Yasashiikuma

What do you get when you put a class of 33 exceptionally bright children together, with a teacher who is tasked with getting them through 3 grades in 2 years?

Class of 64-65
Back Row – Carey Green, Alden Dychtenberg, Jack Newton, Hanna Gavendo, Paula Turk, Richard Borchiver, Tom Rebane, Grant Gold
Second from Rear – Lisa Ozak, Randy Charendoff, Karen Small, Maxine Gilman, Ronnie Savlov, Brian Erenworth, Billy Clarke, Lorne Freedman
Second from Front – Michael Rotenberg, Shelley Schlifer, Sheryl Lipton, Ronnie Dale, Eric Gurofsky, Laura Shapiro, Fern Kirsch, Barby Wolfish, Joanne Orzy
Front: Ellen Nissenbaum, Lynn Grader, Michelle Shanker, Harriett Heller, Linda Risman, Anne Burke, Karen Shenfeld, Brenda Steiner

Class of 65-66
Back Row - Michael Rotenberg, Cindy Joseph, Maxine Gilman, Alden Dychtenberg, Richard Borchiver, Paula Turk, Hanna Gavendo, Jack Newton, Billy Clarke, Fern Kirsch
Second from Rear - Sheryl Lipton, Neil Stein, Lorne Freedman, Tom Rebane, Grant Gold, Ron Dale, Ron Savlov, Frances Tozman, Mrs. Telfer
Second from Front - Barby Wolfish, Karen Small, Joanne Orzy, Lisa Osak, Laura Shapiro, Eric Gurofsky, Paul Truster
Front – Shelley Schlifer, Brenda Steiner, Karen Shenfeld, Harriet Heller, Michelle Shanker, Anne Burke, Ellen Nissenbaum, Linda Risman

First you end up with a bunch of students who are most likely more bonded than normal because most of their class was kept intact with a few exceptions.

Second you get a class full of lawyers, accountants, doctors, pharmacists, surgeons, dentists, movie producers, and other professionals far beyond the normal distribution in the general population.

In 1985, three of us, Paul Truster, Lynn Grader (now Mercer) and myself, attended our high school reunion together at William Lyon Mackenzie C.I. in Downsview. It was a disappointing evening and we all agreed that the teacher who had made the greatest impact on our lives was Mrs. Telfer.

Paul asked, “I wonder what ever happened to her”

So on the Monday I contacted the North York Board of Education (or as we wrote on our notebooks BORED of Education). I asked if they could tell me where I could find Mrs. Telfer.

The receptionist said “Well, IF she’s still alive, she retired to Clakson in the 1970’s”.

Next step was to call my friend Bill Long in Mississauga and say “Give me all the Telfer’s in your phone book”.

The first two calls, no one answered. The third call a woman answered the phone.

I said “I’m trying to locate a Mrs. Telfer who taught at Wilmington Avenue Public School in the mid-60’s”.

“Why?”, she said.

“Well a group of us were at our high school reunion and we started talking about her and wondering how she is.”

“Who is this?”, she asked.

“Well, my name is Shelley Camm, but back then it was Shelley Schlifer”.

“OH MY GOD, Shelley!!”, and a two hour telephone conversation ensued. I called Lynn and Paul to tell them I had found her, and the idea of reuniting the class took place.

Not in any particular order, and with names I can remember, here are photos, courtesy of Frances Tozman (now Kraft), of that reunion.

It was an amazing evening, catching up with everyone. Mrs. Telfer recognized everyone as they walked through the door, which was better than I could do! She also led us through the songs that we sang in choir competition. (does anyone remember if we won?!?)

Mrs. Telfer, Lynn Grader & Paul Truster

Standing at the back – Paul Truster, Harriet Heller, Ron Savlov
Kneeling in the striped blouse – Lisa Osak
On the chair – Sheryl Lipton
Sitting on the floor – Hanna Gavendo

Left to right: Frances Tozman, I think Brian Ehrenworth, ??, and Fern Kirsch

Joanne Orzy with Mrs. Telfer

Mrs. Telfer and Hanna Gavendo

Frances Tozman and me

One of my cake creations

Mr. Telfer

Michelle Shanker and Ron Savlov

Left to right: Harriet Heller, Mrs. Telfer, Lisa Osak, Hanna Gavendo, Frances Tozman

So now another twenty-four years have passed, and Facebook has once again reunited us in cyberspace. Lynn, who has remained a good friend since childhood but now lives in North Carolina, is coming up to visit in a couple of weeks. Once again the idea has formed and we are having another reunion!!

Reunion 2009 is becoming very exciting with almost all of the class contacted and a good number planning on attending.

We are spread out all over the continent now – from Hollywood (Hi Mike!!!) east to North Carolina, north to Ontario, and west to Calgary (Hi Jack!!).

Unfortunately we are still unable to find the three class members with the most popular names. If anyone knows of a Billy Clark who went to Wilmington and ended up playing for the Kitchener Rangers one season – we want to know! And Karen Small, who’s dad worked for Dehaviland, and lived on Waterloo before moving out of the area – we want you too! And last but defnitely not least, Maxine Gilman who also moved out of the area.

Otherwise looking forward to seeing everyone at Reunion 2009. If you need the words to “The Pigeons in the Market Square” or “Grasshopper Green” – let me know, I’ve found them online

I also managed to find two of Mrs. Telfer’s sons. One unfortunately, Jay, died just about a month ago. He had apparently written about our reunion in a blog online and we were trying to find him to invite him to the reunion since his parents are no longer with us. I believe another son, Ian, is CEO for Goldcorp, Inc. and a woman who has two corgis from me, and is involved in the same charity as he is, has given me information to try and contact him.

It looks like Chris has decided that I’m not quite ready to do without him. Today I went shopping with a dragonfly. For anyone who is a new reader to the blog you should read the posts here and here and here to underestand the significance.

Once again the gardens have been stripped of the excess growth, and unfortunately a large number of the perennials that had not yet identified themselves clearly. So I had to go shopping to buy replacements, and some annuals to add some colour to the garden.

I went to the Walmart garden centre down in Orangeville, and as I was looking at a plant trying to decide if I wanted it – a small dragonfly landed on it and looked right at me. It only lighted for a second and then hovered over to a slightly healthier pot of the same plant. So I picked it up instead.

This happened during my entire shopping trip. This dragonfly stayed with me, hovering from plant to plant drawing my attention to a few I hadn’t even considered.

I think I have a screw that is working itself loose, but these are Chris’ (or the dragonfly’s) choices for the garden this year

This is my second Dragonfly encounter this week. On Tuesday I had to go down to Toronto for a job interview. Having to drive in Toronto traffic, as well as getting stuck in a construction zone, made me a little rattled, since instead of having 45 minutes till my interview I was down to 10 and I still needed to park and figure out where the offices were. I finally found a parking spot, and a dragonfly landed on my windshield. It hovered up and down a few times, and when I got out of the truck, it came within 3 inches of my face – and then flew off.

If it was meant to calm me, it did. If it was a dragonfly version of a goodluck kiss, it worked. More next week.

TEMPERATURE AT 10:30 A.M

Today promises to be another brutally hot day outside. At 10:30 it was already 92 degrees, so the dogs are staying in the house even though their new kennel runs are finished.

Below are three pictures of where the kennel is at. I still need to get the doors finished and the interior in shape for the dogs to be in there during the day.

There are now 4 runs – 2 that are 10×10 and 2 that are 8×8. All of the runs will have a door to go into a separate interior pen in the building.

Between the two 10×10 runs is a 4 foot high wall. In this way none of the occupants of the runs can see the occupants of any other run. That should hopefully prevent the Fun Police (aka Rocky) from engaging in any prolonged barking because someone else is playing in which she isn’t included.

The remaining area is one huge gravel play area where puppies can play, or the big guy can be loose in.

Along with the kennel – the gardens are being whipped into shape in the front. The problem is that every year a pile of the prior years perennials get pulled out This is getting to be expensive!

The grass in the rear is still being left for the horses. Here is Manitou, first just after the vet and now two weeks past his dental work. The poor old guy was looking very rough – but from the second picture you can see that he is starting to get some shine back into his coat and some more weight on his bones. Hopefully another few weeks and he’ll be back to himself fully again. This winter I am going to have no choice but to find somewhere to board them….it is impossible to find a reliable person to look after them while I am at work.

Here are three beautiful views that I shot this weekend.

First, here is Dolly free-stacked in the sunshine at the Monarch Kennel Club show. I so hope that she holds onto that coat for at least another two months!! I don’t want to be showing her in her underwear at Western Reserve again.

These two shots were taken at the same place facing in different directions. When I say that I live at the highest point of Ontario it means everything is downhill from here. I was on my way to pick up Dolly from Colin and noticed this view and had to capture it. This is going down the escarpment to the east.

I’ll need to try and remember to take my binoculars next time. I think the line of white on the right side is hangars at Base Borden but I’m not sure.

This is the view from the same spot looking south.

This is God’s country.