WARNING: This has nothing to do with mining…

When I was much younger I saw a movie called “Auntie Mame”(1955), A character named “Gooch” got pregnant and did all the “pregnant lady” moves: The walk, the duck feet position, hand on hip & bend, moan and groan etc. I promised myself that I would NEVER do that, and when I was pregnant , both times, it came to mind and I was careful of my comportment, shall we say?

Fast forward to old age…I watched elderly people walk across parking lots and in stores and promised myself that I would never walk that way: waddle, duck feet pointing outward, stiff, agonizing movement.

PAT! GET OVER YOURSELF! I know there are many reasons for people of our age to struggle to walk. I always sympathized with all of them, I just didn’t want to BE one of them.

I don’t mind being old. There are lots of perks and the most important one is that I am still alive and well.

I do have my moments of Gooch-likeness”, especially when sitting for more than 15 minutes, then trying to make it across the room elegantly. (Doesn’t work).

This week, we tackled some physical work (up & down 13 steps with lots of bending) The Aleve didn’t relieve it much, and I had a couple of days of waddling, swaying etc. and I thought “this is it now, old age has set in”.

I’m happy to report that I’m back to normal today, and I concede that my normal could be pretty ancient looking to a 19 year old. I really don’t care, and this is one of the perks I referred to above: thinking about such nonsense, and the audacity to say it!

CENTRAL PATRICIA GOLD MINES, AERIAL PHOTOS

I received these aerial photos from Dolories Tremblay Weston who lived in Central Pat until 1951.

Just click on the photo to get a larger version

Quebec beware: “The Charter of Values” has been tried before. “Pur Laine” has been tried before.

When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews, I remained silent; I wasn’t a Jew.
When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.

• “First they came…” – The origins of this poem first have been traced to a speech given by Niemöller on January 6, 1946, to the representatives of the Confessing Church in Frankfurt.

BRING ON 2014! Happy New Year to all!

On the eve of 2014, I am feeling reflective, thankful, and hopeful.

The temperature is a cool -20 today, not one bit unusual for those of us who have lived in Central Patricia On. & Snow Lake Mb, and Chibougamau Qc. etc.

I’ve had a wonderful life with plenty of ups and downs and at this stage I only recall the ups. My life has been blessed with a family who all “turned out” and despite my many muddles, I “turned out” too.

I value the valuable:  good health, good friends, inner peace. 

I wish everyone the same in 2014!

With love,

Pat

2013 in review: Mining Towns in Canada

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,300 times in 2013. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

I love it, when a plan comes together

I especially “love it” when there’s no plan but it ends up looking like one…Here’s a Christmas story.

CIRCA 1980:

My friend Pauline gave me a box of outdoor Christmas lights. They were the old fashioned, huge, multi-coloured, much used lights, and I wasn’t having them anywhere near the house in case they caught fire. However, (I always have a “however” in my life)  I wanted to put them up somewhere outside.

The perfect candidate, was a small  pine tree on the far left of the yard near the BBQ which had a source of electricity. My husband strung the lights, against his better judgment…sure that they would burn the tree down, or at least cost a fortune in power (which they did).

Snow fell all around it,  dabbled the branches in white and the coloured lights burned through the snow. It was quite a sight. Friends called to tell me that they loved the little tree “in the forest”. From the road, it was odd and alone in the dark.

The following summer, I found it’s real purpose. My neighbor, a 80-ish lady living alone, told me how delighted she was to look out her kitchen window and see that beautiful little Christmas tree sparkling in the darkness.

Needless to say, year after year, we were happy to dig out those lights and recreate the scene, just for her.

A political commentary

When I was about five years old,  I got a beautiful sweater for Christmas. That was a bit odd because we didn’t get clothes for Christmas, back then…only panties and hankies.

It was mauve, my mom’s favourite colour for me to wear and it was itchy, very, very itchy. Nevertheless, I wore it often because it was beautiful and I loved it.

One day, I discovered a piece of wool sticking out, so I tugged on it, and broke it off. After the next washing I noticed there was a small hole, but it was on the back where I couldn’t see it, and so I wore it because it was so beautiful AND I LOVED IT. In time there was another piece of wool poking through and I pulled on it. Before my eyes, strand after strand of wool unraveled and I couldn’t stop pulling and picking. It was fascinating- so orderly. Finally there was a big hole and I had a pile of ugly, curly wool that my mom said could possibly be made into a scarf. I was inconsolable.

I hadn’t meant to do that. I had destroyed the “fabric” of a favourite, beautiful thing.

I had forgotten about this kid story until today when I find myself similarly distressed, watching the PQ government picking and pulling at the beautiful fabric of our Province.

January 2017

We seem to be forever embroiled in controversy in this Province. This time, it’s our young Prime Minister causing a ruckus over language, and even though I’ve been supportive of him…this is “the straw”. There are far more important things to settle and correct in Quebec and in the world.  I don’t LOVE IT here anymore but I do love my friends and family, so I wouldn’t leave.  

WHAT DO I KNOW? Don’t ask! About the site…

Hi,

I just realized that the blogs are not all intact from May 2007.  Central Patricia Gold Mines and several others seem to have been bumped off.

When I opened the site-it started with Montauban Les Mines, which would have been 1951/52 (?)

If you go to the “2012” in review panel from Word press, you can see Central Pat….etc. It could be that I’ve exceeded my space.

Leave a message if you can’t access the blogs I’ve mentioned.

Best Regards to all,

PAT

More about Central Patricia Gold Mines From Art Boucher

 this was around 1947 or 48,

I would have been about six at the time dont really know all of my classmates but will tell you the

ones I do know. The group picture is as follows;

I am in the center of the middle row, Helen Leeyus top row on the left,Abbie Brazeau in the middle row

second to right from me,(plaid shirt and suspenders) Elaine Leeyus front row 2 from left, I believe that is

Elaine and I think the teacher is Mrs Cullen, although have been know to be wrong before lol

the in class pic I am standing at the table and Abbie Brazeau is laying on the floor left side of pic

The pic with myself and my brother is in front of the community hall about 1948 or so on the road to the mine site up from the river.

From Art Boucher

Mining Journal article on Central Patricia

 

For “Ex-Pat’s” curious about the early history of this Northern Ontario area.

This may be an interesting article:

Canadian Mining Journal Article – 1949