Posted on October 17, 2016 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

The arrival party at the airport

Tyranny and democracy.

This was an amazing week in so many ways. On Tuesday night , just before the stroke of midnight, a very weary Syrian refugee family came through the arrival gate at Stanfield International Airport. The Almoustafa Almashhoud family , originally from Aleppo, Syria had just completed an epic journey from Ankara, Turkey. Although fatigued, you could see the joy on their faces… and relief that they were finally out of harm’s way.

We were very pleased to have three members of the Al Zhouri family and Tareq Hadhad as part of the welcoming committee. Earlier this year, the Al Zhouris  had made a similar journey and this was the first time that they were back at the airport. They relived their memories of arriving and knew exactly how our newest Nova Scotians were feeling. On the drive home on the bus, the 4 children slept but Yaser and Raghda were too excited to close their eyes. Rabbia Al Zhouri, a wonderful, caring woman,  prepared some Syrian treats for the drive home.

We expect to hear the story of the Almashhoud’s escape from tyranny in the coming days. We welcome them to Antigonish and hope they enjoy the peace and quiet of small town Nova Scotia.

The local sponsorship group, CARE, of which I am a member, has been very busy the last few weeks getting a house ready for our refugee family. We have had phenomenal support from volunteers and the business community. It was especially heartwarming  to watch Toufiq Al Zhouri, who owned a construction company in Syria, roll up his sleeves and lend his skills at the house, a classic example of countryman helping countryman.

I would like to acknowledge the amazing contribution of a bus from Chuck and Yvonne MacDonald. This enabled all of us to travel to and from the airport as a group. Chuck drove the bus and was uncommonly kind to our new family.

The week ended with democracy on full display as Municipal elections were held across the province. We are so fortunate that we can conduct our affairs in such a civilized fashion. I think that we should thank everyone who put their name up for public office. It takes a great deal of courage and stamina to run in an election.  I have run for public office. I know the “ thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”  In your travels, please reach out to those who were not successful. These are exceptional people who will continue to serve their community despite not winning.

I was going to comment on the U.S. Presidential race but for once, I will bite my lip!

Off to India a week from tomorrow.

Have a great week.

Posted on October 10, 2016 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

DJ dismantling the brick planter

 

“ There’s a reason that I love this town.”  Joel Plaskett

I have contended for a long time that Antigonish is one of the most amazing small towns in Canada. This past week, I got to witness this up close.

Regular readers ( thanks to all of you for your loyalty ) know that I am involved with local efforts to resettle Syrian refugee families. Our group ( CARE ) has  been working to bring two Syrian families to Antigonish. Early this week, we found out that a family of 6 would be arriving on October 11^th. We weren’t expecting to see them until later in the fall.

A few weeks back, we managed to secure a house for them but the house required extensive renovations which our group agreed to undertake as part of our agreement with the owner of the house. We expected ( and still do ) that the necessary repairs would take our group the better part of three weeks. The work started in earnest mid week last week… with a distinct air of urgency.

What I witnessed over the last four days reinforced my belief that small towns have the capacity to “move mountains” when the call goes out. We simply put out a request for all manner of help and people started to show up. We had trades people who donated their time and services. Carpenters, painters , gardeners , handymen ( handypersons… is there a correct name in 2016?! ) all volunteered. Several people have come every day.

Local businesses have also stepped up in a big way providing us with things that we need to get the job done.

On this Thanksgiving Day, we want to thank everyone who has helped so far. We are back at it today so if you want to drop by and lend a hand today, or any day this week, drop down to the house at 31 MacLellan Street.

One of the most touching things to happen this week was the appearance at the house by Toufiq Al Zhouri. Back in Syria, he owned his own construction company with 35 employees. The war in Syria changed all that. On Saturday, he arrived at the house on MacLellan Street and proceeded to hang gyproc, a classic case of friends helping friends. When asked if he might move to Halifax to seek construction work, he was adamant that Antigonish was his new home and that the family wasn’t going anywhere. The reason? “ It is safe and quiet here,” Toufiq said.

Another person showed up a few days ago carrying a bag. She indicated that even though she was a capable of drywalling and crackfilling, her arthritis prevented her from doing this because of the pain that she experiences on a daily basis. Arthritis has not, however, stopped her from baking. She opened the bag and produced fresh bisquits, fresh rolls and a plate of ham. Needless to say, the work crew was very appreciative.

In order to keep the project on time and on budget,  I have volunteered to not wield a hammer or a paint brush. We can’t afford any setbacks! As a result, I take my share of good natured ribbing from the work crew who check my hands regularly to see if they can find a speck of dirt.

We decided to shut things down at noon last Saturday to give everyone a breather.

 In the afternoon, I cajoled my son in law, DJ Conway, to come to MacLellan Street to help dismantle a decrepit brick planter. It looked like a pretty simple job. With youthful vigor, he went at the wall with a sledge hammer. I carried the bricks to an adjacent dumpster. ( Thanks, Jeff! ). Not long after we started, three small children from the neighborhood wandered over and just like that, there were four people carrying bricks. They were in high spirits and we were happy to have them.

In short order, my wife, two daughters and two granddaughters arrived on the scene. What started out as a work crew of two ( if you include me! ), ballooned to 10. The planter was filled with soil so shovelling a mixture of bricks and dirt was required. The grandkids had a great time rescuing worms!

“ There’s a reason that I love this town.”

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and a great week.

P.S.  Next week, I’ll let you know how the arrival went at the airport for our new Syrian friends.

 

Tout Finis!

 

 

 

Posted on October 3, 2016 under Monday Morning Musings with 4 comments

Muriel’s tree

“ I think that I shall never see,

A poem lovely as a tree.”

Trees by Joyce Kilmer

Last Friday, one of the oldest homes on our street was torn down, taking with it a house full of memories. A few days earlier, a crew of expert arborists came in and removed several large trees to make way for the demolition team. It is inherently sad to see something that has taken Mother Nature decades to grow, come tumbling down in a matter of minutes.

One tree was left untouched but it turns out that this was a temporary reprieve.  For some reason , a stately fir tree in excess of 30 feet in height, wasn’t cut down.

I happened to be talking to one of the neighbors and discovered that this particular tree was near and dear to the home’s previous owner. Apparently it had been planted as a seedling the length of your pinkie finger. And over the decades, it grew and grew to become one of the most beautiful  ( and straight ) trees you will ever see. I also learned that the destruction of this tree was causing significant angst to the person who nurtured it from birth.

On the day of the demolition, I was on the way out the door for a dental appointment. Betty casually suggested that I try and save the tree from the wrecking ball. Now , I appreciate nature as much as the next guy but I could hardly be accused of being a raging environmentalist. Over the years, I have never chained myself to a tree or taken part in protests over clear cutting. Maybe I should have.

When I returned from the dentist an hour later, the house was three quarters razed and the fir tree was still standing. The equipment operator was taking a break and I approached him to see if there was any way of transplanting a tree of that size. He assured me that it could be done. I then asked him ( rather boldly when you come to think of it! ) if he would mind terribly not knocking down the tree.

I spent the rest of the day tracking down the new owner of the property  to get permission to keep the tree intact for a while and I spoke to several officials from the Town to see if we could hatch a plan to relocate, what might make an excellent permanent Christmas tree, to a suitable place in town.

Please stay tuned as we try to save Muriel’s tree!

“ Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.”

Have a great week.

P.S. In the past 3 days I have had two significant senior’s moments…. one good and the other,  downright embarrassing. Got my first Old Age Security cheque on Thursday. No, that’s not the embarrassment! Yesterday morning I was scheduled to catch an early morning bus to the airport to pick up my car. Booked my “ senior’s” ticket a week ago. Didn’t check the ticket carefully.  Casually meandered up to the bus depot to kill a bit of time only to discover that the bus had left three minutes earlier. To add to my woes, I had an appointment booked in Bedford at 11:00. I seriously thought of hitchhiking for old times sake. Called my brother Mike to see if he would come and get me and chase the bus down in New Glasgow… the first stop. ( Pause for fanfare ). Guess where he was heading in 10 minutes time? To Halifax! I arrived at the airport before the bus. For my penance, I will go to the nearest blackboard and write 65 times, “ I will check my reservations carefully before going on a trip.”