My mother and Maya meet at Museum London

Exhibit dazzles with its fresh smell, bright sheen | James Reaney | Columnists | Entertainment | London Free Press

It’s true — attitudes toward cleanliness have changed over the decades and so have the household appliances used in its pursuit

Maybe it’s the headless woman in the Hoover vacuum cleaner advertisement.

Maybe it’s the kitchenware on loan from London luminary Weezi and her mom.

Maybe it’s the clock that kept time for the Curnoe family over the decades.

Maybe it’s the displays of products like Laraxo — a hand cleaner — and Sinko. You don’t need help in IDing Sinko, do you?

Likely, it’s all of the above and everything else about the Museum London exhibition Spic and Span: A Recent History of Being Clean that makes it clean up so sweetly. The exhibition continues until June 12.

“By the turn of the 20th century, an extraordinary idea had taken hold across North America,” says the musem’s regional-history curator, Maya Hirschman, “that frequent bathing, even a daily bath, was good for your health. Spic and Span looks at how product design and savvy marketing caught up to this cultural change and transformed our society from one of backyard privies to multiple-bathroom homes filled with products promising ‘the brightest white.’ ”

Hirschman’s exhibition considers factors that marked a dramatic increase in the idea that cleaning is “women’s work.” It takes us from a big bathtub c. 1860 to a kitchen scene from the 1950s.

It doesn’t hurt that Hirschman has made the exhibition a joyful labour of love. She insisted on the use of the “celery-leaf” green tone that’s the perfect shade for the exhibition.

She has even enlisted an iconic image of her grandmother, Florence Hogenkamp, as Florence in the Kitchen. “She would do it — she was a nurse,” Hirschman says of the woman seen at the controls of a gleaming suburban Canadian kitchen in 1952.

To go with such splendid Canadiana, she’s also turned up some unintentionally hilarious relics from the gender-role wars. Among those would be that Hoover advertisement with the headless housewife. “Her head’s cut off,” Hirschman tells a visitor, who has been admiring it all on a stroll through Spic and Span. The image of the woman in the advertisement shows only what limbs she needs to manoeuvre that godlike Hoover. “The head is unimportant,” Hirschman says.

Like any fine exhibition, Spic and Span has room for new wonders. These arrived after Weezi, a.k.a Lisa Gaverluk, and her mom visited the exhibition and marvelled at the kitchen display.

“That’s so cool,” said one or the other — or both. Voila. More retro, classy items: enamel ware, small appliances and mixing bowls on loan for the kitchen.

By happy chance, the clock in that kitchen scene has an intimate connection with London and Canadian cultural history. It was a 1935 wedding gift. The clock was in the Curnoe family home in Old South London until it finally stopped in 1993. Glen Curnoe donated it to the museum.

More? Yes there is much more to Spic and Span.

What’s the most amazing attraction of the 60 on exhibit?

Maybe it’s two domestic-themed paintings by ace London artist Bernie Vincent.

Maybe it’s the . . . ah, you better get over there yourself and then tell me.

IF YOU GO

What: Spic and Span: A Recent History of Being Clean, a Museum London exhibition. On Sunday, 1 p.m., Dr. Shelley McKellar talks on Cholera and the Gospel of Sanitation: Disease and Public Health in Nineteenth-Century London, Ontario as part of museum’s free Sundays at One series.

When: Continues until June 12. Closed Mondays. Noon to 5 p.m., other days, except Thursdays, noon to 9 p.m.

Where: Museum London, 421 Ridout St. N.

Details: Admission by donation. Visit museumlondon.ca or call 519-661-0333.

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Spring is in the Air - Time to take stock.

Today marked the first official day of spring and the birds seem to agree. The weather was very acceptable, so I went to check my fish. They were active and aware to my delight. I can never get used to the idea that they live throughout the five cold months without a bit of food, completely oblivious to the freezing temperatures. They are lethargic but very much alive. What a joy to see them well. The most dangerous time for them is between now and when it warms up. I can't start to feed them until the temp is consistently over 55* F. This is when we find out how much winter has exhausted them.

The birds are coming back. Their song is animating the air. Robins, starlings, red-winged blackbirds, grackles, crows and waterfowl are returning. The mourning doves are cooing and courting, the cardinal pair are active while he sings so beautifully and the geese are flying overhead. Excitement is everywhere.

I celebrated my actual birthday on the 15th. It was a nice day, relaxing and reflective. My friend David H. had invited me to speak for his first AA anniversary. I brought him to his first meeting a year ago. I prayed for his success one day at a time, and was like a proud parent when he made it to this important date. It was an honour to speak for him at this important time.

I had not spoken at a meeting in a long while so it was important for me as well. Thirty-six years ago on February 19, I attended my first meeting and had my last drink. Telling my story again was an opportunity to take my own inventory. In revisiting my drunkalogue, I realized that I have now lived longer as a sober person than as a drunk. I drank for 21 years and ended up in a muddled mess. I've had 36 years to repair the damage and straighten out the mess. It's been a rough road at times with disappointments, deaths, despair and confusion. Life can be a bitch sometimes and learning to deal with it head on and sober, is not easy. But life is also so beautiful - full of joy, friendships, love, birth and accomplishment. The beauty of having lived it all sober for 36 years is that you remember and you grow from it all. In AA we tell newcomers that if they don't pick up a drink, one day at a time, it gets better. That is not precisely true. Life is life, good, bad and indifferent. It is what it is and doesn't get better. In sobriety we get better. We are able to cope better, make wise decisions, accept responsibility and change the things we can. Sobriety is a great gift for an alcoholic, and we are helped each step of the way by the collective strength of the group, the wise principles of the AA program and by faith in our Higher Power. I have so much to be grateful for and I must always remember that if I'm grateful, I can't be resentful. Those two emotions simply cannot coexist in a person.

So I thank David for the gift of friendship and his invitation to speak on his special day. I thank the fellowship of AA for being there for me and David and I thank my HP for allowing me to see another spring, for my precious sobriety, and for the lives of my fish and the returning birds.
It's a great life and it's my life and I love it - one day at a time.

This old broad can still party.

Yesterday I celebrated my forthcoming Birthday (March 15) with a pot luck dinner party for 20 of my nearest and dearest friends. I t has become a tradition that I have a party. Last year it was the opening of my art exhibition at The Blue Tomato Gallery. I can't pull that off annually, so I returned to a more traditional format of eating good food, drinking good wine and enjoying good talk. It is usually fairly casual. This year was no exception. I spent the two days leading up to Saturday cooking up a storm, with glazed ham, Swedish meatballs, Dutch sauerkraut, potato salad, and several cheeses. My friends added scalloped potatoes, Indian chicken curry with papadums, seafood and several other salads, vegetarian lasagna, breads,Greek yogurt, condiments and four types of cake and a pie.

This was accompanied by wine, beer and Perrier water and closed with coffee and tea. I have been feeding large groups for quite some time, so I have the buffet organization down to a science and with a few friends helping, it ran very smoothly. Judging by the group's animation, the laughter, and the complete silence while everyone was seriously eating, I know they all had a good time. A smaller hard- core of friends remained until after 1:00 AM and all left with doggie bags. Still, leftovers fill my fridge and we won't go hungry for several days.

My friends include artists, musicians, writers, a photographer or two, a web designer, some retired civil servants and an impresario. Add my student lodger, two pre-teens, a ten month old baby and, of course, me and we have a cross generational mix of happy people. Lubricate it all with enough wine, beer and juices to keep the conversation and the laughter flowing.

Once they all left, most of the clean up had happened, and the dish washer was loaded. I washed my wine glasses by hand today and put everything away slowly. Kathleen and I decided to ignore the arrival of Daylight Saving time today, and change the clocks slowly, one at a time throughout the day. I look around the house now and feel blessed with my friends and my life. The lovely flowers they all brought, are filling my rooms with scent and the colours of spring.

Thank you HP for another good year.

Chii Miigwetch, Chief Ralph.

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In deepest sympathy
Posted by claire hogenkamp (friend and colleague) On Tuesday, March 8, 2011

I am so profoundly sad about our loss off this treasured man. Chief Ralph was a sensitive and respectful man. Always the educator, he taught me to be still and listen. I did as he suggested and learned a lot about the people, history and guiding principles of Nawash First Nation. It was a valuable lesson.

I remember, with particular fondness, his unannounced visits to my Toronto office. He dropped in when he came from visiting his mother in a Toronto hospital. Chief Ralph would just arrive with his briefcase (a plastic shopping bag) to sit and rest, or show me some document, and we talked about life, my daughter and his concerns about his his mother. Ever so gently, he would probe for new developments in government thinking that could affect the negotiations. He was always respectful and sensitive to my concerns about confidentiality. He was a true gentleman.

I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve with three MNR negotiation teams (Nawash Commercial Fishing Rights) over ten years. That time, being patiently guided by Chief Ralph has been among the high points in my life's journey.

Our world is a better place for Chief Ralph Akiwenzi's time among us.

Claire Hogenkamp

CHIEF Ralph Ernest Akiwenzie

AKIWENZIE, CHIEF Ralph Ernest - Of Cape Croker passed away peacefully with family by his side at 8:20 a.m. on Friday, March 4, 2011, 6 days before his 65th birthday. Cherished brother of Jean of Oshawa, Rhonda of Toronto, Helen of Owen Sound, Donna Lynne of Toronto and step-brother of Orland of Toronto. Beloved nephew of Michael (Marge) Akiwenzie of Sault Ste. Marie, Harold Lamorandiere of Barrie and Ernestine (Lenny) Baldwin of Barrie. He will be sadly missed by nieces and nephews Michael of Curve Lake, Tarah of Toronto, Wilfred of Toronto, twins Lyndon of Prince Edward Island and Leah of Owen Sound, Danielle of Owen Sound, Priscilla Lynne of Toronto, Billie Jo Solomon of Winnipeg, Murrie-Jo Ducharme of Winnipeg, Murray Jr. of Wininipeg and Mickey of Winnipeg, great nieces and nephews Donna Jacobs of Curve Lake, Jenelle of Owen Sound and Michael of Toronto as well as many great nieces and nephews of Winnipeg. He was predeceased by his parents Donna (Lamorandiere) and Ernest Akiwenzie and brothers Carman and Murray. After graduating grade 13 at Wiarton & District High School, Chief Akiwenzie was the first native in Ontario to graduate from the Stratford Teachers College. After teaching in Stratford for 2 years, he returned to Cape Croker and continued to advocate for and teach his culture and language for 17 years, and obtained his Native Language Diploma through Lakehead University. Chief Akiwenzie was a strong community leader serving on Band Council for many years and then as Chief for 22 years. Visitation will be held at Chippewas of Nawash Community Centre, Cape Croker on Sunday March 6, 2011 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. and on Monday, March 7, 2011 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The mass to celebrate his life will be held at St. Mary's Catholic Church on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. Interment St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to the GEORGE FUNERAL HOME, Wiarton. Donations made to the Maadookii Senior Centre or Nawash Scholarship Fund would be appreciated by the family as expressions of sympathy. Condolences may be sent to the family through www.georgefuneralhome.com 9913294

BILL HENRY

Sun Times staff

The Chippewas of Nawash bid farewell Tuesday to Chief Ralph Akiwenzie, Cape Croker's longest serving elected chief.

St. Mary's Catholic Church and hall were filled with mourners and hundreds more crammed the Cape Croker community hall to watch a live broadcast of the funeral mass which began with a brief sweetgrass ceremony.

Chief Ralph Ernest Akiwenzie died Friday morning of cancer a few days short of his 65th birthday. He was remembered Tuesday for his quiet, determined, exemplary leadership and his 22 years of tireless and selfless work on behalf of the First Nation community.

"We've lost a teacher, a leader, a protector and a friend," Scott Lee, the interim chief and head band councillor said at the church. "It was his commitment to the community that drove him, not praise or power."

Lee highlighted some of Chief Akiwenzie's legacy, especially his role in helping reassert aboriginal fishing and hunting rights. He contributed $5,000 of his own money to the legal defence fund in the Jones-Nadjiwon court decision of 1993 in which Judge David Fairgrieves recognized the Saugeen Ojibway right to fish commercially in their traditional waters surrounding the Bruce Peninsula.

Chief Akiwenzie was also a key negotiator for three subsequent, court-ordered fishing agreements with the province of Ontario which implement those rights.

"He was tireless and instrumental in negotiating three fishing agreements which have begun to bring protection and peace to our waters and the fish," Lee said.

After the funeral mass, hundreds of people lined both sides of the road outside the community hall. They watched as the funeral procession of close to 40 vehicles slowly drove through the community and eventually made its way to the cemetery.

A feast was planned after at the hall, where several Ontario chiefs and others were to speak about Chief Akiwenzie.

Stand on guard for Canadian values.

The radical right in the US is making their democracy dysfunctional and threatening the very rights entrenched in their constitution. Reason and respect are being pummeled daily in media passing themselves off as legitimate. The USA is on the verge of another civil war but this one is psychlogical. The end result will be the same, destruction of institutions and traditions, corruption of unifying, fundamental values. Their precious democracy will be consumed from within and a religious oligarchy will assume control. The enemy to the US lifestyle will not crash the gates because it is already inside. I had hoped Obama would be able to harness the remaining democratic energy to overcome the cynicism, fear and religious fanaticism afoot in the country. But the forces of negativity are well organized and ruthless. They have captured middle America's innate racism and are using it to divide and conquer. There is little we in Canada can do but watch. It's not our country nor our battle.

When it comes to our own country, however, we can work now to prevent these divisive ideas and organizers from making inroads into our system of democracy. We have traditionally been political moderates with our own traditions, system of governance and institutions. We have been influenced by popular US culture, but in the crunch we do things our way.

The biggest danger to our way of life and our sense of fair play exists with the media today. Too few people own too much of the media. They promote their own narrow perspectives by promulgating schism where none exists. One such communications empire is Quebecor-Sun Media. Their basic philosophy is to make the most money with the least journalistic integrity possible. They walk in lock step with big business and the conservative establishment. Just as in the US, this wealthy minority seeks to command by closing down debate and balanced opinion. They too rail against the educated elite (Starbuckers) and the liberal left (silk underwear socialists).

Hence Sun Media purchased community newspapers and instituted an editorial policy that publishes all personal opinion pieces from the centre. Local papers no longer speak with
their communities' voices. They all speak with the same corporate voice espousing values that have little to do with the views in the local population. The letter that follows is my response to a particularly blatant barrage of neo-conservative hectoring. The Peterborough Examiner today bears no resemblance to the paper that was once edited by Robertson Davies and I am writing to remind them of that. It won't help, but at least I felt better. If a few people rouse themselves to respond we can remind Sun Media that some people still respect independent thought.

Peterborough Examiner
Re: The Comment Page
(formerly the editorial page when the local editor was allowed to have an opinion).


Dear Editors:

I must express my profound distaste with the tone of the Comment page and my regret at losing our Peterborough voice. The Peterborough Examiner has had a proud history in Canadian small daily newspaper publication. Over the years, even when I have not agreed with an editorial position, I could rely on a balanced perspective. We are not a homogeneous collection of like-minds in Peterborough. We have broad ranging beliefs and values, but one we commonly share is a belief in fairness and respect. This has been eroding since Sun Media has commandeered local editorial policy.

I almost didn't renew my subscription until you gave us some fine, in depth reporting on our Peterborough Transit System, and our health care delivery. This encouraged me to renew my subscription. Peterborough is my community and I love it. I really respect our citizens' common sense and open hearts and I look to our only daily newspaper to reflect those values. The tone of this recent editorial page doesn't represent me or my neighbours at all.

First Jim Merriam's extremely biased column against unions. A spectacularly one-sided perspective that is insulting to every honest hard-working union member in our community. The recession has seen huge concessions from unions to help save manufacturing industries on the brink. Local union members are active participants and donors in the United Way, Heart and Stroke, Cancer and myriad other fundraising campaigns. They are "us".

Then Michael Den Tandt's insulting and condescending piece about the people who are not conservative Rob Ford fans - he calls them "Starbuck Nation" and "silk underwear socialists". Wouldn't life be easy if people could so easily be categorized into Starbuckers or No Frillers. This is an insidious form of snobbery intended to create division where none exists. Most of the people I know, shop at several stores from The Superstore to No Frills because they go where it's convenient and where there are sales. I also meet my neighbours and friends in places like Starbucks, Tim Horten's and in local businesses such as Natas or Dreams of Beans. We switch around according to inclination and location. In Peterborough we are not so polarized that we won't have a cup of coffee together.

He goes on to lump CBC's Ken Finkleman, Jian Ghomeshi and David Suzuki together (in silk underwear at Starbucks), as emblems of the satanic liberal left. The first two are popular with a younger demographic who are not politically entrenched but David Suzuki is indeed popular with, among others, the liberal left. Sun Media never misses an opportunity to demonize the CBC even when it's not relevant. CBC fans are also "us"

Finally we get Christina Blizzard' oblique piece about union and Liberal support for a very boring and ineffective commercial that bought time on Oscar night. Special Interests work both ways so I won't even glorify this column with further discussion.

They are entitled to their points of view and space in any publication. But not all three, side by side, in my community newspaper at the same time. It's bad editorial policy. Where is the balance and how does this come close to our community values? This is extreme political bias passing itself off as serious discussion. It's brain washing and an insult to the Examiner's readers and to Peterborough's tradition of fair play.

Sincerely,

CH

Wake up animal lovers.

It's March 1. How is this possible when it was February yesterday? Help, where is my life rushing too so fast. I was complaining about the long dark winter in December and now the days are lengthening. In fact, daylight is a full two hours longer now than in December. Can spring be far behind?

Willy is overjoyed to go outside these days. He gets so excited even though he doesn't stay out more than an hour. Each evening, we are visited by a variety of neighbourhood cats as they are gearing up for mating season. There will be yet another crop of kittens to add to the feral cat population. I'm astonished at the number of "in tact" pet cats there are in my area. It baffles me how people just ignore all the information about the dangers to song birds and wildlife from the increasing cat population.

Wake up folks. Your roaming tabby is also a danger to himself and other cats. Feline Immune- deficiency Virus (FIV/Aids) is becoming a serious cat disease that is very infectious, and for which there is no cure. It is a lingering, wasting disorder that is spread through bites and sexual intercourse. Un-neutered Toms fight a lot in mating season and the female in heat gets a double whammy because the Tom bites her to pin her for mating. She then passes the disease to her kittens. If your neutered Fluffy is allowed out even briefly, and gets caught up in a territorial skirmish, there is a strong chance she/he will come home with FIV.

FIV is not dangerous to humans or other animal species, so you and Fido will not get sick. Alas, Fluffy will be symptom free until the immune system begins to break down. Then, like a human Aids sufferer, the poor cat will succumb to all kinds of illnesses. When that happens, and the family feline starts to need veterinary care, the same irresponsible people will likely abandon Fluffy somewhere across town, to die alone, from hunger, thirst and stress.

A cat is not a disposable toy - cute as a kitten, but a challenge as it grows up. Cats suffer from neglect, indifference, superstition, ignorance and worst of all, abuse. Their very independence and self- sufficiency makes cats ready targets for mistreatment. It's assumed that they can cope without human intervention but their coping skills (hunting) cause the damage to birds and wildlife. Cats are damned for their hunting ability while also abandoned to rely on hunting to survive. This so called *cat problem* is really a human problem. We bring them into our lives, but accept no responsibility for them. Of course there are also good cat people, who do the right things for their pets. This is not addressed to them. This is for all the folks who still think its better to let Fluffy lead a "natural" life, and about the people who are cruel in their ignorance.

Spring is coming and Willy is so excited. So are all his neighborhood buddies. It's such a joy to watch him play and sit in the sun. I wish for every cat to have a patch of sun to sit in, and carefree games to play under the watchful eyes of loving humans.