A loaf of paska from the Mennonite Girls Can Cook website
Paska is a special kind of bread, on the sweeter side, usually served with icing. It is an Easter tradition Mennonites picked up during their sojourn in Ukraine.
When I was growing up our family received paska each Easter from my mother’s friend Agnes. She always made us a loaf of paska bread and six paska buns all beautifully iced and decorated, one for each member of our family.
Our rented house on Kroeker Avenue.
In the 1960s our second home in Steinbach was a rented house on Kroeker Avenue. Mrs. Agnes Gerbrandt lived just two doors down. She and my mother became friends.
Mom was raising four children but Mrs. Gerbrandt was raising ten and she was a widow. My parents tried to help her out in a variety of ways and she never forgot that.
Agnes and my Mom at my parents’ 60th wedding anniversary
When we moved after two years Mom and Agnes remained friends and Agnes started bringing us her delicious paska every Easter.
Many years later when my Mom was ill and hospitalized for extended periods Agnes was one of her most faithful visitors.
Both my Mom and Agnes have passed away but this morning when I am attending the paska breakfast at my church I will be thinking about both of them.
My friends and I had lunch at 529 Wellington on Wednesday.
We were celebrating a birthday.
529 Wellington was a former home and we had lunch in the library
The crisp white linen, gleaming silverware, sparkling glasses, artistically presented and delicious food, historic decor, our friendly professional waiter, the attentive maître and a lovely view out the window made for a perfect setting.
“It was so elegant,” one of my friends said later and noted that the beautiful surroundings and attentive staff made her feel like an elegant lady during our time there.
The restaurant has a special connection for me because it was once the home of James and Susan Ashdown and their family. I live in another building owned by the Ashdowns.
James Ashdown
Mr. Ashdown also known as The Merchant Prince owned one of the largest hardware stores in Canada. He became the mayor of Winnipeg in 1908 and a millionaire in 1910.
I live in the Ashdown Warehouse on Bannatyne Avenue.
That’s where Mr. Ashdown stored the goods for his hardware store which was just down the block and across Main Street. The former warehouse has been converted intoa hundred condo units.
Mr. and Mrs. Ashdown’s house at 529 Wellington was designed by architect John Russell and built in a Tudor English architecture style. It featured dark polished wood and heavy furniture. The Ashdowns moved into the house in 1913.
Mr. James Ashdown died in 1924 and his wife Susan in 1928 but their two daughters Louise and Lillian lived in the Wellington Crescent House till 1952 when they sold it to the Shriners, a charity organization, who held their meetings there.
The Shriners sold it to WOW Hospitality in 1999 and it became a restaurant.
About ten years ago when I was at 529 Wellington for lunch the friendly maître d’ gave me a tour of the house and patio and told me that an Ashdown granddaughter still sometimes came there to dine.
My friend opened her birthday gifts and cards at our table in the former library of the house
I am sure when the Ashdown family lived in the house a hundred years ago, it was an elegant place and many family celebrations and parties were held there.
The house remains an elegant place, and perhaps the Ashdown family would be happy to know that celebrations like birthdays are still going on there.
I took a photo of this painting of Veronica in the Louvre in Paris. It was painted in 1508 by Lorenza Costa.
Although I heard the story of the crucifixion of Jesus told many, many times during my childhood no one ever mentioned Veronica.
I only discovered her when I began my decades long quest to learn more about the women associated with Biblical narratives.
Veronica is a woman who plays a significant role in the well-known series of events that happen to Jesus on Good Friday, the last day of his life.
I photographed this image of Veronica in the Abbey at Celles-sur-Belle in France
Veronica does not make an appearance in the traditional Biblical gospels but her story is inthe apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus in a section called the Acts of Pilate.
I photographed this art piece of Jesus and Veronica in the San Fernando Cathedral in San Antoniojust last month
The stations of the cross are fourteen images found on the walls of Catholic churches around the world. They illustrate fourteen significant events that happen to Jesus on Good Friday.
Veronica is always depicted in the sixth station.
I photographed this inscription honouring Veronica on the Via Delorosa (Way of the Cross) in Jerusalem
When Jesus was walking to Calvary carrying his cross Veronica was so moved with sympathy for him that she took off her veil and wiped Jesus’ face with it.
Veronica’s Veil a piece by an Ecuadorian artist from the 1800s. I photographed it in the San Antonio Art Gallery
In some versions of the Veronica story an image of Jesus remains on her veil after she uses it to wipe his face.
I photographed this statue of Veronica at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican in Rome
Veronica was obviously a very compassionate and kind person.
I photographed this image of Veronica in theChurch of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in Liberia, Costa Rica
Veronica was also very courageous. Jesus was about to be crucified like a criminal. To be identified as a supporter of his was dangerous, dangerous enough that one of his disciples denied even knowing him.
I photographed this sixth station of the cross featuring Veronica in a cathedral in Faro, Portugal.
But Veronica doesn’t worry about her own safety she is just concerned about doing something kind for Jesus.
I photographed this image from the sixth station of the cross in the Bayeux Cathedral in Bayeux France
On this Good Friday Veronica can act as an example to us of the importance of showing kindness and compassion to others even when doing so can be challenging and risky.
One need only think of the Doctors Without Borders staff working in Haiti, a country currently rocked with violence, or the United Nations aide workers killed while distributing food in Gaza, or the school teachers who died while trying to protect their students during a bombing in Ukraine to know there are many Veronicas out there in our world right now showing compassion and kindness even though it’s dangerous.
I photographed this image of Veronica and Jesus in the Church of the Beatitudes in Tiberius Israel
Dad and his fellow interns at St. Boniface Hospital in the late 1950s. Note that there is only one woman in the group.
In 1961 there was one doctor for every 1000 people in Canada and now there are 2.5 doctors for every 1000 people in Canada. We have more doctors than we have ever had and yet there is a shortage. Why?
I have read lots of articles that attribute that shortage to the feminization of the medical profession. 90% of doctors were men in 1978 and today only 60% of doctors are men.
The theory has been that one reason we are short of physicians is because female doctors with children are working fewer hours, even though overall doctors are still working longer hours per week than the average Canadian.
But a new study shows that one of the key reasons for the decline in the availability of medical care to Canadians is that married male doctors have cut way back on the number of hours they work per week. Why?
My mom was the primary caregiver when we were growing up
Surveys begun in the 1960s indicate that in the past,the typical married male doctor worked long hours while his partner didn’t work outside the home devoting themselves instead to child care and home care.
This has changed. With most of their partners working outside the home, married male doctors have to, and want to, step in and help more with their families. Many want to achieve a better work-life balance.
I am all for that.
My Dad doing surgery
I meet people all the time who extoll my hard working father, a medical doctor in a rural community when I was growing up. They praise his availability, the way he made house calls and went out of his way to provide them with excellent medical care.
I used to just thank them for their kind comments but lately I’ve been pointing out how all that great medical care came at the expense of his family who got to spend very little time with him because our Dad was always working!
I think it’s great that married male doctors are exchanging the kind of working life my Dad had for one that allows them to be more involved with their families.
Today there is an expectation both parents will be heavily involved in child care
This reflects a trend in all of society where work life balance and the importance of both parents being involved with raising children is recognized.
Many present day physicians are adamant that they don’t want their medical careers to make them absentee parents.
Dr. Michelle Cohen who studies disparities between men and women in the medical field says the influx of women into the profession has helped to make it more humane since female physicians have demanded reasonable work hours so they can care for their families. This has given male doctors permission to do the same thing.
We do have a doctor shortage in Canada and that’s not a good thing but………. the fact that doctors are working shorter hours and spending more time with their families is a good thing.
Red River cereal, a mixture of flax seeds, cracked wheat and rye, was a staple in my home growing up. My father loved it and it was a regular breakfast offering at our house. We ate it hot with milk and brown sugar.
I wanted to mention the cereal in a book I’m writing set in the 1930s so I started doing some research.
I discovered an interesting series of blog posts by Ruth Zaryski Jackson about her husband’s aunt Gertrude Edna Skilling who was the inventor of Red River Cereal.
Gertrude, affectionately known as Gert, was born in 1887 in Teeswater Ontario. Her Dad John was a music teacher who sold musical instruments and sewing machines. Her Mom Agnes was a homemaker who had ten children.
Gert became a teacher and accepted a job in Calgary where she met and married Harvey Kavaner in 1915. They had three children. The couple moved to Winnipeg in 1920 when Harvey became the President of the Red River Grain Company and a member of the Winnipeg Grain Exchange.
It was in Winnipeg in 1924 that Gert began experimenting in her kitchen grinding and mixing various amounts of rye, flax and wheat to create a new cereal.
In 1926 Gert and her family members handed out free samples of the new cereal with cream in the Food Building at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto.
The cereal was patented in 1929 by Gert’s husband Harvey. It was named after the Red River Valley in Manitoba. Unfortunately Gertrude’s name did not appear on the patent so she was never given credit for inventing the cereal.
Gert and Harvey had a lovely home at 901 Wellington Crescent in Winnipeg. Unfortunately due to the stock market crash and the ensuing financial repercussions they had to sell it and moved to 1095 Wolseley Avenue.
You can learn more about Gertrude in this blog post by her sister Agnes and more about Gertrude’s husband Harvey in this historical entry by Gordon Goldsborough. Gertrude died in 1946.
Red River cereal has been manufactured by a variety of companies over the years Maple Leaf, Robin Hood and Smuckers. In 2020, Smucker Foods decided to stop distributing the cereal in Canada and in 2021 ceased production of it entirely.
Happily in 2022 Arva Flour Mills based in Ontario acquired the brand from Smucker Foods and began to manufacture and distribute it in stores again. Arva says it has become a very successful seller for them and they have been hard pressed to keep up with the demand for the cereal.
Red River Cereal was a part of my childhood experience but I haven’t had any in a long time.
I looked online and it is available at many Winnipeg grocers including quite appropriately the Red River Valley Co-op on Grant Avenue.
The Jewish holiday of Purim started at sundown yesterday and will end this evening. Purim celebrates Queen Esther who has an entire book of the Bible named after her. It tells the story of how she saved the Jewish people from being annihilated by an evil official named Haman.
I’ve told Esther’s story illustrated by some famous paintings in a previous post.
With Harriet at the launch of my novel Sixties Girl
Recently when I had lunch with my friend Harriet she brought me a bag of Hamantashen, a traditional treat made for the holiday of Purim. They were delicious. I had never had Hamantashen before.
My husband and I had eaten them all before I remembered I should have taken a photo.
Photo of Hamantashen by Harriet Zaidman
Luckily Harriet has a blog called North End Nosh where she features her favourite recipes and it includes a recipe for Hamantashen and a great photo of a plate full of them.
In this painting of a traditional Purim holiday celebration by Arthur Szyk you can see the Hamantashen on a plate on the table
Hamantashen made from dried apricots, dates, prunes, raisins and marmalade are named after Haman the villain in the Queen Esther story. He was defeated by Queen Esther’s brave intervention with King Ahasuerus.
I admire Queen Esther and am glad there is a holiday to celebrate her since stories about courageous and memorable women, are totally outnumbered by stories featuring men in the Bible.
Learning about tasty Hamantashen gives me another reason to appreciate Purim as a holiday. Of course I’d encourage you to try making them with Harriet’s recipe but if you are in a hurry I’ve seen a post on the Gunn’s Bakery Page informing people that they make Hamantashen for Purim too.
My husband Dave posing with the Olympic rings outside the Paris City Hall last summer
I was surprised to learn from the New York Times puzzle Connections this morning that break dancing will be an event at this summer’s Olympicsin Paris. It will be called simply breaking.
Photo of break dancer from Public Domain Sports Photography
According to the official Paris Olympics websitebreaking is an urban dance style that became popular in United States in the 1970s. With roots in hip-hop culture, breaking developed during block parties in the Bronx borough of New York. It is characterized by acrobatic movements and stylized footwork.
The official symbol for Breaking at the Olympics
Adding breaking is an attempt by the Olympic committee to include sports in the games that will attract a younger audience, don’t need an expensive purpose built venue, and will help reach the 50/50 gender balance the games have been striving to achieve.
According to a column by Megan Lalonde in Pique Magazine it should also be noted that the sport originates in communities of colour, something else that may have impressed the Olympic committee anxious to add more diversity to the games.
Photo of Sunny Choi by Anthony Geathers for ESPN
I read a fascinating article on the ESPN website about Sunny Choi a young woman of Korean descent who will represent the United States in breaking at the Olympics. She has left a hugely successful career as an Estée Lauder executive to pursue the sport full time.
Photo from Sports Photography Public Domain
The inclusion of breaking in the Olympics has created controversy. Some articles point out it is viable as an Olympic sport because it requires athletic strength and finesse, mental sharpness and confidence, while others argue it is an art form and not a sport.
I suspect the Olympics needs to keep changing the sports they include in the games in order to stay relevant and financially viable.
Will adding breaking to their roster of events help them achieve those goals?
I discovered it’sthe catchy name given to young kids who are flocking to cosmetics counters to buy pricey beauty products they have seen advertised on social media, particularly TikTok.
Girls are being enticed to buy all kinds of products for a complete skin care regime
Sephora is the name of a French retailer of beauty and personal care products with some 340 brands that are sold across North America and Europe. One of the reasons girls as young as eight like to shop at their nearly 4000 retail establishments for skin care products is because they give away lots of free samples and you can try things before you buy them.
What has dermatologists worried however is that many young girls are buying products designed for adult women and that is causing allergic reactions, an increase in acne, rashes and even skin burns.
It didn’t take me long to find an excellent article by Elsie Hu about Sephora Tweens in the February issue of The Atlantic. Hu questions whether it is ethical for beauty product companies to target kids who are being influenced to buy skin care products they don’t need at the very time when their skin is at its most youthful and wrinkle-free.
Although we tell girls that how they look isn’t what counts, that their minds and hearts are more important than their bodies, that message is being countered by online advertisers and influencers who are telling them something very different.
What Next? 