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EPISODE 878 WE ALL FAIL NOW AND THEN….”YOUR HOME ON NATIVE LAND” WAS ONE OF MY FAILURES (book for adolescent readers)

EPISODE 878    WE ALL FAIL NOW AND THEN….”YOUR HOME ON NATIVE LAND” WAS ONE OF MY FAILURES (book for adolescent readers)


alan skeoch
september 14, 2023







WE ALL FAIL NOW ND THEN…FAILURE HURTS…BUT IT ALSO TEACHES.



“The road to hell is paved with good intentions’ is s sentence worth remembering if you plan to be an author.
When I wrote ‘Your Home on Native Land” I believed there was a need for a deeper understanding of 
our naive peoples.  That was my good intention.

So I created an imaginary native person of Mississauga New Credit ancestry.   A  young boy who did not know 
much about the history of his people but he had one valuable characteristic.  He was curious.
Sort of like Candide.  Very much like Voltaire’s Candide for that matter.   The young boy’s Native name was ‘Born
With Eyes Wide Open’.   He was fascinated by the history of his people that was gradually released to him
by his elders, particularly his grand mother.  The history was not a happy history.  

In the end the boy concluded much the same that Candide concluded.  “If this is the best of all possible worlds, whet 
then of the others.”

The book had a short and unhappy life.   My publisher, Jackfruit Press, did everything possible to make the book
as success not least of which was hiring  a wonderful illustrator..  Four colour separations…  A powerful cover
which compressed all my intentions into a single image of a giant snapping turtle who saved the world.

But we failed.   Jackfruit Press went bankrupt the moment the book hit the market.  All that remain today are
10 or 15 copies on my bookshelf and a few on the internet.   Why did the book die?  Aside from the limited
market for such A book there was another failure.   Enough to make me weep to this day.

A copy of the book was sent to a member of the aboriginal community who did not like the book at all.
Why?  I am Not sure but I think here was resentment because I had appropriated native voice.   My hero
was a figment of my imagination.  I was not aboriiginal.  Nor was I a recognized authority on First Nations  history.

Sadly the book died.  My failure.   We all fail now and then.


Today September 14, 2023 I came across this review of the book…A newscippping yellow with age.



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EPISODE 878 WE ALL FAIL NOW AND THEN….”YOUR HOME ON NATIVE LAND” WAS ONE OF MY FAILURES (book for adolescent readers)

EPISODE 878    WE ALL FAIL NOW AND THEN….”YOUR HOME ON NATIVE LAND” WAS ONE OF MY FAILURES (book for adolescent readers)


alan skeoch
september 14, 2023







WE ALL FAIL NOW ND THEN…FAILURE HURTS…BUT IT ALSO TEACHES.



“The road to hell is paved with good intentions’ is s sentence worth remembering if you plan to be an author.
When I wrote ‘Your Home on Native Land” I believed there was a need for a deeper understanding of 
our naive peoples.  That was my good intention.

So I created an imaginary native person of Mississauga New Credit ancestry.   A  young boy who did not know 
much about the history of his people but he had one valuable characteristic.  He was curious.
Sort of like Candide.  Very much like Voltaire’s Candide for that matter.   The young boy’s Native name was ‘Born
With Eyes Wide Open’.   He was fascinated by the history of his people that was gradually released to him
by his elders, particularly his grand mother.  The history was not a happy history.  

In the end the boy concluded much the same that Candide concluded.  “If this is the best of all possible worlds, whet 
then of the others.”

The book had a short and unhappy life.   My publisher, Jackfruit Press, did everything possible to make the book
as success not least of which was hiring  a wonderful illustrator..  Four colour separations…  A powerful cover
which compressed all my intentions into a single image of a giant snapping turtle who saved the world.

But we failed.   Jackfruit Press went bankrupt the moment the book hit the market.  All that remain today are
10 or 15 copies on my bookshelf and a few on the internet.   Why did the book die?  Aside from the limited
market for such A book there was another failure.   Enough to make me weep to this day.

A copy of the book was sent to a member of the aboriginal community who did not like the book at all.
Why?  I am Not sure but I think here was resentment because I had appropriated native voice.   My hero
was a figment of my imagination.  I was not aboriiginal.  Nor was I a recognized authority on First Nations  history.

Sadly the book died.  My failure.   We all fail now and then.


Today September 14, 2023 I came across this review of the book…A newscippping yellow with age.



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EPISODE 876 MARJORIE FINDS A PUFF BALL…AND WE ATE IT


NOTE TO READERS:  WE HAVE BEEN SUPER BUSY LATELY..
SORRY IF OUR ABSENCE HAS MEANT YOU HAVE NO BED TIME STORY.


EPISODE 876     MARJORIE FINDS A PUFF BALL…AND WE  ATE IT


alan skeoch
SEPTEBER 13, 2032

“ALAN, LOOK WHAT I FOUND.”
“ GIANT   PUFF BALL…WHERE WAS IT?

“IN THE DITCH…DO YOU THINK IT ’S EDIBLE?”



WE ATE AFEW SKICES IF THIS PUFF BALL

Puff ball mushrooms are very strange.  They appear suddenly almost anywhere and
grow immense in short time.   And they are edilble but be careful.  They are only
edible when very young,,,,when all white.  Totally white inside and spongy.

OLD PUFF BALLS LOOK LIKE UGLY VOMIT

No one in their right mind would eve eat an old puffball because they look sick…ugly
internal contents become sickly green … the colour of fresh vomit.   Even a 
complete fool would not touch  a mature puffball.   If it is kicked like  football 
a cloud of spores burst forth.   Old puff balls are ghastly.

But young puff balls are as pretty as fresh bread.   And look like fresh bread.
They can be sliced like fresh bread using a good sharp bread knife.  Use a gentle saw like action.  
Peel the thin rubber like crust and the puff ball is ready for the frying pan..

Easiest way to eat a puff ball is to put some butter in the frying pan, then add the slices
of the puff ball.  Sprinkle with salt nd pepper.   Garlic salt is best…gives best flavour.
Fry until both sides are golden brown or even darker brown.  

Then eat the slices like you would French Toast or pan cakes.

What do they taste like?  Rather bland.  Very bland.   

Today Marjorie’s puff ball tased like garlic salt.

alan

Note:  Mushroom hunting is tricky..  Some mushrooms are good.  Some are bad…very bad.
Fresh puff balls are really good.  Old puff balls are disgusting.  It’s easy to tell the difference.




SOME OTHER PUFF BALL RECIPES.

You can also cook up large slices of puffball and freeze them to use as the base for wonderful gluten-free pizzas (see below). Or try the convenience of breading the raw puffball with the parmigiana breading below and freeze them. Pull them out later, fry them and bake them for a quick pre-prepared dinner. Puffball Fries freeze up equally well. Pull them out of the freezer and in 15 minutes you’ll have crispy fries to dip in your favourite sauce – a great appetizer or snack.

Cooked puffball has a texture kind of like tofu, but more soft and melting (a bit like a sugarless marshmallow). You can use puffball just like you would tofu and most other mushrooms in recipes. I still have so many ways I’d like to try it, so I hope I find some puffballs again next year.

Try puffball some of these ways:

  • diced, sauteed, and added to any pasta sauce
  • raw, cubed in salads
  • diced, sauteed, then tossed in with chives and beaten eggs as you scramble them
  • cut slices, dip them in a mixture of equal parts soy sauce and water, plus a dash of sriracha or hot sauce, then pan-fry them in butter or oil until brown
  • cubes, strips, or slices, breaded and fried
  • grill or fry thick slabs and use them as a meatless burger on a bun with toppings
  • toss them in with stir fries
  • sauté cubes of puffball with onions, peppers, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning
  • use thin slices of sauteed puffball instead of pasta in lasagna

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61st STEAM ERA SHOW, HUME FARM, SEPT. 1 TO 4, 2023

EPISODE 877     STEAM ERA 2023  61 ST YEAR, HUME FARM, MILTON, SEPT 1 TO 4, 2023


alan skeoch
sept.. 4, 2023




I ws 23 years  old  when my Uncle Frank freeman asked if I wanted to go
to the first Steam Era gathering on a local farm.  Summer Of 1962.  I do not think the show even had  a name back then.
Uncle Frank knew I was fascinated by the people and  machines of the 19th and early 20th century. FANNING MIILLS
in particular .

“Alan, a bunch of local farmers are having farm sow nearby, would you lie to join me
ands what the show is all about.  Not really sure myself.”
“OK:,”, I Answered without  much enthusiasm..   

And so began my lifelong association with Steam era,,  By 1980 I even wrote a  300 page manuscript on the
sjubject as an M.A. thesis titled “technology and Change in 19th Ontario agriculture” copies of which 
are held in Cooperstown , New Yorik, Black Ceek Museum (Toronto).  .

In short I became an enthusiast.  Lasted most of my lifetime.  All because of a seed planted in my brain by Uncle Frank Freeman.,
my mother’s brother, who spent his life trying to make a living on stoney farm in Erin Township ,  Wellington c/ounty.

These pictures were taken on /sept, 2m 2923, at Steam Era on the Hume Farm on 4th line of Halton County, Ontario
(My not episode will feature Robert downy and his corn asking machine…)


PICTURES TAKEN AT STEM ERA 2023 (HUME FARM)

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Live From The Field

EPISODE  878    steam era show at milton labou day week end


alan skeoch
august 3, 2023



Next episode will feature Robert Downey of Caledonia and his helper …  and a wondrous machine he rescued from
the scrap pile of te past.   Hold your breath, the story is coming.  Meanwhile pack up and head for Steam Era…4th line
just a bit North West of Milton.  



THERE IS STILL TIME, BROTHER …TODAY AUGUST 3 AND TOMORROW AUGUST 4….STEAM ERA ON  4TH LINE,.
NORTH OF  STEELES AVENUE, NORTH SIDE OF HWY 401,  NEAR MILTON


This iis a short episode aimed at my readers who often use my stories as a guide to explore  Ontario 

SEAM ERA is a chance for you and family to spend a few hours in the past…..seeing machines that no longer
exist… like those below.

Later episodes will tell the stories of Steam Era.  Incuding the thrill I felt when I met Robert Downey of Caledonia.
 This episode will be pictures I took yesterday as
“Iwandered lonely as a cloud’ 






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EPISODE 875 CATTLE IN A NEW FIELD..”GRASS IS AS HIGH AS AN ELEPHANTS’ EYE” (not quite but close)

EPISODE 875     CATTLE IN A NEW FIELD..”GRASS IS AS HIGH AS AN ELEPHANTS’ EYE” (not quite but close)


alan skeoch
sept 1,2023

I have readers and I have lookers.  Some of you  read the stories.   Glad you do because the stories take a 
lot of time to write.  Others of you just look at the pictures.   Busy lives.   Wish you would read some of
the stories but time is fleeting.  Some stories take the better part of  day to construct and find relevant pictures.
And some just press delete and wish I would desist. I just clutter up email.  Three groups.

Today is a picture essay fo both readers an lookers to enjoy.

Think of the music of ‘Oklahoma’.


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EPISODE 855 DID A FERAL TOM CAT COME FOR A VISIT WITH CHELSEA BUN (father of our kitten)

EPISODE 855      DID A FERAL TOM CAT COME FOR A VISIT WITH CHELSEA BUN (father of our kitten)


alan skeoch
august 31,2023


IMAGES OF OUR KITTEN (ABOVE)

IMAGES OF FERAL TOMCATS (BELOW)

ALAN, I NEED HELP

“Alan, stop the tractor, I need help!”
“What’s the problem?”
“The cat got out…I saw her heading for the swamp,”
“How did she escape?”
“I have no idea…doors were closed.”

Our new family addition  is CHELSEA BUN  so named because she
looks like  a Chelsea bun…dark with patches of cream coloured fur here and there…one definite whitish paw and a
 cream coloured dollop between her eyes.  She is not likely to win a prize at a cat show.    Here tail is broken.   But she is the
smartest cat we have ever owned.  Smart enough to dart out a crack in the door without us noticing.

You go around the swamp from one side, I will go the other way shaking the food bag.
Maybe we can get her before a coyote does.”
“Not much danger of coyotes here at the farm.”
“City coyotes are far more numerous.”

“A few years ago neighbourhood cats roamed quite freely   today we have not seen
a cat for years.   Cats make a good coyote dinner except for the fur which is obviously excreted in coyote dung.
Few coyotes at the farm.   But they are present if unseen.  So we  were a bit anxious.


We were given Chelsea Bun by a farm neighbour, Elizabeth Porter.  She had a surprise batch of kittens in March
…the result of a feral Tom Cat who briefly visited and left his calling card.   Tom cats are rare.  Most are
,fixed, (i.e. castrated) .   Tom cats are generally unwelcome…like stallions, bulls, boars and other males.
We did know one thing about the father of our kitten.  He was tortoise shell …. like the Chelsea bun.
But that is all tha was known.  No one saw him do the ‘job’ on the neighbour farm cat.   It was likely a night time
romance.

“Our kitten must look like the father”  said Elizabeth. So different from their mother.

I searched one side of the swamp and could hear Marjorie shaking  the cat food box.   We found  nothing.

“Where did you see her?”
“Down by he Shaver barn…..she darted across to the swamp.   Lean and swift…no intention  of 
being tricked by food.”
“Let’s give up and hope she comes back on her own.”

So we went back to the farm house and guess what we found?

“Alan, the kitten is back in the house.”
“Impossible.”
Chelsea Bun was snuggling up against Marjorie as if nothing had happened.
And nothing had happened,  No escape at all.  Then sho in hell were we searching for in
the swamp?

“I think that was Chelsea Bun’s father.   Looked exactly like Chelsea Bun….tortoise shell colours.
“A wild cat…feral”
“But our farm is several kilometres from the Porter/Kilner farn   Seems a long distance.”
“Maybe not.”
“Do you think the Tom cat came to see his daughter…to see Chelsea Bun?”
“I think that is pushing things.   Cats are not people.”
“Maybe he is living in one of our barns but cautious  and never seen.”
“Like  the coyotes.

EVIDENCE SEEMS TO SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT THIS FERAL TOM CAT WAS REALLY THE FATHER
OF CHELSEA BUN,   DID HE REALLY COME TO CHECK UP ON HIS DAUGHTER?.  NOW THAT IS PURE CONJECTURE.

TOM CAT TERRITORY

1,351 acres (2.1 square miles)

  • EXCERPT:   The scientists found that the feral cats had home ranges that stretched across large areas; one male kitty’s range covered 1,351 acres (2.1 square miles). They roamed over a wide variety of habitats, most often in urban areas and grasslands, including a restored prairie. 

In winter, they preferred urban spots, forests and farmland, all places that would provide greater shelter from bad weather and help them keep warm. Cats that had owners, meanwhile, tended to stick close to home, with their range sizes averaging a mere 4.9 acres.

Feral kitties were also more active than cats that had homes. Unowned cats spent 14 percent of their time in what the scientists classified as “high activity” (running or hunting, for example), compared with only 3 percent for kitties with owners. “The unowned cats have to find food to survive, and their activity is significantly greater than the owned cats throughout the day and through the year, especially in winter,” saysstudy co-author Jeff Horn of the University of Illinois.

In addition, the feral cats’ daily activity patterns—sleeping during the day and being active at night, which likely reflects the behavior of their prey, small mammals, as well as lets them better avoid humans—was very different from kitties with homes. Those animals were most active in the morning and evening, when their owners were likely home and awake.

Only one owned kitty died during the study, compared with six feral cats. Two of the feral cats were killed by coyotes, and the researchers believe that at least some of the others were killed by other cats, as the owned kitty was. Cats that live outdoors, even just part of the time, are at risk of death from other cats as well as diseases


POST SCRIPT

ONE winter evening about 30 or 40 years ago we watched the milking time at the Townsend dairy farm.  (near Bellwood)  There were 23 feral cats
watching along with us.   I counted them. Occasionally cousin Eleanor would grab a teat and direct a shot of milk at one of the cats.  Not a drop
was lost.   These cats had all arrived on their own.  They were feral.  Warm home for the winter.

alan skeoch
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EPISODE 874 honey bees at the royal york hotel august 28, 2023

EPISODE  874     honey bees at the royal york hotel  august 28, 2023


alan and marjorie skeoch



Marjorie Skeoch along with five retired teachers managed to find a bee yard  high among the sky scrapers of Toronto waterfront.
The bee yard is quite famous but few have ever had the tour of the roof garden of the Royal York Hotel.  The roof garden and huge bee yard 
are smack dab in the centre of Toronto where steel and glass high rise offices and asphalt roadways and cement walkways make green ways 
seemingly non existent.  So the Toronto bee yard a top the Royal York has achieved international fame. 

Here is your chance to get there courtesy of Marjorie and her friends.

(Marjorie Skeoch (photos)
august 28, 2023

‘



HONEY HARVEST


Every September, Fairmont Royal York’s Apiary Team, led by Executive Sous Chef Andrew Wilson, harvest honey from our very own rooftop bee hives. Previous harvests have bestowed upon us award-wining honey and this year’s golden bounty could prove to be just as exceptional.

2,100 frames of honeycomb were extracted from seven hives, which produced approximately 400 lbs of sweet, liquid honey which will be featured in our menus throughout the hotel. From our Chef’s Table, to our Banquet Buffets, to unique in-room amenities – add a little sweetness to your next visit with us.

ABOUT OUR BEES
In 2008, Fairmont Royal York became the first hotel in the world to introduce a rooftop apiary. During our peak season, the apiary’s seven hives are home to half a million honey bees and seven queens. Toronto Beekeepers Collective and Urban Beekeeper Melanie Coates tend to the bees, that produce an average of 400 lbs of honey each year. Fairmont Royal York’s honey has won awards at the Royal Winter Fair for over five years and is a popular ingredient used by our Culinary Team.

Our Rooftop honey is a symbol of our commitment to PLANET 21, a comprehensive global program that brings together employees, guests and partners to drive sustainable growth.





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EPISODE 871 PORT HOPE — GADAWASKA river flows through town — nice main street for shopping and gawking

EPISODE 871    PORT HOPE — GADAWASKA river flows through town — nice main street for shopping and gawking


Alan skeoCh
august 23, 2023

ESCAPE: AN EASY TRIP TO PORT HOPE

There is just chance you need to escape for a few hours and do not know where to go.
Try Port Hope business part of town.   The Ganaraska River flows right through the 
centre of town.  Right now (August 2023) the river is quiet.  Two months from now the river comes
alive as hundreds…perhaps thousands…of salmon beat their way up to the spawning grounds.  Tough job.
They gather in clusters then make a dash for higher ground.  Most make it. Some do not. The river is shallow
and the salmon often have their backs in open air as they  lunge from deeper pools and attempt to jump the
numerous waterfalls.

Just how did so many PACIFIC OCEAN SALMON decide  to spawn here in Port Hope.  THe story 
is one of the great stories about world wildlife.   I will tell you in another episode as that was part of the
speech I gave on Feb.29, 2020.  The speech that was never given.  Next day, march 1, 2020, we were all shaken as Covid  19
spread around the world fro China killing millions. Don’t worry the Port Hope fish story is a feel good story.



SHOPPERS….PAY ATTENTION TO MICHAEL PENNEY’S STORE…a good story


more.ctv.ca/content/dam/bellmedia/marilyn/images/home/2023/michael-PENNEY-MDS.png.transform/768w/img.jpg 768w, more.ctv.ca/content/dam/bellmedia/marilyn/images/home/2023/michael-PENNEY-MDS.png.transform/520w/img.jpg 520w” sizes=”auto” data-srcset=”/content/dam/bellmedia/marilyn/images/home/2023/michael-PENNEY-MDS.png.transform/520w/img.jpg 520w, /content/dam/bellmedia/marilyn/images/home/2023/michael-PENNEY-MDS.png.transform/768w/img.jpg 768w, /content/dam/bellmedia/marilyn/images/home/2023/michael-PENNEY-MDS.png.transform/1200w/img.jpg 1200w” data-sizes=”auto” style=”box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 796.640625px;”>

When it comes to décor, we love shopping both old and new–and home expert, Michael Penney does too. That’s why he created his décor store, Penney and Coin Port Hope, to showcase and sell some of his fab thrift finds and antiques and how you can mix them into your modern spaces. Watch the video to see Michael take Marilyn on a tour of his store and find out the story behind opening his location in this historic Ontario town.


Think you might like the shop owned by MIchael Peney.  He has a terrific sense of colour and design.
Big things to buy and little things to buy…all out of the ordinary.   Just a walk through his store is
a pleasure.


IS PORT HOPE STILL RADIOACTIVE?…Radiation and cleanup


Port Hope is known for having the largest volume of historic low-level radioactive wastes in Canada.[6]These wastes were initially created by Eldorado Mining and Refining Limited and its private sector predecessors, resulting from the refining of radium from pitchblende. Radium was used in radioluminescent paint (such as aircraft dials), and in early treatments for cancer.[7]
During World War II, the Eldorado plant produced exponentially more uranium oxides, which the United States used in the Manhattan Project that created the first nuclear weapons.[8] This plant, now under the ownership of Cameco, continues to produce uranium fuel for nuclear power plants.
In 2002, a large amount of contaminated soil was removed from beachfront areas.[9] More recently, a testing program began of over 5,000 properties, with a plan to remove and store contaminated soil that had been used as landfill. Over a billion dollars is expected to be spent on the soil remediation project, the largest such cleanup in Canadian history.[6]



CLEANING UP RADIOACTIVE WASTE THAT WAS USED 
AS LANDFILL FROM 1933  TO 1988…a sobering story.

Major remediation project launches next phase of radioactive cleanup in Port Hope
PORT HOPE AREA INITIATIVE WEBSITE — The Port Hope Project involves the cleanup of historic low-level radioactive waste. Remediation and restoration on local properties as part of the Port Hope Area Initiative may include excavation, removing waste, verifying soil meets cleanup criteria and backfill.

Professional services company GHD has been selected as the contractor for the next phase of the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI), to remediate legacy low-level radioactive waste of affected properties for residential and road allowances.

Along with Bird Construction, its partner and project lead, the company received a notice to proceed with early work for a multi-year task order under the previously announced PHAI Master Construction Contract by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL).

One of Canada’s largest remediation projects, the multi-year initiative is being implemented by CNL on behalf of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited.

“There are a lot of properties that CNL has been investigating in Port Hope, identifying where the waste is. This project really represents the next phase as CNL scales up the effort to bring the project to a close,” said Paul Gallaway, GHD’s engineering manager for the PHAI activities, who described the project as fascinating and complicated.

The PHAI consists of the cleanup and long-term management of more than 1.2 million cubic metres of legacy low-level radioactive waste from more than 1,000 industrial, institutional and residential properties in Port Hope and Clarington.

The waste is the result of radium and uranium processing in Port Hope between 1933 and 1988 by the former Crown corporation Eldorado Nuclear Limited and its private-sector predecessors.

Where is low-level radioactive waste being relocated?
  • Approximately 450,000 cubic meters of historic low-level radioactive waste are being relocated from an existing waste management facility on the shoreline of Lake Ontario, to a new, near surface facility (engineered containment mound) about a kilometer north of the current site.
     
    How much radioactive waste will be removed from Port Hope?
    • Scott Parnell is the General Manager of the Port Hope Area Initiative, which is in charge of the cleanup. He says that after decades of planning, the first loads of an estimated 1.2 million cubic metres of historic low-level radioactive waste will be on the move.

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EPISODE 870 NORTH BEACH IN ‘BOXER” SHORTS WITH SEA GULLS

EPISODE  870    NORTH BEACH IN ‘BOXER” SHORTS WITH SEA GULLS


alan skeoch
august 24, 2023

“I think we can do it Marjorie.”
“do what?”
“Take a run to North Beach with a couple of stops and then make it back home before dark.”
“Swim?”
“Of Course”
“Well, I cannot find your swimsuit .”
“I will just wear my boxer shorts…no one cares. It’s not like I am a movie star.”

(North Beach, Prince Edward County, Ontario)

Note to Cathy and Christopher…We never made it to Bloomfield or
Wellington to see you.  Sorry. 

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