Family Observations ~ Section 4

 

HOW SHARON CUT THE SANDWICHES

Nine months after my son was born, I returned to the teaching profession. A good friend and neighbour, Sharon, had a little boy, Mark, one year younger. Each day, I left my son with her...she now had twins and cared for them accordingly. She could write many stories, I am confident, about her “boys”. When he was 4, he raved about Sharon's sandwiches at lunch time. I asked him what was so special about them. “They look and taste so good!” he replied. I inquired from Sharon who told me of the fillings she used. Not to disappoint my little boy, I tried to duplicate her preparation. But to him, “they never tasted the same”. It was more than 40 years later that I discovered her secret. On Friday August 20, 2010, he wrote from Calgary:

Dear Mom,

I think we've discussed this point before, from a certain event of about 42 years ago.

I would like to remind you that I thoroughly enjoyed staying with Mark all day. I still remember those days very fondly.

One day, whilst Mark and I were sitting at the kitchen table, Sharon (he called her Sherno) took a whole unsliced loaf of bread. It was a traditional cuboid shape of bread loaf, but it was unsliced.

Sharon had something you didn't have: she had an electric knife. I had heard of an electric can opener, although we didn't have one. But I had never heard of an electric knife. So I watched in fascination.

You recall that Sharon had some counter space between the food prep area and the dinette. There were cupboards above this space, with their two and a half vertical feet of working area between the counter and the cupboard.

It was upon this counter that Sharon stood this unsliced bread loaf vertically, upon which she used her electric knife. (It fascinates me to this day that Sharon was only about 21 at the time.)

Using her electric knife, Sharon sliced the loaf into long thin slices.

On each of these long slices, she spread toppings – peanut butter and jam, I think. Then she rolled them up into a cylindrical shape. She did not cut the cylinders into thin slices, but served the sandwich as a cylinder, about four inches long and two inches thick. (That is the size I estimate from today's perceptive recollection. It may have really been smaller than that, as my perception was relative to my own size.)

Although I had had a sandwich before, I had never seen one in such an interesting shape. Because of the unique shape, they were fun to eat.

It may have been a clever moment of ingenuity, and perhaps Sharon did not realize how intrigued I was with the shape of these sandwiches. (One tends to underestimate the mind of a four-year-old.) When I told you of these wonderful sandwiches, I must have been unsuccessful at communicating the distinctive shape and particular method of preparation. Sharon merely told you the ingredients, and when you made the sandwich at home, it had the traditional shape and therefore had no intrigue.

You therefore puzzled at how your imitation had failed to meet the specifications of the original. In discussing the matter over with Sharon you then learned that the novelty was in how it was cut. I don't recall you ever trying to recreate the original properly – after all, Sharon had an electric knife, which greatly facilitated the long, thin slicing of the bread, a critical point in the formation of this sandwich.

As I sit on a little break, I can visualize Sharon slicing that bread loaf vertically, and spreading jam on a long thin slice, using the whole blade of the knife.

I thought you would enjoy reading my testimonial account of the original.

......................................................

My thoughts at the time were that he enjoyed being with Mark and his mother. That he loved her sandwiches, was great. Let this be her “special lunch” ! Why should I “steal her thunder”?

In the past few hours, I posted “Simple Pleasures”. This is a wonderful addition to supplement it.

How Significant...the Little Things in Life!

Written: March 27, 2011

HISTORICAL and HEROIC STORIES from GREEK MYTHOLOGY

 

Well known it is, that history and lore were passed 'word of mouth' through Canada's native tribes ~ and also America's aboriginals. Usually told to families around their evening campfires, these tales and historic events were passed down from one generation to another.

Coming across my desk this morning, from one of my faithful readers, was this article, capturing my attention.

The stories of Greek Mythology were the heart and soul of the people of Ancient Greece ~ and played a huge role in determining how the people lived their lives. The first written tales were actually written well after the stories were first told. Even today, they play a huge role in contemporary art and culture

with Zeus...Poseidon...Hercules...and many other famous Gods and heroes making multiple appearances in movies and books ~ like in the Percy Jackson series of novels like Troy (2004) starring Brad Pitt ~ also Jason and the Argonauts (1963) featuring Nancy Kovack.

The men and women from these stories are the stuff of legends.

Theseus and the Minotaur

Theseus was raised in the palaces of Troezen, a small town southwest of Athens, by his mother Aethra, daughter of Pittheus who was the King of Troezen. When he grew up, he found himself more and more curious about the identity of his father ~ and soon discovered that his mother (at the time of his conception) had two suitors: Poseidon, God of the Sea and brother of Zeus ~ and King Aegeus, the King of Athens. Determined to find answers, he made his way to Athens, where he would encounter a number of dangerous enemies all of whom he was victorious against, like Medea, the sorceress. Of all his victories, however, his greatest was his triumph against King Minos of Crete.

At the time of tyranny and terror for the people of Athens,

every year 14 Athenians (7 men and 7 women), were sent to Crete to be sacrifices to the Minotaur (part-man and part bull) as compensation for the killing of Androgeus, the son of King Mino. The Minotaur was a monster that lived in a labyrinth under the palace of King Minos, believed to be the nomalous offspinrg of the King's wife Pasiphae and a Cretan Bull. She didn't have any particular affection for cows ~ she was cursed by a God to fall in love with the bull, as punishment to the king.

Temple of Theseus in Vienna

In the third year of the sacrifices, unable to stand this cruel practice, Theseus volunteered to be one of the sacrifices sent to Crete. The daughter of King Minos, Ariadne, is said to have fallen in love with Theseus at first sight ~ and agreed to help him defeat the Minotaur if he agreed to marry her.

Theseus and Ariadne, fulfilling her end of the deal, provided Theseus with a ball of string forged by Hephaestus, on the advice of the creator of the Minotaur's labyrinth, Daedalus.

Like a trail of bread crumbs, Theseus used the string to make sure he could find his way back out as he journeyed to the center of the labyrinth. There he finds the Minotaur ~ and using all the strength he had left, overpowered the flesh-hungry beast ~ and freed both the nations of both Athens and Crete. He returned to Athens with Ariadne, where he was crowned king.

Thesues' heroic stories teaches us that you can beat the toughest monsters in the darkest places ~ as long as you know ~ you can find your way back home.

Written: March 24, 2019
To comment: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca

Family Observations ~ Section 3

Aunt Jemima ~ Who Knew? The world knew her as Aunt Jemima but her given name was Nancy Green.. To me, she was a skier with whom I shared skiing days on weekends throughout our winter days of frost and snow...on alpine hills both in Ontario, Quebec or ski meccas near Buffalo..

In my son's interpretation and known by the world, her given name was Nancy Green ~ and she was a true American success story. She was born a slave in 1934, Becoming a national spokesperson, enabled her to become a leading advocate against poverty ~ and in favour of 'equal rights' for folks in Chicago.

She was one of the very first black millionaires when she died. General Mills bought her name and likeness from her. She maintained her job until her death in 1923, at age 89.

I would bet: most protesters know absolutely nothing about Nancy Green .

Becoming a remarkable woman, ~ she has just been ERASED.

All our dreams can come true ~
if we have the courage to pursue them.

The Ice Cream Truck: When I was 6 years old, (there was such a time) , it was before I turned 7, my friends and I always got excited when the Yummy-Yummy Man came around ~ we all called him that!

Nobody knew where he lived, but my friends speculated that he must live at the North Pole. When my parents bought a National Geographic world map framed to hang in my bedroom, I went with them to pick it up. When we got the map, I said: I will show you where the Yummy-Yummy Man lives! And I pointed to the islands in the High Arctic ~ Ellesmere Island, I suppose. I knew where we were on the map ~ and that was as far north as I could find on the map.

View from Sky Screamer:: Marineland has an S& S Power Tower called Sky Screamer. And it's on top of a hill. I have ridden it a few times . While many parks have a Power Tower, nobody else has a view of Niagara Falls. The real live view is more impressive.

The ride has quite a kick in the pants...and shoots you up 20 storeys in about three seconds, followed by an equally rapid drop. But, they do hoist you up to the top ~ to enjoy a unique view of Niagara !

* * * * * *

Commenting on my son's recent writing,
is advice from one of my 'online contributing authors.

“Since we all are in quarantine the things we built are shut. And the world is still going on without us!

“The world continues its life and it is beautiful. It only puts humans in cages. I think it's sending us a message,” “You are not necessary. The air, earth, water and sky ~ without you, we are fine! When you return, remember you are our guests...not my masters.”

Written July 20, 2020.
Comments most welcome

Family Observations ~ Section 2

When my children were being raised, I exposed them to various activities within the community, church and home. ...musicals and stage plays...to sports and church he attended a few years ago.

The Merry Widow: It is a bit of twisted irony that by sheer coincidence to select at one time this musical. I did see it once before with you, so, today, I share the following experience.

“A large pastoral family with nine children visited my church a few years ago. They had seven children then: five daughters and had two sons. Now it is seven daughters and two sons. Their oldest child, now nineteen years old, just recently married in June this year.

“Six weeks later, on her nineteenth birthday at the end of July, she drove her husband to the hospital with dizziness and a splitting headache, Turned out, he had an advanced brain tumor. They saw a specialist and on September 3, he had brain surgery to remove the tumor. Two weeks later, they were told it was malignant..He has brain cancer. This month he has started six weeks of daily radiation therapy on his brain.

“Meanwhile, the nineteen-year-old bride is struggling with the frightening thought that he may not make it to Christmas ~ and it will be a miracle if he makes it to their first anniversary.

Her mother started an online fundraiser to help pay their living expenses, when neither is working
and having to stay in downtown Toronto for daily treatment at Princess Margaret. The $10,000 goal was met in under 48 hours ...and the fund now has over $13,000. I'm not asking you to contribute to the campaign, ~ as it is well funded ~ but just showing you : that this lovely young bride may very well be a teenage widow within a few months. When I read that news, with great pathos which preyed on my mind ... I couldn't help thinking about this musical. I'm like that!”

Northwest Passage: A recent conversation we had was about this highly contested development in Canada’s Northland with many responses. Due to climate change, all this is now possible. For the past couple years, passengers have enjoyed cruising from the Pacific to Atlantic Ocean. Further, to our conversation, my son wrote Here's a little article I submitted to a political page...which you might like.

“Recently, I viewed an interesting video about Canada becoming a 'world trade hub' by virtue of controlling the Northwest Passage. Most marine traffic between Europe and Asia uses Panama. It's convenient , but it's expensive. It's cheaper than going around South America. And because it requires locks over land, it is a bottleneck. The summer months make the Northwest Passage navigable..and ships stay close to land.

Canada is in a position to build shipping ports on the north coast to service this trade route. The upside is that it is a shorter sea route between Europe and Asia ...open salt water...all the way (no locks)..and politically that it could become a major trade route. As this becomes viable , it will greatly advance mainland northern development requiring road and rail access to seaports. For example, there is a permanent road access to Inuvik, and now to Tuktoyakuk. This area could become a northern seaport. I would like to hear a politician comment on this future development.”

Assembled July 19, 2020
by Merle Baird-Kerr

Family Observations

 

Family Observations

One of my faithful readers recently inquired why I didn't write about myself.
Following is an introspection about what I've shared with family and friends.

For me, with a son and daughter (who both live several miles from me), we share telephone calls...e-mails...and written messages of joy, peace and occasionally with sadness and regrets.
“Like Mother...Like Son: are a few notations we have shared.

New Amtrak Station in Niagara Falls (written 2015) Since using Amtrak from Niagara Falls, we quickly discovered that the existing station is horrible ~ particularly for being in Niagara Falls. It is actually a converted freight warehouse in a rail yard. Although known for decades, they have always wanted a better station..By comparison, the VIA station, less than a mile away...over the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge...although a legacy station is right on the Niagara Parkway...,a 2-minute walk from the gorge...and a major attraction (Whitewater Boardwalk) and a pleasant walk to the Falls itself.'

The Amtrak Station is in a very bad location ~ and the city has been trying to improve it since 1986.
They received some Federal money invested in transportation infrastructure...and are using it to build a fabulous new train station right on Whirlpool Street at the lip of the gorge. And, being a border point, they have customs inspection and border security built right in. The location is far more exciting for first time visitors ~ as they will be able to see the gorge from the station itself...which is a reasonable walk to Niagara Falls State Park.

Another great thing they are doing is respecting the local history of the exact physical spot.. The Whirlpool Rapids Bridge is the oldest operating bridge in Niagara...and being at the narrowest part of the gorge was the location of the first bridge over the gorge...which in the 1840's, the Falls ran at full flow of 200.000 cs ...and the Whirlpool Rapids, even now a Class 6, was twice as violent then.

It was to this very footbridge that Underground Railroad Conductors escorted fugitive slaves before the Civil War. The bridge and the raging river waters below, were so intimidating that the conductors were known to carry shotguns to literally force the fugitives across the bridge to freedom. So, the new railroad station has a museum dedicated to that very significant piece of local history!

Amtrak currently operates 3 trains a day between New York City and Niagara Falls (Empire Service) with the first of the 3 (Maple Leaf) crossing the bridge with continuing service to Toronto.

* * * * *

Other issues to follow as observed by my son. The Merry Widow...Northwest Passage...How Sharon Cut the Sandwiches.....Aunt Jemima...and Sky Screamer. (Enjoy these upcoming reads)

Compiled by Merle Baird-Kerr...July 18, 2020
Your views appreciated: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca

“My family is my life ~ and everything else comes second as what's important to me.

(Unknown Author)

Senior Accomplishments

John F. Kennedy's Advice:
Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.

All my troubles wash away in the water,
said the long distance swimmer to her coach.

Don't forget to drink water and get sun.
You're basically a house-plant with complicated emotions.
(defined an unknown author).

The following content are digests from a few of my faithful readership.

The Firefighting Hero

One dark night in Dublin, a fire started inside the chemical plant. In the blink of an eye, it exploded into massive flames. The alarm went out to all the fire departments for miles around. When the firefighters arrived on the scene, the chemical company president rushed to the fireman in charge and said: All our secret formulas are in the vault in the centre of the plant. They must be saved! I will give 50,000 pounds to the fire department that brings them out intact!

But the roaring flames held the firefighters off. Soon more fire departments had to be called in, as the situation became desperate. As the firemen arrived, the president shouted out: that the offer was now 100,000 pounds to the fire station who could retrieve the company's secret files. But still, the firefighters could not get through.

From the distance, a lone siren was heard as another fire truck came into sight. It was the nearby rural township volunteer brigade, composed of old men over 65. To everyone's amazement, that little run-down fire engine, roared right past all the newer sleek engines that were parked outside the plant. Without even slowing down, it drove straight into the middle of the inferno.

Outside, the other firemen watched as the old-timers jumped off right in the middle of the fire ~ and fought it back on all sides. It was a performance and effort never seen before. Within a short time, the old-timers had extinguished the fire and had saved the secret formulas.

The grateful chemical company president announced that for such a superhuman feat, he was upping the reward to 200,000 pounds ~ and walked over to personally thank each of the brave firefighters.

The local TV station caught the” thank you” on film and asked the chief: What are you going to do with all that money? Well, said Paddy, the 70-year old chief, “The first thing we're going to do is fix the brakes on that bloody fire truck!

Where Should We Go for Our Birthday?

Four women share a birthday and always share it together. For their 40th birthday, they went to the Lakeview Restaurant, because the waiters are cute ~ and wear tight pants. For their 50th birthday, they again went to the Lakeview because the prices are reasonable ~ and it has a good wine list. For their 60th birthday, again it was the Lakeview ~ because it's quiet and has a nice view. To the Lakeview, again they went to celebrate their 70th birthdays ~ 'cause it was 'wheel-chair accessible.' For their 80th birthday, they go to the Lakeview Restaurant because they've never been there before!

Advice for Today from The Elderly

Receiving this today from one of my devoted readers ~ prompted me to create this writing.

I was in the McDonalds's drive-through this morning and the young lady behind me, leaned on her horn because I was taking too long to place my order. Take the high road (I thought to myself).

So when I got to the window I paid for her order along with my own. The cashier must have told her what I'd done...because when we moved up she leaned ...and waved to me...and mouthed Thank You, obviously embarrassed that I had repaid her rudeness with a kindness.

Arriving at the second window, I showed both receipts ~ and took her food too. Now, she has to go back to the end of the line ~ and start all over.

Don't Honk Your Horn at Old People!

Jodie Foster defined: Your path is your character , defining itself more and more every day ~ like a photograph coming into focus. We learn with pleasure ~ and never forget.

Author: Merle Baird-Kerr...written June 23, 2020
Comments always welcome: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca