All Entries in the "Margaret Haylock-Capon" Category
Your vote will help Loyalist Humane Society get to second round
It’s Liza here, reporting from the laundry room at the Loyalist Humane Society. My worst suspicions have been confirmed. Mrs. Moffat is determinedly playing matchmaker. She is desperate to hook me up with Franco. Last week, she sat me down beside his crate and suggested that we chat. I ignored him but he did not […]
Autumn on The Commons
“Indian Summer” Along the line of smoky hills The crimson forest stands, And all the day the blue-jay calls Throughout the autumn lands. Now by the brook the maple leans, With all his glory spread; And all the sumacs on the hills Have turned their green to red. Now, by great marshes wrapt in mist, […]
Birthdays are banner days wrapped in big red ribbons
Each fall, as my birthday approaches, I find myself recalling long ago childhood birthday parties on The Commons (Hill Street). Celebrations always took place in the home, for Ronald McDonald had not yet been born and there was no such thing as a DQ cake. Traditionally, my mother always baked an angel food cake for […]
Young exhibitor ‘gilded the geranium’ at The Picton Fair
By Margaret Haylock Capon In 1967, Canada’s centennial year, Picton Fair featured many special classes themed to this important occasion. As a first-time exhibitor, I was keen to enter as many of them as possible. After carefully reading the prize list, I chose several categories in the flower division and started making plans. My mother, […]
Picton fair was always an exciting school holiday
When I was a child, growing up on The Commons, Picton Fair was a highly anticipated event. Each fall, many of Prince Edward County’s elementary school pupils marched in the opening day parade. Practice sessions for the parade began, soon after our return to the classroom, in September. It was generally accepted that Mr. James […]
Teenager in the era of the jukebox
Hit songs of the sixties provided the soundtrack for my teenage years. Lines from classic tunes including Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini and The Battle of New Orleans still run through my head, on occasion. These were two of the catchy, sing-along songs that gently rocked my generation. In the summer of […]
Television was just a passing fad
Convinced that television was a passing fad, my father steadfastly refused to buy one of these newfangled inventions. When my school friends talked of watching Howdy Doody and Pinky Lee, I listened with envy, while fervently hoping that dad would change his mind. This seemed highly unlikely, but through unexpected circumstances, he finally agreed to […]
Freedom of summer fast becomes back-to-school
During my childhood summers on The Commons, August’s arrival always brought with it the knowledge that summer vacation was drawing to a close. Back-to-school advertisements began to appear in The Picton Gazette and The Times, as a reminder that I would soon be returning to classes. It was a bittersweet time. While I had enjoyed […]
Barn turned into a garage reminds of Old Stumblebum
The recent conversion of barn doors to garage doors at my late grandmother’s former home on The Commons, evoked long forgotten memories for me. A young widow when she moved to her new home on Hill Street, in 1919, granny had the barn built to stable one of her late husband’s favourite horses, a black […]
The drive to learn to drive
When growing up on The Commons, like most teenagers, I looked forward to the red-letter day when I would receive my driver’s licence. Unfortunately, my father did not anticipate this occasion with equal enthusiasm. Possibly, his negativity stemmed from my older sister Mary’s unfortunate experience as a new driver. As a teeanger, she had shown […]
