Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Michael Leunig 1945-2024


Michael Leunig, one of my favourite cartoonists, died late last year. I watched part of his memorial service from St.Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, Australia. 


He had an uncanny sense of humour.



 

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Tariff threat reactions

 The shoppers in the grocery stores in Cornwall were checking the labels to make sure they weren't buying American.


 

Friday, January 31, 2025

Finding Krystal


 I just found where Krystal's remains are. She's where her grandmother said, but I couldn't find it until someone uploaded the info to Findagrave last month. It's a great relief to me as I wasn't sure if she was even buried. I hope to go visit the grave.

Thursday, January 30, 2025

John Baker

Slavery was legal in Canada until 1834, when it was abolished by the British parliament. Upper Canada, now the southern part of Ontario, had limited slavery in 1793, when it passed an act that stopped the importation of slaves into Upper Canada, and freed the children of enslaved people when they turned 25, but one source I read said there were still were enslaved people in Upper Canada until 1834. 

John Baker was born into slavery in Lower Canada (now the southern part of Quebec), and was brought with his mother into Upper Canada. Baker had been freed in the will of his enslaver, and he joined a Canadian regiment and fought against American invaders during the War of 1812, notably at the Battle of Lundy's Lane in Niagara Falls, and the Battle of Waterloo against Napoleon. When Baker died in 1871, he was the last known surviving person to have been enslaved in Upper and Lower Canada.

Text on sign by historian Natasha Henry-Dixon and can be read here: One too many.




 

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Lunar New Year trinkets

Acrylic rolling pin with stars floating in them. I don't know what this has to do with the Lunar New Year.

Serving tray with zodiac.

 

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Chicken pox is old news

Ottawa Hospital for skin cancer check. Had two actinic keratosis spots frozen off, since they can mutate into squamous cell cancer (not a high concern cancer) , but otherwise OK. Two doctors in their twenties looked me over very professionally and gave good advice on avoiding the sun (hat, shirt) and upping the SPF on sun tan lotion to 50. I told them I'd had chicken pox in case there was anything that looked like shingles. They both said 'chicken pox!' as if I was talking about a long forgotten disease. Since the vaccine was released around 2000 chicken pox cases in Canada have dropped from ten of thousands to a few hundred each year, and I don't think either doctor had seen a case in real life.