Canada – Barbara Heagy

Summer Day Trip #2 – Mennonite Farms & Charm

One of my goals this summer is to take day trips or mini road trips to explore spots in Ontario that are new to me. There is so much to see in our beautiful province. Mennonite country with its spreading farmlands and unique culture in south-western Ontario was our destination today.

Summer Day Trip #2 – Mennonite Farms & Charm – SW Ontario

After packing a light snack and drinks, Harold and I headed out for Conestoga Lake Conservation Area in southwestern Ontario for a few hours of fishing and swimming. It was a beautiful drive through rural farmland and small villages with names such as Dorking, Hollen, and Salem. This is Mennonite and Old Order Amish country and it’s common to see the occasional horse and buggy driving along the side of the road with a family dressed in traditional clothing; the men and boys in long pants and suspenders, plain shirts, and broad-brimmed hats; the women and girls in long-sleeved, high-necked dresses, and head coverings such as bonnets or caps. Most often they were in dark clothes, but sometimes we were surprised to see bold purples and other bright colours or prints or even lacy head dresses.

We drove through farm after farm of fields of waving wheat, grazing horses, and corn reaching for the sun, dotted by the occasional small village with its local stores and churches. It must have been wash day as many of the spreading farm houses had long strings of clean laundry hanging out to dry on this windy day. Many of them had their own tidy flower and vegetable gardens, some with a small table or booth at the end of the driveway selling fresh blooms, strawberries, or even pop for the thirsty traveler.

Conestoga Lake Conservation Area has camping, fishing and swimming areas. It was easy on this weekday afternoon to find an empty picnic table under a shady tree on the shoreline where we could easily cast our fishing lines into the water. As usual, we didn’t catch any fish but our lures got a good soaking, and we enjoyed ourselves for several hours watching fisher folk, boaters, wind surfers and others enjoying the lake on this overcast day with its cooling wind.

By late afternoon, we packed up and headed out for supper. Our destination was Anna Mae’s Bakery & Restaurant, a very popular eatery in the village of Millbank, known for its wholesome, made-from-scratch Mennonite fare and delicious home-baked pies. We were surprised at the busy parking lot considering it was a Monday evening but we had no trouble in getting a table in their large restaurant with its side rooms.

The menu is simple and varies day-to-day, with a short list of meat options depending on the day of the week. This Monday, the Hot Meal offered was the choice of Broasted Chicken (my choice), Farmer’s Sausage, or Roast Chicken and Dressing (Harold’s choice), with a side option of fries, mashed potatoes, or potato salad, and an offer of carrots, corn, or coleslaw. I ordered the soup-of-the-day, a creamy Potato & Ham, and fresh strawberry pie with a good dollop of fresh whipped cream. The servings are generous. I brought home enough chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy for another meal. Harold’s regular meal cost him $16.99; my Full Meal Deal with soup and dessert cost me $24.95.

After dinner, we bought some goodies from the gift shop. I came home with a large stick of smoked salami, a fresh-baked Dutch Apple Pie and a pretty birthday gift for my granddaughter.

Returning home, we criss-crossed rural routes with mixed farms and small villages until, once again, we were back in our own region and its more urban setting.

What a wonderful day we had! I am enjoying these short day-trips and the surprises they offer. I look forward to the next one.

Summer Day Trip #1 – Ayr, Ontario

One of my goals this summer is to take day trips or mini road trips to explore spots in Ontario that are new to me. There is so much to see in our beautiful province. On Canada Day, I started on my quest and decided to visit sites in and near Ayr, Ontario.

Summer Day Trip #1

My friends and I took a picnic lunch to Pinehurst Lake Conservation Area and enjoyed the sun and beach for the afternoon. It was a great place to visit as the parking lot and beach area are very close together, important when you’re hauling folding chairs, beachwear, and picnic baskets and bags. The water was a perfect temperature for swimming and there were lots of trees and picnic tables for shade.

We packed up and toured the pretty little village of Ayr looking for a place to have dinner. It’s changed so much since I lived there fifty years ago but the Green Garden Chinese Restaurant was still there after all these years. The decor and ambience are a little to be desired but the food was hot and tasty, the staff were friendly and accommodating, and the price was excellent.

We left there and drove out to the outskirts of town for the Canada Day Fireworks. My brother was chief pyrotechnologist and put on an amazing show for the community. A great way to celebrate Canada Day!

Canada, Our Home

Photo Credit – Feminist News

With all the unbounded patriotism that is growing across our beautiful country, I decided to rework part of a piece I wrote about Canada and what it means to be Canadian.

Canada, Our Home

My home is maple trees running thick with sap in the spring.
It is flowers bravely peeping up through melting snow in bright slashes of colour.
In the summer, I float in a cool, clear lake and watch schools of fresh-water fish swim deep through underwater canyons.
Here, I stand in awe of a red, orange and gold vista that stretches across a countryside in autumn glory.
Snowflakes fall gently on my hair and eyelashes, frozen icicles sparkle in the cool sun, blankets of purity coat a white world of winter wonder.
Limestone escarpments, rushing waterfalls and towering pines compete with soaring skyscrapers and ribbons of highway that stretch from coast to coast.
This is a big country, resplendent with natural wonders and a hard-working people comfortable in their own skins. People of many colours and cultures and backgrounds. An accepting people who recognize strength in diversity, beauty in variety, and abundance in uniqueness.

This is where I belong. The cool waters run through my veins, granite and limestone form the bedrock of my soul. The spirit of my people wraps me in circles of trust and belonging. We stand tall and proud and free.

Canada. Our home.

Snow Day

It’s a Snow Day! Last night we had the biggest dump of snow that we’ve had all winter. Schools are closed for the day, and even my local YMCA and Seniors’ Centre shut down for the morning, hopefully opening by 12 noon.

How appropriate that I met a new author this week at my physio’ group class who has written and illustrated a children’s book called “Snow Day.” His name is Werner Zimmerman, and he has written a number of children’s books. Beautiful children’s books. I told him I wanted to buy them for my grandchildren.

We exchanged our books at our last meeting; he got a copy of my book “For the Love of Food: Family Edition” and I, who got the better deal by far, walked away with four of his story books: “Snow Day”, and a colourful and humorous collection of Christmas books on a Canadian theme.

Check him out at https://wernerzimmerman.ca.

Support Your Local Authors and Book Stores

Because my first book I published was through Balboa Press, a self-publishing company associated with Hay House Publishing, I get many requests over the years through e-mails and phone messages from companies that want to help me with further publishing and marketing strategies. The problems with these are they are American. Because I published my book with an American company, all my publishing and printing costs are in US$. I pay greater shipping costs, including duty, for my books that have to cross the border into Canada. When they sell through Amazon, my publisher takes their first cut, then the American government taxes me for my royalty earnings. There are forms (W-8BEN) to be filled out for the reimbursement of those dollars, and I did pay a specialized Canadian accountant to help me submit these forms, but for some reason the US government refused my submission and requested that it be re-submitted. Needless to say, I have been a little frustrated with the whole procedure by using an American company for my book publishing. I now use Canadian companies only. It’s cheaper in the long run for me, less complicated, and more hands-on and manageable.

My books are available through Amazon but as a self-published author, most of my books have been sold by word-of-mouth to Canadian book buyers either through personal sales or Canadian Indie Book Stores. I am thankful for these stores that continue to carry my books for a fair price. My books are available at Bookshelf, Guelph, Ontario and Booklore, Orangeville, Ontario. I am thankful for these stores that promote me and other authors. I also have copies available which I will ship to you for a nominal postal fee. My books “10 – A Story of Live, Life, and Loss” and “Good Grief People” are available for $20 and generally a $5 shipping fee, depending on where they will be shipped.

Support your Canadian authors and book store owners. Check out Canadian Independent Bookstore Day, April 30, at a local Indie book store. You may have an opportunity to meet a live author and buy a signed book or you may win a prize of $250, $500, or $1000 to the Canadian independent bookstore of your choice.

Congratulations on Word Award Nomination at The Word Guild Gala 2018

Well, the Good Grief People authors didn’t win the top prize last night at The Word Guild Word Awards Gala (we missed you, Alan) but we had a wonderful time meeting other authors and writers and hearing snippets of quality literature. We are proud to be declared a finalist in our category. One of our group did win a top award – congratulations to Glynis M. Belec for her win last night for her short script.

It was very special to have the group of us together. We got to know each other so well in the writing of our book and, even though we live in six different cities across Canada, we saw quite a bit of each other. To get us all together in one spot is a rarity and, therefore, I appreciated it all the more.

Just a couple of hours before I left for the gala, my phone rang. It was a woman from a funeral home in the area that had bought six of our books a year ago from me. If we need any more affirmation of the good things our book is doing for others on their grief paths, I got it. She raved about our book and ordered ten more Good Grief People books.

She told me they can’t keep the books on the shelf because people are finding it so helpful. She herself has found it to be so beneficial in understanding her own grief journey. She says it’s the perfect book in that it is not a ‘how-to’ book because those who are grieving already have enough on their plate without worrying whether they’re grieving properly or not. The short stories and poems are perfect for little snippets of comfort and hope given in small doses when needed.

I told her I was just getting ready to attend The Word Guild banquet today and that the book was short-listed for an award across Canada and she said she was not surprised.

It was wonderful to get such positive feedback. It was like getting an award. Thank you my Good Grief People author friends. We did it together.

Copies of Good Grief People can be ordered by messaging Barbara Heagy at barbaraheagy10@gmail.com or through local bookstores and retail outlets (The Bookshelf, Guelph; BookLore, Orangeville; Spa Wellness by Tamara, Guelph) or online at amazon.ca. They can also be ordered from any of the authors or through Angel House Publishing.

Sometimes I Climb Mountains

Sometimes I climb mountains and stand on snow-covered peaks and watch a rolling panorama of clouds drift by all around me. Down in the valley the world sits, a miniature grid of rivers and roads and towns, people busy in an existence that doesn’t involve me as I stand in heaven detached from it all. I stretch my arms wide open into a clear blue sky and inhale deeply the pure bliss of it all.

. . . But it’s not home.

Sometimes I swim in aquamarine oceans, floating, bobbing gently over waves and watch a world of colour bubble below me. Coral in rainbow hues, shapes and sizes that stretch the imagination with brain-like humps, tree-like projections and wispy tendrils sway in the ocean current in oranges, pinks, blues, and purples. Fish, hundreds of them in every shade ever created, swim in undulating schools around me. Clams, lying on the ocean floor, display their neon-blue interiors to a watery world. Larger waving creatures swim lazily by, leaving dark shadows in the distance. I think I could float forever in this wondrous world of mystery and beauty.

. . . But it’s not home.

Sometimes I wander the Garden of Eden, a tropical world of scented flowers, twisting vines and tall palm trees. The sun warms me as I close my eyes and let its rays penetrate my bones. I am unencumbered with loose, flowing clothes; the gentle breezes cool and lift my spirit. This is a world of turquoise, lime and pink, pastel colours that soften the soul. There is no rushing here, no hastiness to complete a day. Just quiet and gentleness that soothes and comforts and says, “Breathe. Relax. Rest in this tranquillity.”

. . . But it’s not home.

Sometimes I walk cobblestone lanes lined with thatched roof cottages. Patchwork fields, edged in hedgerows and cows, stretch over rolling hills. Herds of bleating sheep compete for space as I wander down dusty roads and across fields of grass. Ancient stories reside here in monolithic rocks, rising in circles that speak of ritual and magic. Fairies dance in the morning dew and the dark forests hide secrets of beastly denizens. History is told over pints of foaming brew and pots of steeped tea as smiling faces invite me in to sit by the fire. I am welcome here.

. . . But it’s not home.

My home is maple trees running thick with sap in the spring. It is flowers bravely peeping up through melting snow in bright slashes of colour. In the summer, I can float in a cool, clear lake and watch schools of fresh-water fish swim deep through underwater canyons. Here I stand in awe of a red, orange and gold vista that stretches across a countryside in autumn glory. Snowflakes fall gently on my hair and eyelashes, frozen icicles sparkle in the cool sun, blankets of purity coat a white world of winter wonder. Limestone escarpments, rushing waterfalls and towering pines compete with soaring skyscrapers and ribbons of highway that stretch from coast to coast. This is a big country, resplendent with natural wonders and a hard-working people comfortable in their own skins. This is where I belong, my birthplace. The cool waters run through my veins, granite and limestone form the bedrock of my soul. Canada.

This is home.