Seniors Situation Room by Dawn Ford – Hockey, COVID, & the Band.

Remember the wonderful Roger’s and Hammerstein’s song from Carousel,” June is Busting Out All Over”?

It certainly is. No wonder!! April showers brought May flowers. What a wonderful treat to see everything blooming in such an array of gorgeous colours. An artist’s delight. First the small crocuses raised their little heads even in the cooler temps and tiny shoots of green started appearing here and there.

The birds were suddenly everywhere; squirrels and even little Pee Wee, the tiny chipmunk appeared in the yard. Apple blossoms, green moss on the dark tree barks, tulips opened their sleepy heads, wonderful scent of lilacs and that gorgeous mint green colour of grass that you only see in the spring. Now, with June busting out all over, we see big round buds on the peony bushes which will be gorgeous blossoms very soon. And the ants are very busy. I wonder how they know where to go and what they are doing. Nature is incredible!!

The 60+ Cornwall Classics hockey team, sponsored by Classic Care Pharmacy, was to go to Kamloops, BC for the Canadian Championships in August. My nephew Gary Herrington is the couch and nephew Alex Herrington and Geoff Smith who is married to my cousin Sharon, are hockey players. Alex said that it is postponed maybe until 2021.

Speaking of Alex, he recently had a birthday. Happy Birthday to a wonderful man and nephew. He has been such a blessing to me. With the virus problems he wants me to stay safe and has been getting things for me and offering any help I need to get supplies. What a sweetheart. As Merly the Dolphin says,” that’s Love”.

I have been fortunate because my Editor Jamie has also offered any help I might need during this” Stay Home, Stay Safe” period of time. Really nice of him to offer.

I certainly have been well taken care of and blessed.

We have had a lot of wonderful athletes in our family. Gary and his son Jamie are well known hockey players as is my brother Ed Herrington, a hockey and softball player. Brother Ron is a Champion bowler and my brother Brian plays tennis. My late brother Sonny Herrington’s boys were all into lacrosse and hockey in days gone by. I remember Sonny saying how important it is to encourage young people to participate in whatever area they choose.

My late brother Gerry played baseball for the Domtar Mill in the early 60’s before his death. Now, his great grandson, Dominic Whitton of Calgary, plays hockey. He just celebrated his 16th. birthday.

Great photo of Dom flying down the ice. Another Crosby or what??

Dom plays out of Okotoks which is about 20 klm south of Calgary. This past year was his first year in Midget and the team won their division banner again but the season came to a halt before the provincials could start due to the virus.

His Mom Sherrie and grandfather Gerry sound very proud of Dom. Maybe one day I will get to see him play.

It is wonderful to see photo s here and there of Dom’s activities as he grows up. Great young guy.

A friend sent me this little article. Reading through her Anglican Church newsletter she saw this little poem in the Huron Diocese section. Apparently the author who contributed the poem said that he was reading about other pandemics in the past two centuries and came across this one poem which had been written at the time of the Russian Flu Pandemic of 1889 and put in the paper near the end of the Spanish Flu Pandemic in 1920. It is entitled:

This is Timeless….. History Repeats Itself

And the people stayed at home

And read books

And listened

And rested

And did exercise

And made art and played

And learned new ways of being

And stopped and listened more deeply

Somebody meditated, someone prayed

Someone met their shadow

And people began to think differently

And people healed.

The earth also began to heal

And when people found themselves

They grieved for the dead

And made new choices

And dreamed new visions

And created new ways of living

And completely healed the earth

Just as they were healed.”

Beautiful poem. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Imagine one day being able to attend a concert at Aultsville Hall or dinner out for a change or a movie or try on some clothes or shoes in a store??

( Where is Sear’s catalogue when we need it????)

And, I really miss is sitting on a bench in the Cornwall Square with my friend Marie and having a wonderful Laura’s chocolate Ice cream cone from Laura’s Secord Store and watch all the little kids go by. Or
sitting in the church pew listening to Paul Henrikso sing a wonderful hymn… And one of these days it would be nice to get a hug.

Ahhh, those were the days. Hope we get there soon.

Many of you will remember a young Cornwall lad who played with the CCVS football team, the Raiders, in the 1950’s: Eddie Mittelsteadt. He also played hockey in 1958-59 with the Anderson’s Fury’s Junior “A” hockey team. Now, living in BC he has a 14 year old grandson, Ethan who is playing hockey. Ethan , a Victoria Admirals defenseman, lives in Victoria with his Dad Paul, Ed’s oldest son who is a RCMP officer and Mom, Kimberly, a pharmacist. He is the nephew of former ECHL and AHL pro Joey Mittelsteadt.

In April there was an article in the Times Colonist Newspaper of April 23, 2020 by reporter Cleve Dheensaw about Ethan citing that” Ethan Mittelsteadt is an anomaly among the 11 island players selected this week in the 2020 Western hockey League bantam draft. ” Ethan apparently loves all sports that he plays and especially likes the fast pace of basketball and strategy of baseball. He said that he will have to eventually choose one but it looks like it may be hockey. Sounds like some exciting days ahead for him. We wish him all the best in his chosen career.

Photo of Ethan appeared in the Times Colonist Newspaper April 23, 2020.

A former CCVS High School classmate, Sydney Horovitz , sent me this mid 1950’s photo of our CCVS band. Our music director was Keith Girard at that time.

Back Row Lt to Rt.:

– Ron Simpson (drums), John Payne, Joel Horovitz, Fred Wardle, (trombone), Terry Nickerson, Judy Bush (trombone), Frances Glass (baritone), and Ellery Geddes.

Middle Row:

– Dawn Herrington (French horn), Sidney Horovitz (French horn), Alan Sullivan,

Leslie Upper, Timothy Stephens(bass), Bob Steer, Myrna Plumley (trumpet), Verna Dalgleish, Mr. Keith Girard Music Director

Front row: ( looks like all clarinet players- maybe a flute or two)

-John Yates. Donald Payne, Betty Shaver, Jack Wilson, Tim Phillips Gail Shaver, Frances McGillis, Darlene Lagden, Iona Vasbinder, Myrna Lalonde and Bobby Flynn.

(Missing is Ron Goodfellow (baritone).

Wonderful to see all these old friends again. Thanks Sid for sharing the photo with us.

Here is a cute joke :

It was 7:45 at a grocery store that opened at 8 for seniors only. A young man came from the parking lot and tried to cut in at the front of the line but before he could utter a word, an old lady beat him back into the parking lot with her cane.

He returned and tried to cut in again but an old man punched him in the gut , then kicked him to the ground and rolled him away.

As he approached the line the 3rd. time he said, “If you don’t let me unlock the door, you’ll never get in there.”

Have a good week. Stay safe. Dawn

Leave a Reply