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The
Squamidian Report – Aug. 21 / 21
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Of This And Past Issues Issue
#1004 From Nova Scotia Sus From Carol From Russ The Ontarion
Hi All, As absolutely unbelievable as it may sound, I’ve been enjoying the best blueberry crop I’ve ever had. There are no local wild berries of any sort to be had. The drought and heat has shriveled them up, or at least any that were even able to form. Our long cold wet spring seemed to be quite good for berry blossoms and for the berries to get started but then the extreme heat that started in June simply burned off any berries and stressed the plants and dried them up. However, when the heat hit, I started watering my patch (don’t tell anyone because we weren’t supposed to waste water). The heat was very hard on the early berries because face it, 42 degrees C is hard on anything. However the rest of the crop loved the sunshine, that endless painful sunshine to the point where I’ve never had as many berries as we are currently enjoying. I’m picking a good sized bowl every day and we can’t use them as fast as they are coming. I can only eat so much blueberries and ice cream. I can only eat some much blueberry flan, no matter how good it is. I don’t want to freeze them because frozen berries are just not the same as fresh. I don’t know what to do. It’s a hard row to hoe but I’ll get through this somehow. Sue makes and incredible blueberry flan and we keep inviting some neighbors in for pieces. They never turn down the invitation, who would. They are the same neighbors that are on the receiving end of her pies and other baking delights. But even these efforts can’t use the blueberries fas enough. I guess I’ll just have to increase my effort and pig out even more. My berry patch is just about finished for this year but there are still quite a few bowls worth out there. I’ll just keep on picking and eating until its over. And speaking of picking, I remember picking blueberries back in the old peat swamp when we were kids. I’ve touched on this before in earlier additions of this letter but I’m counting on no one remembering. That big old swamp and forest that River Road in Kitchener now cuts right though and is now mostly drained and encroached upon was once quite a wilderness. It was a great place for my brothers and I to explore. It would always be semi under water in the spring and then dry out enough in most parts to walk around in. There were some areas where peat had been mined, large rectangular patches where the trees were missing and the underbrush had by then taken hold. There was even the remains of an old truck back in there that was slowly sinking into the mud and peat, disappearing a bit more each year until it was no longer visible. And, there was blueberries. We’d head back in, usually with our mother. We’d bundle up. Not because it was cold because it wasn’t. The extra layers was an attempt to shield ourselves from the mosquitos. They were there in swarms. Hungry and unstoppable. I have no idea how the adults could stand it but I’d only manage to pick a small amount before I’d go running off in some unknown direction, driven mad by the buzzing and biting. Mom must have managed to pick enough for a pie or two because somehow there would be fresh blueberry pie the next day. As for me, I probably ate more than I put into my basket. Now, I never eat berries of any kind when picking. Thats a lesson most kids eventually learn. You can pick to save, or you can pick to eat, but you can’t do both. I don’t think there are any blueberries left in that swamp. It is now and has been for years a city park with trails all through it. Back in the 70’s some resourceful blueberry plants had managed to make a bit of a comeback along the sides of the newly built River Road. I stumbled upon them by accident while working for the survey company. When I went back the following weekend with the intention of picking what I could, the city had run a big mowing machine along the ditches and had wiped out every last bush. What a bummer. I guess that was some kind of modern progress or some such disappointing thing. * Ok, this week’s video song is an old country/folk number from way way back called ‘The Wreck Of The Old 97’. The old ‘97’ would have been a steam engine with the numeric designation of 97. In the song, the engineer is told he must get the train into it’s destination on time, over a rough line with some heavy grades. As you probably know, and based on the title, the train ends up wrecking after going out of control on a long steep grade. To make this song more relevant, for me at least, I replace a few of the place names with those of locations local to me. Its fun, why not. And just so those of you who prefer audio songs with lots of harmonies and instrumentation don’t loose hope, I’ve got another double-header lined up for next week and hopefully there will be a few more ready some time for next month. So stay tuned. video doug ****
From Nova Scotia Sus
This morning on my way to tend to the chickens I discovered our young corn husks strewn all over the ground. Racoons had pretty much destroyed our crop leaving partially eaten cobs everywhere. Feeling very disappointed I cleaned up the mess and threw it into the chicken pen. At least they were happy and could enjoy it. Nothing gets wasted around here if we can help it. My high bush blueberry plants had the best production ever this season with nice big berries. I have had to share some with the bears. They won't take the unripe so I have to get there first to pick the ripe. Its like a contest and sometimes I lose. Our potato crop is also amazing this year and I'm not sure how we will be able to eat all we grew. The deer last year ate all the tops so the potatoes didn't mature. I guess the deer had other interests this year. Today we decided to take a road trip. We travelled along the Sunrise Trail that follows the north shore off the Northumberland Strait. It's a pretty drive with beautiful farms and water views. Also some nice little villages like Tatamagouche, where they have unique shops and restaurants, a brewery and a chocolate factory. Also a country market and a music hall. Oh and I must not forget a train station that has been restored. They have trains to dine in and sleep in. There are no tracks anymore but just where these rail cars are sitting. The railway through this area has long since gone and where the original tracks were, is a trail trail for walking, biking or snow mobiles.. If you are ever traveling to Nova Scotia this area is a must see. In fact when you arrive by car in Nova Scotia get off the TransCanada highway and take Hwy #6 the Sunrise Trail to Pictou.....you won't regret it. Take care everyone, Sus ****
From Carol
Generally speaking my childhood is just a vague blur but sometimes a sight, sound, smell or taste will bring back memories. Right now we are back in Wiarton again and the noise from the crickets in the field next door is reminding me of summer nights playing outside at the Homestead. We would hear the nightly orchestra of crickets, tree toads and the frogs from the pond and try to catch the dancing fire flies. Actually the loud crickets are driving me a little batty right now and Al can’t even hear their high pitched sound. There are some advantages of starting to go deaf. Our dinner tonight also took me back to those long ago summer days. We had corn on the cob and fried tomatoes. Nothing will ever taste as good as corn that is picked from one’s own garden, shucked and in the pot within 10 minutes. At least the tomatoes I fried up came from my own back yard. I think one of the reasons we loved this meal when young was we were allowed to eat as much as we wanted. Now eating more then one cob is just about impossible for me. I finished off my meal with a handful of blueberries that Nick and I picked yesterday. Another childhood memory, picking the wild blueberries every summer when we visited our cousins in the Spanish area. Picking berries from the high bush plants is easier than climbing over rocks after the wild ones, but not nearly as much fun. All of you are aware of the forest fires burning all over the world, especially in BC and northern Ontario. I’m sure a number of crops have been destroyed along with the forests and homes. The news is so big that it can be hard to relate to as we sit here safe. My cousin Janice’s daughter Tammy and her family farm in central BC. (For those who don’t know Tammy she is also Tony’s sister). She posted pictures on Facebook of their destroyed home and land that was caught in the White Rock Lake fire. Suddenly the devastation has a human face for me. Thankfully Tammy, family and animals evacuated in time but all else is gone. Ironically the nature of fires is such that their land will probably be more fertile now. Carol
****
From Russ
Making a mountain out of a molehill. Have you ever been accused of "making a mountain out of a molehill"? We Brubachers never used that expression around home - we were too poor. But my wife made very good use of it - "Do you always have to make a mountain out of a molehill?" she'd whine. We've all accused someone of 'exaggerating a minor problem'. The saying has been around a very long time - as far back as the mid-16th century. The quote that included the expression was: The Sophites of Grece coulde through their copiousness make an Elephant of a flye, and a mountaine of a mollehill" What is a "molehill"? Dictionary answer: a conical mound of loose soil raised by small burrowing mammals, including moles, but also similar animals such as mole-rats and voles. The word - "molehill" is first recorded in the first half of the 15th century. Formerly the hill was known as a "wantitump" (a word still in dialect use) I've never seen a 'burrow' (home) of a mole or vole but, like you I frequently find the 2 or 3 inch high 'lumps' of fine soil along the lawn where the animals have discarded their waste material which come from under the roots of the grass. They are great 'diggers' and hard to catch. Mole 'runs' vary in depth from surface runs only a few inches deep, to main runs, some 12 to 18 inches deep. Did you know the material in the hills or mounds can be used as potting' soil? They claim the moles serve a useful purpose as they aerate the soil. However, they may cause damage to gardens and functional areas of grass such as pasture land and they represent a minor safety hazard. Can you believe this? King William III of England is recorded as dying from complications after he was thrown when his horse stumbled on a molehill. But, getting back to the topic, the 'saying' is itself a 'gross exaggeration'! Only God could make a mountain out of a molehill!! It is generally accepted that before a high hill can be designated a "mountain" it must rise to more than 1000 feet above sea level. Oxford doesn't agree - and puts a hill at twice that! Others make the distinction about the degree of slope, (incl. two degrees or five degrees). In Scotland, meanwhile, landforms with distinct summits are called 'hills' no matter what their height! But, in America, there are several 'mounts' that are less than 1000 feet. My dictionary says "a very high hill". So, essentially a hill becomes a mountain when someone names it as such. It's been my experience moles don't stick around for long - they move on to my neighbour's lawns. Do you really want to get rid of them? OK - go ahead and kill - good luck trying to find one! A more humane, and long-term method is to plant Caster Bean plants. Apparently moles will keep their distance from this 'natural' deterrent. Go ahead, Rosy - call me a "murderer" - I have set mouse traps because my cottage was being 'populated' by these vermin and caught moles as well. They're quite ugly with a red nose and large front legs fitted with long, sharp claws for burrowing. Uncle Russ. **** From Karin Hey folks, Just wanted to say thank you so much everyone for another wonderful issue of the squamidian. Loved the song about the outhouse, Doug. So much fun, and we sure need some laughs during these crazy times. Also brings back memories of the outhouse at the farm. We sure needed the extra facilities, with 9 people living in that house when we first moved there , and only 1 toilet in the house. I read the whole issue, and it was certainly interesting as usual. Thanks, Russ, Sue , Greg and Sylvia and Wayne for your contributions. Russ, you are a brilliant writer . Greg, you're a wonderful story teller. Thanks for sharing about your harrowing experience . It’s so incredible how you remember it in so much detail. Thanks, all ,for sharing your stories . 🙂 Meanwhile in Australia, we continue to be in lockdown for at least 2 more weeks. While Karl and I have taken it all in stride, and finding it not too hard. Other people are rebelling against all the restrictions, having big parties, and congregating on beaches, in parks and playgrounds. So now they have to toughen restrictions, and reintroduce fines, close the playgrounds, and impose a curfew. Our next door neighbours are currently stuck at home for two weeks. They are not even allowed to go to the shops or for walks. (A single mom with 3 kids. ) The kids have to do home schooling. Mind you, their mother is a school teacher, so I’m sure they will be ok. It’s a beautiful day, and I am very grateful I’m allowed to go for a walk or even up to the beach or the shops, as long as we stay within 5 kms of home. Every day I count my blessings. I’m keeping very busy and enjoying being able to paint and create anytime I want. If anyone is curious about my art , just Google my name (Karin Zeller). Hope you are doing ok over there in Canada.
All
the
best 🙂
**** THE ONTARION REPORT
Hello everyone! It’s hard to believe that we are approaching the end of August let alone the end of summer! However, it happens at the same time every year so this summer is no different is it? I guess we just have to get used to this happening and look forward to the coming of Fall and the beauty of September and the following months! Adam and I took a drive to Barrie yesterday to pick up a piece of equipment for our workshop that we intend to build one of these coming days. We both like to do woodworking and any other mechanical projects that come our way. This particular piece of equipment is an amazing one indeed! It’s a computerized system called a Longmill CNC machine and it’s basically a system of tracks or gantries that are mounted horizontally and front to back on a wooden platform base. There is a small router that is mounted on the horizontal gantry and there are three small motors that move the Router from side to side and up and down on the tracks and the computer program tells the system which way to cut and move to create custom engravings on whatever piece of material the operator has placed beneath it on the wooden base. This system creates whatever the operator wants out of the piece of wood, aluminum or plastic that has been clamped beneath the router. The size and shape of the bit determines the outcome of shape or even a picture that’s been programmed into the system by the program operator! This Longmill is an amazing machine and was invented and perfected by a group of engineering students at the University of Waterloo. They are now building these machines at their small factory in Waterloo at the corner of King St and Columbia St. and if you are mechanically inclined and would like to own one of these units, you can find them on line. I believe it’s at LongmillWaterloo.ca. I’m sure that Adam will be making good use of his new acquisition as he already has a list of projects a mile long planned for the coming year. He’s explained some of them to me and they are indeed amazing. I too can hardly wait to see what he produces once this system is in operation! Although these systems are built in Waterloo, Adam found a source on line and we were able to acquire this top of the line one only a few months old from an engineer in Barrie Ontario. It was a fun day that we made into a Father and Son adventure. We even enjoyed each other’s company during the trip which is something we haven’t had much time to do over the past Covid Lockdown months. Most of those months were spent busy around the house and yard doing the needed work to keep up both! The drive up to Barrie was uneventful with the exception of a few roadwork construction slowdowns along the way near Orangeville! On the way home after acquiring the system in Barrie, we got a phone call from Carole who had stayed home alone to have some quiet time to herself for a change after months of putting up with the two of us around non stop! She called Adam on his truck cell phone system and was in a bit of a panic. She said that there was water dripping from the basement ceiling and there was also smoke in the basement workshop room. Also, we could here the smoke detector in that room beeping! She determined with some coaching from the two of us that there was a split in one of the water pipes above the freezer and it was spraying water onto a light fixture as well as soaking the smoke detector! We first suggested that she call the Fire Department but then she was able to remove the smoke detector from the rafters in the room and also was able to place a bucket beneath the leak. I coached her into how to shut off the water supply to the house and that stopped the leak from the broken pipe! Once she had done that, the emergency was averted and she was once again safe and sound. Since we were still a couple of hours from home, all we could do was help Carole with instructions as to how to stop the leak! She had to do without water at least until we arrived home from Barrie! Once we got home, we were able to assess the situation and due to her quick thinking with the bucket, there was no damage from the leak. We were home early enough that Home Depot was still open and that allowed us to visit that store to pick up the necessary parts to do the piping repair the next day (Thursday)! On Thursday morning Adam and I got up early and started the repairs! We noticed that a good portion of the copper piping was badly corroded. The house was built in 1976 so the piping was of course that old as well. We managed to remove the green corroded pipes and replace them with new copper piping and fittings! Now they should last another 45 years I hope! It took three hours to do all the repair work and by 2pm we finally had water in the house once again. Luckily for the night time hours over Wednesday into Thursday morning, Adam came up with the idea of filling a couple of large plastic pails with water from the Pond out back so we could at least flush all three toilets if needed! We have two on the second floor and one on the main floor of the house so we each had one if needed! We also had a supply of bottled water in the basement so we had drinking water to use for a cup of tea of coffee during that time! It’s unsettling to be without water in one’s house for sure. Like Carole also said it was akin to having no electricity when your power goes off for whatever reason! Thank goodness, neither a loss of water or electricity in the house happens very often these days of modern convenience! That was our two days of adventure and misadventure combined! I sincerely hope this doesn’t happen to any of your homes especially when you are not at home to handle the situation! Like Carole said, “It was a very lucky thing that she had decided to stay home that day rather than come along on the drive to Barrie with us as I had suggested! If she had, Lord only knows how much water damage we could have come home to! It could have been a real costly mess for sure!
That’s my story to share for this week folks! Thanks for tuning in and I’ll look forward to talking to you all again next week in The Ontarion Report! Bye For Now … Greg PS: Something To Think About Here’s some good advice, be sure to turn off the water supply to you house when you leave it empty for more than a few hours (or a day or so) such as when you go on vacation. Also have a friend or relative check on the house while you are away! It could mean the loss of your valuables if the insurance company demands that you haven’t taken precautions while away! **** Take
Care
And Be Safe |
