A new chapter unfolding in my life

I have been on one committee since 2005 and will remain with that committee until after the Awards night and the rehash of the Awards night and then my resignation will take place.

It has been an interesting seven years and I have learned a lot about the cultural scene here in Hamilton, in particular, the writer's section of it.

I have seen committee members come and go as well.  Now it is my time to go. 

I am thinking of working directly with children in the school system or with newcomers to Canada or who knows - there are so many volunteer positions looking for people.

I feel a little sad about resigning as it has been a long time since I was asked to sit on that committee and I have grown very fond of the members.

However, the good thing is that I will see some of them at the different groups I belong to.

I must get my volunteer resume more up to date and see what is available. 

Thanks for dropping by.

Launch of The Fourth Dimension

George,Trudy - The Book Band, Stella, Jeff Seffinga - Editor - Serengeti Press

The Fourth Dimension

Today was the launch of my friend Stella's second book - The Fourth Dimension.

This event was held at The Unitarian Church on Dundurn which was a good location as there was plenty of parking space available.

It also is totally accessible which is another good thing in its favour.

I am happy to say that the launch went well.  George Down of The Book Band introduced Stella and she read some of her work from her newest book.

George and Trudy of The Book Band do a marvelous job, in my opinion.  George, with his dry sense of humour, is a delight.  After the reading, he encouraged the audience to ask the author any question pertaining to her work and there were some very good questions.   I was happy to see that.

Not only is Stella a good writer but she also is a terrific baker.  She baked four different kinds of cookies which were very delicious!  It was so good to see Dan, her husband, there enjoying this special time as well.

To purchase this book, please contact The Book Band at:

info@thebookband.ca


Thanks for dropping by and come back again when you have the time.

A time spent in Toronto

Me, Margaret, Princess and Rene

same

Andew picked me up about 10 a.m. and we headed towards Toronto. I like their new place, lots of light and many windows.  They can see the street and there even is awindow in the kitchen which I loved. Rahel is happier there.  I can see why, as there is lots going on in that area, two large stores within a few minutes walk and a back yard.

We just were able to make it in time to take the baby out to the doctor way out in Vaughan. I liked their new baby doctor, he seemed to be a caring young man.

When we got back, we relaxed for a while and then Andrew's cousin came over with his dear wife.  I had met them at the wedding two years ago  They brought Swiss Chalet which we all enjoyed.

The next day Saba, Rahel's sister, whom I have also met in Hamilton, came for the day  which was nice.  Andrew was kind enough to drive me to Sonia and Rene's for a little visit, and then Sonia, Rene and I went to visit Margaret who is now 92 years of age.   We spent considerable time there and then, upon invitation from Andrew, Sonia and Rene came back and we all visited for a little while.  They had never met each other so hopefully a friendship may grow.

Rene with Princess at Margaret's place

Sonia - at Margaret's place

Sonia, Margaret and Rene  - El Salvador and Denmark originally

We had a lovely little visit, particularly since it was a surprise.  I only phoned Margaret the same day as I was not sure if I could see her or not since I was depending on others for a ride there.

On my visitr I tried to visit Connie but the answering machine came on for two days and I could not see her.  I have not seen her for several years and who knows when the next time will be that I get a ride to Toronto?  That was a little disappointing.

All in all, I had a very pleasant time in Toronto and the bed was very comfortable.  As you will notice, there are no pictures from the baby, as the father does not want any pictures of his daughter on the internet.  Naturally, I will respect that.  He will be mailing pictures to friends and family.  I hope that those with a scanner do not scan the photo and put her picture on the internet. 

Thanks for dropping by, hope you have a good day.

 

Humans are very difficult to deal with on some days!

Give me cats any day! 

I happened to call a Toronto friend today and got a real blast of anger from her.  I did not know what I had done and tried to find out.

It turns out that I forgot to do something for her about four months ago and instead of phoning me and reminding me, she took her anger out today in a very nasty manner.

It totally slipped  my mind and the more angry she got the more I remembered the request. 

I told her that I would try and get the paper she needed but I would need to ask a friend who lives there to get it for me.

I apologized time and time again as I did feel very badly about this.  She said she accepted my apology but her tone of voice and her words said otherwise.

Now she does not want the paper anymore. 

I failed but not because I wanted to, but because of my memory problems. 

I imagine that I will not be talking to her very much, if at all, in the future. 

Today made me appreciate my cats even more, even the visiting cat who has lived with me for 57 days so far!  They sure are less complicated than humans!

Hope your day is going well and you have not had a falling out with anybody. 

Tower Poetry's summer launch at Whitehern

Although it was a very hot and muggy day, the poetry and readers made up for the discomfort.

Many people carried water bottles and sipped from them as the poets read from their work.

Due to the loss of that wonderful tree last summer, shade is limited now in this wonderful garden. 

Audience at the Whitehern Gardens.

It was a delightful afternoon spent with compatible people. 

Norma West Linder - Sarnia, Ontario

Trevor Camp - Hamilton, Ontario

Ellen Jaffe - Hamilton poet and teacher

another view

Stella Mazur Peda - she is having a book launch of her newest book The Fourth Dimension in June.

A Sarnia poet     Ryan.

Fran Figgie

Bernadette Rule

Stan White - Brantford poet

John Di Leonardo -  Brokyn Ontario poet

James Deahl - visiting from Sarnia



The sound of the train going by and the city sounds made it a little difficult to hear but on the whole, Whitehern is still a lovely place to hold our functions.


There were more poets reading but I did not get everybody`s picture.  The Editor-in-Chief, George Down, did a super job of being the Master of Ceremony.

All in all, a very nice event, as usual.  Refreshments were served.  Tonight I will be going out again so had better get myself organized.

Thanks for dropping by.

Trip to Drayton,Ontario with ladies group

A sea of grey and white heads met me as I boarded the chartered bus which would take us first to Elmira to Crossroads Restaurant for lunch and then onto Drayton, Ontario where we would have the pleasure of seeing a live performance of "The Sound of Music."

On the way to Elmira, happy chatter filled my ears as people enjoyed the smooth ride through lovely countryside.  It was a time for singing together from song sheets, clean jokes being shared, and a time to visit with each other.

The restaurant "Crossroads" was run by the Mennonite people as far as I was able to ascertain.  We had a very sweet lady look after our table.  She was dressed in a long gown which reached to the floor, a very plain style, in a gentle colour.  She also had a little white cap on her lovely hair.

Kindness and peacefulness shone from her face as she served us.  One of our ladies had a fall as she was getting up from her chair to go to the buffet table and as you can imagine, great concern was shown for her.  Fortunately, she was just shaken up.  The staff immediately sat her on a chair a little away from where she sat before while friends clustered around her. 

With calmness and serenity, the servers cleaned up the mess and continued to look after the other guests.  I was very impressed with their efficiency and the care they took of the lady who fell.

The buffet was groaning and if everybody ate a little bit of each dish, they too would be groaning|!

After a quick look at the gift shop attached to the restaurant, we clambered up the steep stairs of the bus and took our seats.

That was the only difficult part of the trip for those with mobility issues.

After a short drive, we arrived in Drayton.  On our way we saw cows grazing in farmer's fields, cats slinking across the road, birds singing their hearts out although we could not hear them through the bus windows and at one point, we saw a Mennonite man in a horse and buggy.

Drayton is a very small place but they have a magnificient building which houses the cultural events they run.

The place where the play was held

a side view from where our bus driver let us off

On the main drag - peaceful looking!

The post office in Drayton

I liked how the play was done, it did not follow the movie but I suspect may have followed the book more.  It was wonderful singing, a good story plot and very well done.

It took a while to get people back into their buses, there were several groups of seniors there from different areas.

On the way home, we ran into a storm which had hail stones, sheets of rain, lightening and we saw a lightening strike which caused a large flash.  We did not know what had been hit.

We arrived back at approximately 7 p.m. and I walked home when I managed to get soaked through and through.  However, thankfully it was not far and I could change into dry things right away.

A marvelous and happy day for all!

Thanks for droppingt by.

A letter poem

Boots and Tiger

Dear Mistress:

I, Miss Tiger Cat, have a just complaint

But will you listen?

You ignore me, don’t pat me

Never brush me.

I rub against your leg

You rebuff me, I slink away

My mats stand out like flags

Dandruff falls like snowflakes, leaves a trail

My stench is unbearable.

I cannot run away from myself

I cannot shed my skin like a snake

It would be shameful to be seen naked

Who would want me then?

My litter box is a disgrace

In short, it stinks for weeks on end.

I ask you now, WHY AM I SO UNJUSTLY TREATED?

I have feelings too!

I KNOW, I’ll start a union.

‘KATS RULE” will be its name

Down with humans!

We’ll march on all four paws to Ottawa

Take over the country!

We are black, white, orange, grey

We are ALL one in solidarity.

We’ll change our world, one human at a time-

Starting with you, my unthinking mistress!

“KATS RULE” – NEVER FORGET IT!

Copyright©WilmaSeville2012

Bloggers Note:  Iearned how to write a letter poem at a literary festival I attended.  This is the result.  I hope you will have a good chuckle out of this poem. Needless to say, my own cats are well cared for and this is just from my imagination.

The Jewish Literary Festival

This was my second time to attend this festival and I was not disappointed.  Although it was only one day this time, it was a very enlightening and delightful time spent with fellow writers.

It was delightful to see writers from Toronto and the Hamilton area.  I particularly was happy to see Karen.

I did not take pictures of this event as I was not sure if it would be appropriate.  I asked the lady at the desk if it was permitted and she said she would ask.  She probably forgot but no matter, I chose not to take pictures.

It was a well organized event.  Lil and Ellen did a superb job and all the people who pitched in to assist did very well indeed. 

We started off with a lovely breakfast, then the book launch and readings by various authors who had work in the anthology. There was a panel discussion about artefacts,stories and Jewish tradition  with Lil being the moderator.

Lunch was buffet style this time -  again very satisfying and filling. 

From 1-2:30 approximately, there were concurrent workshops.  One was on "Fictional Truth/Truth into Fiction" which I took.  The others were "Digging Up My Roots  Fascinasting Family Finds",  "From the Old Country to a New World", "Poetry for Absolute Beginners."

At approximately 2:30 the first session finished and everybody gathered in the Mandel Auditorium for ''Nosh and Chat"

Session Two, which began about 3 p.m. and ran till approximately 4:30, had also concurrent Workshops.  "Mah-Jongg Remembered", "Poems as Letters" (the one I took), "Vanished Ashkenazi Community in Uganda" and "The Jewish Hamilton Project." 

I particularly enjoyed the Poems as Letters as I thought Carol was a splendid teacher and I loved her style of coming around to each of her students and commenting personally on their work.

My letter was told from the point of view of a neglected cat and addressed to its owner and it caused some laughter to be heard in the classroom.  I really enjoy looking at things from another perspective.

Our teacher Carol would like a copy of the poem for her student so I will flesh it out and play with it a little more before sending it to her. 

I really liked her a great deal.  She is an American professor and a real down to earth person.

She reminds me of my sister-in-law, very down to earth, very kind and loving in her comments.  Pam is like that.  Her students are so lucky to have her as this lady's students are.

Rabbi Baskin finished off this wonderful day with closing remarks.  He is an amazing man, still very active at 91.

A fantastic event for all who attended.  I hope they do it again in a few year's time.


Thanks for dropping by.

Trying to catch up on my blog

Today is a restful day for me, if you can count being woken up by the fire bells going off at 3:30 a.m.!
This lovely (and I am being very sarcastic here) event is the fourth fire bells episode since Thursday and it sure disturbs one's sense of security and rest. One nice thing that happens is that my neighbour Gloria comes over and we sit together and watch the firemen arrive on the t.v. screen.  Usually you can tell by their body language and how calm they are that it is nothing serious. 


I plan to write up several events on the blog that I really enjoyed and keep on tackling old filing which is one of my things I procrastinate the most about.

On Thursday I invited two old friends of mine from Toronto to come for the day.  I met them at the bus station and they dropped off their bundles here at the apartment and we went over to the Club for lunch.

They really enjoyed themselves there, as did I.  Amanda was kind enough to show us around and explain a little of the history of the club.  We had a very tasty meal including desert and tea and coffee.  As my friends eat a little differently, Michael, the chef, was so kind to arrange to have several fish and vegetarian dishes available for them.  This is one of the wonderful things about the club.  If they know in advance, they can arrange for special dishes.  For an example, for a diabetic friend of mine, we had a cheese cake which she could enjoy.  They make all my friends very welcome and everybody has left their feeling happy and content.

We three enjoying our meals

.

Feeza, Wilma, Nasima

Wer spent a most pleasant time there and then took the No. 6 Aberdeen bus to Princess Point where we went exploring.  A few years ago, I took them to Bayfront Park. We had a fantastic hike through the wilder parts of the trails there and took lots of pictures.

After our lovely visit to Princess Point, we went back to the Club for Martini night.  I had not realized that the club could make non-alcoholic drinks but they made two wonderful drinks for my friends.  I had my usual diet Skype.

I walked them to the bus stop in order for them to get the 6:30 bus back to Toronto.  I spent the rest of the evening at the Club chatting with people.

Thanks for dropping by.