"American Drifter"

(An abridgment from novel: authors Heather Graham and Chad Michael Murray)

River Roulet travels to South America. In Brazil, he meets Natal in Rio de Janeiro ~
an impassive journalist and 'free spirit.'

War has turned River angry and bitter ~ but Natal rekindles his curiosity for the world around him.
Waiting for her one morning, to drive with her into Rio, he was fascinated with the editors in a local newspaper (all in English). The “American Drifter” Natal had written focused on a census taken in the United States ~ how people were asked about their colour, religion and ethnicity.Yet, the whole article stated, there should be only one answer that everyone should have to give ~ whether they were born in the country or naturalized an American. Until the government and the people stop discerning between colour, faith and original ethnicity, not all Americans will be free to chase 'the American Dream.'

Still, as a foreigner, I applaud the country for the ideal of equality so many hold true....speaks to its citizens...for somewhere, that dream still does exist. But then, nowhere else in the world was like Rio ~

where Joy and Dance and Music

were the pursuit of life happiness.

River knew that Natal was smart ~ and a philosophic. She reminded people that material desires could get in the way of living. She wrote about the wonderful things in Rio that cost nothing...the sights to see...the things to do...and how just taking a walk at night could be the greatest freedom.

Following Natal one day, when meeting at the laundry, she asked his name...”River,” he said. Natal responded, “You are 'water,” River commented, “I read your name in a tourist magazine.

You write so well about America.”

She further stated, “The New World was all about sugar in your country...tobacco and cotton. But when the wars for independence began, all fought and all were free. Oh, I'm not saying, there aren't people here who are still prejudiced ~ against the native populations....against this one or that one who for a colour or a religion...or sex...or sexual choice...but not our society at large. Everyone here: gay...strait...black...white...Indian...and we tend to just love one another in the streets. We're happy!

We dance...we samba...we live for music...and life.

Deep in thought, River said, “Dear friend, Natal, Brazil was the last country in the western hemisphere

to abolish slavery...” And she replied, “The original Portuguese settlers were mostly men ~ and they looked for companions among the Indigenous people ~ and yes the slaves ~ so we are truly all mixed up ~ a big mix of hundreds of years ~ and we think nothing of it.

In the thirties, the government encouraged workers

to come from Europe ~ but not Asia or Africa.

We are a browner society in general ~ and our constitution prohibits discrimination

by the government and by the people.

Women may not be discriminated against ~ and yet for some old men, it's hard. They think that a woman's place (as you Americans say it) is barefoot...and pregnant...and in the kitchen!)

But.we toss our hair at those who carry cultural weight and think they are 'macho men.”

We love life ~ and I love to write about all life:

the good and the bad and what makes it special.

“Life? What makes it special?” River asked Natal.

“Art...pictures...music...and traveling. Dancing and meeting people (the people in the streets)...little children...pets...and and everything.The grass...the sun...the mountains...and the valleys. Nature's beauty, all of it. The oceans and lakes....and rivers.

Here, sadly, sometimes, money talks ~ the colour ~ that is what sometimes matters.

“I believe,” stated River, “That's the whole world. Life is what we make it.”

The bus came along ~ and they did not pay. Leaning toward him,

Natal said, “Don't worry. River, Mr. Water, my friend,
“I will see to it that I pay double a few times.

“Come, River, it will be an adventure!

To which he replied, “I'm into adventure!”

Grabbing his hand, she pulled him to an overhang on the side of the road where people were waiting.

She nodded and smiled as they joined the throng. The roads here were dusty; farmers and women carrying belongings in rolled up scarves waited. The bus, spewing all kinds of smoke and noxious fumes pulled up. A horde seemed to step off~ and the group they were part of, moved on. Natal led him through the back doors, where they were swept up in the sea of people ~ and pushed toward the back. The bus was going where it was going anyways. And if anyone noticed, they were not paying, he did have bills in his backpack. For awhile, he held on to Natal and stood next to a man clutching a chicken. Natal smiled at him and spoke to the man ~ and River patted the chicken on the head.

Following a truck ride, Natal pointed to a small footpath that led upward, obscured by bracken. She knew where she was going.The rainforest here was geologically ancient ~ way older than the Amazonian rain forest. When explorers first came to the coast, they had seen nothing but green.

This forest, so rich, it eclipsed all else. It had been called Mata Atlantica (Atlantic Forest).and had stretched 125 miles inland ~ and now ~ the 12 million civilization who currently lived on the coast, had changed it. In these wilds, a man could catch glimpses of woody spider makers...a lion tamarind...or a sloth. Monkeys could be seen up in the trees. Only special and wonderful places were left where the flora and fauna reigned supreme.

Breaking into a clearing, a few vendors were selling cheese, fruit, bread and some dried fruit. Following a few purchases, climbing, there were clear patches...areas of rocks...stretches of scrufff...and even heavy brush. We are about to find the treasure, Natal called back to River.

Into another clearing, they had climbed fairly high, but nowhere as high Corcovado Mountain, which they could see in the distance. The Christ Redeemer statue, in the late afternoon sunlight, seemed to glisten and gleam ~ and look down on them with a holy light.

'This is breath-taking,” announced River. “Truly beautiful.”

Setting out a blanket, Natal opened little containers of food.

“You can feel love and forgiveness.

You don't need to see the forests.”

River asked her, “Are we in a National Park?” Answering him, she replied,

“The statue is in Tijuca National Park”.

There is a chapel under the statue ~ and there are so many tourists.

There is an old mountain pass and it will take you there, when you wish ~ but I prefer it here.

We can't stay long here ~ I must be back soon. I am a free spirit. I don't answer personal questions.

Adventurers make no promises ~ and they give no explanations or excuses.

The foregoing gleaned by Merle Baird-Kerr...October 23, 2019

Your comments welcome: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca

Musings ~ Part 2

My Speech Book: When I was in Miss Hew-Wing's grade one class, Some of us got to skip classes to attend a special class, called “Speech,” Held in the 'Resource Room' we read short little sentences like The Sun is a Star. Sitting next to me, I remember, was a boy who had a lisp ~ and he would read,

The thun ith a thtar. But, what interested me most with this unique class, was a special book which I had never before seen. This book had 3 mechanically operated rings. She could pull a lever at either end of the spine ~ and the rings popped open, so she could put new pages in it. The paper was lined ~ and had 3 holes to fit the rings. Then she could push the levers toward the center of the book ~ and the rings would snap shut. To me, the sentences we read were just a reduntant distraction ~ as I ruminated about how this curious book operated. It was wondrous to see what mechanism could be between the levers to operate the rings ~ and how the force applied to the levers could operate the rings!

Later, with my Mom in a store, it had one of these books for sale.

I so wanted the book ~ to play with it myself ~ and learn how the mechanism worked.

So, my Mom bought me the book and about a half-inch thick-stack of lined paper to put in it.

I called it My Speech Book and because I had this wonderful book,

I could now have my own Speech class.

Chuck Roast: My Mom occasionally prepared such a thing as a chuck roast ~ and I wondered why it was called this. One must not assume that a child cannot think. A 6-year-old child lacks the literary ability to express his thoughts in words and in writing ~ and lacks the vocabulary to explain his thoughts philosophically. My mother always told me that I did not think ~ but I did think!

At a young age, I ran the references:

Peppermint Patty always called Charlie Brown 'Chuck' (a nickname for Charles).

The end of an electric drill which holds the drill bit is called a 'chuck' and the key that tightens it is called a chuck. Could this term have some application to butchery? Is chuck a certain cut of beef, as this part is to the drill?

The word chuck can be a verb ~ as to throw something away.

You could chuck a stone or a snowball.

Applied to butchery, does it refer to the way the meat is cut?

In the series of “Better Homes and Gardens” cookbooks (one of which was heavily used), one of them had a chapter on wild game. We didn't do any hunting in our family, aside from occasional fishing, but, was a chuck a possible game animal that could be procured from a butcher?

I read a story called Reddy Fox. The second book in the series was called Johnny Chuck.

And, while this was imaginative, it was clear that a chuck was a burrowing animal, comparable to a large rabbit or hedgehog. (In the story, he was digging a burrow with a shovel ~ and his wife would find a better spot before he was finished digging!)

As we ate chuck roast, I tried to imagine that this was the culinary form

of the animal exemplified by Johnny Chuck.

And this is what I believed a chuck roast was ~ when I was about six or seven years old.

Only recently, did I confirm that the drill part was the correct comparison.

A chuck to the drill was as a chuck-cut is to the beef.

Dummy: You might recall the family who lived in #8 maisonette. This was my response to someone who was asking about 'weaning a 2-year-old off a pacifer.' Back when I was 7 and my sister was an infant, Mom left us one afternoon in the care of a neighbour lady. During the afternoon, this lady told me to go home (across the hall) to get her a 'dummy'. Puzzled by what she could possibly mean, to me a 'dummy' was a person of limited intelligence ~ or one who does not think! Confused, I returned empty-handed ~ yet she pressed me for need of the dummy. She stated, “Your Mom must have a 'dummy' for your sister ~ go home and find me one, she urged. Somewhat intimidated, I was just as confused as to what this strange lady was referring. A 'dummy' sometimes refers to an object resembling a person, but not really alive ~ for testing something dangerous. But, we had nothing like that in the house! My mind drew a blank ~ and I finally came back empty-handed again.

This time, she sent her daughter, Rhonda, back with me to get a 'dummy'.

Rhonda went right over to the 'change-table' and picked up a soother, as we called it.

I was frustrated. What was all this about a 'dummy'? If you wanted a 'soother' why didn't you just say so

(I thought to myself). For crying out loud! Some people!

Fried Chicken: Our teacher asked what my favourite animal was, and I said, Fried Chicken.

She said I wasn't funny, but she couldn't have been right, because everyone else laughed. My parents told me to always be truthful. I was! Fried chicken is my favourite animal. Telling my dad what happened, he said my teacher was probably a member of the PTA. He said they love animals!

I do too. Especially chicken, pork and beef. Anyway, my teacher sent me to the principal's office.

I told him what occurred ~ and he laughed, too. Then he told me not to do that again.

The next day in class, my teacher asked what my favourite animal was.

I told her it was chicken, and asking me why ~ I told her

it was because you could make them into fried chicken.

Sending me back to the principal's office...he laughed and told me not to do it again.

I don't understand. My parents told me to be honest, but my teacher doesn't like it when I am.

On an u related topic, my teacher asked me to tell her what famous person I admired most.

I told her: “Colonel Saunders!” Guess where I am now?

About Center Island 1971: In the fall of '71, there was a class trip to Center Island. What a thrill to ride the ferry boat fromToronto to the island ~ and all the fun and exciting stuff. We had to walk to visit the “Far Enough Farm” which was essentially a petting farm for children. I was 6, almost 7, yet there were far more exciting things to see and do on Center Island than these sheep, goats and chickens.

After visiting the farm, we headed back to the ferry docks. I gazed at a log boat going over the flume ride ~ and I thought other classes got to do that instead of visiting Miss Allen's farm.

While it was certainly desirable to be away from cruel school for the day,

the trip for me was an unresolved disappointment.

When my family was planning a trip, I requested Center Island ~ so that I could see the rest of the island park, which had been unresolved. Instead, I was infomed we were going to Ontario Place.

I had never heard of that. My mind was focused on Center Island , so I repeated my request.

Therefore, as a 6-year-old boy, I resigned my fate.

I did have Children's Village, which was acceptable.

Later in the day I took a bad step and twisted my ankle, which was sore for the rest of the day.

A & W: You do know why I liked going to A&W as a child, don't you? I once had a dream as an infant of riding in my white crib down Plains Road to the A&W drive-in. It was because A&W had a conveyer belt dishwasher for their mugs. And it was fascinating to watch all the mugs going along the conveyer belt into the dishwasher. I was most fascinated with how mechanical things worked.

(This last writing was sent me April 30, 2019)

Compiled by Merle Baird-Kerr...June 30, 2019

To reply: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca

Musings: Part 2

My Speech Book: When I was in Miss Hew-Wing's grade one class, Some of us got to skip classes to attend a special class, called “Speech,” Held in the 'Resource Room' we read short little sentences like The Sun is a Star. Sitting next to me, I remember, was a boy who had a lisp ~ and he would read,

The thun ith a thtar. But, what interested me most with this unique class, was a special book which I had never before seen. This book had 3 mechanically operated rings. She could pull a lever at either end of the spine ~ and the rings popped open, so she could put new pages in it. The paper was lined ~ and had 3 holes to fit the rings. Then she could push the levers toward the center of the book ~ and the rings would snap shut. To me, the sentences we read were just a redundent distraction ~ as I ruminated about how this curious book operated. It was wondrous to see what mechanism could be between the levers to operate the rings ~ and how the force applied to the levers could operate the rings!

Later, with my Mom in a store, it had one of these books for sale.

I so wanted the book ~ to play with it myself ~ and learn how the mechanism worked.

So, my Mom bought me the book and about a half-inch thick-stack of lined paper to put in it.

I called it My Speech Book and because I had this wonderful book,

I could now have my own Speech class.

Chuck Roast: My Mom occasionally prepared such a thing as a chuck roast ~ and I wondered why it was called this. One must not assume that a child cannot think. A 6-year-old child lacks the literary ability to express his thoughts in words and in writing ~ and lacks the vocabulary to explain his thoughts philosophically. My mother always told me that I did not think ~ but I did think!

At a young age, I ran the references:

Peppermint Patty always called Charlie Brown 'Chuck' (a nickname for Charles).

The end of an electric drill which holds the drill bit is called a 'chuck' and the key that tightens it is called a chuck. Could this term have some application to butchery? Is chuck a certain cut of beef, as this part is to the drill?

The word chuck can be a verb ~ as to throw something away.

You could chuck a stone or a snowball.

Applied to butchery, does it refer to the way the meat is cut?

In the series of “Better Homes and Gardens” cookbooks (one of which was heavily used), one of them had a chapter on wild game. We didn't do any hunting in our family, aside from occasional fishing, but, was a chuck a possible game animal that could be procured from a butcher?

I read a story called Reddy Fox. The second book in the series was called Johnny Chuck.

And, while this was imaginative, it was clear that a chuck was a burrowing animal, comparable to a large rabbit or hedgehog. (In the story, he was digging a burrow with a shovel ~ and his wife would find a better spot before he was finished digging!)

As we ate chuck roast, I tried to imagine that this was the culinary form

of the animal exemplified by Johnny Chuck.

And this is what I believed a chuck roast was ~ when I was about six or seven years old.

Only recently, did I confirm that the drill part was the correct comparison.

A chuck to the drill was as a chuck-cut is to the beef.

Dummy: You might recall the family who lived in #8 maisonette. This was my response to someone who was asking about 'weaning a 2-year-old off a 'pacifer.' Back when I was 7 and my sister was an infant, Mom left us one afternoon in the care of a neighbour lady. During the afternoon, this lady told me to go home (across the hall) to get her a 'dummy'. Puzzled by what she could possibly mean, to me a 'dummy' was a person of limited intelligence ~ or one who does not think! Confused, I returned empty-handed ~ yet she pressed me for need of the dummy. She stated, “Your Mom must have a 'dummy' for your sister ~ go home and find me one, she urged. Somewhat intimidated, I was just as confused as to what this strange lady was referring. A 'dummy' sometimes refers to an object resembling a person, but not really alive ~ for testing something dangerous. But, we had nothing like that in the house! My mind drew a blank ~ and I finally came back empty-handed again.

This time, she sent her daughter, Rhonda, back with me to get a 'dummy'.

Rhonda went right over to the 'change-table' and picked up a soother, as we called it.

I was frustrated. What was all this about a 'dummy'? If you wanted a 'soother' why didn't you just say so (I thought to myself). For crying out loud! Some people!

Fried Chicken: Our teacher asked what my favourite animal was, and I said, Fried Chicken.

She said I wasn't funny, but she couldn't have been right, because everyone else laughed. My parents told me to always be truthful. I was! Fried chicken is my favourite animal. Telling my dad what happened, he said my teacher was probably a member of the PTA. He said they love animals!

I do too. Especially chicken, pork and beef. Anyway, my teacher sent me to the principal's office.

I told him what occurred ~ and he laughed, too. Then he told me not to do that again.

The next day in class, my teacher asked what my favourite animal was.

I told her it was chicken, and asking me why ~ I told her

it was because you could make them into fried chicken.

Sending me back to the principal's office...he laughed and told me not to do it again.

I don't understand. My parents told me to be honest, but my teacher doesn't like it when I am.

On an  related topic, my teacher asked me to tell her what famous person I admired most.

I told her: “Colonel Saunders!” Guess where I am now?

About Center Island 1971: In the fall of '71, there was a class trip to Center Island. What a thrill to ride the ferry boat from Toronto to the island ~ and all the fun and exciting stuff. We had to walk to visit the “Far Enough Farm” which was essentially a petting farm for children. I was 6, almost 7, yet there were far more exciting things to see and do on Center Island than these sheep, goats, chickens.

After visiting the farm, we headed back to the ferry docks. I gazed at a log boat going over the flume ride ~ and I thought other classes got to do that instead of visiting Miss Allen's farm.

While it was certainly desirable to be away from cruel school for the day,

the trip for me was an unresolved disappointment.

When my family was planning a trip, I requested Center Island ~ so that I could see the rest of the island park, which had been unresolved. Instead, I was informed we were going to Ontario Place.

I had never heard of that. My mind was focused on Center Island , so I repeated my request.

Therefore, as a 6-year-old boy, I resigned my fate.

I did have Children's Village, which was acceptable.

Later in the day I took a bad step and twisted my ankle, which was sore for the rest of the day.

A & W: You do know why I liked going to A&W as a child, don't you? I once had a dream as an infant of riding in my white crib down Plains Road to the A&W drive-in. It was because A&W had a conveyor belt dishwasher for their mugs. And it was fascinating to watch all the mugs going along the conveyor belt into the dishwasher. I was most fascinated with how mechanical things worked.

(This last writing was sent me April 30, 2019)

Compiled by Merle Baird-Kerr...June 30, 2019

To reply: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca

ODE TO THE WOLF

Know that the same spark of life that is within you,

is within all of our animal friends.

(from Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center)

Wolves fascinate me ~ animals, strong and bold in appearance ~

with eyes of blue or brown and gold.

Forced out of habitats ~ to 'city life'they've adjusted .

Coyotes, along with wolves, are inhabiting our neighbourhoods ~

living in proximity with humans due to expansion and growth of mankind

and due to development of commercial and industrial lands.

I Simply Could Not Resist Him ~

as he faced me on a page within a colour magazine.

There he was ~ embedded ~ within a square.

His piercing blue eyes ~ and ears well alerted,

he gazed at me intently.

His facial fur of grayish white

deepened dark charcoal ~ approaching his neck and body.

Compelling, he piqued my attention ~ now worthy of a second look.

“Who are you? What do you need?”

(I wondered as I studied his face.)

Mesmerized, I was ~ just connecting with his eyes.

“What do you want?”I asked.

With piercing blue eyes still upon me,

he spoke:

“This is a photo of me ~ before a hunter raised his gun!

Bang! Bang! I balked and I howled!

And now, I'm really a clock, set in a 12-inch oaken frame.

I long to be loved ~

and can give to you ~ both pleasure and peace

'cause my 'spirit' within, still lives.

Just give me a battery or two ~ and I'll give you accurate time.

My name is 'Logan' ~ I was the 'Alpha' of my pack.

How could I refuse him?

I could give him a home ~ hanging in plain view

where daily, his face I would see.

Arriving by mail, I inserted a battery, setting his heart a-beat.

Hanging near my balcony door.

His gift to me, was and is ~ his mesmerizing eyes of blue.

Logan espies me 24/7

as I recall his pack and his life ~

and always will ~ e'en when I renew ~ his warm beating heart.

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

Comments welcome: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca

Wolf/Coyote Habitat in Southern Ontario: The howl of coyotes is familiar sound to those who live in the country ~ and to many who live in smaller cities, as they have long inhabited the outskirts of these towns and cities ~ adjacent to green spaces, such as farmland, conservation areas and parks.

They can travel a long way using ravines, highways and roads,

walking paths and hydro corridors, although they prefer to build their dens

in secluded places where they will not be disturbed.

These intelligent and adaptable animals seeem to be able to live closely with their human neighbours and are not usually a threat to human safety, although we are their only natural predator.

Many people have concerns about these wild carnivores living in their neighbourhoods.

To live in harmony with them, it is necessary that we respect

and understand their needs.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources,

there have been no incidents of these candids attacking humans in the Province of Ontario.

Living in a city bordering Lake Ontario,

this past summer, I've not seen one wolf.

Previously, we'd see a few, whether coyote or wolf,

as they wandered our parks, shoreline and wooded areas

searching for food or dens to raise their families.

OCEANS, GLACIERS at INCREASING RISK

Be Happy You Reside in Canada ~

especially in On tari-ari-ario!

A recent climate report in The Canadian Press by Bob Weber is startling!

We know the climate is quickly changing

and is alarming with increasing risk to human health.

Damage to Earth's oceans and glaciers from climate change

is outpacing the abilities of governments to protect them.

It doesn't matter where you live in the world ~ or whether you live in Canada, the impacts of climate change are going to impact everyone, said Sherliee Harper, an epidemiologist at the University of Alberta and one of the leading authors.The report was compiled by more than 100 authors worldwide with more than 7,000 papers at a scientific gathering in Monaco. A companion to a recent paper on the effect of a warming climate on land, lays out what's in store for oceans, glaciers and permafrost.

Oceans are rising faster and faster, becoming more acidic and warmer at a pace

that has doubled since 1993, Oxygen is disappearing from their upper layers

and currents that bring warm water north are weakening.

Glaciers, the source of rivers, are shrinking.

Permafrost, storing twice as much carbon as the atmosphere, is at record temperatures.

The changes are affecting people.

There have been outbreaks of vibrio poisoning, causing gastriontestinal illness

from shellfish living in warm water.

We are starting to see outbreaks of different vibrio species in places we did not previously see and that has been attributed to ocean warming. Arctic communities will be directly affected said Harper.

For both the Arctic and west of B.C. the report talks about how the decreased catch of fish and seafood will impact nutrition for the people who live tthere. We'll see anywhere from20 to 30 per cent decrease in their nutrient intake because of those climate impacts and on fish distribution.

By 2060 ~ within the lifetime of about half of Canadians now living ~

coastal floods off British Columbia and the Maritimes

that used to occur once a century ~ will be annual events.

Water availability across Western Canada will also be disrupted.

While the globe is now locked in to decades of disruption from current 'greenhouse gas levels'

almost all negative effects can be softened by reduced emissions. It ends with a plea for governments to co-operate and calls for 'profound economic and institutional transformative change.'

Teams in Quest for Arctic Secrets

Canadian archeologists are on their way to a remote island near the Arctic Circle to try to dig up the secrets held by the Franklin expedtition wrecks. Parks Canada and Inuit partners say it will be the largest and most complex underwater archeological event in Canadian history

HMS Terror and HMS Erebus are the remains of an expedition

launched by Britich explorer John Franklin in 1845 that became trapped in ice.

(Reported from Ottawa to The Canadian Press)

Tofino, British Columbia

Along the Pacific coast of this western province, is a place I've not been. Inland, I'm well acquainted with the Rocky Mountains, flowing rivers and gushing waterfalls. On a summer cruise with a teacher friend, we explored B.C.'s coast travelling on a CN 's Inside Passage cruise from Vancouver to Ketchikan, Alaska. From there one day we travelled by train into Yukon. It was an eventful cruise: Miriam, met Ed from Edmonton...a couple times he travelled east to our locale...spending Christmas with her family...then returning east again, on Valentine's Day they were engaged and married in the summer. She moved to Edmonton; so we've resigned to telephone and email correspondence.

Travelling B.C.'s coast is a cruise every Canadian should enjoy!

Several months ago, the Travel Section intrigued me:

Tofino near B.C.'s coast is a place I'd love to visit.

The Great Lakes

What a wonderful scenic trip it would be to travel these scenic wonders!

“Right in our own backyard,” is a cliche

yet there is much to be read and ample research,which one day I shall assemble.

A few introductory facts:

Lake Superior is by far the Biggest and Deepest lake.

The smallest two are Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

Only one of the Lakes is located entirely in United States ~Michigan.

You can take a 6,500 mile drive around all the lakes.

The lakes contain more than 35,000 islands.

Its remarkable fact is that these lakes are 'fresh water'.

If I could return to years of youth, I'd happily take my 'mountain bike'

and proceed to travel each lake's coastline and snap photos of lighthouses.

Author: Merle Baird-Kerr...September 26, 2019

Comments welcome: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca

Thanksgiving ~ A Time to Give Thanks

Nature's brush has painted many neighbouring trees

in golds and and carmine reds. How beautiful!

David Gilbert recently submitted a scene to our local Spectator

of spectacular woodlands painted in yellows and orange.

Blue skies dipped to a passive road where shadowed in black

were parents, child and dog enjoying Nature's handiwork.

Predominant in this scene, was the following Nature message:

A peaceful walk in the fall

Shows a story to us all.

Nature tells without a word

Seasons change with flights of birds.

Sunny days shorten still

Warmer nights replaced with chill

Wistful winds of crisp cool air

Leaves of colour everywhere

Flowers rest and hide their bloom

Safe for winter in their tomb

Until new day sleeps the land

The winter shall have its stand.

But for now, the show remains

With us walking on this autumn day,

Thanksgiving (Canada)

Sometimes called Canadian Thanksgiving,

distinguishes it from the American holiday of the same name.

Our Thanksgiving celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the past year.

On January 31, 1957, the Governor General of Canada, Vincent Massey, issued a proclamation stating:

A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest

with which Canada has been blessed ~ to be observed on the second Monday of October.

Thanksgiving is a statutory holiday in most of Canada, with the exceptions

being the Atlantic provinces of Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador

and New Brunswick ~ where it is an optional holiday.

Companies that are regulated by the federal government,

(such as those in the telecommunications and banking sectors)

recognize the holiday regardless of its provincial status.

As a liturgical festival, Thanksgiving corresponds to the English and continental European harvest with churches decorated with cornucopias, corn, wheat sheaves and other harvest bounty. English and European hymns are sung on the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend.

The Canadian Football League has usually held a national televised Thanksgiving Day Classic. It is one of 2 weeks in which the league plays on Monday afternoons.

Kitchener-Waterloo Octoberfest holds a Thanksgiving parade on the holiday broadcast on CTV. The parade consists of floats...civic figures in the region...local performance troupes...and marching bands.

Canadian Thanksgiving coincides with the observance in the United States of Columbus Day and the American Indigenous Peoples' Day. As such, American towns with high levels of Canadian tourism will often hold their fall festivals over Thanksgiving /Columbus Day weekend

History: According to some historians, the first celebration of Thanksgiving in North America occurred during the 1578 voyage of Martin Frobisher from England in search of the Northwest Passage. His third voyage, to the Frobisher Bay area of Baffin Island in the present Canadian Territory of Nunavut, set out with the intention of starting a small settlement. His fleet of 15 ships was outfitted with men, materials and and provisions. However, the loss of one of his ships through contact with ice and freak storms, which at times, scattered the fleet. On meeting again at their anchorage in Frobisher Bay...Mayster Wolfall, a learned man (appointed by Her Majety Counsel to be their minister and preacher, made unto them a godly sermon, exhorting them especially to to be thankful to God for their strange and miraculous deliverance in those dangerous places...”

They celebrated communion and the celebration of divine mystery,

was the first sign, scale and confirmation of Christ's name, death and passion

ever known in all these quarters.

If You Want Happiness...

for an hour, take a nap;

for a day, go fishing,

for a week, take a vacation,

for a month, get married,

for a year, inherit a fortune,

all your life, it will truly come

by helping others.

The Greatest Gift to any human being

is to give to another ~ the gift of a good example.

(Unknown Author)

Author: Merle Baird-Kerr, October 6, 2019

To respond: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca