Remembering Sherman…

A jaunt northward to Haileybury Ontario to celebrate a niece’s college graduation has given recent cause to remember a long-ago experience in Temagami, on the Victoria Day weekend, in the early 1980’s.

The owner of the Temagami Inn at that time was a fellow named Paul Leitch. He was an established businessman and known to many. After hearing my musician husband playing piano in the lounge of a North Bay hotel, Paul thought him a good choice to spend a weekend at the Temagami Inn and play for the patrons.

We arrived early afternoon and made the acquaintance of the hostess at the Front Desk. Directing us to the bar area we proceeded to set up and complete the sound tests for microphones, speakers and amplifiers. During those years I played the drums, and we performed pleasing renditions of easy listening music, including light jazz and some vocals.

At 4:00 p.m., dressed in our finery, we descended from our upstairs room to start the first set. Eyes were wide – ours and theirs! We had never performed for a truly workingmen’s audience, and the off shift miners had never seen the likes of us either.

Feeling somewhat tremulous, I gathered my brushes and we launched into a spirited rendition of Sweet Georgia Brown. Silence hung too heavy in the air afterward and we sensed there would be little or no encouragement.

We offered to take any special requests – and somehow managed to play through distinct feelings of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Friday night was a ripsnorter and as the suds took hold the awestruck miners from the open pit iron ore facility found a soft spot for our efforts.

Nearly thirty years later I vividly remember the incredulous and incredible audience of hard-working men from the Sherman mine!

Confidence or Conceit?

In the world of real estate salespeople, as with other professions, individual traits are sometimes consciously subdued or repressed so as to not create an unbecoming impression. For example, one’s voice can be trained to be less strident to a listener, and more evenly modulated.

Many years ago there was a radio announcer in Montreal whose voice was widely recognized,in person however his appearance didn’t match the resonance and depth we heard over the airwaves; so the first aural impression superseded the visual actuality.

Well-established salespeople seem to eventually present themselves with more cockiness than in beginning years. They strut their stuff and – but may also be recognized as much for the perceived arrogance as their competence.

In fashion, women who hang on too tightly to younger styles in an effort to not look their age can be either admired or gently scorned, This occurs as well with gentlemen in their mid-life crisis who gasp in too-tight jeans and burn rubber at the stoplight in sporty/fast convertibles.

I noticed a big flashy pickup truck today in Bracebridge with several slogans painted on it. Nothing subtle either. One of them read “If I wanted a Hummer™ I’d call your sister”.. Hopefully it was a joke – the take-away though was a question of whether the owner was overdosed in confidence or conceit!

Everybody Hurts……

A recent Sunday night television program caught my eye on the listings schedule, so I tuned in to The Choir, a series about Choirmaster Gareth Malone whose efforts are focused on assembling people to unite as a choir. The Part 1 episode I watched revolved around a hospital choir-in-the-making, destined for a competition with other “workplace choirs”.

The song selected by Gareth Malone; entitled “Everybody Hurts”, was composed and released by American rock band members Berry/Buck/Mills and Stipe – most commonly known as R.E.M..

"The challenge with Lewisham Hospital was getting them to open up and sing with emotion. By their own admission they tend to be quite clinical, quite matter-of-fact."

The similarity to many people struck me, few are inclined to “wear their hearts on their sleeve” for fear of making themselves vulnerable. In this faceless world of too-busy/too much everything, anonymity is a defence mechanism we might wrap around ourselves like a cloak.

Professional salespeople are tenacious in their efforts to secure a client and follow through to the completion of the order; and this includes a REALTOR®.

The process of meeting and greeting, spending time together in a vehicle and discussing the process and progress can evolve to include personal subjects.

In my own business I try to lend my utmost accountability to either Buyer or Seller clients – if there’s ever a doubt about anything I visualize a loved member of my own family in the client’s shoes – and my caring becomes even more keen.

 As with the Lewisham Hospital Choir members’ self-discipline, not daring to be too gushy or mushy –  most dedicated professionals find it impossible to leave work at work when the business day ends.

Regardless of the line of work we perform, it can feel personal – and from time to time, “Everybody Hurts”.

What's The Buzz...

Die-hard campers, fisherpeople, hikers or bikers, and runners all have one thing in common – insects in late spring and summer! Speed or agility are not necessarily a winning accomplishment, winging stingers will catch up somehow and then an owie to remember.

Fragrance free and clad in light colours is recommended, and many portable repellents are available to increase protection. Wasp traps, pseudo nests that identify territory, and even mosquito magnets and defoggers may be seen in use.

A one and only encounter last August with a yellow jacket was not only aggravating, it became serious. A secondary leg infection developed, resulting in treatment - the cellulitis further impacted my recovery.

Once someone has suffered a frightening reaction of any kind, anxiety can surface quickly when there is even the tiniest possibility of being stung again. Companions may also be acutely alert – wide eyed and their own antennae twitching in both apprehension and anticipation. I once knew of a well-meaning guest whose energetic swatting bruised the metal screen and actually pierced a small hole where the weave was compromised!

If you or anyone you know carries an epi-pen™ to be administered promptly, please ensure that whomever you’re with is aware of the how-tos should the need arise. Like all creatures in nature, ourselves included, there are good practices and not-so-wise activities. Be safe, be smart, and don’t panic when your ears become pointier and you query “What’s the Buzz?”. 

Welcome Visitors!!

The Canada Day weekend is really the advent of summer fun and visitors pouring out of city confines and hitting the open road to cottage country. The highways and byways can sometimes clog the time schedule in mind, however, with the car crammed and everyone ready for at least a weekend away it’s exciting!

I had occasion to be heading southbound along Highway 12 south of Orillia when a series of delightful sights caught my eye as I passed through the Town of Brechin.

Parked and secured along sidewalks and fences were a series of colourfully painted bicycles, each festooned with cascades of flowers spilling from handlebar baskets, seat brackets and even a tag-along cart in front of the Post Office.

The bright sunshine and abundance of fluttering national flags added to the feeling of celebration. There were lineups at the chip-truck, drivers were jockeying for a spot in parking lots at both the grocery store and hot pop shop.

School’s out, vacation time is here, and summer weekends offer plenty of varied and interesting events and points of interest.

Small town spirit is robust even when the budget isn’t – the folks of Brechin deserve special mention for their wonderful display of folksy and delightful pedal-power flower power.

What an imaginative and cheerful way to welcome visitors!

Wearing Horseshoes….

I was musing the other day about how often we hear expressions about horse shoes being symbols of good luck…A generalization is that if a horseshoe is hung as an adornment on a house it should be mounted so it looks like a “U” shape rather than an “n” shape.

My thoughts then wandered to querying different kinds of horseshoes, knowing only that different materials and customized adjustments are used for both specific uses and for hoof or gait correction.   A Google™ search returned that there are two distinct styles –

“An open heeled shoe is rounded over the front of the hoof,

but does not cross in the back.

A bar horse shoe is a closed shoe, wrapping

around the entire hoof and back of the foot.”

Similarly, in the fashion world of women’s’ shoe styles which may be referred to as a sling-back or a pump. Gentlemen sport sandal-styles either an open back or dress-type shoes styles. Athletic shoes of many kinds are designed and intended for more specific use.

At a young man’s recent graduation from elementary school, the intended dress code was white shirt, dress pants and dress shoes for the on-stage presentation of certificates. My own grandson reluctantly acceded to his parents’ insistence and reluctantly donned dress shoes to complete “the look”.

Mom and Dad were both horrorstruck and thunderstruck, too late to intervene, when they observed their son striding across the stage. The designated footwear indeed had been surreptitiously switched to the young man’s preferred style!

I feel hopeful that this fellow has an ample supply of horseshoes, preferably of the racing kind. He will need all the luck he can muster to circumvent any repercussions.

The possibility now of summertime hobbles to correct his gait may prove without question that a wiser choice would have instead been to wear bar-style horseshoes. 

Reading Between the Lines…

Today was a scorcher temperature wise, and otherwise as well.

In an effort to chill a little, I decided to go for an enticing swim at the lovely Gravenhurst pool – new, modern and indoors.

Despite the fact the location is poorly signed at the main road, and entry somewhat convoluted, new visitors will be pleased with their discovery.

I parked my car in the shade, alongside 4 others. Upon exiting, I heard the slurpy syrupy sound of a Bylaw Enforcement vehicle burbling with fulfillment as it moved away from the area. Aghast and alas, parking tickets for all the patrons’ cars parked in a delectable row. Easy pickings for the picker.

It must be noted that there is no signage whatsoever indicating this was an undesignated parking area, and in fact, concrete barriers were in place to ensure one’s front wheels were not moved too far forward and off the pavement.

Not being a resident of the Town of Gravenhurst, and unlikely to return within seven days, I went to the Municipal Offices to pay the ticket; and then returned to take this photo at the site of my infraction – written up as “parking in an undesignated area”.

Would you park here? One of the aggrieved commented that he parked there every day – and others as well. Perhaps, this being Monday, the bylaw officer sought refuge under the shade of the yum-yum tree to watch and wait for unwitting victims; similar to a bird of prey lurking/watching/waiting.

Facility staff at the pool did remark that the parking areas had been recently set back from the wooded, shady area – sadly no sign to say so. I know that no means no, but how would anyone know to “no”?

Poor devil, perhaps he is a non-swimmer who either fears the water or has never dreamed of finding refreshment from the summer heat. And feeling scratchier as well under a synthetic-fiber uniform.

Discerning where or where not to park was about as clear as reading between the lines of the printed ticket.