Townships Weekend
A strange tale from Pigeon Hill
At noon in June of 1955 a severe hail and electrical storm hit the Eastern Townships community of Pigeon Hill disrupting communications and damaging crops and a few buildings. The storm was of special interest to the Stormy Weather Group at McGill...
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Three tales about seasonal edible doorstops
Tis the season to be discussing and questioning the first appearance of fruitcakes. For months they have lain in wait, all shapes lurking in the forgotten corners of homes, and now they are upon us. They are sodden with alcohol, pretty enough to look...
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We remember …
The eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month is almost here…… Everyone has their own way of remembering the past wars men and women gave up their lives for on Remembrance Day. I like to attend the Carleton Place Branch #192 memorial...
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Falling behind - the backside backslide
It is 1883. Captain Ebenezer McAtrophy is strolling down Main Street with his young fiancée, Begonia Sloop. They stop to admire the exotic wares in the window of the Bedford Buttocks & Biscuits Co. – cheek enhancers, rump rounders, Prosthetic Posterior...
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The Trouble with Gnomes– A Trilogy
Today for the first time in a few weeks I didn’t have to put a hat on when I got up. Anyone living in an older home knows how drafty it can become– but add the recent arctic temperatures and it has become a challenge to keep warm. I had a smile on my...
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All we need is love and a benevolent alien invasion
In a 1991 Unsolved Mysteries episode a West Carleton, Ontario housewife Diane Labenek was home when she heard her dogs barking. When she looked out the window to investigate, she saw a UFO-type object in a field nearby with red flames and lots of...
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Bienvenue au Québec... pis attache ta tuque!
When I moved to Lanark County in 1981 I asked my neighbour, the late Muriel Simpson, if I detected an Irish accent. She laughed at me and said, “My dear we all talk that way here in Lanark County.” After those first few words I constantly heard the...
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I Swear it’s True
Being a tombstone tourist sounds pretty ghoulish doesn’t it? But if you are a genealogist, or a local history buff like me, you are going to spend a lot of time wandering local cemeteries. I find myself wondering about the stories behind the graves...
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I Swear it’s True
When I was young I remember my father bringing me to some sort of Magnetic Hill in the Eastern Townships area. I remember it like yesterday, and as my father was not a lover of long voyages it had to be somewhere local. The town of Chartierville has...
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I Swear it’s True
The largest duck farm I know of is on Brome Lake, near Knowlton, Quebec. I grew up in the Eastern Townships and it was always an amazing sight to see the feathered friends doing the duck step seen sometimes on the runways of Paris. My father, Arthur...
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I swear it’s true
Going through newspaper archives of July in 1906 yesterday I came across a story by accident about one Forest Howard, a Quaker, unmarried, 46-years-of-age who farmed with his father in Glen Farnham. On July the 9th 1906 he was shot and killed at Brome...
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2025 refund request
Welcome to 2025 customer service. Happy New Year, this is Shelly. How may I help you?” Yes, hi. I recently signed up for 2025? I’d like to cancel. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, sir. Can I ask for what reason?” I’ve read some previews online, and it’s...
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It’s not just a load of balony
Igrew up in Cowansville, Quebec during a time when most everyone treated each other with respect. We didn’t eat a lot of fast food because it was considered a treat, not a food group. We drank KoolAid made from water that came from our kitchen sink,...
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Shall we dance?
Folks of a certain age will remember the annual Sadie Hawkins Dance, and just referencing it dates us all. Sadie Hawkins Day was Nov. 13, which was two days before the first appearance of Al Capp’s Lil Abner in the comic strips in 1934. The date has...
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Accessing your health files
While there’s not much we can do to fix the overall healthcare system, there are ways to use the system we have to our best advantage. One way is to know what our health professionals are saying about the state of our health so that we can be part of...
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Can Quebec Liberals bounce back?
Have we seen this movie before? A restless Quebec electorate tires of a government after a couple of terms. The beleaguered party leader struggles against the new tides of opinion. Then comes the election, and voilà – a brandnew government. These are...
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Summertime livin’ is easy
What a lovely summer this has been. Often hot, dry and clear, with long days and temperate evenings. It’s 31.5 Celsius as I write this in late July. It rained heavily overnight, then was fresh again by morning. I went swimming before noon, but it was...
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My high school yearbook, or crimes of my youth
Next weekend, I’ll be attending my 40th high school reunion. It will also be the 40th anniversary of not showing my yearbook to my mother. The title of the 1984 yearbook was “Together Forever.” Wrong. A better title would have been “Together...
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