Page 38 - IssueNo97

38 Issue #97 February 2021 www.sportsenergynews.com

To be fair, he wasn’t a teacher. He was Fortunately, I’ve had little use for what
“Livin’ The Dream” a chemist. But that’s another story. I learned in chemistry, beyond reading

Mother sent us on our way with what the odd cleaning product label.
Senior Tips... would now probably be identified as The thing is that if we had to teach

Several kinks in the system soon anxiety. I was keen. I had, after all, our younger selves, we might discover
dampened our enthusiasm. For one been watching from the back seat that we were not the unremitting joy
thing, the technology flickered and for years and how hard could driving that we have convinced ourselves that
lagged and groaned under the sudden be? It was, as were many vehicles in we were.
amplification of expectations. The those days, a standard transmission. I
teachers, famous for calm assurance, fired her up with gusto, only to have Leaning anything is hard. Baking
showed signs of stress as well. Oh, killed her in the driveway. Frustration. sourdough bread is frustrating. That
they tried to hide it, but anyone could Father began to show the warning tax software that promises to be ever
see the strain in their smiles and the signs that usually signal to children so easy, is, in reality, exasperating.
fear in their eyes. And the kids. Well, everywhere to beat a hasty retreat. But Learning isn’t fun at the best of times
the kids turned into us as we really there we were, together in the car, with and under the best of circumstances.
were when we were young’uns. him speaking in tongues about clutches
and gears and such, while I stubbornly Knowing, on the other hand, is fun.
If we’re honest, those memories of “Having learned” is fun. Driving.
ignored him and dug in my heels.
By Janeen Wagemans merry school days and sunny skies A bulbous loaf of sourdough bread
were mainly of fun with classmates, Well, you know how it all ended - in complete with an “ear”. Receiving
tears, of course.
chool days, school days! No team sports, recess, and snow days.
that tax return. Good times!
Smatter how long ago, we tend to The actual joy of learning was not By the time we re-entered the house,
look back on those halcyon, youthful so much about math. And these kids Mother put her rescue plan into action, Learning something with no point
days with affection. In our selective today who are staring at screens in with each of us in separate corners, hot and no reason is frustration with little
memories, the skies were always blue, exasperation and rebellion, don’t fall chocolate and cookies and such. reward. New math comes to mind. So,
the sun was always shining. Good far from the tree. let’s cut those kids some slack. They
times. Laughs! Learning! Eventually, the world righted didn’t, after all, fall far from the tree.
I don’t remember any lessons itself. My sister was my designated
When the pandemic hit like a tsunami And it’s still, in the end, a pretty good
and knocked so many aspects of our specifically – perhaps the terrors of family driving instructor, which didn’t tree.
lives gallywumpus, the children chemistry vaguely. But I do remember go perfectly, I’ll admit, but at least www.womenwhocaresouthdundas.com
came home to learn online. We were the cock-eyed optimism with which there weren’t bodies on the battlefield. My blog: www.cookwithjaneen.com
amazed! How lucky to have the my father took on the task if teaching And I’ve been driving without incident
technology that makes all this possible! me to drive. for many years. https://www.theidesbookclub.com

Southpaw Forge

You forge it and you turn it into
By Victoria Klassen
something decorative and ornate,
ob Gadbois remembers being or something functional like a
Rin awe of the blacksmiths knife,” said Gadbois.
at Upper Canada Village and Gadbois works full-time as a

watching them forge tools out of truck driver, but still finds time
a piece of iron. He was always to be in his shop every day of the
interested in the metal arts, but it week and on weekends.
was not until he was an adult that he
took it up. It was his woodworking “Anything that puts a smile on
that eventually inspired him to someone’s face is my favourite
learn the art of blacksmithing item to make,” shared Gadbois.
so that he could create his own Some of Southpaw Forge’s
hinges, handles, and other pieces most popular products are
to incorporate.
knives. Gadbois does all his own
Gadbois has been studying the leatherwork as well, creating
art of blacksmithing for seven handmade sheaths for the knives.
years and has been forging for Southpaw Forge also offers
five. This led to the creation of blacksmith lessons and knife-
Southpaw Forge. making lessons, which will resume
“There’s a certain romance when once the lockdown ends.
involved when you heat up a piece To find out more about Southpaw
of steel to about 2,000 degrees, and Forge, visit their Facebook
you hit it with a hammer, and you Page or visit their website: Photos Submitted
shape it into something utilitarian. www.southpawforge.ca .