Posted on October 23, 2017 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

Fish are jumping at Tippabrew

 

October might possibly be one of the busiest months of the year. It seems that the opening of school in September is like hitting the reset button. Routines are re-established and everyone is back to work or in my case ( as a retiree ),  attending  meetings for various organizations. Very few people are on vacation. University sports and professional sports are in the thick of several different seasons… baseball, football, hockey, rugby, basketball. The engine of life is firing on all cylinders. It is “ go time.”

Last weekend, I attended the Keppoch Fun Day. I got talking with Hughie Stewart who has been one of the driving forces behind the revitalization of Keppoch Mountain. If you haven’t been out there lately, grab the family and go for a hike or bike through the trails. It’s magnificent. Good for the heart and the soul. Hughie extended an invitation for me to come out some day and see ALL of the Keppoch. So yesterday I went out to meet up with Hughie. My brother joined us.

We donned helmets and climbed into his off road vehicle. For the next three hours, on a crisp, sunny Fall afternoon, we drove through several kilometers of back roads. We spent some time at St. Bean’s Cemetery, the resting place of Hughie’s grandparents. We saw the foundation of the house owned by the bootlegger, one of the last residents of the Keppoch. Back in the day there were 67 homes in the area, mostly used for cattle farming. We saw lakes and the waterfalls at Black Brook before arriving at Tippabrew, the summer home of the Stewarts.

We were greeted at the front door by Keppoch, possibly the largest German shepherd on the planet. Unbeknownst to us, we had been invited for supper. I took one look at Keppoch and hoped that we wouldn’t be HIS supper!

The meal, simply put,  was sensational. Debbie had prepared moose meat along with garden potatoes, carrots and turnips. A basket was filled with homemade bread. Dessert was “ sex in a pan.” ( It was as sinful as it sounds ). And a good cup of tea.

Some people spend thousands of dollars on exotic vacations. Nothing could possibly be better than spending time with really fine people in a little slice of paradise. Thanks Hughie and Debbie.

My friend, Father Abhi Anand from Varanasi, India is around these days. Just about every year, he comes to Canada to spend a month for a bit of R&R and to spread the word about his organization back home. DARE is an organization with special focus on the rescue and rehabilitation of children trying to find food and shelter from the trains and railway stations in India. Those of you who followed me when I was in India this past year might remember that I spent Christmas Day with the “ railway children.” It was a Christmas I won’t soon forget.

Father Abhi is going to show a short film ( 20 minutes ) and talk about the work of DARE on Wednesday, November 1^st. in the small meeting room at People’s Place library at 7:00 P.M. I will be there to introduce Father Abhi. Please mark this on your calendar and join us.

Coming up later this week ( Oct. 26-28 ) is the Antigonish International Film Festival. The AIFF is a great opportunity to see some terrific films. You can get a pass for all films for $20 ( $5.00  if you’re a student ) or you can show up for a film and make a donation. A pass guarantees you admission and are available at People’s Place Library and Lyghtsome Gallery.

True confessions. Like thousands ( maybe millions ) of other people, I have become a raving Downton Abbey fan.  The characters are all expertly portrayed, even the loathsome, Mr. Barrow. Carson , the butler and Mrs. Hughes ( who really runs the place! ) are my favorites.

Have a great week.

P.S. I’m still plugging away trying to raise the money for a host machine for the Daughters of Mary in India. We’ve collected $4200 of the $6,000 required to make this purchase which would increase profitability to help the Emmaus Home for mentally ill women to become more self sufficient. Donations can be made at the Credit Union in Antigonish ( Investment India account ) or by e-transfer: investmentindia2017@gmail.com  . Eighteen donors @ $100 each would do the job!

 

Posted on October 19, 2017 under Faces in the Crowd with one comment

 

“ People in Antigonish believe in equality and equal opportunity.”

Meet Hina Shehzadi.

Hina and her four siblings were born in Lyari, Karachi, Pakistan. Her father was an auto mechanic. Their mother never had the opportunity to attend school as a child and wanted better for her children. Getting a good education became a priority.

Lyari was a tough part of the city with violence ever present. Hina witnessed injustices perpetrated on the citizenry including women and children. These experiences motivated her at an early age to want to help those in need.

School became her entire focus. There weren’t a lot of opportunities in the school system for anything other than the basics. Extracurricular activities were non existent.  In High School, Hina took courses in economics, commerce and computers with an eye to an MBA and future employment in a bank.

Upon graduation in 2009, she volunteered with a non profit group to try and get her foot in the door for future employment. This led to a job with a local Women’s Resource Centre where her focus was on sexual and reproductive health rights of women and young girls. Her work took her to many rural villages in Pakistan where she quickly discovered that there are always people far worse off than yourself.

In 2011 she decided to do a Masters program. In order to make this happen, she worked at a full time job during the day and took public transportation to the university in the evening. Traveling alone as a woman, late at night was an uncomfortable and unnerving experience. She received a Masters in Sociology in 2013. After completing her studies she accepted a Legislative Fellowship in the United States . Most of the time was spent in North Carolina where she got to see some top notch American universities. The idea of getting a PhD. became a long range goal.

She returned home to continue her work with the Women’s Resource Centre. She traveled to Nepal and Thailand presenting papers and doing research on several aspects of women’s rights. In 2015, she traveled to Montreal, Canada to attend the training done by Equitas. One of the stated objectives of Equitas is “ advancing equality, social justice and respect for human dignity in Canada and around the world, through education. “ While in Montreal she met someone who told her about the Coady Institute in Antigonish.

In 2016, she was accepted into the Diploma program. Having spent most of her life in big cities, the drive from Stanfield airport in the dark of night was somewhat disconcerting. All she could see were trees on either side of the highway. She wondered what she had gotten herself into.

She quickly discovered that for all of the apparent differences between Pakistan and Nova Scotia, the one thing that was similar was that Antigonish was family oriented . She immediately felt welcome and supported by the people at Coady and the broader community. “ People seemed genuinely interested in me and were willing to learn more about me and my country.” She found the Diploma program both practical and useful. One of the highlights of her stay was the awarding of an Awesome Antigonish Foundation grant for “ An International Evening With Coady participants” held at St. James United Church.

But her studies were far from over. Encouraged by Joanne Tompkins, she decided to enroll in the Masters of Education program at St.F.X and began the next chapter of her education in January of 2017. The focus of her thesis is a comparative analysis of curriculums in Nova Scotia and Karachi in regards to attitudes of young women to sexual and bodily rights.

Hina’s long term goal remains the attainment of a PhD. and she would like to end up teaching in Canada.

In Pakistan, most women cannot go out of their homes without a good reason like work or schooling. Her freedom of movement in Antigonish has spurred her into wanting to learn how to ride a bicycle.

This bright, engaging woman from Pakistan has the potential to be a “ global change leader” and improve the lot of young women  across continents.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on October 16, 2017 under Storytelling with one comment

 

Townhouse Tunes

I watched a four hour documentary on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers last week. This was one of the many bands that got lost in the fog of raising four children. My son introduced me to this group while we crisscrossed the U.S. a few years ago. I only knew Tom Petty from when he sang with The Traveling Wilbury’s. Sadly, Tom Petty passed away last week.

Music continues to be an integral part of my life. I jammed with my daughter, Betsy at The Townhouse on Saturday and later today I will be rehearsing with the Antigonish Chorale Ensemble.

Thought I’d start your week off with a list of “ earworms.”

M usic is the universal language.

O nly The Lonely ( Roy Orbison )

N ights in White Satin.

D esperado ( The Eagles )

A Whiter Shade of Pale ( Procol Harum )

Y esterday ( The Beatles )

M rs. Robinson ( Simon and Garfunkel )

O h Girl ( Chi Lites )

R unning on Empty ( Jackson Browne )

N owhere Man ( The Beatles )

I Heard it Through The Grapevine ( Marvin Gaye )

N Ashville Cats ( The Lovin’ Spoonful )

G et Ready ( Rare Earth )

M onday Monday ( Mamas and Papas )

U nited We Stand ( Brotherhood of Man )

S moke on The Water ( Deep Purple )

I magine ( John Lennon )

N ew Kid in Town ( The Eagles )

G o Your Own Way ( Fleetwood Mac )

S omebody to Love ( Queen )

Choose a letter. Choose your song.

Have a great week.