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Monthly Archives: February 2015

My.Daily.Distraction… ~ Post 129: The Art Of Scarf

28 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Art, fashion, Knitting, style

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Tags

Art, arthritis, fashion, Knitting, mirror, neck, Scarf, shoulders, Style

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My daughter always had a way with scarves.

She began to shamelessly wear them after learning how to knit.

They look so lovely on her.

Several years back, after a bout of arthritis, my daughter suggested that I start wearing them. She said the warmth would help alleviate the pain.

She was right of course.

It wasn’t long after that when I asked what the secret was to putting on scarves. They always draped so nicely around her neck and shoulders.

Mine always hung like sad albatrosses.

Her answer surprised me:

“You have to wear it like you don’t care how it looks.”

Then she demonstrated her technique for me.

My daughter took off the scarf she was wearing and shook it out. Then, she virtually threw it at herself. The scarf landed perfectly around her head and shoulders.

Now, it was my turn to put on the scarf.

Doing exactly as she did, I put it on.

It looked like a hot mess.

In the years that followed I learned just to “wrap and go” without a second thought to how the scarf looks.

But first I had to nail down my own little secret.

What’s the secret you ask?

To never check the mirror.

❤

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 128: Misdemeanours

27 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Blogs, Family, Stories, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Family, Friends, Gardens, Mail, Misdemeanours, parents, School, Stories, Swiss Chard

A friend and I were swapping family stories at work last night as we sorted mail bundles.

I told him a funny story about my Father, and then he told me a funny story about his Mother.

The story my friend told me, was about the time his Mother had asked him to deliver a bag of Swiss Chard to a friend of hers while on his way to school. She had just picked it from her garden, and had promised it to her friend, who lived along the way.

Later on, as he came home from school, he realized that he had accidentally thrown the bag into a garbage bin. He had not remembered that it was the bag that held the Swiss Chard.

When his Mother found out about it, she was of course, unhappy. She had to place an embarrassing phone call to her friend to explain that her son had accidentally thrown her swiss chard away.

“She never let me forget about it,” he said to me, rolling his eyes as he finished his story.

I quickly agreed with him. Indeed, there were many things I had done which my parents never let me forget either.

And that’s when I was struck with a thought…

As a child and even as an adult, both my parents loved to reminisce about the embarrassing moments in my life, that I tried so hard to forget.

Again and again, my misdemeanours were raised during conversations. There were many times that I had to bite my tongue, while they laughed and teased me about them.

These stories made me want to crawl under countless tables.

Now, both my parents have emanated into another dimension.

Oddly enough, in their absence, these stories have now become my friends.

Those unhappy memories that I spent my whole life trying to forget, have transformed into stories which bring me joy!

It brings me even greater joy to share them.

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 127: …It Was A Dark And Creepy Night

26 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Astronomy, Poetry

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astronomy, dogs, moon, Poems, Poetry, sky, Space

I am not the superstitious sort.

However, I do believe that there is something about a full moon that does strange things to people.

As a union steward, no one has to tell me when there’s a full moon outside.

When the full moon coincides with Friday the 13th, I have standing orders with my supervisor that I will not be showing up for work that night.

It’s just too unsafe.

Well, several years ago, I was getting some pretty vibrant heebie jeebies on the shop floor.

Everyone seemed a little unhinged, including myself.

There was no doubt in my mind that we were in full moon mode.

And so, when my shift was finally over at midnight, the first thing I did when I got outside was look for the moon.

It was a clear sky, but there was no moon.

“Strange,” I thought to myself. The parking lot at work is one of the best places I know of to get a good view of the night sky. There were no trees or building to block the view.

On the drive home from work, I still could not catch a glimpse of the moon.

Not one.

“Okay,” I thought to myself.

“I’ll just have to look some more when I get home.”

Once I got home, I leashed up my dogs and we went on our late night walk.

It was about 1:00 a.m.

We walked…

And walked…

And walked…

Until we reached a field where we could finally see the whole night sky.

And you know what?

There was no moon.

In keeping with the old ways, I decided to mark this dark and creepy night with an obligatory, Frost-esque style poem:

Here goes…

*ahem*

IT WAS A DARK AND CREEPY NIGHT

“Hey diddle diddle
From a field in the middle
I searched the sky for the moon
My two dogs and I
Saw only saw black in the sky
And not even a meteorological balloon.”

…

I rushed the dogs back home in record time.

It’s never happened again.

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 126: Homage To Trixie Belden

25 Wednesday Feb 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Books, Reading

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Book Series, Books, Cherry Ames, mysteries, Mystery, Nurse, Reading, Trixie Belden

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The first books that I loved to read were the Trixie Belden mystery series written by Julie Campbell Tatham.

It was the summer of 1968 when I was introduced to the series through a friend of mine. After I read the first one, I wanted to read them all.

But that was easier said than done.

The only store that I could buy them for myself did not carry the entire series of fifteen books. It was hit and miss whenever a new shipment of books came in.

Sadly for me, it was mostly miss.

Another one of my favourite book series was ‘Cherry Ames, Student Nurse’. This was about a young woman who trains to become a nurse just as the Second World War is about to break out. Subsequent books chronicle her nursing adventures in the years that follow, including the discovery of penicillin.

Good stuff!

Several years back, I attended a ‘pinning ceremony’ for my daughter just days before she received her degree as a registered nurse. The guest speaker spoke at length about how she also read the Cherry Ames series of books when she herself was a young girl. It was this series of books that inspired her to become a nurse. She is currently head of nursing in one of Toronto’s major hospitals.

This was an incredible lesson for me on the positive power of books in a young person’s life.

Last month, I found a Trixie Belden book on a used book counter.

As I read the back of the cover, imagine my glee when I realized that this was one of the few elusive Trixie Belden books I had not been able to find as a girl.

Oh, the serendipity…

I’m sure that Trixie is still the curious, mischievous little sleuth that she was in 1968, and that her neighbour and best friend Honey is still as lovely as ever.

However, it is truly a lifetime since I’ve last visited them. I am much older now and have two grown daughters of my own. Hence, hopscotch and jumping rope are no longer my forté.

I look forward to seeing them again very soon.

I hope they recognize me.

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 125: S.W.A.K.

24 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Authors, Aviation, Books

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Antoine De Saint Exupery, Authors, Friends, Grandmothers, Hearts, letters, Mail, Planes, Post Office

I will always regret that I never gave my Grandmother a tour of the post office where I work, while I still had the chance.

She was the most prolific letter writer I’ve ever known. She loved sending letters. Indeed, she would take time out of every day and write out postcards and letters to friends and family.

I would have shown her that the post office is more vibrantly mechanized than she could have ever imagined. From the tow motors carrying big steel cages crammed with parcels and containers of mail, to the video coding desks, culling belts and letter sorting machines, she would have loved the magic that she was witnessing.

However to me, it’s just organized chaos.

The plant where I work is full of machines that can each process almost 50,000 pieces of mail an hour.

During the Christmas period, 1.5 million pieces of mail are dumped, machined, sorted and dispatched each twenty-four hour period.

That’s a lot of mail.

One of my favourite authors, Antoine De Saint Exupery, author of ‘The Little Prince’ was among the first pilots to ever fly mail from point to point.

In his book Wind Sand and Stars, he eloquently recorded his thoughts as he flew his plane with it’s cargo of mail over the Sahara Desert.

Mail in the late 1930’s was very different from what it is now.

Today the majority of mail is business related. The mail stream consists mostly of credit card bills, receipts, invoices, account statements, and of course junk mail.

However, back then the mail consisted almost entirely of personal letters. These were letters from mother to son, husband to wife, friend to friend, beloved to beloved.

And so, as this pilot and author flew high in the sky alone at night with his cargo, he marvelled at the stars above and pondered the points of light below while trying to imagine the precious contents of the letters. Antoine De Saint Exupery firmly believed that he was doing an important task. The letters he carried contained validations of love and friendship from loved ones separated by time and distance.

It was indeed a different world back then and I wish we could get some of it back.

It might do our digitized hearts some good.

❤

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 124: Wanna Take A Ride?

23 Monday Feb 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Astronomy, Canada, Science, Space

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Astronaut, Burlington, Canada, Colony, Karen Cumming, Mars, Ontario, Science, Space, Space Travel, Travel

The title you see above is a line from one of my favourite movies, Contact, based upon a book written by Carl Sagan.

In this movie scene, billionaire and business mogul S.R. Haddon (played by John Hurt) offers Dr. Eleanor Arroway, a SETI scientist, (played by Jodie Foster) the opportunity to pilot a spacecraft designed by extraterrestrials and make first contact with aliens from another world.

And of course, she takes him up on it.

This month, the 200,000 applicants for the one way mission to Mars was narrowed down to 100, six of which are Canadians. Burlington, Ontario native, Karen Cumming is among the finalists.

The objective is to begin building a colony on Mars, and this six billion dollar mission is slated to take off in 2024.

Four people will be initially dispatched to head for the red planet with another four people being sent every two years, until they have reached a total of twenty-four colonists.

Comprehensive tests were done to see which types of people would be best suited for this unprecedented journey.

Much to everyone’s surprise, the athletic types placed second next to those who were content spending long periods of time by themselves.

Yay loners!

However, there’s been many movies about humans trying to colonize Mars and it never ends well for the humans.

I applaud the volunteers for their bravery and sense of adventure and wish them Godspeed.

However, if I were offered the opportunity for a one way ticket to Mars, I would have to decline and send my regrets citing the words from another one of my favourite movies…

“There’s no place like home.”

❤

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 123: Confessions Of A Forgetful Reader

22 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Books, Friends, Reading, Work

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Books, Friends, Memory, Reading, remember, Time, work

Every now and again, I have an epiphany.

The word Epiphany, as per Wikipedia…

Epiphany (feeling), the sudden realization or comprehension of the essence or meaning of something.

My epiphany happened at work while I was sitting across the table from a co-worker, Miss H.

She and I were discussing the subject of reading.

“I don’t get to read much anymore,” she told me. “By the time I get the kids in bed I’m too tired.”

“I used to read a lot too,” I admitted. “However, I’m really frustrated that the majority of books that I’ve read over the years have all melded together and I can’t remember them anymore.”

Then I let out a deep breath and wearily confessed my fears…

“I sometimes wonder if all that reading was worth my time and effort.”

I could instantly sense Miss H.’s back stiffen. She then looked at me and said…

“Yes, but you did enjoy reading them, didn’t you?”

With that comment, I was stunned into silence.

She was right of course.

As I was leaving work, I spotted Miss H. by the exit doors and walked over to her.

“I want to thank you for what you said to me.”

“No need to,” she replied.

“I know what it’s like. Why just the other day I was trying to remember that book … you know the one, written by… what’s his name, and it was about, uh… you know that guy and the thing he did.”

We both laughed as we walked outside and went our separate ways.

Today, I learned this lesson:

Reading isn’t always about the plot, or to gain knowledge or insight. Sometimes, reading can just be about having some time to myself.

Reading can also bring people together in ways that they never expected.

For example, When Miss H. and I left work today we were both smiling.

Imagine that!

Thanks Miss. H.

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 122: Fascinating Modern Age We Live In

21 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by duckykoren in electronics, Family, fashion, iphones, Wedding

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cell phone, daughters, moments, Mother, Wedding, wedding dress, Winnipeg

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Okay, so maybe we don’t have flying cars and robotic maids.

What tickled me this week was the ability to be the proverbial fly on the wall while watching a grand event that was happening 1,382 miles away from me in Winnipeg.

My youngest daughter was picking out her wedding dress.

With a wedding coming up in September it was decided that it was more practical for her to purchase her dress where she and her fiancé lived rather than here, where the wedding will take place.

Certainly, it would have been exquisite to primp and preen her as she tried on one bridal gown after another.

However, my being there remotely via electronic devises was joyous nevertheless.

The best case scenario would have been the ability to FaceTime. However, because there was no wifi at the wedding salon that was not an option. Instead pictures were forwarded in real time along with a few exchanged phone calls.

It’s a good feeling to know that we can share tender moments even across great distances. All we have to do is…

“Carpe Dialum”…

Seize the cellphone.

❤

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 121: The Calm Before The Knitting Storm

20 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Crafts, Entertainment, Family, Hobbies, Knitting, Movies, Stories, Weather

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British, Continental, Cowls, crafts, Dexter, DIY, Frenzy, Harry Potter, Hobbies, Knitting, Lord Of The Rings, mitts, Movies, NEEDLES, scarves, Sense And Sensibility, shawls, Shower, Stories, Storm, Sweaters, Tea, Yarn

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My Daughter and I can usually sense when a there is a knitting storm on our horizon.

A knitting storm is what we call a day long knitting frenzy which usually occurs after obtaining fresh and pristine yarn.

We know the storm is inevitable in the morning because we get these mild twitches every time we pass by our knitting needles sitting silent in their mason glass jars. Jen has even reported that she can hear my yarn crying when I am preoccupied by everything else and not my knitting.

The knitting storm then usually breaks out shortly thereafter.

It begins with brewing a pot of tea which is then set atop our wooden coffee table, followed by a short discussion on which movie or television shows to watch.

Our favourites in the past have included: Sense & Sensibility, Lord of the Rings, Dr. Who, Harry Potter or Dexter.

Of course, these are movies and shows that we have already seen. That way, we can focus attention on our knitting, where it belongs.

It doesn’t take long before we can see our shawls, scarves, cowls, sweaters, mitts and hats take shape.

In the past, we have even had sock competitions and try to make a pair of socks in one day using size 5mm needles and bulky weight yarn.

Jen usually wins because she knits continental wise which is much faster than my British method. I have tried to change, but alas, you know what they say about an old dog learning new tricks.

Mind you, we don’t have as many knitting storms as we use to.

Although, thank goodness, from time to time we do manage to do a little knitting together even if it is for only twenty minutes or so.

Maybe not a knitting storm…

… but certainly a pleasant and short burst of warm summer rain.

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 120: July 9, 1964… The Day Alabama Governor George Wallace Came To Town

19 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Aboriginal Rights, Civil Rights, History, Toronto

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Aboriginal Rights, Alabama, Civil Rights, Discrimination, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., George Wallace, Human Rights, Lions Club, Maple Leaf Gardens, Mother, Protesters, Segregation, Toronto, Volunteer

Imagine my utter surprise when only several years ago, my Mother told me that she had seen Alabama governor George Wallace speak at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto in July 1964. He appeared there on an invitation from the Lions Club for their national convention. Also slated to appear was Dr. Norman Vincent Peale and NASA’S Lt. -Col. John A. Powers.

I’m perplexed as to why she never mentioned it to me before.

She was well aware of my interest in human rights and life long admiration of the late Dr. Martin Luther King and all that he stood for.

I had never pegged her as being the political sort in her younger days and so I asked her why she would attend such an event. She replied that she was a member of the Lion’s Club and was working as a volunteer.

Of course, I then remembered her taking me to several meetings when I was very young up until I was about six years old. I always walked away from these meetings with my pockets stuffed with little toys and prizes that they handed out to children during their fundraisers.

“So,” I asked her, “How long before the protesters tried to shut him down?”

“There were lots of protesters picketing outside,” she said, “But the police were there.”

Then I asked:

“What about during his speech?”

“It didn’t take long till somebody raised the segregation issue,” she replied.

“As soon as they did he shot back with:

“How can you talk to me about discrimination when you live in a country that treats aboriginals like second class citizens? Deal with that and then we’ll talk.”

At least, that’s how my Mother described it.

I was intrigued.

And so, I did a little research online and found an article that appeared in The Toronto Star on June 29, 2013 written by Kevin Plummer.

According to this Toronto Star’s newspaper account of George Wallace’s visit to Toronto, Rabbi Plout had fervently lobbied to try to get Toronto city council to cancel the event.

Here is a portion of how the Toronto Star reported the damage control being taken in the aftermath of Mr. Wallace’s comments during his visit:

*Rabbi Plaut responded eloquently to critics of the demonstrations who’d rightly pointed out that the Deep South had no monopoly on racism and discrimination, expressing hope that Wallace’s visit would prompt Canadians to examine their own discriminatory policies and practices. “In fact, we owe you still another debt of gratitude,” he address Wallace in an open letter. “Your coming here has reminded us once again that we have unfinished business in Canada. We are more keenly aware that Eskimos and Indians have problems in the solution of which we have been less than assiduous. We have our own areas of discrimination and segregation in practice if not in law. We have practiced discrimination in our immigration policies, hiding behind mythical preferences of national origin. Your presence in our midst will help us tackle this unfinished business with greater speed and concern.”*

This happened fifty-two years ago.

After all this time one would think that the government of Canada and it’s people would have made better progress to end discrimination against indigenous Canadian Aboriginals, wouldn’t one?

Well….

Obviously, we still have a long way to go.

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