Used to Be's ~ Way Back When!

I believe you'll enjoy this.

Whoever wrote it could have been my next door neighbour

because it totally described my childhood to a perfect “T”!

Black and White (if under 45, you won't understand).

You could hardly see for all the snow. Spread the 'rabbit ears' as far as they will go.

“Good Night, David.” ~ “Good Night, Chet!”

My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife...and no bleach...but we didn't seem to get food poisoning.

My Mom uesed to defrost hamburger and I used to eat it raw, sometimes, too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, (not in ice pack coolers). Never got e.coli.

Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool;

(talk about boring), no beach closures then.

The term 'cell phone' would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell,

and a pager was the school PA system.

We all took gym, not PE...risking permanent damage injury with a pair of high top Ked's (only worn in gym) instead of cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors.

I can't recall any injuries ~ must have happened 'cause they tell us how much safer we are now.

Flunking gym was not an option...even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym.

Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem...and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention. We must have had horribly damaged psyches! What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything.

I thought I was supposed to accomplish something

before I was allowed to be proud of myself.

I just cannot recall how bored we were without Computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations. Oh yeah...And where was the Benadryl and steriliztion kit when I got that bee sting! I could have been killed.

We played 'King of the Hill' on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites...and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of Mercurochrome...kids liked it better 'cause it didn't sting like iodine did...and then we got our butt spanked. Now, it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of of a $99 bottle of antibiotics and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.

We didn't act up at the neighbour's house either; because if we did, we got our butt spanked there...and then we got our butt spanked again when we got home.

.

To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a disfunctional family. How could we have possibly known that? We needed to get into anger management classses and into'group therapy'. !We were so duped by so many societal ills, that we didn't even notice that

the entire country was not taking Prozac!

How did we ever survive!

Love to all of us who shared this era...and to all who didn't ~ sorry for what you missed.

I wouldn't trade it for anything!

(The foregoing submitted to me by Meg)

INFLATION TODAY

Wife to her Accountant husband: What is inflation?

Husband: Earlier you were 36-24-36 ~ but now you are 48-40-48. Though you have everything bigger than before, your value has become less than before.

This is INFLATION.

Economics is not that difficult if we have the right examples.

Interviewer: What is Recession?

Candidate: When “Wine and Women” get replaced by “Water and Wife”, that critical phase is called

Recession!

Accountancy Fact: What is the difference between Liability & Assset?

A drunk friend is a Liability...but...A drunk girlfriend is an Asset.

An Economist beautifully explained two reasons for having 2 wives.

A: Monopoly should be broken.

B: Competition improves the quality of service.

If you have one wife...she fights with you.

If you have two wives...they will fight for you!

When you are in love... wonders happen.

But once you get married...you wonder, what happened.

Philosophy of Marriage: At the beginning, every wife treats her husband as GOD...

Later, somehow...don't know why...alphabets get reversed.

Secret Formula for Married Couples:

“Love One Another”

and if that doesn't work, bring the last word in the middle!

Beautiful Explanation by Swami Vivekananda

Explaining the meaning of 'Association' he said,

The raindrop from the sky ~ if it is caught in hands ~ it is pure enough for drinking.

If it falls in a gutter, its value drops ~ so much that it can't be used for washing the feet.

If it falls on a hot surface ~ it evaporates.

If it falls on an oyster ~ it becomes a pearl.

The drop is the same ~ but its existence and worth depends on whom it associates.

Always be associated with people who are good at heart.

(The foregoing submitted to me by Dilu)

Written by Merle Baird-Kerr...July 26, 2018

Comments welcome: mbairdkerr@bell.net or inezkate@gmail.com

Balcony News

“Take time to Smell the Roses”

someone once wrote

and “It's the Little Things in Life

that can make or break one's day!”

One doesn't need a mansion-styled home

nor sky-scraper view of mountains and the sea!

When having to move several years ago,

a few requirements I had:

Not main floor, nor one without balcony.

Parking I needed and 'green space' nearby.

Although un-named ~ it is My Place.

With over 100 apartments ~ only one was available:

Third floor end unit with a north-west view

overlooks green-space, lengthy bike and running trails.

Mature trees 'round the perimeter and in spacious rear garden.

Nearby is a soccer field; bus service at the front door

and convenient to all ~ is a friendly small plaza.

Yes: I've a balcony with spendourizing sunsets;

have photo-ed many scenes of reds, golds and pinks.

The high wires of telephone and hydro become positioning

of the early morn 'chorus lines'

that waken birdie friends and humans still a-bed.

And in the early eve, they re-assemble ~ to bid 'adieu'.

My balcony, like a summer home, was also claimed by Mourning Doves.

For three summers, on a wrought iron chair, built a flat nest...

laid their eggs...and on rotating schedules.. incubated them...

fed and raised their 'squabs' ~ then taught them how to fly.

About these experiences, I daily wrote ~ 'twas an education for me!

Even with this hot, humid weather,

fresh morning air welcomes morning coffee

and to my front door, the newspaper's delivered.

As you know, as blog-written, I've a sizeable Hibiscus Bush

having bought last August from Holland Park Garden Centre.

Four others were blooming ~ the one I bought, had no blooms,

so sold to me for a very good price.

From the end of September to early frost days,

over 70 coral blooms (5 to 6 inches each) rewarded my purchase!

I brought it inside to weather the winter

and have now returned it ~ to its balcony corner.

I pruned back some branches and given it water

in hope that again ~ it'd start to bloom!

Two days ago, 3 buds a-budding,...so knew the summer, it'll enjoy.

This morning how glorious! A huge coral bloom that'll last a couple days,

then the others will open their tight-bound buds.

“Hallelujah” I say (in homage to the 'Bush') !

Excited I am 'cause the squirrels (the pesky rodents)

haven't yet returned ~ to destroy my precious bush!

(And about Grey and Blackie, I wrote their misdismeanors:

antics that would absolutely startle your minds!)

Vega Welcomed

When balconies were replaced a few years ago, my heavy green Buddha statue was placed in storage on the main floor. Then when retrieving it, Mike could not locate it: someone took it...claiming it for their own! With a given certificate, no Buddha could I find of interest to me. But I did find “Vega” ....a beautiful white statue, very heavy was she, who sits on a pedestal in the balcony's far corner. Looking very Grecian, she's all white and with arm overhead and above her brow, peers northwest facing Lyra's galaxy. As darkness falls, the brilliant bluish-white star “Vega” twinkles, announcing she's the 5^th largest star in the night sky. And if you look on a clear night, you'll locate my 'Vega'!

My Balcony Cat

While at Burlington Place, living on the 18^th floor overlooking Lake Ontario, I adopted a cat from the SPCA. A tabby, so she seemed: fur of grey and dark grey, her toes, ears and tail quite bushy...her white whiskers extra long. What a strange Tabby...she was most unfriendly and anti-social...(didn't want to be held or cuddled), I was told. She yowled from her cage all the way home...and loud yowling continued to the elevator for 18 floors and to my front door. What kind of pet, is she, I wondered. Mightily disturbed she seemed until opening her cage. Then! She strutted out in a queenly mode as though she'd she'd gained much freedom...accordingly, I called her Sheba! By now, she seemed much calmer. I did have fears about her on my 18^th floor...so kept her on a leash until able to trust her. She seemed content to lay on the balcony floor...pushing her head below the low rail...and with a constant 'tail switch' , see Canada Geese as they quacked and searched for food...also the occasional swan at the water's edge. After a month or so, I trusted her minus the leash. So much so, that when at work, I'd leave open the balcony door for her to 'come and go.'

She'd lay at my feet or on a bedside rug...but never ever on my lap...lucky to hold her for a few seconds or a minute at most. Trusting, she became as I left her to adapt. Very intelligent, she'd hear the elevator sound...and was always awaiting my 'key in the door' . On one day, she brushed past my left leg...and continued following her...with more brushing motions beside my leg, she led me to the balcony...

for she had a 'gift' (a treasure) to display: a bird she'd caught, lay on the floor. Can you imagine?

About Sheba, a book I could write!

A cat-fancier friend, Julie, recognized her as not an ordinary Tabby!

She was a Maine Coon with all the attributes (except for personality).

(The SPCA, from given knowledge, stated that my Sheba

had apparently been abused...and knowing it was November,

needed a home for the winter...so claimed a farm-house kitchen window to beg for food).

“Knowledge is the 'eye of desire' and can become the pilot of the soul,”

stated will Durant.

Written by Merle Baird-Kerr...July 7, 2018

Comments welcome: mbairdkerr@bell.net or inezkate@gmail.com

Paying Homage

It Took the World to Save the Trapped Thai Boys

(Written from 'The Spectator's View” makes a powerful statement!)

It's amazing how 2 and 3 words have such impact on the drama of the situation!

They were lost and then found.

They were trapped and then set free.

They faced an excruciating death but were lovingly guided back to life

by strangers who risked everything.

And on Tuesday when the last of the Thai boys and their coach were rescued from the flooded caves in which they had been trapped for more than 2 weeks ~

the world rejoiced.

No wonder. Mission impossible had become mission accomplished. Millions of prayers and dozens of languages had been answered. All you had to hear were 3 little words from the Thai navy Seal unit directing the operation ~ They are Safe to breathe a little more easily again. You knew that a scarcely imaginable 17-day ordeal was over ~ that an international emergency response had succeeded and that the horrific narrative of these 12 young boys and their 25-year-old adult accompanyng them had ended ~ better than most people had expected.

Led by its coach, a kid's soccer team had entered a cave system in northern Thailand

on June 23 befire disappearing as surging monsoon waters swept into the caverns.

Only last week did a team of British divers locate them ~ hungry and frightened ~ perched on a rocky shelf above the rising flood waters in a dark chamber more than 3 kilometres from the cave's entrance.

Then came the monumental challenge of bringing everyone out ~ through deep water in places ~ through narrow passage ways ~ where oxygen tanks had to be removed, in others.

There was always a risk torrential monsoon rains would engulf them

or prevent the rescue for months.

Machines pumped water out: divers took oxygen tanks in.

The rescue effort brought nations together. Of the 90 expert divers involved, 50 were from Thailand ~ the rest from a host of countries including Britain and the United States. A Chilean miner who had been trapped underground in his country for 69 days earlier this decade, offered help

.

Each boy, and finally the coach, was taken out by 2 divers guided by a fixed line. It took each pair of divers 6 hours to reach the trapped and weary soccer team ~ then another 5 hours to return to safety.

While the whole team escaped: former Thai navy Seal, Saman Kunan

died last Friday when his oxygen ran out as he placed air tanks in the caves.

His self-sacrifice should not be forgotten.

The world was right to give thanks on Tuesday ~ the story of these boys resounded so profoundly.

But it did because we could feel for them, so young, vulnerable and terrified ~ while empathizing with their distraught families. It did, because in this life-and-death-struggle, human courage, compassion, co-operation and know-how, tipped the scales in favour of life.

And perhaps it did because while the sheer magnitude of some human suffering

can render it incomprehensible, we could on this occasion fully understand

what was happening to a small group of unfortunate individuals.

Before we shut our eyes, we might imagine how great this world would be ~ if the caring love that saved those boys and their coach, could be extended to more of the millions of other humans needing it.

Written by The Hamilton Spectator, I fully support their view and opinion

and trust the message is significant to all mankind.

Postscript: Each of the boys, ages 11 to 16 and with no diving experience, was guided out by divers through rocky, muddy and water-filled passages that in places that were just a 'crawl-space'. The method was extremely risky, but dwindling oxygen levels in the cave and fears of more monsoon rains to come, made a decision urgent! It was sad to read that some of the boys could not swim.

Precautions ~ Don't Drown!

“It's important, experts say, to teach your children a healthy respect of water and to ensure they wear approved life-jackets when near it,” states Leslie Barker in the Dallas Morning News.

A colour photo accompanying this article is of 2 happy young children

standing in shallow lake water ~ clad in shorts with sunhats and life-jackets.

Tips to do All you Can to Prevent what's More Possible Than you Think:

A swim teacher of many years, when asked by parent(s),

At what level can my kids be considered safe in the water?

Her answer is NEVER!

A life guard doesn't mean you can let your guard down. Their job is to scan the entire pool

Drowning can occur in mere inches of water. Lifeguards have pulled kids out of 2-foot wading pools.

Everyone needs to take swimming lessons .Formal swim classes can reduce drownings by 88%.

Memorize this mantra: 'Back to theWall!' Most people who drown are within reaching the pool wall.

Hold your breath. People drown because they can't get a breath.

Learn to roll over onto your back ~ an easy way to catch your breath.

Practice what you are learning so it becomes automatic.

Be Cautious. You must have a healthy respect for the water.

Invest in a life-jacket. Remember, 'water-wings' are not life jackets.

If you swim in brown water, wear a life-jacket. This and creek water means less visibility.

Put your phone away! Most, today, live in a 'heads-down-world. It takes only 20 seconds for a child to become unconscious ~ a silent struggle below the water surface.

Drowning isn't loud and frantic! Adopt swimming experts mantra ~ Reach! Throw! Don't Go!

Fence your home pool, even if your kids can swim. Pool fences reduce risk of drowning by 85%.

* * * * * * *

Personal Experience: I couldn't swim ~ and nearly drowned twice before engaging in 'swim lessons.'

It's scary...it's humiliating...it's self-demeaning! I couldn't swim!

Raised on a farm near a village's outskirts ~ no pool. The only access to swimming was Whiteman's Creek located outside the village area. All the kids and school friends learned to swim in the creek! It was a 'swimming hole' ~ just 'jump in ~ paddle like a dog! My parents never swam ~ always lived on farms ~ therefore no necessity ~ ergo, my sister and I were never allowed in Whiteman's Creek!

In teen years, we worked at a Christian camp on Lake Erie's shore. We were told of the sand-bar several feet out...with a raft nearby for fun...just wade out and enjoy yourself. And twice I nearly drowned with water over my head. At age 18, studying in Toronto, I took formal swim-classes for adults. 'Tis always easy, when you know how!' For me, this was a great achievement.

Composed by Merle Baird-Kerr...July 12, 2018

Comments welcome: mbairdkerr@bell.net or inezkate@gmail.com

Friday ~ The 13th

Friday the 13^th is believed to be an unlucky day in many countries, but a lucky one in others.

“The Ontario Provincial Police's Norfolk County detachment is asking for the public to be patient with expected increased motorcycle traffic on Friday, the 13^th in Port Dover. Main Street will be closed. Vehicles will be prohibited from using Market Streets East & West, and Chapman Street West.”

“Motorcycle Days” in Port Dover are celebrated yearly

on Fridays, the 13^th throughout the year.”

It's a celebration for motorcyclists called PD13 attracting massive crowds

(no matter what the weather or season!)

Motorcycle Days in Port Dover for 2018 are April 13 and July 13.

Happy Friday the 13^th!

Don't walk under any ladder.

Don't break any mirrors.

Don't spill any salt.

Don't open any umbrella indoors.

Don't pick up a penny facing down.

And don't walk by black cats ~

(truthfully, a black cat crossing your path

signifies that the animal is going somewhere).

Fear is the main source of superstition and one of the main sources of cruelty.

To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.

(unknown author)

Black Friday!

Every year, Black Friday could land on a different date on the 4^th week of November. In 2017, it was November 24 ~ an opportunity for some of the biggest store sales of the year! Accordingly, Black Friday in 2018 is November 23. Originally, an American shopping spree, Canada has adopted this opportunity: a single intense 24 hours of shopping deals.

Facts About 'Black Friday' in Canada:

2. million Canadians plan to be sick on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
   More than half of Canadians are expected to shop on these days.

Shoppers in Saskatchewan spent the most last year.

The most sought-after Black Friday item is clothing and accessories (52% of shoppers)

followed by tech (44%).

Black Friday has taken a bite out of Boxing Day.

Purchase by 'mobile shopping' will be made on laptop (more than 54%) and 24% on tablet.

Black Friday isn't as big in Canada as it is in United States.

The majority of Canadians are not willing to fight for a bargain.

How Did 'Black Friday' Begin?: Seen by many as a shopping extravaganza, it begins in the wee hours of the morning (on the day after the U.S.Thanksgiving), offering deep discounts on various items, door-buster deals and and other specials that have customers anxious to raid the aisles.

Historically ~ One story attributes the name to September 24,1869, when 2 speculators created a boom and subsequent bust in the gold market. According to the History channel, Jay Gould and Jim Fisk hoped to drive the price of gold sky-high, relying on a corrupt network that extended from Wall Street and the government of New York City all the way to the family of President Ulysses S. Grant.

Eventually, the conspiracy unravelled on what became known as 'Black Friday'.

Other historians claim Black Friday had ties to Philadelphia ~

which promoted big sales after the U.S. Thanksgiving when people were off from work.

Traffic cops and other law enforcement personnel had to work 12-hour shifts to corral the extra foot and vehicle traffic in addition to spectators from the Army/Navy football game.

Black Friday is a phenonenom that marks the unofficial start

of the holiday shopping season.

All the hype about U.S. and Canada's Black Friday

prompted me to address other 'Special Days' recognized and possibly honoured

throughout our country. (The following exclude National Holidays.)

2018's Designated Yearly Special Days in Canada

January 11: Sir John A. MacDonald Day.

February 2: Groundhog Day and World Wetland Day

February 14: Valentine's Day; 15: National Flag Day of Canada; 16: Chinese New Year; 19: Nova Scotia Heritage Day; Louis Riel Day (Manitoba); 23: Yukon Heritage Day.

March 8: International Women's Day; 11: Daylight Saving Time begins; 17: St. Patrick's Day;

22: World Water Day.

April 1: April Fools Day; 10: Birthday of Jack Miner (a founder of Canada's Conservation Movement);

22: Earth Day; 23: St. George's Day (Newfoundland).

May 12: International Migratory Bird Day; 13: Mother's Day; 21: National Patriots' Day in Quebec; 22: International Day for Biodiversity.

June 5: World Environment Day; 8: Oceans Day; 10: Canadian Rivers Day; 17: Father's Day; 21: National Aboriginal Day; 24: Discovery Day (Newfoundland); St. Jean Baptiste Day (Quebec).

July 1: Memorial Day (Newfoundland); 9: Nunavut Day (NWT) 21: Canada Parks Day.

August 12: International Youth Day; 20: Discovery Day (Yukon).

September 16: International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer; 24: National Forest Week begins; 26: National Tree Day; 30: World Rivers Day.

October 31: Halloween.

November 4: Daylight Saving Time ends (except Saskatchewan); 11: Remembrance Day;

21: World Fisheries Day.

December 26: Boxing Day (not an official holiday ~ many retail outlets OPEN for Big Sales!

31: New Years Eve.

Scripted by Merle Baird-Kerr...April 14, 2018

Comments appreciated: mbairdkerr@bell.net or inezkate@gmail.com

Books and Novels

Both I have read ~ and queried the difference.

A book is a collection containing non-fiction and fiction pages;

A novel is a collection of many ideas, characters and fantasies

with the writer's imagination ~ to become a novel.

Apart from children's books by Thornton Burgess, Gone With the Wind was the first adult novel I read. And greatly impressed was I ~ daily carrying and reading it as I walked a mile or so, completing Grade 13 studies at Brantford Collegiate. More than one curb, did I trip over as page by page I read about Scarlett O'Hara and Brett Butler. This novel piqued my literary interest ~ and to this day always have a novel to read, offering real education in humour, drama and everyday peoples' lives.

Recently, a friend, excited about reading Book Club (which is now a theatre movie), recommended this novel about four friends, who after reading Fifty Shades of Grey as part of their monthly reading, began to change how they viewed their personal relationships.

Literary Women

BOOKS, a titled article recently in The Hamilton Spectator, captured my attention with a scenic photo by Kate Harris (taken on her lengthy journey abroad), lures one's eyes to deeply focus on the 'depth of field' layers. Through lacy-leafed trees on the near shore...to calm rippling waters and beyond...a forest of trees...and rising behind them, a mountainous range...and lastly, you're sky-born to the sun or moon.

(Gone are explorer days of Columbus, Magellan and Drake

whose queries were disvoveries of the New World.

And in that era, “A woman's place: was in the Home!”

Today, we call them 'scientists' ~ both men and women

(the latter in a more liberated world.)

Today: Women have Choices!

(Being a lawyer, a medic or steno..,perhaps teacher, musician or gymnast.

Preferring to have children (whether married or not),

she can travel to places for excitement afar:

Challenges to conquer, stating” I did it!”

Females today are ventured to adventure ~

so much in fact, authors highlight them in prose.

“Books” features novels and books by Canadian Female Authors.

Wild Fierce Life: Dangerous Moments on the Outer Coast

“We find the avid kayaker on an expedition as tsunami warnings hit VHF radio air-waves. Paddling frantically, she has just enough time to seek shelter in a nearby First Nations community before the Japanese tsunami is expected to arrive. The author of this novel, Johanna Streetly chronicles a close call spanning her 30 years living on British Columbia's west coast. She braves midnight paddles in impenetrable fog, a voilent lightning storm, encounters with bears and wolves, nail-biting boat trips with her one infant daughter and dark foreboding swells on her 'float house' off the coast of Tofino. It's all part of 'life in the wild'. In the book's prologue, she wrote: I haven't hiked the highest peaks or crossed the Pacific in a periliously small craft. My resiliance does not equal that of women who've gone before me, raising huge families far from help, with few resources. But there have been times in wild places when they simply became precarious. And when they did, the intensity of those moments opened previously uncharted waters of myself. I found and lost fears...contemplated death...expanded my understanding of human kind and of history. Streetly says she felt it important to write about the many fears she's faced, living in the remote reaches of B.C. Wave after wave of books grapple with this very question: celebrating the wilder side of women's lives and reimaginating what's possible.

More recently from Squamish, B.C. Jan Redford's

End of the Rope: Mountains, Marriage and Motherhood about her climbing capers.

Bernadettte McDonald the author of many books on adventurers says “The tradition of female adventurers stretches back many years, pointing to 19^th century such as Fanny Bullock Workmen and

Alexandra David-Neal and the 29^th century Himalayan climbing legends such as Wanda Rutkiewicz.

Not only are there female adventurers, but it is believed

publishers are more receptive how to tell these kinds of stories.”

Kate Harris's magnificent Lands and Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road details the Rhode Scholar's 10,000 km bike journey along the ancient trading route, cutting through spectacular scenic regions. The book is equal parts travelogue, adventure yarn and meditation to the modern-day explorer. Living in Atlin, B.C. as a child, Harris now says she was 'deeply inspired by the literature of of exploration and the spirit of it.' This idea of deliberately setting off toward the unknown, into risk, you can discover incredible things about yourself ~ the world and your relationship to it.

She took her inspiration from adventurers such as Jane Goodall

as well as Rowing to Latitude Journeys Along the Arctic's Edge

by rower Jill Fredston and West With the Night by bush pilot Beryl Markham.

Kate Harris concludes, “There's much to be gained from exposing one's self to such hardships ~

you gain humility and maybe a deeper sense of empathy for what other people are going through.”

The publishing trend was ushered in by Sheryl Strayed's 2012 blockbuster book

“Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail”

about hiking the gruelling trail alone.

Many wonderful titles followed in its wake, including last spring's

Turning: A Swimming Memoir by Jessica J. Lee,

who as a Canadian in Berlin setting out to swim 52 icy German lakes.

Walk into a Book Store ~ you'll be amazed at the array of selections

from 'Fiction' to 'Novel' and numerous “How To...Books”

Several years ago, at a bookstand in local Marilou's grocery store, the cover of a novel, grabbed my attention: Valley of the Horses. For anyone, knowing me, I'm most fond of horses and the 'big cats' of Eurasia.. Reading the briefing on the back cover, I knew this was a novel of great interest! Captivated by this reading, I discovered that Clan of the Cave Bear was the first of several novels written by Jane Auel. One by one, I managed to locate the sequence books written by her. What wonderful treasures they were about life in early European days centred around Ayla and her life, living in harsh conditions ~ learning to cope and developing skills ~ adapting to circumstances and her environment.

Written by Merle Baird-Kerr...June 27, 2018

Comments most welcome: mbairdkerr@bell.net or inezkate@gmail.com

Books and Novels

Both I have read ~ and queried the difference.

A book is a collection containing non-fiction and fiction pages;

A novel is a collection of many ideas, characters and fantasies

with the writer's imagination ~ to become a novel.

Apart from children's books by Thornton Burgess, Gone With the Wind was the first adult novel I read. And greatly impressed was I ~ daily carrying and reading it as I walked a mile or so, completing Grade 13 studies at Brantford Collegiate. More than one curb, did I trip over as page by page I read about Scarlett O'Hara and Brett Butler. This novel piqued my literary interest ~ and to this day always have a novel to read, offering real education in humour, drama and everyday peoples' lives.

Recently, a friend, excited about reading Book Club (which is now a theatre movie), recommended this novel about four friends, who after reading Fifty Shades of Grey as part of their monthly reading, began to change how they viewed their personal relationships.

Literary Women

BOOKS, a titled article recently in The Hamilton Spectator, captured my attention with a scenic photo by Kate Harris (taken on her lengthy journey abroad), lures one's eyes to deeply focus on the 'depth of field' layers. Through lacy-leafed trees on the near shore...to calm rippling waters and beyond...a forest of trees...and rising behind them, a mountainous range...and lastly, you're sky-born to the sun or moon.

(Gone are explorer days of Columbus, Magellan and Drake

whose queries were disvoveries of the New World.

And in that era, “A woman's place: was in the Home!”

Today, we call them 'scientists' ~ both men and women

(the latter in a more liberated world.)

Today: Women have Choices!

(Being a lawyer, a medic or steno..,perhaps teacher, musician or gymnast.

Preferring to have children (whether married or not),

she can travel to places for excitement afar:

Challenges to conquer, stating” I did it!”

Females today are ventured to adventure ~

so much in fact, authors highlight them in prose.

“Books” features novels and books by Canadian Female Authors.

Wild Fierce Life: Dangerous Moments on the Outer Coast

“We find the avid kayaker on an expedition as tsunami warnings hit VHF radio air-waves. Paddling frantically, she has just enough time to seek shelter in a nearby First Nations community before the Japanese tsunami is expected to arrive. The author of this novel, Johanna Streetly chronicles a close call spanning her 30 years living on British Columbia's west coast. She braves midnight paddles in impenetrable fog, a voilent lightning storm, encounters with bears and wolves, nail-biting boat trips with her one infant daughter and dark foreboding swells on her 'float house' off the coast of Tofino. It's all part of 'life in the wild'. In the book's prologue, she wrote: I haven't hiked the highest peaks or crossed the Pacific in a periliously small craft. My resiliance does not equal that of women who've gone before me, raising huge families far from help, with few resources. But there have been times in wild places when they simply became precarious. And when they did, the intensity of those moments opened previously uncharted waters of myself. I found and lost fears...contemplated death...expanded my understanding of human kind and of history. Streetly says she felt it important to write about the many fears she's faced, living in the remote reaches of B.C. Wave after wave of books grapple with this very question: celebrating the wilder side of women's lives and reimaginating what's possible.

More recently from Squamish, B.C. Jan Redford's

End of the Rope: Mountains, Marriage and Motherhood about her climbing capers.

Bernadettte McDonald the author of many books on adventurers says “The tradition of female adventurers stretches back many years, pointing to 19^th century such as Fanny Bullock Workmen and

Alexandra David-Neal and the 29^th century Himalayan climbing legends such as Wanda Rutkiewicz.

Not only are there female adventurers, but it is believed

publishers are more receptive how to tell these kinds of stories.”

Kate Harris's magnificent Lands and Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road details the Rhode Scholar's 10,000 km bike journey along the ancient trading route, cutting through spectacular scenic regions. The book is equal parts travelogue, adventure yarn and meditation to the modern-day explorer. Living in Atlin, B.C. as a child, Harris now says she was 'deeply inspired by the literature of of exploration and the spirit of it.' This idea of deliberately setting off toward the unknown, into risk, you can discover incredible things about yourself ~ the world and your relationship to it.

She took her inspiration from adventurers such as Jane Goodall

as well as Rowing to Latitude Journeys Along the Arctic's Edge

by rower Jill Fredston and West With the Night by bush pilot Beryl Markham.

Kate Harris concludes, “There's much to be gained from exposing one's self to such hardships ~

you gain humility and maybe a deeper sense of empathy for what other people are going through.”

The publishing trend was ushered in by Sheryl Strayed's 2012 blockbuster book

“Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail”

about hiking the gruelling trail alone.

Many wonderful titles followed in its wake, including last spring's

Turning: A Swimming Memoir by Jessica J. Lee,

who as a Canadian in Berlin setting out to swim 52 icy German lakes.

Walk into a Book Store ~ you'll be amazed at the array of selections

from 'Fiction' to 'Novel' and numerous “How To...Books”

Several years ago, at a bookstand in local Marilou's grocery store, the cover of a novel, grabbed my attention: Valley of the Horses. For anyone, knowing me, I'm most fond of horses and the 'big cats' of Eurasia.. Reading the briefing on the back cover, I knew this was a novel of great interest! Captivated by this reading, I discovered that Clan of the Cave Bear was the first of several novels written by Jane Auel. One by one, I managed to locate the sequence books written by her. What wonderful treasures they were about life in early European days centred around Ayla and her life, living in harsh conditions ~ learning to cope and developing skills ~ adapting to circumstances and her environment.

Written by Merle Baird-Kerr...June 27, 2018

Comments most welcome: mbairdkerr@bell.net or inezkate@gmail.com