My brief career on stage

 As anyone will  tell you. I am not a shy person (or at least I don't think I am.) But I have a single caveat to that rule. I can speak to a crowd UNLESS it is a "performance."  Once it has any hint of being prewritten or rehearsed, I become a frozen statue, unable to behave in any reasonable way. All those of you working in the field of human psychology may have a "condition' you can point to but this baffles me.

I won't name the play or the venue as I would not want to spoil the "surprise" if you go.  A friend had invited me to attend last week and we had amazing seats in the first row. At intermission, my friend announced that it was just too loud; several other seniors agreed and they left.  I had taken out my hearing aids and decided to stay - I hate to not know the end of a  story.  Near the end of the second act, one of the actors singled me out and asked me to join her on the stage.  My role was simple and had no lines.  Unable to figure out how to decline without a fuss, I followed her to the stage. She explained what I was to do, and we did it,  Then she led me, a completely "frozen statue," back to my chair. I was shocked when people congratulated me on my way out of the theatre. It must have been irony!

 

 

 

 

Oscar Peterson at 100 (BY SHIRLEY)

When planning to write the blog this weekend, I had several topics in mind.  Then it all changed when P offered a ticket to "Oscar Peterson at 100" at Massey Hall.  The concert was truly amazing!

The event had twenty Canadian Jazz greats from 28 to 85 years old performing.  They had all been influenced by Oscar Peterson.  Bob Rae, our ambassador to the UN, spoke about his friendship with Oscar.  He talked about how proud Oscar was to be Canadian and to represent us globally.

Oscar could have lived anywhere but he chose to remain in Canada.  His influence was shown in the multi-generational group that performed on Saturday.  As Canadians, we sometimes forget how fabulous we are.

You can check out the list of performers by clicking on this link.  Oscar Peterson at Massey Hall. 

 P and I wished it had been recorded.

 

 

Our 3rd Annual Give a Breath 5 km walk fundraising event (BY BARB)

 

The serious threat of poor air quality, in Toronto at very high levels,  had many people worried (as in lack of sleep the night before) that the 3rd annual Give a Breath might not happen, but not only did the air quality index go down to acceptable levels but the weather itself cooperated (no mean feat after this winter and spring!) and it was a perfect day.  

Again, the TPW gang (and a few good men!) were instrumental in the planning and execution of another very successful event. True teamwork in action.  It was rewarding to see the smiles on participants' faces and they engaged in the pre and post walk activities.  Lots of children (including one quite famous grandson!) and we estimate that we had around 30 dogs -  also rewarded for their participation.! It really was a special family event, with fun and joy and the knowledge that we were all supporting such a worthy cause.  And from a personal perspective, I really do believe that this event - and the  other 5 held across the country - have shifted the public's mindset about lung cancer - its insidiousness and how it is affecting so many people - statistically a greater number of women than men that are being diagnosed with lung cancer despite never smoking. (Please see link below on the importance of screening) 

We had 216 registrations (including volunteers) so easily surpassed last year.  We are still waiting for the actual dollar amount raised here.  But we do know that our first ever Silent Auction also nudged the amounts higher than last year. 

And may I take this opportunity to thank all the TPW gang for their contributions, not only in work, but in wonderful collaboration and contribution to a fun filled event.  

https://peterattiamd.com/lung-cancer-screening/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_campaign=250608%20-%20nonsmoker%20lung%20cancer%20screening%20-%20Non%20Subs&utm_content=250608-NL-%2Flungcancerscreening-email-nonsubs&_kx=nyBqGFtcDlnjg89FIJ_N8WneqlONqCRv1MuRZ8GA-mv9HdQawBDKOTg26fcwOAGX.W9ibUh

Real Canadian Women (By DANIELLE)

 I am about to do something essentially Canadian – complain about the weather. But
really? It is June 1 st and eight degrees. The heat is on in my house, and I had to close
windows yesterday because the wind was making them rattle. On the other hand, the
sun is actually shining. The flowers in High Park and in all the neighbourhood gardens
(those the wind didn’t bring down) are bright and the smell of lilacs is in the air. So yes,
it is spring. And TPWers are out celebrating it. As some of us mentioned on our
Saturday walk, we seem to be attuned or perhaps modified by weather. We tolerate
gloom and grey skies, showing up in large numbers in rain and drizzle. We don’t just
brave miserable weather, we snub it. So much for you, nasty day, we say. We are here
and we are going to show you what REAL women do. We do not chicken out. Do we
complain? Yup. But when has that ever stopped us from getting together to walk the
distance? So next week, come what may, many of us will be gathering for an important
purpose, raising funds to fight lung cancer. We will do our best to ensure the Give a
Breath event is a success, and even those of us who can’t make the walk are planning
to make a donation in support of the charity and of our friend in whose honour TPW
began this tradition. If you would like to contribute, here is where you can do so:

Praise For Librarians

I just finished a book - a pretty good one but full of Christian references which I found a bit annoying. I would never suggest banning but as I thought about that, I was reminded about several heroic librarians who risked their careers and in some cases faced physical harm when they fought against book banning.  I found this little poem by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater from the books themselves..

A Thank You To Librarians

Thank you,librarians  For protecting our places here on the shelves 

You know the faces full of love and hope and doubt who come to browse and check us out.

We are the books .

Some want us banned because they will not understand ideas are deep  and wild as the sea and stories and facts must always be free-

free and safe on library shelves so humans can lose and find themselves or understand others they may never know.

When people read, they grow.

So, thank you, librarians, for your bravery and voices protecting our places and all readers choices.

With respect, 

The Books