Editorial
We started July with a heat heat wave. The first first week saw record-breaking temps along with rest of the world.
July 2 it was torrential rain. Montreal wasn't hit as bad as Vermont and upstate New York – they had up to 8 inches in some places and then more rain over the next couple of days. Bad enough in my area for the golf course to be closed. The worst of the storm went east and north of us.
July 13
High winds, heavy rain, tornadoes in Ottawa and Mirabel. Decarie Blvd closed and several underpasses flooded as storm sewers couldn’t handle the volume of rain. Brossard was hit with three thunderstorms over a two hour period with the second being close to hurricane force winds. I made sure to stay away from the windows. Luckily it only lasted 20 minutes. We lost power at 4:30 it was out until 8:50 PM – too dangerous to use the BBQ so it was a cold supper. On the good news front my basement didn’t flood.
July 14
Golf course still flooded after rain the previous day. Our dirty dozen league was cancelled for the second time this week.
July 20
Went for an echo cardiogram at Charles Lemoyne Hospital. I asked the doctor (not my regular cardiologist) if everything looked OK but all he said was your doctor will let you know. I found this a little disconcerting almost like telling you it is bad news but I don’t want to be the one to tell you. It is the end of July and I still haven’t heard a word.
July 26
Back to Charles Lemoyne for two cortisone shots in my hip. I have to return for a third injection in mid-August.
August 3
Guess what? Another stormy day resulting in Friday’s Dirty Dozen outing to be cancelled. This is starting to sound like a broken record but its real. I’ve missed so many games my average cost per outing is sky rocketing. Here I am worried about golf when the same storm hit the Ottawa area with their third tornado of the summer. We would like to hear from any of our alumni living in the area and get their take on the summer.
August 7
Like father, like son. Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie announce they are separating. Rumors abound, is he having an affair with a woman in Toronto (many unexplained trips to Toronto from Ottawa) or is it Cabinet Minister Melanie Jolly – who knows. This might ruin his political career, especially if it turns out he was the cause of the breakup and women voters turn against him. On the other hand it didn’t seem to hurt Pierre. In case you don’t remember there is a connection between CCHS/Chambly Academy and Justin. In the 90’s he was studying to be a teacher and one of his work stages was completed at our high school. From all the accounts I’ve heard he wasn’t a shining star, just average.
August 15
Third cortizone shot for my hip it doesn’t seem to be doing any good - yet.
August 17
I had a bone density scan. Haven’t heard from my doctor yet so I'm taking that as good news. But what would they do, prescribe more pills.
Summing up the summer it looked like this, at least to me.
July ends as the rainiest on record in Montreal. Usually we get a dry spell and lawns and gardens need watering. Not this year, everything is still very green and trees and other plants are growing at a fantastic rate. And yes, once again, on July 31 they closed the golf course. The ground is saturated and can’t handle any significant rainfall - the price we pay for building on what used to be a swamp.
July also ends as the hottest month, based on global temperature readings, ever recorded. Canada is leading the pact in temperature increases with the Canadian artic warming at about three times the average rate. (Beach front property will soon be available on Hudson Bay).
The beautiful island Maui burns and over 100 people are killed with hundreds still unaccounted for - how does a catastrophy like this happen in today’s world’?
British Columbia has several out of control fires and parts of Kamloops, BC had to be evacuated while almost 50 houses were destroyed.
The North West Territories burn and over 20,000 residents of Yellowknife have to be evacuated.
In Quebec, at the end of August, over 40 forest fires are still active and a northern Cree village had to be evacuated.
Washington State is also on fire and praying for rain
New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Arizona and California were baking this summer with temperatures hitting 120 F in some places.
California was then hit with the remnants of hurricane Hilary an exceptionally rare event, not very strong winds by the time it got to them but lots of rain causing devastating floods.
One hundred miles south of Montreal, Vermont and New York suffer severe flooding. Roads and bridges are washed out, houses swept away and hundreds left homeless.
Across the pond things aren’t much better with Greece the most affected, experiencing the worst forest fire season in their history. It seems to be an annual occurrence.
Global warming is upon us and perhaps I shouldn’t joke. We have precious little time to deal with the problem and many countries don’t have the will, resources or sense of urgency to take the required action. If I’m lucky I have about ten years of life remaining so I won’t be severely affected. I do, however, worry about the younger generation and in particular my grandkids. What kind of world will they inherit? How bad will the situation be 20 or 30 years from now?
My August Hero of the month – Flipper- oops not the dolphin I meant the Mar-a-Lago flipper, Yuscil Taveras, an IT employee who recanted his grand jury testimony after ditching a Trump provided lawyer, who no doubt, was encouraging Taveras to lie. Perhaps a few more will join him as thing heat up.
Well, well, well – it took a bit longer than expected but Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the mercenary Wagner group and this year’s attempted coup in Russia, died when the private plane he was flying in was blown out of the sky. Was Putin behind it? We will probably never know the truth but I’d say it is a sure bet. I was expecting it to be a fall from a tall building.
Thanks was again to all who contributed, Al Thomson, Dale Holloway, Alex Felming, Jim Baxter, Bob Wrigley and last but not least Peter Storen. Peter sent me a bunch of very risqué and some would say offensive jokes. I thought they were all good but I only used one, the least offensive from my point of view.
Don’t be shy; send us some pictures, a story about your vacation or any other subject that might be of interest to our readers. We need your in put.
Stay safe and have a great September.
Stay Strong Ukraine
Welcome New and Renewing Alumni Association Members
Renewing MemberRob Holmes
Class of 1967
From: Edmonton, AB
New Life MemberNazneen Ahmad Taher
Class of 1984
From: Mississauga, ON
New Life MemberJim Charlton
Class of 1965
From: Kirkland, QC
Expiring Memberships
Margaret Duncan
Joyce Whitelaw
Thank You to Our Generous Donors
Marilyn Griffin (King)
Class of 1963
From: Taunton, Somerset, UK
New Director
Maureen Moss StoskopfClass of 1974
From: Milton, ON
Retiring Director
Dave ErskineClass of 1963
From: Blenheim, ON
The board would like to thank Dave for his many years of service. He was a great help at a number of reunions and a welcomed voice of reason when issues arose at our meetings. He was looking forward to May 2023. Unfortunately he had to cancel and stay home to help his live-alone brother recover from hip surgery. We will miss you Dave and hope you have many more happy years.
LETTERS AND MORE
Alan ThomsonClass of 1960
The cruise has been amazing and we were only Canadians on board as the rest were British. We ended up having a private tour of Juno Beach memorial site arranged by the cruise line. We also went to the Canadian cemetery where there about 2200 Canadians buried. Very moving.
Alan
Dale HollowayClass of 1966
I hope this message finds you well.
The reunion has been playing over and over again in my mind, especially when I read your newsletters.
Please accept my deepest appreciation and gratitude to you and all who put in the effort to make this event happen.
You lead the team, kept us in the loop and encouraged us to come. We did. It was wonderful!!!
I loved my time at CCHS. The friends, the teachers and the experiences were all a part of who I am today. They are my roots.
I only wish I hadn’t drawn a blank when Bernie asked us to share some memories! They came flooding in afterwards. Too late!
It was wonderful to see Mr. McLean again. He was a great guy and a very good teacher. I had him in 7th grade in elementary school. He would regale us with his stories of how he and his brother would travel the USA and work on farms. My sister Patsy and I spent the Saturday morning with him and his son on the historic walking tour. What a gift!
I have reconnected with a few of my former friends and classmates. The circle of life continues. Another gift!
Harvey, again, thank you for being that guy who lead the troops and brought us together; for the opportunity to make new memories and relive old ones. It was awesome.
Keep on doing what you’re doing. I hope that your sciatica has been dealt with so you can really enjoy the links.
Take good care.
A sincerely grateful,
Dale Holloway (Ladouceur)
Class of ’66
Alex Fleming
Fred HoreTaylor’s Then & Now
Taylor's Back Then
A liquidation is underway and they will be shutting their doors very soon. Word on the street is that the city has not yet enacted the zoning changes the buyer needs to tear down the building and put up condos. More next month.
St. Lambert Days
Do you remember St. Lambert Days? This is a picture taken August 26 looking towards Green Street from Taylor’s. It is early morning and none of the vendors, buyers or curious have arrived yet. Gone is the outdoor terrace that Kapetan used to set up and where I spent more than a few hours enjoying a beer with my buddies. It seems to me that the event has been homogenized compared to several years ago. All the tents used by the participants are uniform and it lacks the spontaneity it used to have. And if you been there several times there really isn’t anything new except perhaps a bargain or two. Do any of you still go?
Bob WrigleyClass of 1961
The Potential Expansiveness of Some Folks’ Memories
First Posted on August 16, 2023 by davies
- As one ages, one has experienced more and has more, potentially, to recall based on sheer length and breadth of lived personal experience
- If one has travelled, one remembers special or lifetime trips as well as memorable holidays, especially with family and friends
- Speaking of those family members and friends no longer here but who are remembered in the course of the day as one is conversing or looking about the house, seeing photos of them. The memories of family are expanded even more when we recall not only what a family member’s life was like, but also from what we recall of their own memories of other people and other generations.
- Reading books, listening (music, spoken word CDs, concerts) and viewing experiences (tv and film) must also be factored in. One remembers favourite songs, pieces of music, tv shows, documentaries, feature films. Images of all sorts tend to be deposited in the senses and mind, some sticking for decades and longer. One of those images is smell, which we are told, can produce strong, vivid recalls from childhood, for instance—the smell of wolf willow from a prairie beach, for instance. Tastes, too, especially in comfort foods, evoke specific memories as well. Opening a fresh pod of peas, for instance, can send memory back to gardens or farm days.
- In the case of reading, our imaginations have also been stimulated, enlarged, and even educated through both casual and more formal school reading, particular of books and poetry. Reading fosters empathy, sympathy, and connects us to others, even those we don’t know, as in sympathy for the Maui survivors from the tragic wildfires. Any reading of history, the arts and sciences also expands our knowledge of cultures and world history, the lives of the famous and great as well as the lives of artists, scientists, and innovators. We subsume them, too, in our memory banks if we have larger subject interests and are life-long learners beyond high school. Thus, there are many other memories, potentially, of non-family people and fictional/movie characters we have been moved by.
- If one was born before the current age, one’s memory will contain many other historical and cultural contexts. Therefore, one may remember the sixties, wars, Hiroshima, JFK’s assassination, or the Depression. Those five examples, for instance, would subsume many unique contexts and views of life.
So, as we can see, memory need not be just confined to what has happened to oneself since birth. It may include many memories of family, friends, loved ones, pets, characters, and real-life people from other places and times. It was Walt Whitman who wrote “I am large, I contain multitudes” and the potential expansiveness of memory via fuller consciousness and awareness.
School News
As of mid-August work on refurbishing the auditorium stage had not started and Principal Mervin Hunter was trying to get information from the School Board about a start date. The money raised at the reunion is safe and has been put aside waiting for the project’s final bill.
Still no word on what is happening with the planned expansion to the school to accommodate the Reach Program. I gave up counting but I think it is about two years behind schedule.
Students return to class August 31 just as the school experiences a staff shortage. This a not a unique St Lambert International problem. Quebec has a need for over 8,500 teachers and staff with the Government scrambling to hire qualified and not so qualified people. They are offering retired teachers $12,000 to return to the job. The issue isn’t really money it is more about working conditions which have been deteriorating as a result of the continuous attempt to penny pinch and pile on more work. It has gotten so bad that the government has stated that every classroom will be staffed with an adult (of some sort). Years of mismanagement are coming to a head and students, teachers and staff will suffer as a result.
Obituaries
And Finally...
Great insults
A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease." "That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."
"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." Clarence Darrow
"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain
"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend, if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill. "Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second .... if there is one." - Winston Churchill, in response.
"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." - Stephen Bishop
"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial." - Irvin S. Cobb
"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily." - Charles, Count Talleyrand
"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." - Mae West
"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." - Groucho Marx
Divorce Reconsidered
An Italian husband and wife were having dinner at a very fine restaurant when this absolutely stunning young woman comes over to their table, gives the husband a big open-mouthed kiss, then says she'll see him later and walks away.
The wife glares at her husband and says, "Who was that?"
"Oh," replies the husband, "she's my mistress."
"Well, that's the last straw," says the wife. "I've had enough, I want a divorce!"
"I can understand that," replies her husband, "but remember, if we get a divorce it will mean no more shopping trips to Paris. No more wintering in Barbados, no more summers in Tuscany, no more Jaguar in the garage and no more yacht club. No more credit cards and large Bank accounts. But.... The decision is all yours."
Just then, a mutual friend enters the restaurant with a gorgeous babe on his arm.
"Who's that woman with Tony?" asks the wife.
"That's his mistress," says her husband.
"Ours is prettier," she replies.
Free Loaders
One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, “I cannot accept money from you, I'm doing community service this week.” The florist was pleased and left the shop.
When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.
Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replied, '” cannot accept money from you, I'm doing community service this week.” The cop was happy and left the shop.
The next morning when the barber went to open up, there was a 'thank you ' card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.
Then an MP came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill , the barber again replied, “I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.” The MP was very happy and left the shop.
The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen MPs lined up waiting for a free haircut.
And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the politicians who run it.
As Margaret Thatcher said: Both politicians and nappies need to be changed often, and for the same reason!
Random Shots
Peter, maybe it was the most offensive