Cornwall Ontario – Christmas Eve I looked out about 10pm to see two rabbits hopping around on the lawn under a tall bush. Were they hungry? It was snowing and the wind was blowing. It was unsettling to see these two little darlings out in that weather. A friend said that she saw a rabbit in her backyard about midnight Christmas eve.
Christmas morning, again with the snow and wind, in the same bush outside my window, were squirrels hanging onto the tiny branches for dear life! There were some kind of berries on the upper tips of the twigs and the squirrels were trying to get them. Sometimes, one squirrel would fall and grasp onto another twig and then right itself up and start chewing the berries it found there. At one time I counted seven squirrels in the tree, each one eating on one branch and then leaping to another. It was fun to see them and I was glad that they had something to eat on that cold blustery day. Maybe some of the berries had fallen on the ground and that is what the rabbits were eating. There is nothing much left on the twigs of that bush now.
Nature is incredible…awe and wonder every day!!
Photo courtesy of Bob Katz
The residents of the Beek Lindsay Seniors Residence held a Christmas food drive to benefit the Food Cupboard at Trinity Anglican Church. It is certainly a wonderful thing to remember those in need at any time but especially at Christmas. A big thank you to Ernie Appleton and Bob Katz for their help and another big thank you also to Claudette Quesnel for taking such good care of all the donated groceries each and every day. Our gratitude to all of the residents who so generously donated food. Kudos.
Photo courtesy of Bob Katz
In one of my old photo albums I found this St. Lawrence High School graduation program of the Senior Commencement Exercises, which were held November 21, 1958.
As you can see from the photos, the graduates were: Jean Roy, June Hiscock Beverly Heward ,Mary Lazier, Gerald Walsh, Margaret Rothwell, Iris Deruchie, Jack Vandrish, William Johnson, David MacIntosh, Noreen O’Farrell, Lawrence Keen, Howard Perry, Frank Harris, Harry Whittaker, Otto Vass, Anton Meuller, Charles Lundy, and RodolpheAmyot.
Nice to see some photos of old friends.
The program states that the Principal at the time was Mr. Remi Lalonde and the Assistant Principal was Mr. Robert E. Robinson. The music conductor of the band was Mr. Stewart Hall. Magistrate P.C. Bergeron welcomed everyone and introduced the guest speaker, Mr. N. I. Battista, Director of Research, Courtaulds (Canada) Ltd. Lt. Col. D.R. Dick thanked the speaker. Presentations of Secondary Honour Graduation diplomas were given by Mr. L. Holtby and Mr. L. Deruchie.
I love this photo, in the December 2017 newsletter of Child Haven International, of Bonnie Cappuchino on a visit to the Kaliyampoondi Home in Tamil Nadu,India. Bonnie is lovingly looking at a baby, Sudharson, who Fred describes in the newsletter, as the most beautiful baby in the world. The babe is gorgeous. The mother, Citra, grew up in the Hyderabad Home in Telangana, India.
Child Haven International was founded in 1985 by Bonnie and Fred Cappucino and Dr. Nat Shah to help orphaned and destitute children and women in need of food, clothing, health care, education, moral and emotional support. There are 10 projects in 4 countries: Tibet in China, India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
In this recent newsletter are many interesting photos and articles. One article is by Sheila Laursen who is the Child Haven Volunteer Post-Secondary Sponsorship Program Coordinator. She states that once the children are in levels 11 and 12, studying is very serious work as the children grow older and will be furthering their education. Child Haven ensures that every young person who wants to attend university, college or a technical school will be fully supported by Child Haven and their donors. Sheila states that if the youth works hard and passes all the exams, there is no tlimit to educational goals. She matches donors with the young people. She gives a list of all the careers Child Haven is supporting for 2017-18 such as B.Sc. in Chemistry, Journalism, Master of Business Administration and Nursing, to name just a few. It is a big example of all the important work Child Haven is doing to improve the lives of hundreds of children .
For more information on the Sponsorship Program contact Sheila : sheila@child haven.ca
To read the newsletter please go the Child Haven website at: www.childhaven.ca
The Child Haven newsletter always closes with the inspiring quote of Rabindranath Tagore :
” Let me light my lamp , says the star,
And never debate if it will dispel the dark.”
I remember the Ice Storm of 1998 very well as I am sure most of us do. That Monday , we had an appointment to take my husband’s Guide Dog, Hayden, to the Vets. It was freezing rain and I cancelled the appointment. That was only the beginning of days of freezing rain, ice, slippery driveways, tree branches cracking hanging down under the weight of the icicles and power outages.
I remember being outside trying to clear ice off the snow on the front lawn so my husband could safely relieve his two Guide dogs, one a retired old darling, Neptune, and a young new Guide, Hayden. Luckily on Iroquois Drive, the wires on that street were underground and we only had two power outages which lasted about 8 hours one time and 12 hours another. We had a fireplace, so that was in use during those awful stormy days.
I think it was Wednesday that there was a respite in the weather but we had a power outage. I went to the grocery store and got a BBQ chicken for supper. Preparing the meal, I put the chicken uncut on a platter on the table in the dinning room and went into the kitchen. Next thing I heard a noise and Hayden , a tall black Lab, had the whole chicken in his mouth. Whew!! Was I scared he would choke!! My husband was able to get it out of the dog’s mouth safely, thanks heavens!!…..But, no chicken for supper that night. Hayden didn’t get any either. lol.
All of the many trees in my back yard were covered with ice and as the days of the storm progressed, the yard looked like a war zone with fallen frozen branches everywhere. Saturday morning some work crews were assessing damages.
They told us that the big tree on our front lawn was about to fall on the house. So it was chopped down immediately, strewn way across the road onto our neighbour’s lawn as the crew cut it into pieces.Then they got to work on the mess in the back yard. A lot of people were in the same predicament and had lots of work to do to clean up. Quite an experience for sure. Twenty years ago? Seems like yesterday when you start remembering it all.
If I remember correctly it was also a bad time for the Flu. Going into the Villa to see my Mom in February, there was a sign posted about an air borne virus in the residence. Many people were ill that winter. We were all glad to welcome spring!!
A photo of some of the trees in my back yard during the Ice Storm.
A reader sent in these rearranged amusing words:
PRESBYTERIAN: Best in prayer
ASTRONOMER: Moon Starer
DESPERATION: A rope ends it
THE EYES: They see
GEORGE BUSH: He bugs Gore
THE MORSE CODE: Here comes dots
DORMITORY: Dirty room
ANIMOSITY: is no amity
ELECTION RESULTS: Lies- let’s recount
SNOOZE ALARMS: Alas! No more Z’s
A DECIMAL PLACE: I’m a dot in place
THE EARTHQUAKES: That queer shake
ELEVEN PLUS TWO: Twelve plus one.
Have a good week, Dawn