A Belated Thank you

To Erin;   Yard Sale Snoop

   We live in the same city, almost in the same neighbourhood but we don't know each other.  Your blog however, has been a source of entertainment, information and inspiration to me.  One day, I commented on one of your posts and you responded to it and encouraged me to start a blog.   It took a while to find my voice but like the proverbial child who finally learns to speak, I now cannot shut up!   : )
   Thank you, Erin.   I am enjoying every minute of this.......

The Tobacco Heiress

   I read a post this morning from Six Balloons Vintage Delights about her tobacco tin find, which prompted memories of my maternal grandmother, Irene, who used to create her own cigarettes.  She used this amazing cutting machine, long rolling papers and loose tobacco (stored in tins).  She'd rise early in the am, smoke, drink coffee, roll & cut her daily allotment of cigarettes and then write letters to her friends, family and international penpals.  I really must find who inherited the cigarette roller/cutter and feature it in a later post.

  I remember seeing the different types of tobacco tins at Grandma's place.  There was "Black Cat" and I thought the pic of the black cat on the tin was Grandma's cat, Tinker.  One time, I saw a pack of "Muriel" cigars (maybe "El Producto" brand?) and I thought the petite, dark haired, dark eyed flamenco dancer on the package was my.own petite, dark haired, dark eyed mom, Muriel.  The "Players"  logo was the head and shoulders of a sailor who looked just like my uncle, who was in the Canadian Navy.  Any wonder, with all these associations to smoking in my deluded child's mind, that I thought my family had a tobacco empire?

Re: Heroes: Part 2

   A couple of days ago, I was watching the same noon newscast when they gave an update about last Friday's ice rescue of a man and his dog. The newschannel's helicopter had come across the man attempting to rescue his dog prior to the arrival of the Markham Fire Dept.and filmed him doing it.  The news station also played the 911 call placed by the man.  
   I may have inadvertantly implied in my previous post, that this man's actions were stupid, but that was not my intent at all.  The man's desperation to save his beloved pet was palpable and I was frantic during the original "live" broadcast last Friday and then again, while watching the recap of the rescue on Wednesday, even though I knew the man and his dog had been saved.  Pets are family.  Events and incidents happen that we just can"t foresee for whatever reason and stupid or not, I would risk my life to save my beloved "children".  So, while I praise the wonderful Markham Fire Dept.;  the brave man who crawled on thin ice to save his trapped pooch deserves some compassion and kudos too.

Re: Heroes: Markham, ON Firemen

I just watched an amazing rescue operation on the noon news.  A man was walking his dog in Milne Park.  His dog ran onto the icy pond and fell through the ice; the man attempted to rescue his pooch and fell through also.
  The newscast went live to the pond and within a few nerve wracking minutes, the Firefighters of the Markham Fire Dept. crawled onto the ice (and fell into the water) and saved the man and his dog.

   All of our emergency personnel in the Greater Toronto area are awesome, but the Fire Departments deserve special mention!  These brave people are usually the first responders to emergency situations, thus exposing themselves to many types of danger, yet they manage to maintain their humour, compassion and generosity towards thier fellow man.  I really don't know how they don't become jaded, because they see firsthand, the wreckage from mankind's collective and individual colossal stupidity.  Firefighters are simply amazing!