Note: Such a trivial thing,,,a hand rail,,,,maybe trivial to you but to usit could be a saviour.EPISODE 1,017 RESCUING OUR HOUSE…A RAILING BETTER THAN A MOVE
alan skeochfeb. 15, 2024pictures by marjorieSUDDENLY our whole way oflife was in jeopardy…all due to a knee operationthst was supposed to be successful.We love our house that now sits among megahouses but once, not long ago say 200 years ago, was hidden away in a white pine forest where the indigenousMisissauga people lived.When we came here in1968 there were dozens of trees and shrubs thriving as the land gently sloped down to a babbling brook (Mary Fix Creek) where wild things thrived….. Today a coyote family has mated and await the rival of pups. Maybe they are already here. So wild is our 55’ x 400’ lot thst we have fenced off a fragment to protect Woody, our dog, snd Chelsea Bun, our kitten (she is howling in her ‘heat’ this moment so has become a cat I surmise.Survival of pets is doubtful without the fence.SHANGRI-LA IS SHAKEN BY KNEE SURGERYLucky us! We feel lucky to have this fragment of wilderness. At least we diduntil December 12 when I had knee surgery. Suddenly alll we held dear was torn away.“Alan, you must do the exercises if you expect walk again.”“But something has gone wrong. My knee will not straighten as it should. I needa walker just to move from kitchen to bathroom. My balance is gone. I am a totem pole about to collapse. Should I dare to do a walkabout. A prisoner.Maybe time to think about moving ..downsizing as they say.Which gets me to our story for today. Marjorie called in an Occupational Therapistwho made a tub full of changes that once acted upon would make our house livable once more. Hand rails for the shower, rubber mats for bathroom floor, Handles to hold …………..“You will need a handrail along the stairs. Urgently needed. How do you get from thefirst to the second floor?”“I crawl like a lobster grasping anything that looks rooted. ““Have you ever fallen?”“Yes! When I let go of the walker and reached for the stairs. Toppled like a whirling dervish.Sliced my hands on a tinware fox and cut my skull on a fireplace duck. Lots of blood.”“How did you get help??]”“Marjorie was asleep so I had to drag myself upstairs. Left a bloody trail for her to cleanup. How do people living alone manage?”“They have great difficulty,”(What would I do if Marjorie were not there?)“You need the wall railing immediately.”“We have lived here for over 60 years and never thought of that.”THE CREATION OF OUR WALL RAILINGAndrew came to the rescue.Imagine yourself with one leg that will not share the weight with theother leg. People feel sorry for you…that is hard to handle…nicebut I want to walk like other people. What an arrogant person I havebecome. Wishing I was perfect physically when there are so manypeople with worse afflictions.alan skeoch
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Fwd: EPISODE 1,017 RESCUING OUR HOUSE…A RAILING IS BETTER THAN A MOVE
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EPISODE 1’015 : ribbon of ice skating in Port Credit = OUR OWN YELLOW BRICK ROAD
EPISODE 1’015 : ribbon of ice skating in Port Creditalan skeochfeb. 11, 2023
Brand new ice skating track in Memorial park, Port Credit courtesy of CouncillorStephen Dasko and City of Mississauga. ..and many others. Open to all. Just in timeRemember the Yellow Brick Road and Judy Garland? Well this is an Ice Blue Track built for youon artificial ice on the west bank of the Credit River. Free. No Tin man, Straw Man orFriendly Lion…or Judy Garland. Imagine that.alan
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EPISODE 1,012 PARKDALE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE: WE TRIED TO MAKE EDUCATION A JOY FOR ALL
EPISODE 1,012 PARKDALE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE: WE TRIED TO MAKEEDUCATION A JOY FOR ALLalan skeochfeb. 8, 2024
ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE?One day the creative camera club at Parkdale C.I. said to me…,”We see you made thecover of ‘Rolling Stone Magazine..” and presented me with this copy A fake!A terrific fake that had surprising consequences.1) We had a staff meeting …” Let’s have a student- staff assembly in the auditorium…and let’s lighten up…have some fun,”2) We met with the student council…..’What do you think of a staff-student rock androll assembly…simulate the rock stars?”3) And so began an annual staff-student assembly designed to make ourschool a good place to be, The music was deafening only outdone by thescream of joy from the audience.4) See if you can separate staff from students in these pictures…with creditto the rock stars of those years
At some point in my career I was asked“What school did you like best” Either John Ricker or Evan Cruickshank. outstanding teachers, answered that question for me.THE BEST SCHOOL IS THE SCHOOL IN WHICH YOU TEACH. YOU HAVE ANOBLIGATION TO MAKE IT SO.
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WHY NY STORIES WILL TAKE LONGER
WHY STORIES WILL TAKE LONGER TO WRITE
The surgery on knee did not go well, so there are many exercises that take time . Frustrating. I have a backlog of stories. Sorry.
My left leg will not straighten properly…needs a lot of work … must push a walker.
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EPISODE 1,011: HOW I LOST MY MARBLES… AND WAS RESCUED IN 1948 AT KENT PUBLIC SCHOOL
NOTE: QUITE BY CHANCE i came across — “1945 to 1955 was the great decade ofmarble playing”, I remembered that well, In truth , however, marble games date backdeep in human history to Rome and Egypt and even the stone age perhaps. Mytime was 1947 to 1949. I learned an important lesson. Find it,EPISODE 1,011: HOW I LOST MY MARBLES… AND WAS RESCUED IN 1948 AT KENT PUBLIC SCHOOLalanskeochfeb. 5, 2024Alan and Eric Skeoch…marble playing ages
Enter: Karl Stahlberg“ Alan, we could win a lot of marbles with this cigar box.”:How?”“Just cut three little holes with a coping saw”“same as the big kids have done?”“different size holes…big, medium, and small”“Then we will be in the Marble business….gambling”Hope and pray none of our customers get a marble inthe smell hole…Pay out 10 if they do i”“Risky”Imagine the cigar box with three holes cut in the side….holes that will fit a marble with ease and with difficultyI was ten years old in 1948 and my best friend was Karl Stahlberg.He was toughrer then man me …known to the police, as some said.How can a 10 year old be known to the police? Nice guy to me. I had a coupleof lunches with Karl and his mom, No father around. Tiny two rooms.]In 1948 I was only vaguely aware of World War II. It never occurred tome that Karl’s surname might be German which could explain Karl’s troubles.Hard to say,Karl had big plans for both of us.“We can cash in on the marble craze. Using this cigar box and a few marbles.why should all the big guys make all the profits?”At recess and lunch time the big guys set up shop on the sunny south sideof Kent Ublic School in West Toronto. Cigar boxes mostly…with holesmarked by numbers 1, 3 and 10.HOW THE GREAT PLAN WENT SOUTH“ALAN, set the cigar box here…beside the others…while I go andsee if I can get some marbles as back up.”“You mean we have none?”“Don’t worry…nobody will get a marble through the 10 slot.”And Karl was gone, Worse! A hot shooter put a marble through the 10 slotfirst roll.. And he wanted to be paid his 10 marble winnings right away…called me awelcher (if he knew that word) A small crowd gathered some of whom were very hostile.“I’ll pay when Karl gets here.”“”Who is Karl?”
Here are some Australian marble players. Nine year olds plaYING ‘closest to the wall ] but there is no wall.
Here are some British boys playing the “knock it out of the circle”using marble boulder.
assortment of marbles with a big boulder
‘Games like this were played by us all, remember?Lesson ….avoid debtalanP.S. My brother Eric remembers Karl’s comment“Stop for a second. I need to light a cigarette.” TEN year oldwhen did you start smoking? When did you stop?
