Officially, the first day of spring 2016 will fall on March 20. And it will continue to fall on the 20th for the next 28 years or so. It does occasionally occur on March 19th and even March 21st. But this is rare. The next March 19th equinox will be in 2044. And you’ll have to wait until 2102 for a “first day of spring” that falls on March 21st.
But after months of bone-chilling cold and insipid sunlight, spring is not just an arbitrary date on a calendar. Indeed, we all have our own harbinger (a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another) of the change in season.
For some, it’s the lengthening hours of daylight, or the sight of maple trees being tapped. For others, it’s finches sporting a touch more yellow in their plumage, or crocuses near tree trucks and foundations poking through the snow.
However, Janice Munro, a member of the Martintown Wild & Wooley Rug Hookers, told Terry of a friend in Dalhousie who has a rather unique way of pinpointing the arrival of the warm weather. Alison McNaughton of Rockland Farm keeps a close eye of the hard maple treads of the front staircase in her 184 year-old farmhouse.
McNaughtons have been stewards of Rockland Farm ever since 1802. And the countless stone fences that outline the fields attest to the backbreaking work successive generations have put into wresting a living from the rocky soil.
Today, the land is rented out to neighbouring cash croppers. Instead of farming, Rockland’s present owner, Ali McNaughton, has operated a day care from the old farmhouse for the past thirty years or so. And each year she tells her charges the delightful story her uncle Ted McNaughton passed down to her.
At the end of every February, Ali’s grandmother Annabelle (nee Campbell) McNaughton would keep an eagle eye on the north-facing front staircase going to the bedrooms. With each passing day, the sun marched steadily northwards… until the dawn of “warm weather” day. That was the morning when a tiny sliver of old sol kissed two of the treads on the old set of stairs. On that day, Ali’s grandmother would declare to all those up and down the road that the warm weather was here to stay.
It’s a tradition that Ali continues to this day. In fact, she’s already told her friends and neighbours that “the sun is on the tread, so warmer days are here at last.” And given the warm spell that Environment Canada is predicting, it looks like Ali’s grandmother was spot on the money.
FREE Family Fun
Once again this year, the Dunvegan, Recreation Association has a great March Break event planned — a Family Movie Matinee on Wednesday, March 16th. The event will take place at the DRA Hall, 19053 County Road 24, just west of the Dunvegan crossroads.
The film the DRA volunteers have chosen is an animated feature titled Minions. According to IMDb, “minions” Kevin, Stuart and Bob, and their lovable little brother, leave the South Pole is search of a new master. Along the way, two super villains who want to rule world recruit them. Audiences of all ages LOVED the film when it came out in theatres. So why not bring your kids, or grandkids, and see if you agree.
Once everyone has freshly-made popcorn and a drink, the movie will get underway around 3:00 PM. That way parents with little ones who still nap can attend and everyone will be home in plenty of time for supper. The event is FREE and everyone is welcome! So bring your family and be Dunveganites for day®.
Yellow ketchup?
When prowling YIG’s shelves Saturday afternoon, I noticed a huge gaping hole on one of the shelves in the condiments aisle. A telltale price sticker confirmed what had stood there (before being sold out): French’s brand ketchup. I may be reading more into what I saw than is actually taking place. But maybe not.
As you may recall, in 2013, one of Warren Buffet’s conglomerates snapped up Heinz Foods and promptly announced the closure of the Heinz plant in Leamington, Ontario. Opened in 1909, the facility made everything from ketchup to tomato juice.
By closing the Leamington plant, 740 people were thrown out of work. The town lost $1.3 million a year in taxes, or about 3 per cent of the municipal budget. And the contracts Heinz had with local farmers were cancelled. This represented almost 3,000 of the 7,000 acres of tomatoes planted in the region.
It was Smith Falls all over again, but there’s only so much “medical” marijuana the Sunny Days crowd can grow. So I was heartened to read recently that French’s, famous for its signature yellow ballpark mustard, was getting into the ketchup business and had pledged to use Leamington, Ontario tomatoes in the process. Since this announcement, I’ve been checking grocery store shelves for the new product; I’m dying to try it. I’d rather support Canadian farmers than make Buffet more money.
It would appear I’m not alone. While a few bottles of French’s Garlic- and Buffalo Wings-flavoured ketchup remained, Alexandria was completely cleaned out of the Regular flavor. Even more telling was that the much larger facings and end-aisle displays of Heinz ketchup were basically untouched. If was as if Alexandria shoppers had held up the proverbial finger to Heinz and invited it to dance.
Now, the reality is that French’s will probably do Canada wrong at some point down the road. However, in the meantime, I wish them and the Ontario farming and food processing industry well. They could use a break.
Steak Night was well-done
Well, the Windsor Tavern in Vankleek Hill was really hopping last Friday night. For those who missed the news, the Glengarry Pioneer Museum’s re-enactment group held a Steak Dinner fundraiser there to help raise money for the museum’s annual “Battle of Glengarry” War of 1812 event.
When we showed up with our guests, you almost needed an escort with muskets and bayonets to fight your way into Main Street pub. As for snagging a table… that took real pull. Even with reservations, we had to guilt diners from an earlier sitting to mosey on. But it was worth the wait. Even with all the chaos, the chef was able churn out strip loins grilled to order. I asked for rare and got it.
Windsor Tavern owner, Mike St. Denis, very generously donated one-third of the cost of each meal (beverages excluded) to the cause… that, in the case of Friday night’s blowout, raised $440. This translates into 88 steak dinners. So, over the course of the evening, a sizzling steak platter was leaving the kitchen about every two minutes.
On top of this figure, the evening garnered a $136.00 share of the 50/50 draw, $253.00 in door prize ticket sales and $55.80 in other donations… or a grand total of $884.80 for the evening.
While all of the volunteers and re-enactors are to be congratulated on the success of this fundraiser, a huge thanks goes out to Mona André from Dunvegan. Despite being under the weather from a serious head cold, she sold 50/50 and door prize tickets all night long despite being under the weather.
1892-1956… read all about it!
I ran into Allan J. MacDonald when in town a few weekends ago and he was telling me that the Glengarry Counties web site is now up and running. As the web site’s Home Page states, “The Glengarry County Archives is the largest repository of historical records in eastern Ontario and contains the foremost collection of history about Glengarry County found anywhere.”
If you’d like to see the impressive collection that Allan and his team of volunteers have already assembled — from the comfort of your living room or office — just go to: www.glengarrycountyarchives.ca.
However, a word of caution. Make sure you insert the word “county” in the web address. There is another “Glengarry Archives” web site out there… the one located at Sir John Johnson Manor House in Williamstown.
For me, one of the highlights of the new County Archives site is that it allows you to access back issues of the Glengarry News (from 1892 to 1956) on line. It’s comforting to know that if the demise of newspaper comes about, as pundits are predicting with increasing frequency, we can get our daily “paper” fix by going to our County Archives web site and enjoying re-reads of the News. It’s the newsprint equivalent of binge-watching reruns on Netflix.
Euchre returneth
While it’s not until NEXT week, I wanted to give all our loyal euchre fans a bit of advance notice of the return of the DRA’s Euchre Luncheon. After a two-month hiatus, the popular event will be back on Friday, March 18th thanks to volunteers Ann Stewart, Linda Burgess and Robert Campbell.
Admission is only $5 and includes a piping hot bowl of soup, plus homemade sandwiches and sweets. A 50/50 draw is also part of the fun. Held in the DRA Hall at 19053 County Road 24, the event starts at 12:00 noon and wraps up around 3:30 PM. Everyone is welcome to join us. I will be back in my usual spot behind the counter slinging hash and collecting gossip. So bring a hearty appetite and a juicy story.
-30-