Our Canada – August-September 2019

BULLETIN BOARD

PERFECT POSIES

Many years ago, I had a maiden

aunt named Florence Foreman.

Aunt Florence lived in a small,

quaint house behind the dunes of

the Point Abino Peninsula, along

the north shore of Lake Erie in

Ontario.

She was a dainty little lady

who was spotlessly dressed

and smelled of scented sachets.

During the summers, she worked

as a cleaning lady for a wealthy

American family at their com-

pound of large houses along

the lake. To make extra money,

she would rent her house to

vacationers. When she wasn’t

working, she’d spend the days at

her sister’s house nearby, and her

nights in a tiny cabin perched at

the back of her proper-

ty. In winter, she stayed

with another sister in the

town of Ridgeway, several

miles away.

Aunt Florence had few

visitors, but she did have her

thin-cushioned rocker and her

beloved romance novels. She also

had a secret, wildly romantic and

adventurous youth to remember,

one that would have satisfied

any Harlequin novel fan.

Aunt Florence did have one

enduring passion. On an oval

table in her living room lived

several amazing African violets.

In the centre of each plant was

a perfect “bouquet” of flowers.

Each clump of flowers was a

special colour. Some had white-

trimmed, wavy petals. Around

the bouquet was a circlet of dark

leaves, all the same size and

symmetry.

Never were houseplants better

cared for. They were moved

twice a day to keep them in in-

direct light, just beyond the edge

of any sunlight that might harm

the leaves. They were watered at

a specific time, being very sure

that no water touched a leaf.

As to the perfection of the

bouquet in the centre, it is a

simple, old-fashioned technique.

Aunt Florence showed me how

to pinch out each tiny leaf from

the centre of the plant as it

appears. The flower buds will

then rise up in the middle and

open together into a stunning

bouquet. The violets bloom for

a long time. They seem eager to

replace the bouquet soon after it

is finished, as blooming occurs

many times each year.

Marianne Van Osch,

Forest Grove, B.C.

HAVE YOU HEARD

THE ONE ABOUT

WIFE: “Our new neighbour

always kisses his wife when he

leaves for work. Why don’t

you do that?”

HUSBAND: “How can I? I don’t

even know her.”

S AY WHAT?David Fletcher of Courtenay, B.C., shares his

cartooning talents once again with this hilarious take on modern-day

family gatherings. Do you have a flair for funny cartoons?

Share your work at ourcanada.ca!

A modern family gathering:

“ We will now text grace...”

14 Our Canada AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019