPARATE FROM WHAT WE'RE LAUNCHING AS A FREE SERVICE FOR OUR VISITORS.
     THE FIRST FOLKS WE'D LOVE TO CHAT WITH, ABOUT LOCAL HISTORY, ARE THE YET-TO-BE-REGISTERED CANDIDATES, FOR THE UPCOMING MUNICIPAL ELECTION, IN OCTOBER. IT WOULD BE GREAT TO MEET WITH THESE PEOPLE, BEFORE THEY GET FULLY OUT THERE ON THE ELECTION HUSTINGS; THE PROBLEM IS GETTING THEM TO ADMIT, THEY DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THIS TOWN, OR REGION'S HERITAGE. I DO BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE AN APTITUDE TEST, FOR COUNCIL HOPEFULS, THAT DEMANDS A BASIC, WORKING KNOWLEDGE, OF HOW THIS TOWN WAS ESTABLISHED, AND ABOUT ITS MILESTONES OF ACCOMPLISHMENT. SAME GOES FOR THE DISTRICT. I CAN HANDLE THEM NOT KNOWING ABOUT ASPECTS OF CANADIAN AND GLOBAL HISTORY, BUT IT REALLY SUCKS, WHEN THERE ARE CANDIDATES WHO HAVE ONLY MINOR KNOWLEDGE, OF THE TOWN THEY MAY COME REPRESENT. SO I OFFERED A LONG TIME AGO, TO TUTOR ANY POTENTIAL CANDIDATES, WHO HAVE AN INTEREST IN BRUSHING UP ON MATTERS OF LOCAL HISTORY. WE'RE ALWAYS WILLING TO SHARE OUR INFORMATION, WITH ANYONE FEELING THEY COULD USE A TOP-UP. I PUT THIS OUT TO SITTING COUNCILLORS, OVER THIS PAST FOUR YEAR TERM, BUT WELL, THEY DIDN'T RESPOND. I WASN'T EXACTLY SURPRISED. BUT WE'RE NOT FAIR WEATHER FRIENDS OF THE TOWN, OR THE DISTRICT, SO WE HAVE AN OPEN INVITATION TO VISIT. YOU SEE, THE HISTORIAN'S WILD DREAM, IS FOR EVERY TOWN COUNCILLOR TO BE HISTORICALLY INFORMED; BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW! AND EQUALLY SIGNIFICANT, TO APPRECIATE HOW OUR SOCIAL / CULTURAL HERITAGE, HAS DEVELOPED EVER SINCE OUR FOUNDING MOTHERS, AND FATHERS, BUILT THOSE FIRST LOG SHANTIES. NO, WE ARE NOT THE SAME AS BRACEBRIDGE, OR HUNTSVILLE, OR PORT CARLING. WE'VE EVEN DEBATED THIS WITH OUR HISTORICAL COLLEAGUES. BUT AS A FOLK HISTORIAN, TRUST ME, WE ARE DIFFERENT; AND IT'S NOT JUST BECAUSE WE'RE FROM THE DEEP SOUTH (OF MUSKOKA). SO WE'D REALLY LOVE TO SHARE OUR FINDINGS AND KNOWLEDGE, WITH THE IDEA, THAT BY RESPECTING THIS CHRONICLE, I MEAN TRULY RESPECTING IT, THE DECISIONS OF A NEW COUNCIL WILL BE SENSITIVE AND RESPONSIVE, TO OUR VALUES, AS TOWN AND REGIONAL STAKEHOLDERS. AS FOR DESIGNATING HERITAGE BUILDINGS, THIS COUNCIL SEEMS TO BE ON ITS GAME. AS FOR EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE HERITAGE SCHEME OF THINGS, NOT SO MUCH! SO SUZANNE AND I HAVE A STANDING INVITATION FOR CANDIDATE HOPEFULS, TO DROP BY FOR A VISIT. HISTORY DOESN'T HURT. IT'S ACTUALLY QUITE INVIGORATING.
     WE SHALL ONLY IMPOSE OUR VALUES WHEN ASKED FOR OUR OPINION. THE ONLY NECESSARY OPINION, OF SOME COMMITMENT, THAT IS REQUIRED FOR THE STUDY OF HISTORY, IS THAT IT IS WORTH KNOWING; AND OURS IS A JEWELL TO CELEBRATE.

Storied Muskoka –

Canada’s Haunted Lakeland

When I pass from this tired, frayed mortal coil, I too shall find Muskoka an accommodating domain for the still-unsettled spirit…..in this hauntingly craggy, gnarled, forested landscape that has for too long been taken for granted by her users and abusers.

I can’t take but one footfall from this homestead, here at Birch Hollow, than I feel the invigoration of unspecified old spirits and musty legend left to its own devices. Even when I sit in this creaking office chair, looking out over The Bog, I feel the presence of so much more than does the everyday traveler, who out of imposed necessity is too busy to stop and ponder the grand virtues of nature, and the subtle intrigue of the unexplained.

There are many good folks who reside down this lane, who have little use for “haunts” and the “marvels” of the hinterland. They have more important things to do in this frenetic world in which we live. There are aspects of this ballywick I feel are important and life-enhancing but a few of my contemporaries believe I am wasting my time selling virtues of enchantment and poetry; fantasy and the good graces of both legend and lore. The woodland I see now has a depth beyond what the naturalists identifies. The snaking creek through the hollow means more to me as analogy than the science of watershed alone. I suppose I am forever locked into the confusing hiatus between the natural and the supernatural. Yet I am contented to experience the joys of reality and then expectation while walking down these misty, well-worn pathways down into the hollow.

When the wind gusts bang at the light fixtures on the verandah, it’s as if the spirits are attempting to awaken the dead to their own new reality. Right this moment the gale force wind of an early spring storm whines through the cracks in this humble abode, and it’s as if there’s a cauldron of boiling souls somewhere beyond.

There are those who prefer to acknowledge weather as weather, wind as wind, and sunrise and sunset as a matter of sheer routine. There is no reason to question the quirks and peculiarities of a given day, other than possibly to offer some complaint about the inconvenience of having to go out in the rain or snow, or the blast of spring wind that puts sand into eyes, and hair into disarray.

I am rather passionate about these blustery circumstances, as I can always find something to write about when the sky is black, or the lightning flashes ignite so much brighter than white. I might sit here for an hour in a gentle submission, listening to birds chirp from the lilac boughs. In the event a fringe of dark, ominous looking cloud was to appear suddenly over the horizon pines, my typewriter would be employed in a rapid transmission from mind to key to paper. It is so wonderfully provocative when the wind howls and this house creaks in the thrusts of a storm’s initial bluster. Just as the wind etches down upon this vulnerable landscape presently, as we reside precariously on the brink of yet another spring storm. It is oh so much more interesting when nature decides it’s time to shatter mortal complacency. While the calm of early morning inspires the poet to write sentimentally about new beginnings and the rejuvenation of life, a mid afternoon storm cascades a wild fury of emotion and contempt, and it’s difficult to keep the fingers in tempo with the peaks and valleys of a powerful gale force.

I can sit here in the company of modern conveniences, a hot cup of tea and fresh biscuit, in warmth and comfortable sanctuary, yet feel as if, with this display of violent weather outside, I am alone in some remote wilderness cabin with a modest fire in the hearth, and most basic, humble shelter. I can feel the reaper’s long nails scraping at the window pane to harvest yet another wayfarer at the end of an adventure. I feel the icy grasp of death on my shoulder and shudder at the possibility this fire will extinguish, this hot tea run cold, this storied cabin left to erode into the landscape from which it was raised. There are many faces pressed against the glass, of travelers once, who may have lodged here for a time, partaking of nourishment to continue their passage to a homestead allotment further down the road.

Muskoka has been a tantalizing, alluring mistress for all these years. She has inspired me onward to discover the road less traveled, and left me questioning pertinent legend and lore at lakeside, when a spring sunset ignites the water into a great ball of liquid fire. I watch phantom canoes drift slowly across the lake, and have heard the whistle of a long lost steamship, and then saw the vapor off a lakeside bog float across the waterscape like two dancers in a tango. Nothing is quite as it seems. There is an intermingling of fact and fiction, legend and lore, ghosts and wee beasties that travel in the twilight of summer nights, up and down the rock faces of frozen-in-time ogres, and assorted other malevolent entities who curl up in the story-lines yet to be written.

There is a deep satisfaction in making a connection, with the qualities and quantities of unspecified manifestations; the ghost witnessed along the fern-laden garden path, or the fairy-kind found in dance ‘neath the midnight moon. It’s truly marvelous to find yourself in company with some goblin or other, at a time when a source of inspiration proves hollow and boring. How could any writer or artist-type, fail to be thoughtfully provoked, when provided exposure in some fashion, to the curious facets of what is often called the supernatural. I consider myself quite fortunate indeed to feel the hair on my neck standing in the chill of strange company, possibly encountered on a cemetery walk, or on a misted-over trail from one cottage structure to another.

I have no interest in protecting myself against all exposures to what a soothsayer might call “the paranormal.” I drink it all in as would any inspiration-starved creator, having this unnatural craving to compose until the final, ultimate collapse into exhaustion. It would be an unremarkable enterprise should these paranormal encounters suddenly cease. My goodness, what would I do? What would inspire me to sit for hours on end at this typewriter, if it wasn’t for a well placed, unanticipated haunting?

It’s apparent from what visitors to Birch Hollow tell me…. that we have quite enough ghosts already, to keep me company for many years to come. As an antique collector it is said that these wayward spirits may have arrived in our abode, quite unceremoniously attached to a work of art,….possibly an old pine cradle, a painting, book, or even a Victorian era teddy bear. My wife claims we have haunted dolls, and I have nary a reason to challenge her assumption.

Muskoka is most definitely a haunted, spiritual place, and there have been many testimonials from some of the country’s great poets and artists, agreeing there’s more here than just rocks, trees and water. There’s an ecstasy to experience. A spiritual freedom, a universality of potential beckoning free-thinkers to explore and create.

For those who wouldn’t recognize a spirit if they had one hop on their back for a wee joy-ride, sensing out the paranormal from the normal, the supernatural from the natural, is a matter of letting one’s imagination run unencumbered. It is necessary to allow your sensory perception to delve beyond the obvious. Pre-conceived notions block out a great deal of sensory perception. It’s a modern day condition consuming the child before its time. Possessing the good graces of a child’s imagination is the catalyst of unfettered adventure.

What do you feel sitting out along the Muskoka lakeshore in the darkness, and watching the magnificent fanning colors of the northern lights? Do you hear voices in the wind, when a spring gale washes down over the rock bluffs, and then through the pinery highlands? Do you feel that sense of awe when a storm-front rages down over the lakeland with a powerful fist, unclenching onto vulnerable lowlands, and then culling old leaning birches and evergreens as it rages through the woodlands.

Muskoka is a storied place, much like the historic valley of the Hudson River, made famous by American author Washington Irving. Muskoka has a collection of tales and legends to bestow the keen watcher….the curious traveler, the seeker of adventure, with the truths of good, faithful and historic hauntings.

If ye are the seekers of such adventure, you are welcome to join this mission of discovery…..and yes, I’ve known a few spirits in my time. If you don’t believe in ghosts and the paranormal, then consider these coming entries as wild speculation, ravings of a lunatic, and flights of unfathomable fancy. But if you dare to experience Muskoka’s spirited legacy, do read on…..more to come soon in this blog journal….the Nature of Muskoka.

No Dog And Pony Show At Our Antique Shop; Simple, Basic, Lovely Country Antiques; Hugh MacMillan Paper Sleuth

Bracebridge Citizens Band from a vintage post card

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE'RE NOT MUCH FOR SHOW - SO DON'T EXPECT A CARNIVAL TO BREAK OUT

TO MATCH THE COMPETITION, OURS WILL BE A LOW LUSTRE - THE ORIGINAL PATINA YOU MIGHT SAY

     IN THE WHIRLWIND OF THE ANTIQUE TRADE, COMPETITION IS ALWAYS HEALTHY. IT CAN BE HIGHLY PROFITABLE. THERE ARE SAGE DEALERS, I KNOW, WHO WILL SUGGEST, THAT THE ONLY WAY TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL ANTIQUE BUSINESS, IS TO ISOLATE FROM OTHER DEALERS, SO THAT COMPARISON SHOPPING ISN'T QUITE SO INTIMATE AND IMMEDIATE. TO SOME DEGREE, IT'S DEFINITELY TRUE. WE HAVE RUN ANTIQUE SHOPS, WHERE THERE WAS A CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE BETWEEN US AND THE NEAREST COMPETITOR. THERE WERE CUSTOMERS WHO WOULD BUY FROM US, EVEN IF THE PRICE WAS HIGHER ON A PARTICULAR ITEM; BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DRIVE BACK TO THE OTHER SHOP, THAT HAD AN IDENTICAL PIECE.
    ANOTHER ANTIQUE DEALER I KNEW WELL, TOLD ME, THAT THE REASON HE LIKED TO HAVE A STORE MILES DEEP IN THE MUSKOKA WILDS, WAS THAT AFTER DRIVING ALL THE WAY IN, PATRONS WOULD FEEL A NECESSITY TO JUSTIFY THE GAS MILEAGE. THUS BUYING SOMETHING. HE ACTUALLY KNEW THIS BY RUNNING HIS OWN DAILY SURVEY.
    ON OTHER OCCASIONS, WE WERE EITHER "JUST UP THE STREET," OR "JUST DOWN THE STREET," FROM THE NEAREST ANTIQUE STORE. WE HAVE NEVER BEEN BESIDE A COMPETITOR BEFORE, BUT THIS IS ABOUT TO CHANGE. WE'RE NOT COMPLAINING, BECAUSE WE COME FROM THE SCHOOL OF THOUGHT, THAT INDEED, "THE MORE, THE MERRIER." FOR GRAVENHURST THIS SUMMER SEASON, WE WILL HAVE A THRIVING ANTIQUE COMMUNITY HERE, WHICH I HAVE BEEN HOPEFUL WOULD HAPPEN SOONER OR LATER. THERE IS A GOOD AND GROWING MARKETPLACE HERE FOR HOME DECORATORS AND ANTIQUE HUNTERS. LOTS AND LOTS OF OPTIONS, AND HOPEFULLY, OTHER DEALERS WILL SENSE THAT, LIKE COOKSTOWN IN ITS HALCYON ANTIQUE SHOP DAYS, GRAVENHURST WILL BECOME KNOWN FOR MORE THAN JUST ITS MAGNIFICENT LAKELAND. PUT A CHARMING TOWN LIKE OURS, NESTLED INTO SUCH A PICTURESQUE LANDSCAPE, AND THE ANTIQUE COMMUNITY TOGETHER, AND WE'LL MAKE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC TOGETHER. FROM EXPERIENCE, THIS IS A WINNING COMBINATION. I'VE JUST HAD A HARD TIME TRYING TO PROVE IT, TO MY ANTIQUE CONTEMPORARIES, WHO SEEM TO PREFER INDUSTRIAL LOOKING WAREHOUSES, TO VILLAGE STORE-FRONTS.
     WE'VE HAD QUITE A NUMBER OF REGULAR CUSTOMERS, AND SOME CASUAL PASSERSBY, COMMENT TO US, THAT HAVING A NEW ANTIQUE AND ART ENTERPRISE, OPENING UP BESIDE US, HERE ON MUSKOKA ROAD, WILL ADVERSELY AFFECT OUR BUSINESS. WE THANK THEM FOR THEIR CONCERN, BUT ASSURE THEM, THAT IF WE WERE IN MANY OTHER FIELDS OF RETAIL, SUCH AS GIFTWARE, BEING IN CLOSE QUARTERS WITH A COMPETITOR, WOULD BE A DRAIN ON OUR BOTTOM LINE. IN THE ANTIQUE TRADE HOWEVER, WHAT OCCURS, TO THE CONTRARY, IS THAT MORE INTEREST IS CREATED FOR SHOPPERS. WORD GETS AROUND AMONGST THE ANTIQUE CROWD, AND THE NUMBERS INCREASE ALL ROUND. EXPANSIVE, DYNAMIC OPPORTUNITIES, WITH A LARGE VARIETY OF COLLECTABLE AND DECORATING PIECES, OFFERS BETTER OVERALL CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND HIGHLY COMPETITIVE PRICING. EVEN AFTER MY FORTY YEARS IN THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION, WE STILL TREAD LIGHTLY WHEN IT COMES TO OUR ASSOCIATES IN THE TRADE. WE ARE A NOTORIOUSLY SUSPICIOUS LOT, ALTHOUGH WE DON'T LIKE IT TO SHOW. SOME OF THE VETERAN DEALERS I HAVE KNOWN, SEEMED, AT TIMES, TO BE OF THE CHARACTER, CHARLES DICKENS OR WASHINGTON IRVING MIGHT HAVE CREATED, FOR ONE OF THEIR MEMORABLE TALES OF ANTIQUITY. THOSE WHO KNOW ANTIQUE DEALERS WEEL, AS PATRON COLLECTORS MIGHT OBSERVE, WE ANTIQUE FOLKS, ARE THE TRUE ECCENTRICS, WELL BEYOND THE RANGE OF THOSE TELL-TALE QUIRKS OF ARTISTS AND AUTHORS. SOME OTHERS SEE US A ROGUES AND SCOUNDRELS, AND HISTORY AFFORDS SOME AFFIRMATION, THAT OUR PROFESSION HAS HAD ITS SHARE OF UNSAVORY INDIVIDUALS. IT ISN'T TO SUGGEST THAT WE ARE ALL UNSAVORY BECAUSE OF OUR FIELD OF INTERESTS, BUT I HAVE KNOWN MANY, WHO AS THE OLD WIFE MIGHT SUMMARIZE, IN JEST, WOULD BE "WILLING TO SKIN A LOUSE FOR ITS TALLOW." ON THE OTHER HAND, IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR THE MENTORSHIP I'VE ENJOYED, AND BENEFITTED FROM, GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY SOME HIGHLY TALENTED AND SKILLED DEALERS AND COLLECTORS, I WOULDN'T BE IN THIS POSITION TODAY; ONE THAT AFFORDS ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENJOY OUR SHOP, AND FULFILL THE AMBITION I HAD FROM CHILDHOOD.
    I HAVE BEEN A MUSEUM MANAGER, WITH CURATORIAL RESPONSIBILITIES, FOR TWO MUSKOKA COLLECTIONS, AND SERVED ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE MUSKOKA LAKES MUSEUM, IN PORT CARLING. THAT WAS ASPIRATION ONE. ASPIRATION TWO, WAS TO WRITE ABOUT HISTORY AND ANTIQUES. THIS HAS BEEN FULFILLED MANY TIMES OVER. AND THIRDLY, I WANTED TO RETIRE, WITH MY LIFE PARTNER, SUZANNE, OPERATING A SMALL ANTIQUE SHOP IN OUR HOME TOWN, SCULPTED TO SUIT OUR INTERESTS. THE BONUS, FOR US, HAS BEEN THE REALITY, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONNECT IN THE SAME BUILDING, (THE FORMER MUSKOKA THEATRE) WITH BOTH OUR SONS, ROBERT AND ANDREW, AND THEIR VINTAGE MUSIC AND RECORDING STUDIO ENTERPRISE. I CALL IT OUR OWN "WALTON'S MOUNTAIN," BUT WE DON'T HAVE A "JOHN-BOY." OR A MOUNTAIN LIKE THEY DID ON THE TELEVISION SHOW.
     WE ARE ALL A LITTLE NERVOUS, I SUPPOSE, OF HAVING TO BECOME A TAD MORE AGGRESSIVE, AND RESPONSIVE, TO THE NEW DEMANDS, OF BEING IN MUCH CLOSER QUARTERS TO OUR ANTIQUE SHOP COMPETITORS; BECAUSE THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IT WILL DEMAND TO KEEP OUR MARKET SHARE. ARE WE READY TO FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT? TRUTHFULLY, UNDER THIS SHARK DISGUISE, WE ARE REALLY PRETTY PASSIVE ABOUT OUR WORK. WE MIGHT SHARE AN INTEREST IN ART, ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES, BUT WE ARE STILL CHASING AFTER AN ULTIMATE PROFIT. THE ONLY THING WE CAN PROMISE, WITHIN OUR MEANS, (AND IT IS OF MODEST PROPORTION) IS THAT WE WILL LARGELY REMAIN THE SOFT-SELL BUSINESS WE HAVE BEEN SINCE INCEPTION. WE WILL BE QUITE A DULL PLACE OF OLD STUFF, WITH A MUSICAL CHARACTER. WE ARE TRADITIONALISTS IN THE ANTIQUE TRADE. THE ONLY LIBERALITY, I SUPPOSE, FROM OUR ADHERENCE TO TRADITION, IS THAT WE HAVE A MUSICAL COMPONENT, AND THAT CAN GET A LITTLE WILD AT TIMES, DEPENDING ON OUR GUEST MUSICIANS. YOU SEE, THIS HAS BECOME, IN THE TEN YEARS SINCE THE BOYS FIRST OPENED THEIR SHOP, A SORT OF SOCIAL CLUB FOR CURIOUS SOULS, AND WAYWARD MUSICIANS, WHO SEEM TO FIND CREATURE COMFORTS AND UNDETERMINED SOLACE, IN THE COMPANY OF MUSICAL HERITAGE, SWEET SOUNDS, AND THE SCENT OF ANTIQUES, MERGING LIKE SPIRIT VAPORS, CREATING A UNIQUELY "STORIED" ENVIRONMENT. IN THE TWO YEARS WE HAVE BEEN PART OF THE CO-OPERATIVE SHOP-SCAPE, WE HAVE ALSO ADDED GREATLY TO THE STORIED ASPECT, OF THE MARVELOUS OLD THEATRE BUILDING. I SUPPOSE IT HAS THE PATINA OF LOCAL "FOLK" HISTORY, BECAUSE WE GET A LOT OF FOLKS COMING IN, WHO USED TO ATTEND MOVIES HERE, WHEN THEY WERE GROWING UP HERE. COTTAGERS AND LOCAL RESIDENTS ALIKE. IT'S WHY WE KEEP TWO BINDERS OF FORMER THEATRE ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE HALL, TO SHOW, OR REMIND OUR GUESTS, WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN ITS OWN HEYDAY OF CINEMA. THE BOOKS GET A GOOD WORK OUT EACH WEEK, AND EVERY TIME WE FIND OLD GRAVENHURST NEWSPAPERS, WE CLIP OUT THE MUSKOKA THEATRE ADS, TO BUILD UP THE ARCHIVES' COLLECTION.
     WE WON'T SHOW OUR EXCITEMENT FOR OUR ENTERPRISE, IN ANY OTHER WAY, THAN BEING ENTHUSIASTIC HOSTS, AND WORTHY RETAILERS, WHO REPRESENT THEIR SELECTION OF ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES, WITH THE SAME DEGREE OF RESPECT, AS WE OFFER TUTORIALS ON MUSKOKA HISTORY, OF WHICH WE ARE AN ACTIVE PART. MAYBE THAT IS OUR SHOP'S ADVANTAGE. SUZANNE AND I HAVE BEEN ACTIVE AND PUBLISHED MUSKOKA HISTORIANS FOR ALL OUR MARRIED LIFE, AND BEING FROM PIONEER STOCK HERSELF, WE ARE NEVER TOO BUSY, TO SET ASIDE A FEW MOMENTS, TO TELL THE REAL STORY OF THE MUSKOKA LIFESTYLE; (NOT AS ADVERTISED IN THE GLOSSY PAGES OF MAGAZINES) AND IT WILL INCLUDE A TRUE PORTRAYAL OF LIFE HERE, FROM THE DAYS OF THE PIONEER SHANTY, WHERE IT ALL BEGAN. OUR REGULAR CUSTOMERS OFTEN ENGAGE US IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT MUSKOKA'S PAST, AND WE LOVE WHEN IT OPENS UP, WITH OTHERS, WHO HAVE AM EQUALLY LONG HISTORY IN OUR TOWN AND OUR REGION. THERE ARE NO OTHER HISTORIANS RUNNING ANTIQUE SHOPS IN OUR REGION, SO, THERE YOU GO! THIS IS OUR EXTRAVAGANCE FROM THE SAME OLD, SAME OLD, OF BEING VETERAN ANTIQUE DEALERS. IT'S NOT VERY EXCITING, UNLESS YOU THRIVE ON HISTORY. WHAT WE THINK IS A STIRRING CONVERSATION ABOUT PIONEER TIMES, IN MUSKOKA, IN RETROSPECT, IS PROBABLY AKIN TO WATCHING PAINT DRY. BUT IN OUR AREA OF INTEREST, IT'S PRETTY AMAZING, WHAT STORIES ARE SPUN HERE IN THE HEART OF AN OLD THEATRE, ON THE MAIN STREET, OF A SMALL ONTARIO TOWN, IN ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LAKELAND REGIONS ON EARTH. SO THIS IS OUR CLAIM TO FAME. WE KNOW OUR ANTIQUES, AS YOU WOULD EXPECT OF DEALERS IN THE PROFESSION FOR SO LONG; AND BELIEVE ME, WE KNOW OUR REGIONAL HISTORY. NOTHING FANCY. JUST THE FACTS. JUST THE ANTIQUITIES. I HOPE THOUGH, THAT EVERYONE WHO VISITS, WILL AT THE VERY LEAST, FIND US FRIENDLY AND OBLIGING HOSTS. WE WOULD HATE TO THINK, THAT WE BORED YOU TO TEARS, OR DIDN'T SHOW A RESPECTFULNESS TO EACH AND EVERY PIECE, WE OFFER FOR CUSTOMER APPROVAL.
     SOMETIMES I FIND MYSELF OFFERING AN APOLOGY TO A CUSTOMER, THAT WE DON'T HAVE AS MUCH SELECTION AS AN ANTIQUE MALL, OR AS MUCH INVENTORY AS SOME OF THE WAREHOUSE BUSINESSES, THAT OFFER COLLECTABLES BY THE SKID-LOAD. I MIGHT EVEN SUGGEST THAT WE ARE SHORT OF PIZZAZ, BUT HUGE ON CONSERVATISM. WE BLOW OUR OWN HORN WHEN WE THINK WE'VE GOT A GOOD STORY TO SHARE, OR A TREASURE WE'D LIKE TO SHOW YOU. AND AS FAR AS BEING REMARKABLE, WE ARE TRADITIONALLY COMMON AND HAPPY TO REMAIN THAT WAY. SOME OF OUR CUSTOMERS MAY WISH WE HAD MORE UNIQUE PIECES, AND MORE ENTRENCHED EXCITEMENT TO TITILLATE. A FEW HAVE EVEN REMARKED, THAT IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE COULD PROVIDE MORE ANTIQUE FURNITURE, SILVER, TREENWARE, OR PORCELAIN. WE TRY OUR BEST, BUT WE ARE ONLY AS PROFICIENT IN THIS REGARD, AS OUR SOURCES ARE ABUNDANT. FREQUENTLY, AS SCARCE AS HEN'S TEETH. SO WE HAVE LEARNED SOMEWHAT, HOW TO RELAX IN OUR TRADE, AND OFFER WHAT WE CAN, NOT LAMENTING FOR TIME AND MEMORIAM, THAT WE CAN'T BE BIGGER, BETTER, AND MORE ELABORATELY APPOINTED. WITHOUT FEAR OF BEING CRITIQUED IN THIS FASHION, WE ARE PLEASANTLY CONTENTED ON THIS "WALTON'S MOUNTAIN," TO BE THE BEST WE CAN BE, FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME, LIVING CONTENTLY WITH OUR TRADITIONAL INTERPRETATIONS. OF ONE OF THE WORLD'S OLDEST PROFESSIONS; AND I DON'T MEAN PROSTITUTION. THE DEEP IMMERSION IN WORLD HISTORY IS WHERE WE WANT TO BE, BUT TRUTHFULLY, IT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN TO ANYONE WHO DOESN'T HANG ONTO HISTORY, AS IF IT IS THE TRUE, AND ONLY HARBINGER, OF ALL THAT IS YET TO COME. THAT'S HOW DEEP WE HAVE SURRENDERED TO OUR PROFESSION, SUCH THAT IT IS, IN ESSENCE, THE FINAL DETAIL OF THE BUCKET LIST. THAT WE SHOULD ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF THE EXPERIENCE AND TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED. THE FAMILY BUSINESS IS OUR END-ALL. I HOPE THIS FAMILY THEME MAKES YOU FEEL WELCOME EACH TIME YOU VISIT. IT'S NOT PUT ON FOR SHOW. THIS IS THE REAL MCCOY. AND SHOULD YOU WISH TO TALK ABOUT LOCAL HISTORY, WELL THEN, WE MUST THEREFORE BE KINDRED SPIRITS.
     YOU SEE, WE ARE THE TATTERED REMAINS OF THE OLD GUARD, OF THE ILK OF COUNTRY ANTIQUE DEALER, AND WITH THIS, WE FEEL IT INCUMBENT TO REPRESENT THOSE OLD TRIED AND TRUE TRADITIONS, OF WHICH WE WERE INFLUENCED, ALMOST FROM THE BEGINNING. HOW HARD WE HAVE TRIED TO REKINDLE THE PAST, IN ALL ITS GLORIES; AND ADMITTEDLY, ITS INHERENT SADNESS. AFTERALL, WE ANTIQUE DEALERS HANDLE THE HEIRLOOM PIECES OF THE DECEASED. BEFORE IT GETS INTO OUR HANDS, IT HAS BEEN PASSED THROUGH THE GENERATIONS. THINK ABOUT THE INTENSE TIMES THESE PIECES HAVE HAD, FOR ALL THOSE YEARS, AND WOULD IT BE ANY WONDER THAT THE SPIRIT-KIND ATTACHES ITSELF TO THE FAMILY BIBLE, AN OLD ARM CHAIR, A HEARTHSIDE ROCKER, OR A PINE SETTLE, FROM AN OLD ENGLISH TAVERN. HAVING A SPIRIT TRAVELLER ATTACH TO THESE ARTICLES, IS WHAT WE CONSIDER, AS HAVING THE FINEST PATINA. SUZANNE REMINDS ME, THAT MY PHILOSOPHY OF BUSINESS, IS MUCH LIKE DICKENS' CHARACTER, OLD FEZZIWIG, AND HIS COMMITMENT TO "THE OLD WAYS," DESPITE THE DEMANDS OF THE NEW VESTED INTEREST. AND OF THIS I'M QUITE FLATTERED. OF COURSE, SHE ALSO CALLS ME, A SHORT BREATH LATER, "OLD JOE," FROM THE SAME DICKENS' STORY, "A CHRISTMAS CAROL." OF COURSE, OLD JOE, RUNS THE LOCAL SECOND HAND SHOP, AND IS QUITE ROBUST CHARACTER.
     I WAS MENTORED IN THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION, BY THE MOM AND POP OPERATORS, OF SOME GRAND OLD SHOPS IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO, DATING BACK TO THE MID 1970'S. THEY DIDN'T KNOW THEY WERE EDUCATING ME, BUT I RESPECTED THEM SO MUCH, I WOULD HAVE STAYED IN THEIR LOW-LIT, OLD WOOD SCENTED EMPORIUMS, ALL DAY IF I'D HAD THE TIME. I WAS OFTEN RECRUITED, AS A SHOP GAWKER, TO HELP MOVE A PINE CUPBOARD, OR HELP LOAD AN OLD DRESSER IN A CUSTOMER'S CAR TRUNK. IF YOU STAND AROUND LONG ENOUGH IN AN ANTIQUE SHOP, YOU WILL BE PUT TO WORK. I LOVED THAT ABOUT THESE MUSTY LITTLE STOREFRONTS, BACK PORCHES AND FRONT. AS IT WAS, I WAS SKIPPING UNIVERSITY LECTURES IN ORDER TO VISIT THEM. I WITNESSED THE WAY THEY ALL SEEMED SO RELAXED BY THEIR BUSINESSES, AND UNCARING ABOUT THE LACK OF IT; AS MANY TIMES, I COULD REMAIN HOURS, DAWDLING THERE, AND NEVER SEE ANOTHER CUSTOMER. IT DIDN'T SEEM TO DAMPEN THEIR ENTHUSIASM, OR CREATE A DISCERNIBLE CHAGRIN ABOUT THE PROFITABILITY THEIR CHOSEN PROFESSION. THEY WOULD ADMIT TO ME, IN CONFIDENCE, THAT THE ANTIQUE TRADE DOES NOT, FOR ITS SUCCESS, DEPEND ON VOLUME OF VISITORS, BUT ALWAYS ON THE RESPECT OF REGULAR CUSTOMERS, WHO APPRECIATE THE VENDOR'S TASTE AND ATTENTION TO QUALITY. THESE DEALERS SELECTED LESS VISIBLE AREAS TO SET UP THEIR SHOPS, SOME FROM THEIR OWN HOMES. THESE WERE HOLE-IN-THE-WALL SHOPS, SITUATED AROUND CORNERS, ALONG QUIET STREETS, IN BUILDINGS SLIGHTLY OBSCURED BY FULL MAPLES AND LEANING BIRCHES. SHOPS LOCATED OFF THE MAIN STREETS OF TOWN, AND IN NARROW, UNASSUMING STORE-FRONTS, NOT SUITABLE FOR SOME FORMS OF RETAIL, BUT A PERFECT FIT FOR COUNTRY ANTIQUES, SMALL AND LARGE, ACCORDING TO SPACE AVAILABILITY OF COURSE. THE FOLKS WHO USED TO RUN THESE PORTALS TO THE PAST, OF WHICH I WAS MOST FAMILIAR IN MY APPRENTICE YEARS, WERE TRUE TO LIFE CHARACTERS, LARGER THAN LIFE, YET GENERALLY UNASSUMING, AS TO NEVER IN THEIR LIVES WARRANT A NEWSPAPER HEADLINE FOR THEIR EXPLOITS. THEY ALL SEEMED MORE LIKE CURATORS THAN ANTIQUE SHOP PROPRIETORS, AND WERE PROUD OF WHAT THEY HAD ON DISPLAY, THAT OF COURSE, WAS ALSO FOR SALE. THEY WEREN'T AT ALL WORRIED ABOUT SHARING WITH ME, EVEN IF I TURNED OUT TO BE A COMPETITOR. TRUE ANTIQUE DEALERS, NEVER WORRY ABOUT THIS SORT OF THING, BECAUSE THEY ALL HAVE THEIR SECRET SOURCES AND PRIVATE STASHES TO EXPLOIT, AND I WAS NEVER IN A SHOP, BACK THEN, WHERE THERE WAS EVEN A TRACE CONCERN, THAT A BLOKE LIKE ME WAS GOING TO BENEFIT FINANCIALLY, FROM WHAT THEY WERE TELLING ME, IN SUPPOSED CONFIDENCE. I NEVER ONCE, WENT IN ANY OF THOSE TRADITIONAL, CONSERVATIVE ANTIQUE SHOPS, TO FIND ANYONE BEHIND THE COUNTER, OR IN A ROCKING CHAIR NEXT TO A FIREPLACE, WHO WOULD ADMIT THEIR BUSINESS WAS EITHER AN EASY ONE TO MASTER, OR ONE THEY WOULD CHOOSE TO SELL-OFF TO THE VERY NEXT PERSON WHO CAME THROUGH THE SHOP DOOR. EACH ONE I KNEW THEN, LIKE SUZANNE AND I, WAS WILLING TO END THEIR DAYS IN THE BUSINESS THEY HAD BEGUN, AND PROUDLY NAVIGATED THROUGH WORLD WAR AND DEPRESSION, TO EKE OUT A MODEST LIVING. SOME WOULD SAY, THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION IS AN ACQUIRED TASTE, AND THEY WOULD BE SPOT-ON, WITH THIS OBSERVATION.
     IT IS NOT MUCH OF A PEDESTAL TO STAND UPON, THIS ACQUIRED EXPERIENCE, AND KNOWLEDGE, PASSED ON SO FREELY AND GENEROUSLY, BY THE VETERANS OF OUR ENTERPRISE; BUT IT IS WHAT WE CHOOSE AS OUR FOUNDATION BRICKS AND MORTAR; AND FOR MY FORTY YEARS, IT HAS NEVER ONCE PROVEN WEAK OR UNSTABLE, ON WHICH TO BUILD A RETAIL FUTURE. WE MAY NOT BE VERY FLASHY, OR OFFER PONY RIDES FOR THE YOUNGSTERS OF OUR PATRONS, OR EVEN PUT ON PUBLIC DEMONSTRATIONS TO ENTERTAIN OUR CUSTOMERS, BUT SO FAR, THE HISTORY WITHIN, AND THE TRADITION WE BESTOW ENTHUSIASTICALLY, UPON ALL OUR PATRONS, SEEMS TO WORK JUST AS WELL; AND IS A LITTLE LESS MAINTENANCE.
     WE HOPE YOU WILL VISIT OUR SHOP, HERE IN THE HERITAGE MUSKOKA THEATRE BUILDING, BECAUSE WE KNOW THE ANTIQUE TRADE INSIDE AND OUT. WE HOPE YOU WILL VISIT DESPITE THE FACT, WE HAVE ONLY MODEST ALLURE, AND REFRAIN FROM MEDIA ADVERTISING, BECAUSE WE'D RATHER USE THAT MONEY SAVED, TO LOWER OUR PRICES OVERALL. WE DON'T ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS, AS WELL, BECAUSE THE MONEY WE SAVE, ON SERVICE FEES, WE DEDICATE TO PARING DOWN ASKING PRICES ON OUR WARES. AS FOR BELLS AND WHISTLES, WELL, WE DO HAVE A FEW OF THEM; FOR SALE THAT IS. AND IF YOU LIKE LOCAL HISTORY AND WANT TO KNOW MORE, WE'D BE DELIGHTED TO MEET YOU AND HAVE A LITTLE CHAT. IF CHATTING WAS A BELL OR WHISTLE, IN THE SENSE OF EXTRAVAGANCE, THEN IT COULD BE SAID OF US, THAT WE ARE THE MOST EXTRAVAGANT LITTLE ANTIQUE SHOP IN MUSKOKA.
     THANKS FOR TAKING TIME OUT OF YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE TO VISIT WITH ME TODAY. DON'T BE A STRANGER. YOU KNOW WHERE WE HANG-OUT.

ADVENTURES OF A PAPER SLEUTH - HUGH P. MACMILLAN

A MAN WORTH KNOWING - A FREE LANCE ARCHIVIST, HISTORIAN, ADVENTURER

     "MUCH OF MY LIFE HAS BEEN DRIVEN BY A FASCINATION WITH GLENGARRY COUNTY AND ITS HISTORY. THAT FASCINATION EXTENDS BACK TO THE 1930'S, AND 1940'S, WHEN MY FATHER, A PRESBYTERIAN PREACHER, MADE THE PILGRIMAGE BACK TO HIS ROOTS IN GLENGARRY EVERY SUMMER. STARTING IN MY TEENS, I TOOK NOTES FROM THE REMINISCENCES OF MY GRANDMOTHER, WHO DIED IN 1942. OVER TIME, THIS INTEREST EVOLVED INTO A UNIQUE CAREER IN HISTORICAL RESEARCH, WHICH CONTINUES TO THIS DAY."

     THE PASSAGE ABOVE WAS WRITTEN BY MY FRIEND HUGH MACMILLAN, A CANADIAN HISTORIAN WHO CHANGED MY LIFE. HE OPENED DOORS IN THINKING AND AMBITION, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I HAD. THERE IS SOMETHING ENDEARING ABOUT THE CRUSTY, SOMETIMES CRANKY OLD CHAP, THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO FOLLOW HIM ALL OVER THE PLACE….BECAUSE YOU JUST KNOW, HE WILL BE EMBARKING ON SOME INCREDIBLE ADVENTURE, AS A PAPER SLEUTH, AND THAT WITH HUGH, THE ONLY TRUE DOWN TIME FROM RESEARCH, IS WHEN HE SLEEPS. I'M PRETTY SURE, FOR HIM, IT DOESN'T STOP THERE EITHER. I PONDERED ONCE TO SUZANNE, IF GOD KNEW HOW MANY QUESTIONS HUGH HAD ASKED IN HIS LIFETIME, THUS FAR. IT HAS TO BE QUADRUPLE THAT OF THE MOST LONG-SERVING FRONT-LINE REPORTER, WORKING FOR THE DAILY PRESS. MOST OF HUGH'S ENGAGING CONVERSATIONS, THAT I'VE BEEN PRIVILEGED TO BE A PART, POSSESS THE CLEAR AND CALCULATED INFUSION OF QUESTIONS MARKS……BECAUSE HE'S VERY INTERESTED IN YOUR STORY……ESPECIALLY FAMILY HISTORY. IT'S FACT, THAT I HAVE NEVER MET A MORE ENQUIRING, INQUISITIVE PERSON, ANYWHERE ELSE ON THIS PLANET. AND WELL, APPARENTLY THE QUEST FOR ANSWERS RUBBED OFF…..WHICH BELIEVE ME, I CONSIDER A VERY GREAT HONOR. AND WHEN SOMEONE GRIMMACES, A TAD ANNOYED, WHY I ASK SO DAMN MANY QUESTIONS…..I JUST SMILE TO MYSELF, AND SOFTLY WHISPER A LITTLE "THANK YOU HUGH," TO MY ASSOCIATE IN HISTORY.

     "AT 16 I LEFT HOME, LIED ABOUT MY AGE AND TRIED TO JOIN THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE. MY FATHER MUST HAVE INTERVENED, AS THE AIR FORCE SENT ME BACK TO SCHOOL. I DID SUCCEED IN VOLUNTEERING FOR THE INFANTRY, BUT MY ARMY CAREER WAS EQUALLY UNDISTINGUISHED. I DIDN'T GET OVERSEAS, AND THE PINNACLE OF MY MILITARY CAREER MUST HAVE OCCURRED SOMETIME BEFORE I GOT MYSELF BUSTED FROM SERGEANT BACK TO PRIVATE. HAVING SIGNED UP IN THE HOPE OF FIGHTING THE JAPANESE IN 1945, THE ONLY ACTION I SAW WAS CHASING JAPANESE FIRE BALLOONS IN A JEEP WITH A BREN GUN DURING WEAPONS TRAINING IN THE MOUNTAINS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA," WRITES HUGH MACMILLAN OF HIS YOUTH. WHEN THE WAR ENDED, I ASKED FOR A DISCHARGE AND WENT BACK TO SCHOOL. I SIGNED UP FOR SOME COLLEGE COURSES IN ENGLISH AND ACCOUNTING. AFTER A YEAR'S STUDY, I HAD A PASSING GRADE IN ENGLISH AND A FAILURE IN ACCOUNTING. I LEFT SCHOOL FOR A JOB IN MONTREAL, AS OFFICE GOPHER WITH A DUTCH EXPORT FIRM. WHEN I DISCOVERED THAT THE MANAGER WAS SHAFTING THE OWNERS, I LED AN OFFICE REVOLT BY THE THREE EMPLOYEES, AND THE OFFENDING MANAGER FIRED ME FORTHWITH."

     HE NOTES, "THE SUMMER OF 1947 WAS SPENT WORKING ON MY UNCLE'S GLENGARRY FARM, CONTEMPLATING MY NEXT MOVE. TO STAY AND HELP RUN THE FAMILY FARM, WAS AN APPEALING OPTION, PARTLY BECAUSE OF MY NEW INTEREST IN FAMILY HISTORY. BUT I ALSO CRAVED ADVENTURE, SO I JOINED A TWO MONTH HARVEST EXCURSION IN SASKATCHEWAN, STOOKING GRAIN AND DRIVING A TEAM OF HORSES HAULING SHEAVES TO THE THRESHER. MOVING ON WEST, I SPENT TWO MONTHS ON A CATTLE RANCH IN ALBERTA, THEN OUT TO THE PACIFIC COAST. I WAS NOW TAKING A CORRESPONDENCE COURSE ON WRITING. IN VANCOUVER I THOUGHT OF GOING TO SEA AND WRITING AT THE SAME TIME, IN THE TRADITION OF JACK LONDON, JOSEPH CONRAD AND RICHARD HENRY DANA. MY TIMING WAS BAD. THERE WAS A SEAMAN'S STRIKE IN PROGRESS, SO I HAD TO SETTLE FOR A COASTAL TOWBOAT, ON WHICH I STARTED AS A DECKHAND. SO MUCH FOR WRITING THE NEXT 'MOBY DICK."

     "IN ONE RESPECT, MY TIMING WAS VERY GOOD. IN VANCOUVER I MET AND MARRIED MURIEL DIVER, WHO HAD COME FROM MONTREAL TO ATTEND THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. IN 1952 WE WENT BACK TO THE GLENGARRY FARM. MY TRUE INTEREST LAY IN FAMILY AND LOCAL HISTORY, BUT THAT PURSUIT PAID NO BILLS. NOT HAVING A UNIVERSITY DEGREE, I WAS IN NO POSITION TO TEACH. I HELD A SUCCESSION OF JOBS NOTABLE MORE FOR THEIR VARIETY THAN THEIR FINANCIAL YIELD. CAR-TOP CARRIERS (JUST AS THE KOREAN CRISIS EMBARGOED SUPPLIES OF STEEL TO THE MANUFACTURER), LIFE INSURANCE (THE LAST REFUGE OF THE MAN WHO HAS NOT UTTERLY GIVEN UP THE HOPE OF AN INCOME) AND FARMING ITSELF (THE FIRST STEP ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY FROM EXPECTING TO MAKE A LIVING), ALL WERE DOOMED TO FAILURE. MEANWHILE, MURIEL TAUGHT SCHOOL BETWEEN RAISING AND CARING FOR OUR FOUR CHILDREN. HER CONTRIBUTION TO THE FAMILY FINANCES ENABLED ME TO SPEND TIME ON HISTORICAL RESEARCH. EVENTUALLY MY INTEREST IN FAMILY HISTORY FOUND A FOCUS IN THE FIELD OF DOCUMENTS AND ARCHIVES. I HAD BEGUN NOTING COLLECTIONS OF PAPERS IN GLENGARRY THAT WERE IN PRIVATE HANDS, AND IN MANY CASES IN IMMINENT PERIL OF DESTRUCTION. I WAS ABLE TO TAKE SOME OF THESE PAPERS TO THE PUBLIC ARCHIVES OF CANADA IN NEARBY OTTAWA, KEEPING COPIES FOR MYSELF TO USE IN A COLUMN I WAS WRITING FOR THE GLENGARRY NEWS. THEN, THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF DONALD FRASER MCOUAT, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO PIONEER IN A NEW JOB THAT I HELPED CREATE, LIAISON OFFICER FOR THE ARCHIVES OF ONTARIO. THIS I FOUND TO BE REMARKABLE BECAUSE I WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE PAID TO LOCATE AND ACQUIRE PAPERS!"

ON THE PAPER TRAIL ACROSS CANADA

     "Moving to Toronto, in 1963, was not easy, since our family had long established roots in Glengarry (dating back to 1802), and my lack of success in making a living from the farm of my ancestors was particularly poignant. But in a way, my father's peripatetic career as a minister had helped ease the separation. After all, only one of his children had been born in Glengarry, and it wasn't me. Besides, I was now in the happy position of being able to convert my hobby to a paying job. i came to terms with the fact that I was not a farmer," writes Hugh MacMillan. "My agenda for this new and untried line of work began without guidelines or direction from the Archives of Civil Service procedures as there had never been such a position before. I decided, and McOuat agreed, that I would set my own guidelines, following the precepts of any skilled salesman. I kept in close contact with my Eastern Ontario history buffs and gradually built a network across the province. I continued to gather family history information in the form of documents, both originals and copies, and combined it with the recording of oral history. Along my career path I unearthed many stories that relate to my Glengarry relatives. While every family's history is unique, every family has a history. Each is worth knowing, for the knowledge it gives depth to the lives of every member of the family and their understanding of why they are where they are in life. I have been in the privileged position for much of my life, of seeing how my family history intersects with the history of Ontario, the history of northern and western Canada, and even the West Indies! I have related disjointed bits on occasions and through the years, no doubt, boring some while delighting others. The rest of this chapter places these anecdotes together for the first time, hopefully putting me into my own historical context. Like many Scottish families, mine has spelled its name with joyous inconsistency as MacMillan or McMillan as while and fashion took it."

     "In the employee lunchroom of Canada's National Archives there is a figured mug for sale. The face on the cup is that of Sir Arthur Doughty, the second Dominion Archivist and a legend among Canadian archivists. Sir Arthur made his name by the aggressive and ingenious methods he used to acquire historically important papers for Canada, whose collections were then in a state of infancy. Hugh P. Macmillan, the first field officer in the history of the Archives of Ontario, has created a method of archival acquisition which is broadly based on what he calls 'reverse genealogy.' It is a recipe for saving history, and stands in the best tradition of Sir Arthur and this of his table, so to speak," wrote David G. Anderson, a friend, from Williamstown, Glengarry County, in 2004. "If we 'reverse engineer,' the material that Hugh P. serves forth in this, his present book, we can savor the recipe as well. First, take a generous large hearted interest in other people, and their stories. Pay no heed to race, religion or gender, but do use them to enhance the flavor of the results - this from a man whose personal library has a long shelf labelled 'social justice.' Listen carefully in history. Knead relentlessly on said connection until it starts to leaven."

     He writes of his friend, "The seeking (and finding) of good subjects involves a preparation time: become richly read in history and biography; contrive to sketch out a family tree and walk, write or telephone your way down the disparate branches thereof. At all times follow the trail of the family story and find who got the papers, portraits or artifacts. Never give up. once on to the scent, take van (or Caravan) and show up on doorstep. Engage subject in purposeful conversation, even through the crack in the door if the situation calls for it. Brush aside protestations that 'the attic is a mess,' or that they 'need time to go through the boxes.' Give receipts, tax credits, or in extremes, money, and get the material in its rough state back home to the professional archivists, the sedentary guard, if you will (to use a fine old term from the War of 1812). Before leaving, break bread with the new friend, and continue to be such a natural good companion that the proffered spare bed of the host is impossible to refuse. Never forget a name of a genealogy. Return when next in neighborhood and bring forth more and more connections to add to the intricate living web of characters, friends, papers and history. Through it all, keep a wife of abiding good sense (Muriel) and a family of international extent. There are no secret ingredients in the MacMillan method, but a few have mastered it or served it up as well as our friend Hugh P."

     This was published in the text of "Adventures of a Paper Sleuth - Hugh MacMillan," published in 2004 by Penumbra Press, of Canada. Hugh sent me a signed copy, and it is one of my favorite reads, especially when I'm about to head out on my own "paper hunt," here in Muskoka. While I have no affiliation with the federal or provincial archives, I do use any historical documents, journals, diaries, and other published histories, as reference for our numerous research projects we are hired to work on, and compose into text, each year……including for publishing on this blog site. It was Hugh MacMillan and his old buddy and book-hound Dave Brown, who gave me so many incredibly important tutorials, while staying here, about not only document hunting and gathering, but pouring over the paper mountains, until weak-eyed and exhausted, to piece together the family tree. Suzanne, the host of these social / historical get-togethers, here at Birch Hollow, owes her present progress on our own family history, to the advice given by this historian's historian. You don't talk hockey when MacMillan drops by. He's not too interested in golf either, or curling, which you may find odd for a Great Scot……but when it comes to discussing historical matters of this country, let me tell you…..it's like being in a voyageur's canoe, whipping over the rapids, spray in your face, singing and laughing in the imminent reality of rocks and undertow, fast water and sunken logs. We might just be sitting by the hearth here at Birch Hollow, but when Hugh's spinning one of his stories, by golly, it's like you're right there in the midst of all the trial and tribulation of nation-building. You can't use the word "passionate" to describe his mission to know it all…..about our heritage. That would be to minimize his focus and interest. It's far more durable and dynamic than just passion for what he has done most of his working life.

     When my book collector colleague, and Outdoor Education teacher friend, Dave Brown would show up, usually just after Hugh had left, (once with historian Ed Phelps), he would have to find a way of outperforming his contemporary, by taking Suzanne and I on an even grander historical odyssey……at hearthside, to the brink of my heart actually stopping…..like the birch bark canoe getting stuck on a dead-head at the brink of a great cataract, only in Dave's description, to get freed, and paddled safely to the shore without flying over the cliffside in a spray of white-water. These were the precious moments we had with two of this province's amazing historians……although they probably never referred to themselves in this way. Both men loved heritage discussions, and with a bottle of wine, some good food, and a some reason to reach back into their bag of anecdotes and untold adventures…..well sir, we never wanted those evening tutorials to end. The miles these chaps had canoed. The miles they had walked. The rare books and documents they had held in their hands. The treasures they had uncovered. The realities of history, their relentless sleuthing, gave us, as new historical fact, oh so many discoveries. Hugh MacMillan in particular, with his discovery of important, previously unknown and unacknowledged historical record, changed the previously accepted chronicle…….and brought about a new awareness about the relevance of critical thinking, and the pursuit of accurate records……no matter where, or under what pile of debris, they might be found.

     I was a book and paper hunter-gatherer, and historian before I met Hugh MacMillan and David Brown. I became a much more proficient, better educated paper sleuth, having benefitted from their informal mentorship. I became more efficient and enterprising as an historian, and I learned how to follow-up leads, and carry-on with investigation, even after the assumption there was nothing left to uncover. Let's just say, I found out what they meant, about never taking "no" for an answer.

     Tomorrow I would once again like to re-visit this fascinating biography, and explain a little bit more about what a paper sleuth, and free lance archivist does out there on the hustings. So please visit me again tomorrow for part two of this fascinating story. You will probably be able to find a copy of this book, by visiting the Advanced Book Exchange online, and entering the author and book title. We are active buyers on the ABE link, and have been well served by the member booksellers, specializing in out of print and antiquarian books.

     "For more than 25 years, Hugh has roamed the highways, attics and basements of Ontario, seeking out the often forgotten, usually unappreciated treasures of our documentary heritage. Combining the skills of a great detective with patience and tenacity, he has been infectious, enlisting the help of many in the cause, and triumphing over bureaucracy and indifference. His achievements have been real and numerous. His exploits, though are the stuff of legend." The passage above was written, about Hugh, by Ian R. Wilson, Librarian and Archivist of Canada, circa 2004.