The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - The Weekend Special #39 -- And The Winner Is....

Episode Date: December 11, 2020

More great stories and comments from you!

and hello there peter mansbridge here with the latest episode of the bridge daily it's friday of week 39 you know what that means it's's the weekend special. Your opportunity to have a say in the things we discuss here on a nightly basis on the Bridge Daily. And before we get to your letters and questions and comments and thoughts for this week, and it will be a winner of Extraordinary Canadians a signed edition will goinary Canadians, a signed edition. We'll go out to, I guess, whatever letter I choose to deem

as the one that touches me the most this week. And on that subject, I should say, I'm still waiting here in our tiny little hamlet of Stratford, Ontario, for an arrival from Simon & Schuster of the latest batch of book plates that I'll sign and send out. And the reason I mention this is because I have literally hundreds of requests now for book plates. I've already sent out hundreds over the last few weeks, but I've run out for the third time and I'm waiting for this latest arrival to come in, which hopefully will be today,

because I'm starting to get a little worried in terms of the Christmas rush on the post office system and whether these are going to get it back out in time, because I know many of you are using these book plates to insert in a book as part of your Christmas gift to a friend or family member. Anyway, I'm doing my best. Hopefully they'll come in today. And if they do, they will head out, because I've already got all the letters ready. They just need to pop the

book plate in. Alright, enough on Extraordinary Canadians. Bestseller again this week. Four weeks in a row on the bestseller list. Three of them at number one. And we're proud of that. Mark Bulgich and myself. Co-authors. Alright, let's get to your letters. Once again, keep in mind these come at you in no particular order, although I save the one I've judged the best for the end.

I don't read all of the letters. There are some very long letters this week. And as much as I appreciate them and appreciate reading them, it's very rare that I read the whole letter when they're that long. And I'm trying this week to focus in on people who haven't written before. And there are a lot of new letter writers, I've got to say. So let's get cracking. First letter comes from Moncton, New Brunswick, very close to Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, of which I am now the Chancellor Emeritus of Mount Allison University. I was chancellor there for eight years, and they just deemed that honor on me in the last few weeks,

which is very kind. All right. Ian Hebblethwaite in Moncton, New Brunswick, writes, The Atlantic provinces are looked down on in some ways by the rest of Canada, usually trailing behind or being dragged along by the rest of the country. But I just want to restate the obvious. In 2020, we in Atlantic Canada are leading the way. We have shown our mettle this year and we deserve our due. We've barely had a first wave, let alone a second. That's all true, Ian. And to be fair, I have given credit where credit's due many times on this podcast, especially in the last little while, about how well Atlantic Canada has done

and how it is, in fact, an example to the rest of the country of how to do things. So I think good for you to be proud of your region and also to be aware that that hasn't been ignored. Sheldon Rose writes from Richmond Hill. Peter, I just listened to your John Lennon commentary. Interesting and thanks. That was a couple of days ago on the anniversary

The 40th anniversary of Lennon's assassination Sheldon writes, I was a young broadcaster that evening Working the all-night shift at CKCWAM in Moncton Where I worked with the great Ian Hennemansing And he is the great Ian Hannemansing. And he is the great Ian Hannemansing. Ian also went to Mount Allison. That's why he's great.

He's a Mount A guy. I worked with Ian working the newsroom, rip and read, and overnight DJ. In those days, we had the big old teletype machines with the CPAP feeds on long rolls of news copy. Oh, I remember those days. I remember hearing from the control booth the teletype going crazy around 11 o'clock. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. That's what used to happen, especially on bulletins. Big, big ding, ding, dings. I knew something was up.

First bulletin said Lennon had been shot. Second bulletin about 10 minutes later reported that he was up. First bulletin said Lennon had been shot. Second bulletin about 10 minutes later reported that he was dead. I threw out our typical programming playlist and spun Beatle music all night. I kind of got in trouble from my program director, but I knew that's what my 10 overnight listeners wanted to hear. A sad evening. Thanks for remembering. Thank you, Sheldon, for your memories. I got a one-line note, two lines, I guess, from my friend Steve Pakin from TV Ontario, who is, I think, a fairly regular listener to The Bridge Daily.

He's out for a big morning walk every morning and makes a habit of going through one of the local cemeteries in Toronto, and often will take a picture of some famous person who's buried there, Mount Pleasant Cemetery, I believe. Anyway, Steve writes, congrats on the book and the podcast. Just FYI, your letter the other day from someone in Pitbo, Ontario, PTBO, that's what folks from Peterborough call the town. It's a short-form nickname. Thanks, Steve. Actually, Steve was one of more than a few who wrote to say,

Nancebridge, get with the program here. Pitbo is Peterborough. Don't go looking for a town called Pitbo in Ontario. So nice to hear from Steve, of course is the host of the agenda With Steve Pakin on TVO He's also The host of the TVO at 50 podcast And the co-host of the

On Polly podcast Busy guy Steve Michelle Westers. Here's what she has to say. Washing machines are one thing for which I am more grateful for as a result of COVID-19. Each week I wash all of my masks at once by hand, then hang them to dry. And each week, I find myself thinking of my grandmother,

who washed all of the clothes for her six children, her husband, and herself by hand. While it's one minor added task for me, my grandmother pumped the water from their farm well, heated it on the stove, and then washed all of their laundry. The relatively simple task of washing my masks has given me a much deeper appreciation

for the hard work prairie women undertook each day, coupled with the mental toughness and fortitude they had in order to survive. Michelle's a schoolte teacher in Medicine Hat. You know, reading those comments really reminds me. I mean, I'm old enough to remember when we arrived here in the 1950s that we, my mom, washed by hand our clothes every week. I think Monday was washing day.

And we had one of those old, you know, washing machines with the rollers up on top and you had to kind of thread the clothes through those rollers to kind of rinse them, you know, not rinse them, but, you know, to get the water out of it, stuff, and then out into the backyard and hang them on the clothesline with clothespins. That's how clothes dried. And on Mondays, which was kind of washing day in the neighborhood, you'd see you go buy all these houses with the clotheslines out the back. I mean, that was a different era.

But there was something about clothes that dried outside on a clothesline. Couldn't beat it. Can't beat it, man. The kind of feel of those clothes when they're dried, the smell of those clothes, the touch of those clothes. But those were different days. I mean, like my kids don't believe me. My wife doesn't believe me.

But I can remember when I was going to grade school in Ottawa in the 1950s, we still had, you know, there was a milk man and there was a bread man and they would come by with their little bottles of milk and you'd leave empty bottles on the steps outside and they'd be replaced by, you know, filled bottles. The bread man, I remember this distinctly when we lived on Fifth Avenue in the Glebe in Ottawa. The bread man had his truck was pulled by a horse. I mean, how old am I? A horse-drawn bread truck. The horse used to sort of, you know, when he ran up to do the bread,

the horse was supposed to, you know, stay on the road. But every once in a while, if the horse was supposed to, you know, stay on the road. But every once in a while, if the horse was hungry, it would kind of pull up onto the grass and start munching either grass or a hedge in the lawn. So there you go. Thank you, Michelle, for bringing those memories back. Cam Befus might have that wrong, but I think I got Cam right. Cam's writing from Edmonton. I'll confess that I'm very far behind in listening to the podcast. I'm a teacher in Edmonton, and I've been really busy with a combination of in-class and now online learning. Alberta is about to go

into its second lockdown this weekend. This was just a couple of days yesterday that Cam wrote this. I'm listening to you on the race next door and you were talking about this. This is the October 16th edition. I guess you're talking about this. This is the October 16th edition. Yeah, I guess you're back a bit. How much people are enjoying the race next door? I echo that sentiment.

I was wondering if you and Bruce would keep that up on a weekly basis, but instead of looking at American politics, how about taking a look at provincial politics here in Canada? Well, actually, Cam, when you catch up, you'll notice that the race next door has been put on the shelf, replaced now by smoke mirrors and the truth, and we're dealing with any number of different issues

on either side of the border, and a couple of times already, we've brought up provincial politics, including Alberta politics. So look forward to you catching up on the podcast. It's the beauty of podcasts, right? They're always there. They're always there.

You can always go back and listen to old ones. Or if you've missed it for a little while because of being so busy, you can always catch up. Allison Clark in Toronto. My story is this. I'm a non frontline worker. I source PPE at a major downtown hospital. When the Ontario government granted hospital workers,

the pandemic pay my coworker and I were not included as we did not have direct contact with patients, but with people who do all day long. As it turned out, my co-worker and I were the only two who contracted COVID while at work. Source was never investigated. However, COVID made me realize I had 34 years at a terrific place to work, even though I was angry about not being appreciated with a bonus. Mad for a day. I'll be retiring on December 31st. I love my work. I love my institution. I will miss it. We all need to thank all essential frontline workers everywhere. Couldn't agree more, Allison. Good for you, and

thank you for your service. And I'm sure as difficult as it's been, you clearly have some good memories. This letter comes from Newfoundland, and the writers asked me, and you'll see why, not to mention their name or their hometown, because it might kind of give it away. But I think I can at least safely say she's from Newfoundland and Labrador. Please keep my name private as I know my family listen to your podcast and I don't want to spoil the surprise. What I've done differently to get ready for Christmas is I have made Christmas gifts, especially quilts.

With all of the time spent away from home and spent at home, I started these in September. I'm very happy to say I finished them with time to spare. I hope they bring my family comfort and they act as a long distance hug when we are apart. That's nice. I know quilting is a big deal for a lot of people. Cynthia quilts. She's made more than a few quilts, including this year. Okay, here's one a little longer, but I'll read a chunk of it. Susan T. Burt in Collingwood. This year Christmas is different.

With all the extra time on our hands, we decided to have an old-fashioned kind of Christmas. Not with a household of friends and family, but by hauling out Christmas decorations that haven't been used in years, but are full of Christmases past. I found a used artificial tree for sale and bought it as a start. It now stands in our front window with pretty little lights and some old ornaments. As we rooted through the ornaments, we reminisced about each one, where it had been purchased and why it was chosen. Most of the ornaments are the unbreakable variety to withstand the cats we used to have.

They love to climb the Christmas tree. A plant holder in the shape of Santa's boot that we brought back in 1977 was discovered and dusted it off. It's again holding a beautiful poinsettia, as it had for many years. Back in 84, a couple of very young neighbor kids, with the help of their mom, made us a Christmas tree out of their building blocks. The tree sits in the middle of our kitchen table this year in surprisingly good shape. It's hard to believe that those kids are now parents themselves. And finally, I sent Christmas cards by snail mail to the special people we wouldn't be seeing in person this year.

I don't know when I stopped doing this. I suppose it just was too easy to send a text or an email or an e-card. It was only when I was addressing the first envelope that I realized how much I had missed the personal touch of giving and receiving cards in the mail. So yes, Christmas this year is very different from what it would be if COVID hadn't arrived, but it's going to be a good Christmas just the same. We will look forward to a time when we can all gather together and share real hugs, but until that time, we've chosen to make the best of it with a Christmas full of memories. That's nice, Susan.

You're right about, you know, the snail mail Christmas past. Man, I remember the, you know, the debates around our house as we were growing up about who should be on the list, who should we be sending Christmas cards to, who had sent us Christmas cards in the past that we'd forgotten, all that stuff. Doesn't seem to be anywhere near the discussion around this time of year. And I know and I appreciate that it's not Christmas for everybody. There are different holidays at this time of year for different faiths, and we respect and appreciate them all. Seems most of the letters this week, actually,

many of them are talking Christmas. Well, things must be interesting in Collingwood because here's another letter from Collingwood. This one's from Justin Jones. My name's Justin Jones. I live in Collingwoodwood i grew up on the prairies attending high school in carstairs alberta my social studies teacher mr weiss required us to watch the national once a week from grade 10 onwards we would be quizzed on the content so you were a pretty crucial part of my early adulthood and my awakening to news. It's funny how often I hear that in different parts of the country.

People who grew up and one of the requests in their assignments, I guess, in their school was to watch the National once a week or in some cases more than that. So they would have a basic understanding of current events. Anyway, Justin writes, I wanted to share a story about what I'm doing differently this Christmas for the pandemic holiday.

I hope you enjoy it. Early in the pandemic, I was making weekly trips south to Toronto for veterinary appointments for my dog. She was getting chemo and was usually pretty mopey on the way home. One of the things I would do to perk her up was stop at a small farm about 20 minutes from home to pick up fresh eggs. She loved watching the chickens and ducks, so it was fun for her. I really enjoyed the eggs and the farmer, Gerda, who was lovely and very inviting.

So I started making regular trips to pick up eggs, even outside my trips with our dog. Eventually, I started bringing my daughters, aged five and two, with me when I would go to pick up eggs. They loved seeing the chickens, the ducks, the pigs, and the horses on the farm. Then one day we went, and the farmer had recently brought home about 30 goslings. Well, the goslings, as they do, grew up very quickly.

They rapidly went from the small brood of peeping, timid goslings to a full-grown flock of noisy, somewhat rude geese. I raised geese for a short while when I was growing up, so I know they are not kind creatures. So I always made sure my girls were cautious around them, but every time we would show up from the farm, they would encircle our vehicle, honking and flapping their wings and making a big show of it all. It got to the point that my youngest daughter started asking me to bring her earmuffs when we would go to the farm. So loud were the geese.

One day they refused to move to let her out of the car, and that was when I decided I'd been pushed too far. I asked Gerda what her plans were for the geese. She said they would soon be ready to eat shortly before Christmas, and that she only had a few left. I told her I would take one right then and there. Now, I'm a fairly accomplished cook, but I've never cooked nor eaten a goose. But I thought that in the season of COVID, Christmas, where my little family will be gathering around our dinner table without our extended family present,

I would channel my inner Bob Cratchit. I'm planning on preparing the goose in the traditional fashion and serving it with what else? Christmas pudding. One last tidbit that might bring you a smile. When we went to pick up our goose, we arrived at the farm and my two-year-old daughter happily got out of the car, breathed a big sigh of exaggerated relief, and said to me with a big smile on her face, it's so quiet here now, Dad. We'll enjoy our Christmas, spite goose. I hope you and your family enjoy your holidays as well.

And the same to you, Justin. Justin didn't update us on his dog. I hope the dog's doing okay after all that chemo treatment this year. Anyway, the Christmas goose. See how that works out. Okay, let's move along here. This one's from Tish Whitfield. Not sure whether Tish tells us where she is.

I think she's somewhere in Ontario. No, she's in Barry's Bay in the Mattawaska Valley. In the last few months, my husband and I have cleaned the garage, something we've put off for years, created a craft room for me, and we've decorated the house more elaborately than we ever have. That's funny because it will only be seen by us. We will have only one visitor for Christmas, my sister, who is in our small bubble.

But when we sit with our wine and listen to your podcast in front of the fireplace each evening, the Christmas decorations are very much enjoyed by the two of us. I hope when this pandemic is over and we go back to a more normal rhythm, that the Zoom meetings continue and our enjoyment of the simple things in life and our online friendships do not get lost in the hubbub of activity that will return. Yeah, Tisha, you know, what happens afterwards, we don't know, do we? We don't know what some of the things that have made this 39 weeks bearable,

even at times enjoyable, how many will we carry on? Kelly Gulliver. Four dogs and a wedding are what I'm grateful for in 2020. December 22nd of last year, lost my best friend of 12 years, a King Charles Cavalier Bailey. It was fast and unexpected and quite frankly, one of the hardest losses I've ever had. And anybody who's experienced the loss of a pet that they've had for so long gets that feeling, understands like how difficult it is. You don't realize it until it happens. Three weeks later, we had a snowmageddon here in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, locked down and missing Bailey terribly. Then COVID, my entire family,

our healthcare providers, and the one daughter living home is a frontline worker as well. So that left me home, missing my Bailey and uncertain about the future, but through it all, I had my family, friends, and my two senior boys, two Shelties, along with a Samoyed grandpop. Then in May, my daughter called and asked how I'd like to plan a COVID wedding. I guess after the past five or six months of lockdowns and just plain heartbreak, I poured my whole being into it. It was held half in my dad's garden, where myself and my husband were married 30 years before, and also in our garden, where we built a dance floor by a small stream we have.

It truly was a joint effort by everyone to get it together by August. But after so much time locked down with grief over my dog and uncertainty, it was a very welcomed and needed project. Waiting for something to go wrong for the wedding, snowstorm in August, earthquake, it's 2020, right? My oldest daughter got married to her best friend on one of the most beautiful days of the summer with her family and the three dogs. The joy I felt that day looking at the happiness of my family made me realize COVID may have changed us all, but I feel for the better. I feel thankful more often. I see the small things that one time I never took the time to notice, and I've realized a wedding and dogs can turn what was the hardest year of my life into the most unforgettable, love-filled year of my life.

I still miss Bailey terribly, always will, but because of lockdowns and three dogs and a wedding this year, has had a lot of the best memories of my life as well. I'm so thankful. She adds a P.S. that she's getting a fourth dog in January. Oh, I'll get 2021 off to the right start, right? Here's another one from Newfoundland, from Jennifer Bennett. This has been a year to remember in so many ways,

most of which I have to say brings me a sense of warmth when I look back and reflect. We've gone through all seasons here in Gander as we endured the pandemic. Each season brings new possibilities and change. As a mom of twin six-year-old boys, I've kept them at the forefront each day in ways we can enjoy to the fullest. Winter brought long hikes in the woods with the ending of a raging campfire, roasting famous maple leaf bologna, canned kippers, homemade bread and warm hot chocolate. Spring always comes with nature's way of saying, let's embark on new beginnings. We took the opportunity and introduced our family, trouting in nearby ponds. We had a total of five trips with no bites but many laughs

and happy rosy-cheeked faces at the end of the day. Summer brought stay-at-home year, no traveling outside of the province of Newfoundland. We hiked a total of 15 incredible trails around the province. As a family, we ranked them to what was our favorite,

and the winner was Skirwink Trail in Port Rexton, Newfoundland. In between our hikes, the boys began their first season of salmon fishing on several famous rivers. The top of their lifts was the Gander River. Each boy was lucky enough to experience the adrenaline of hooking on Atlantic salmon. Way to go, boys. Fall came with a new school year. Boys headed off to grade one with some uncertainty of how things may look in their school. Each day they came home saying, we have the very best school and teachers. What else can we as parents ask for? Christmas is right around the corner. I'm sure we

will all continue to make the best of what has been given to us and try hard to use this time as a way to bring new beginnings and let go of the ones we cannot change. Jennifer Bennett, Gander, Newfoundland. Marilyn Sewell. For 30 years, and Marilyn's in Paris, Ontario. That's in southwestern Ontario. For 30 years, I've been hosting a cookie and wine exchange of around 30, or excuse me, 20 women. The cookies are incidental.

It's the connection that has always mattered. This year, it was virtual. Instead of everyone baking, I contacted a local home-based baker, and she made beautiful cookie boxes for those who wished to buy them. I delivered them to each person the day after the call, and I was able to have a short, safe visit. Our wine exchange was a simple draw from the hat to match two people who will make their own arrangements to connect for a safe visit. As the hostess, I moderated the Zoom call,. I created two questions, one on their COVID Christmas plans and the other expressing the highlight of their year.

Everyone commented that they learned more about each other this year than you do at a normal party setting. Many spoke quite emotionally of the importance of intentional connections and their incredible value. I was humbled to provide this connection. I enjoyed it too. I enjoyed it, too. Good for you, Marilyn. I like this note from Barb Ghani from Meaford, Ontario.

That's up west of Collingwood, west of Thornbury. I like it because it includes a picture of Barb's son Derek and me and we're in Afghanistan Kandahar

during one of my visits there that'd be 2006 Afghanistan, Kandahar, during one of my visits there. That'd be 2006. Peter, I wanted to share this picture from Afghanistan. You're standing beside my son Derek in this picture. My son is still serving in the military. He's stationed now in Yellowknife. Christmas this year will be the same as usual in our house. We rarely get to see family on Christmas Day

as my son and grandchildren are posted far from Meaford. Both myself and my daughter are health care workers. I'll be spending my Christmas with my residents at the long-term care facility that I have been a registered nurse at for 28 years. That's amazing. It's amazing, Barb. Thank you for doing that.

And this year must have been very difficult. This year will especially be important to be with them as none of them will be going home and there are strict restrictions on coming into the home. I love my job. I enjoy spending at least part of my Christmas making theirs a little more enjoyable. Wow. Thank you for that.

All right, here's the last one. Here's your book winner. That's a great letter, and I think there's a lot. You know, I think a lot of people will see a bit of their own lives in this as well. This letter comes from Calgary. On July 2nd this year, I was devastated to learn that my breast cancer had reoccurred after a 20-year absence. And so I have spent the subsequent months adjusting to the new normal, not only of the pandemic, but also life with incurable cancer. It is during this time I have been reminded of all the beautiful people in my life,

especially the loving kindness of my dear son, Logan. When I returned home from my initial ultrasound in July, I found a stack of my favorite chocolate bars, Kit Kat and Coffee Crisp, on my bedside table. It brought a smile to my face after such a trying day. It was so like him. Logan accompanies me to my appointments with my oncologist at the Tom Baker Cancer Center. He makes her laugh with his charming demeanor All the while taking notes And later, while fighting back tears over a pot of tea

Gently explains information to me That I have overlooked or misunderstood Logan runs in the morning But later in the day he often pops into whatever room I happen to be in to ask Want to squeeze in a brisk walk before dark, Mum? We nicknamed the three-kilometer route we walk, the loop, which takes us up past our neighborhood park, down a back alley, then west onto a long grassy path, finishing just past a Tim Hortons. Frequently, we listen to music as we walk. Sometimes we chat non-stop. Occasionally we walk in silence, lost in thought.

Back at the park near our home, we often sit on a boulder, comparing steps taken and calories burned on our smart watches, or applauding high-flying dogs catching frisbees. After watching The Queen's Gambit, I recommend that to anybody who can access it It's a fabulous movie After watching The Queen's Gambit Logan now challenges me to games of chess Encouraging me to strategize, planning moves in advance Are you sure you want to move that rook, Mom?

Think again One evening after supper Logan suggests we carry out our glasses of wine to the quiet cul-de-sac in front of our home to admire a particularly crimson sunset gracing the entire western sky. We stand there for half an hour, sipping our wine, soaking up the view. We take a selfie to capture the moment which is now attached to this email and it is and it's beautiful. And finally, you should know

it is my son who introduces me to your podcast one day early in the spring before all this began when the novelty of staying home was an excuse to finish a long neglected book. I look forward to reading your book Extraordinary Canadian someday. If I were to write such a book, my son would be the subject of my first chapter, and the dedication would read, To Logan, my most extraordinary son, with immense gratitude, your loving mom.

Cecilia Krupa from Calgary wrote that letter. It's beautiful. And it captures what is clearly a very special relationship between mother and son.

Well, Cecilia, I'll be sending you a copy of Extraordinary Canadians, and I will sign it to both you and Logan. Well, folks, thank you all for your letters and your comments and your questions this week. As we head into another weekend, closing out week number 39, 40 next week.

But on this weekend, let's remember the basics. We can't ever forget them. There's a lot of good news this week in terms of numbers. Sorry, not numbers, in terms of vaccines. Bad news in terms of numbers. But we are at the halfway point. It is now going to be the slow, difficult move towards the finish line.

And that finish line won't be met until near the end of next year, if all goes well. But we can see it now. The vaccines are going to make a huge difference. But in the meantime, and for a long time yet, we've got to follow the basics. Wash our hands. Use our face outs. And you know what? Smile. Be positive. Be kind. Don't forget those who may need your help. May need simply just a hello. All right. Okay, that's it for this day and this week on the Bridge Daily I'm Peter Mansbridge, thanks so much for listening We'll talk to you again on Monday Thank you.