It is with sad heart I report that the peacock known by the unfortunate name of Junior has departed this vale of tears. I don’t know exactly when he died. Only the motorist who stuck him just to the east of Bruce and Lynn MacGillivray’s laneway knows this. I discovered the late Junior Peacock on Saturday afternoon, having taken the long way home from Alexandria. Even in death, his plumage was spectacular. But it wasn’t until I returned to the site of the accident and removed his shattered remains that I discovered at the base of his extravagant tail a cluster of tiny eye feathers. My assumption is that they would have grown to replace its shop-worn ones.
The tail feathers of a peacock with its eye-like tip are seen as a powerful mystical symbol and are considered sacred in many cultural and religious groups across the globe, from the ancient Greeks and Romans to Hinduism and Buddhism. They can even be found in Christianity, where the peacock eye feather symbolizes resurrection, immortality and an all-seeing church. While peacock feathers are thought of as a symbol of good luck in most parts of the world, in Eastern Europe, they are a symbol of bad luck as they were worn by the Mongol hordes, a grudge they’ve held on to for seven or eight centuries. Talk about not being able to let go.
If you’re wondering how a bird usually associated the Indian subcontinent was able to survive in our harsh winters, the secret is that it was probably a “Spalding.” This hybrid between Indian and Green peafowl is named after the person who first hybridised them, Mrs. Keith Spalding. Apparently, Spaldings cope better with cold temperatures than Indian or Green peafowl. Nevertheless, like any of us foolish enough to call Canada home, Junior liked heat. Which probably explains why he insisted on lying smack dab in the middle of the road. When the sun shone, the black asphalt was no doubt the hottest, albeit not the safest, surface on which to sunbathe.
However, given Junior’s fondness of the open road, it was only a matter of time. The question was not if he would be hit, but when. And, as near as I can determine, “when” was last Thursday. The countless motorists who, over the past two or three years, have been shocked to see this strange bird by the side of the road will miss Junior. As will Terry and I. Who knew one could become so attached to a big bird? I’ll never for get the image of him after a winter storm, perched on the pool fence with his head tucked under his wing and his back a testament to the amount of snow that had fallen through the night. And I’ll miss the dinosaur-like footprints in the mud and snow. Terry’s view out the kitchen bay window won’t be the same without Junior plopped down for a nap in front of the garage or proudly strutting to the feeding station to make sure we hadn’t fallen down on the job. Even Bailey, our Heinz 57 dog, was starting to accept this strange creature in her space. While he only adopted us in the late fall, Junior’s death has left a hole that we may have to fill with a few peafowl chicks… and a patch of asphalt in our parking lot for them to sun themselves.
Homophonic encounter
You may know them as heterographs. However, regardless of their technical handle, I’m referring to words that are spelled differently, but sound the same. For example: to, two and too… or son and sun. I ran head first into a homophone in the first sentence of the item on Junior the peacock. I’d always thought the expression was “veil of tears.” I had it wrong. The expression really refers to a “vale” or valley, which makes a lot more sense. As far as I can determine, the first written appearance of “vale of tears” was in the Catholic hymn Salve Regina, circa1080, “To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.”
The museum awakes
There are many sure signs of spring’s approach out here in the sticks: half-load notices are posted; our dog catches squirrel fever; sap icicles appear on the tips of broken maple branches. Another herald that the chilling season is winding down is when Dunvegan’s little museum awakes from its hibernation. I ran into Matt Williams on Saturday and he had some good news. Matt is Chair of the Glengarry Pioneer Museum and he wanted to announce that the GPM has recently added four new members to its board.
The first, Caitlyn Wright, has been involved for years as a re-enactor with the museum’s War of 1812 event. For re-enactors, finding authentic period clothing can be a real challenge. Fortuitously, Caitlyn’s first love is the history of fashion, so she makes her own. Through Caitlyn’s design studio, Atelier Delska, she also creates custom period clothing for individuals, museums and re-enactors.
The second is Linda Rutgers from L’Orignal. Linda is active in the craft fair market and has helped organize the Dunvegan Christmas Craft Fair for many years. This past year, the craft fair in Dunvegan was bigger than ever and included stalls at both the Dunvegan Community Hall and the museum’s Orange Lodge visitor centre. When not doing craft fairs, Linda has also been one of the organizers on the War of 1812 Re-enactment committee for several years.
The third is Christina Quesnel. Christina is a former summer student at the museum and has strong connections to the community. She will be a real asset to the board as she has first hand experience with the museum’s operations and the programs it offers throughout the year.
And the fourth addition is Christin Senn. A native of St. Bernardin, she comes from a large family farm and had several years experience as an interpreter at the Canadian Agricultural Museum. Christin did a winter Internship with the museum in 2015-16 during which she updated their school education programs and developed the first museum’s first historical EduKit. She has a degree in Communications and Translation and now works for the Catholic District School Board.
Matt wanted me to mention that the museum is always looking for new board members. So if you or someone you know is interested in joining the board, please contact the museum at 613-527-5230 or info@glengarrypioneermuseum.ca
Last call for Celtic toe-tapper
I don’t want to sound like a broken record, so I’ll keep this short. If you like Celtic music from Down East, you might want to catch the Miller & MacDonald concert in Dunvegan on Friday, March 13th. This is the third year they’ve appeared in Dunvegan, so they must be doing something right. Tickets are on sale for $20 each at the Quirky Carrot in Alexandria, the Home Hardware in Maxville and The Review in Vankleek Hill. The event is being held at 19053 County Road 24, and will start at 7:00 pm. But I’d recommend arriving a wee bit early to get the best possible seat.
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