Happy Hallowe'en!



Blogger as Pumpkin
Is That Chocolate
In Her Left Hand?!

When I was a child growing up in a rural community back in the 1960’s, we would put together a homemade costume for Hallowe'en. As you can see in the photo to the left, some rural mothers in the 1960's made their children wear a sweater or coat over their costume (not to mention plastic bread bags as rain hats, but that's another story;) even as a three year old, I knew that most self-respecting pumpkins don't wear sweaters, sigh.

A parent would have to drive us around the neighbourhood because the distance between farms was too great to walk. According to rural etiquette, we had to come into each house, sit down on a chair and visit for at least fifteen minutes with the people living there before receiving our treat.  

Fifteen minute visits meant we'd only get to three or four houses in an hour or about eight houses in an evening. As a child, I envied my fellow classmates from town who could “hit” many more houses in a night and therefore, fill their huge bags with “loot;" as an adult, I recognize the real value of our rural Hallowe'en experience: it was an expression of community. We knew our neighbours and they knew us.
 


Sometimes, the treats were homemade: candy apples; caramel popcorn; fudge. Our neighbour Louise made the best brown sugar fudge. Although she has passed on, her fudge lives on in my memory. To pay homage to this wonderful neighbour and our Hallowe'en visits to her house, I thought I would include recipes for it here. Enjoy! 

Brown Sugar Fudge 

Blogger as Sad Clown

2 cups of brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar (some recipes omit this)

1 tablespoon of butter

2/3 cup of whole milk or light cream

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 cup of chopped nuts (optional) 

Mix sugar, milk and cream of tartar in a pan. When thoroughly blended, put on the stove and bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly. When mixture comes to a soft ball when dropped into cold water (236 F on a candy thermometer), remove from stove and drop the butter on the mixture and let cool to lukewarm (110F on candy thermometer.) DO NOT STIR IN THE BUTTER YET. When the mixture is lukewarm, add vanilla and nuts and beat until the glossy appearance goes away. Drop a little from a spoon and if it forms, your fudge is ready to pour into a greased 8 inch square pan. Cool and cut into squares. 

Blogger As Witch.
Note the Small Bags!

Chocolate Fudge

2 tablespoons of butter

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 ½ cups white sugar

¼ teaspoon of salt

2 cups of mini-marshmallows

1 ½ cups chocolate chips

1 teaspoon of vanilla 

Combine butter, evaporated milk, sugar and salt in a medium-sized saucepan with a heavy bottom. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in marshmallows, chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir for about one minute until the marshmallows and chips are melted. Pour into a foil-lined 8 inch square baking pan. Chill until firm.

The Sky Is Not the Limit

This week, nine students from our high school had the privilege of attending a talk which Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield gave at SCITS in Sarnia. The following day, one of the students told me that Hadfield took questions from the audience and that someone asked a “neat question” about whether aliens existed. Since I wasn’t in the audience to hear Hadfield’s response firsthand, I won’t attempt to paraphrase it here, but from what I can gather, he didn’t discount the possibility. 

Don Haylett

When I heard about this, it reminded me of a conversation which I had with the late Don Haylett. Born in England, Don immigrated to Canada by himself at the tender age of fourteen. As a new immigrant, he lived and worked on my grandfather’s farm; at night, he would study aviation by the light of an oil lamp. Eventually, he got his pilot’s license and became a commercial pilot; when WWII broke out, he signed up as an officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force.  

Although he moved on from his early stint as a farmhand, he maintained his friendship with our family throughout the course of his life. I can remember his visits to our house and how one day, as a curious teenager, I quizzed him about the existence of UFOs. As I recall, he got a funny look on his face and said he couldn’t talk about it. In retrospect, I wish I’d been able to break through his reticence and tap into whatever insight he might have had in regard to this subject.  

When I was working as a local historian, I made a point of saving any stories about “the unexplained” that I happened to stumble across in the newspapers. One of my favourites is an article which appeared in the Watford Guide-Advocate on July 21, 1939. The headline read, “Had A Preview of Meteor.”  I believe this refers to the eighty-eight pound meteorite which landed near Dresden, Ontario on July 11^th of that same year.  

According to the article, two women in West Adelaide, Ontario (near Strathroy) were standing on the side of the road, chatting. All at once, a huge mass of rough rock came over the trees and came to rest about six to ten feet from them. The interesting part of the story is that the article reports that “it came down within two feet of the ground and then, all at once, the bottom part broke into sparks like striking flint. Slowly it rose almost straight up and gathering speed swiftly went off in the direction of Detroit. It was brilliantly lighted, so that it lit up the yards around like buildings afire.”  The news report goes on to say that the women were so frightened that they could not recall any colour or noise, but that they said it “was at least six feet high and round at the top like a balloon.” 

To the modern eye, this reads more like a UFO sighting than a “preview” of a meteor which hadn’t yet landed. I’m not much of a scientist, but I’m pretty sure meteors don’t hover above the ground and then, take off in the direction of Detroit! 

Another Watford Guide-Advocate article dating back to February 15, 1889 includes a small news item about a man who was returning home “perfectly sober” one night when he spotted a light a short distance ahead. The article stated that its size attracted his attention and that “he soon discovered by its foolish antics that it belonged to another world.”  It went on to state that the “ghostship followed him home” and then, “sat down on a neighboring hill and watched him all night long.” 

The June 30, 1954 edition of the Alvinston Free Press features a small report about a UFO sighting by Mr. and Mrs. Percy Brown of Aberfeldy which is south of Alvinston. Returning home about midnight one night, they “saw an object, said to be half the size of the moon, with a circular ‘bite’ out of the rear side.”  The object threw a light of various colours and “when first observed, it was high in the sky, then took a dive, seemingly to collide with the earth. About to collide, it swerved upward to a high point, then to the downward way again. It continued these undulations until passing from view.”  The couple stated that the object was travelling at speeds faster than any jet plane they had ever seen. The following month, the Dresden Times reported that groups of “saucers” had been sighted near Florence, Ontario and in nearby Kent County. 

Alvinston Free Press
March 8, 1950

Back in March, 1950, the Alvinston Free Press published a statement by Wing Com. H.D. Haylett, A.F.C., London. He predicted that within the lifetime of those children of “today,” flights to the moon would be achieved. When people living in this small farming community read that statement back in 1950, it must have seemed too fantastic to believe and yet, sixteen years later, this seemingly far-fetched idea became a reality. It is said that at the age of nine, Sarnia-born native Chris Hadfield saw this Apollo moon landing on television and in that moment, decided to be an astronaut; this week, he returned to Sarnia to inspire our next generation of young people.  

We may not fully understand how the universe works, but here on earth, the stories of people like Don Haylett and Chris Hadfield,who gazed up at the sky as young men and dreamed of what could be, have the power to uplift and inspire us. As to speculating on the existence of alien life on other planets or those secret dreams harboured within the individual human heart, I’d like to think that poet Emily Dickinson said it best when she penned the words, “I dwell in possibility.” 

A Simple Act of Gratitude

Recently, someone loaned me a copy of the memoir A Simple Act of Gratitude by John Kralik. It is the true story of a down-on-his-luck man who decides that he might find a way to be grateful for what he has by writing thank you notes—365 notes in one year. 

According to Kralik, expressing those simple words in his own handwriting, over and over again, gradually transformed him; it changed his outlook, his behaviour and ultimately, his life.  

While reading this book one morning, I had an epiphany: I owe my career to a thank you note. I’d forgotten this, but it’s true. Many years ago, I was chosen to be a Rotary Exchange Student for our area; prior to leaving on this twelve month trip to Australia, I attended a conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan and along with other students, was given extensive training on how to conduct myself as an ambassador for Rotary and my home country. One of the many tips which we were given that weekend: when invited to someone’s home for dinner or an overnight visit, we should bring a gift for our hosts and afterwards, send a note of thanks. Their emphasis on the importance of saying, “Thank you” stayed in my head long after the Exchange year was over. 

A decade later, I decided that I wanted to work at the County Library and began applying for every job that was advertised; eventually, I got a phone call for an interview. When I sat down for the interview, the first thing the County Librarian said to me was, “I just want you to know that you’re not going to get this job. You’re not qualified, but you keep applying for jobs here so I decided that I wanted to meet you.” 

Afterwards, I sent a note thanking him for taking the time to interview me, especially considering the fact that I did not have the qualifications to be a Reference Librarian. Months later, I received a phone call from him telling me that there was a student job opening at their library. I was hired for that job; in turn, this led to two part-time jobs and eventually, a full-time position with the County Library—a job that I continued to do without formal library qualifications for the next eighteen years until I returned to university and earned an MLIS degree.

While I'm sure that persistence played a role, expressing gratitude via the concrete act of penning a letter—one simple act of gratitude—undoubtedly helped plant my foot inside the library’s door.  




Postcard Circa 1913

That is a point which Matthew Ruttan makes in his blog this week: that Thanksgiving isn’t just a feeling—it’s an action.  

I’m not suggesting that we all sit down and write a bunch of thank you notes in order to “get stuff” in return, but rather, that we recognize and express gratitude for the many gifts in our lives.






Postcard Circa 1915

For instance, I went to our local small town garage on Saturday and had snow tires put on my car. I’ve been doing business with them for over thirty years now and am grateful for the excellent, friendly service which they provide. As I went to leave after paying my bill, the owner handed me a bag of home grown beets from his garden. It was the perfect harvest “thank you” not only for that day’s business transaction, but also, for a customer service relationship that has lasted decades—in other words, one simple act of gratitude.  



Postcard Circa 1915

Whether it is with a handwritten note, a bag of home grown beets or something that is a unique reflection of you, my challenge to everyone is to find ways to express gratitude for the gifts around you—not just this weekend as you celebrate Thanksgiving (or next month, if you’re American), but throughout the year. May your blessings always be bountiful!

 

Miley Cyrus and the Right to Wear Pants





When You Wear A Dress,
You Have to Make Sure
Your Underwear Doesn't Show



Back in 1970, a small group of girls and I marched down to our high school principal’s office and demanded the right to wear pants. Prior to that impromptu meeting, all female students were required to wear dresses at school. In fact, the rule was enshrined in the handbook of student conduct.  





Wearing Pants With Attitude

Looking back on that episode, I recognize that it was an era in which young people were steeped in media images of activism: students were protesting the Vietnam War; African-Americans were marching for their civil rights under the guidance of Dr. Martin Luther King; women were burning their bras in gestures of solidarity with Gloria Steinham and other feminists who insisted that women deserved equality under the law.

Pants Allow You to Do More Things

Surrounded by these images, is it any wonder why we were inspired and emboldened to challenge authority in our own small corner of the world? Not only did we confront the school’s authority, but we won the right to dress as we pleased.



Styles of Pants Come and Go, But Pants Never Go Out of Style

Within months, both male and female students were wearing faded bell-bottomed jeans with fraying hems. 

 



You Can Still Be A Girly Girl in Pants

Fast forward to this week—an era when feminism is considered by many to be an f-word—and the feud that has erupted between Miley Cyrus and Sinead O'Connor.

Basically, Sinead wrote an open letter to Miley in regard to her recent career choices. The line that caught my eye is how "you unwittingly give the impression that you don't give much of a f--- about yourself." 





Rockin' The Red Pants

Sinead makes a good point. All of us are constantly broadcasting who we are--by how we conduct ourselves in the world--by what we wear, say, do etc.

I can’t help but wonder whether my teenage self would have been able to hear the messages of Dr. King and Ms. Steinham had they been trying to communicate through the din of today’s media.  Let's face it, nearly-naked people swinging around on wrecking balls distract us from more important issues that are going on in the world.
 
In fact, the challenge for school librarians, and I would argue all adults, is to work towards empowering today’s youth through media literacy and specifically, to teach them to think critically so they are able to make intelligent decisions for themselves and hopefully, make a positive difference in the world.

Perhaps Sinead has done us all a favour by starting the conversation.




The Right to Wear Pants Includes Polka Dot Ones

If Miley were a student in our school library, I would suggest that her reaction to Sinead's well-intentioned letter was unkind; that good manners never go out of style and courtesy is a kind of literacy that helps grease the wheels of civilization.

Oh, and Miley, if you don't mind an old lady adding one last thing in the spirit of motherliness and love: Please put your pants back on. Some of us, who went before you, fought hard for your right to wear them.