Happy Birthday Ed and many happy returns. Your review of history brought back memories and reminded me that I tend to bunch my past as "of course" versus reviewing events in context. I have 10 years on you, so a few more experiences. I lived in Calgary and being referred to as Newf, and variations with qualifiers there of, was supposed to be a sign of acceptance and friendliness, it wasn't. Finish the Drive in 65 was an event that I do recall because I can remember my father making a comment as we drove across the TCH where it intersected with the Salmonier Line out by Holyrood. It wasn't a complimentary one about our Premier for Life at the time.
Thanks, Jim. I’ve had a set of notes in my head for a while now since I read Finton O’Toole’s book “we hardly know ourselves“. He traces modern Irish history from the year of his birth in 1958. And it struck me as being a useful way to think about Newfoundland and Labrador if nothing else. So this today is sort of an accrued way of doing the same thing with some personal revelation thrown in. Someone told me once that she liked what I was writing because I took ideas that she had done or talked about in university and applied them locally instead of looking at somebody else’s society. Well, that’s the same sort of thing but really driving at home that these transformations that we’ve seen have occurred in our lifetime is yours and mine and they’re still going on.
Just terrific. My first job today was to email my NP as to ongoing health issues. When I saw you had posted, and saw the title "Now I'm 64", I started to read your's first. My wife was so interested, that when I got half way, and saw it was fairly long, I paused for a break (SOB, medical term), and she said "I wants to hear the rest of it ". I then took time and emailed my NP., as my wife was gone for a walk, and I returned to what is your best post yet, (in my opinion), as it is personal reflections, and as there are so many similarities in out careers, and some big differences in our abilities. The second half was a good or better than the first. Now I have to, a little later, finish reading it to my wife. Keep Truckin.
The odds on numbers, that of 64. First the Beatles and Harry Hibbs song about that age. When reading it hit me at once, it was age 64 when my father died, I was age 6 , as was Ed's father when his father died. Today in the Atlantic they have piece on Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan, now 64 years since both recorded their first song, yet both still going strong performing, into their 80s. Someone has written about how to grow old gracefully, I guess maybe 65 is officially old. On passing age 64, I felt ok that I had not died yet, and now age 78, an extra 14 years, and always aware most start to decline at age 50. When older, a multitude of things is happening, with things breaking down, like the old Nlfd Hydro thermal units at Holyrood, or those old gas turbines, or a computer now a bit obsolete, as to memory capability. operable but needing a bit of TLC. Ed is yet a mere youngster, but wise beyond his years. I was born a Nflder, Ed already long a Canadian, and Confederation benefits already on the march, but not forgetting his unique Nfld roots. Before me, a 47 vintage, was the generation that lived through the Great Depression, and WW2, when few could read or write. So little written accounts of the first 3 centuries of life in this province, and the sacrifices to survive. Unlike Ed, by skill set, mine was mostly math, but second, thankfully, was an interest in history. To hear first hand the stories of old people, some born in the 1800s, it was amazing, and I recorded many of those stories. Hope Ed, your mind stays active and good for many more years. Great to hear of your ancestors struggles and that it not be forgotten. I think the Quiet Revolution of shedding church control in Quebec happened in the 1960s, 3 decades earlier? Harvard started in the 1600s? MUN, now age 100 years old, but started as a college, a mere century ago, was helped along by Carnige donations, from the USA? Danny Williams a Rhodes Scholar, ............yet, led us the Muskrat Falls boondoggle!!!. Sometimes seems we're going backwards, h'ey b'y. You trying to steer us forward, to remember our history, and learn lessons.
Your article brings back many memories and realization of the tremendous changes that occurred over our life times. I was in university when you were born and going from kerosene lamps and a one room school to a university grad in little over a decade was a ride. The following decades you recall are also my memories.Thanks for helping me recall them.
Happy Birthday Ed and many happy returns. Your review of history brought back memories and reminded me that I tend to bunch my past as "of course" versus reviewing events in context. I have 10 years on you, so a few more experiences. I lived in Calgary and being referred to as Newf, and variations with qualifiers there of, was supposed to be a sign of acceptance and friendliness, it wasn't. Finish the Drive in 65 was an event that I do recall because I can remember my father making a comment as we drove across the TCH where it intersected with the Salmonier Line out by Holyrood. It wasn't a complimentary one about our Premier for Life at the time.
Thanks, Jim. I’ve had a set of notes in my head for a while now since I read Finton O’Toole’s book “we hardly know ourselves“. He traces modern Irish history from the year of his birth in 1958. And it struck me as being a useful way to think about Newfoundland and Labrador if nothing else. So this today is sort of an accrued way of doing the same thing with some personal revelation thrown in. Someone told me once that she liked what I was writing because I took ideas that she had done or talked about in university and applied them locally instead of looking at somebody else’s society. Well, that’s the same sort of thing but really driving at home that these transformations that we’ve seen have occurred in our lifetime is yours and mine and they’re still going on.
Just terrific. My first job today was to email my NP as to ongoing health issues. When I saw you had posted, and saw the title "Now I'm 64", I started to read your's first. My wife was so interested, that when I got half way, and saw it was fairly long, I paused for a break (SOB, medical term), and she said "I wants to hear the rest of it ". I then took time and emailed my NP., as my wife was gone for a walk, and I returned to what is your best post yet, (in my opinion), as it is personal reflections, and as there are so many similarities in out careers, and some big differences in our abilities. The second half was a good or better than the first. Now I have to, a little later, finish reading it to my wife. Keep Truckin.
The odds on numbers, that of 64. First the Beatles and Harry Hibbs song about that age. When reading it hit me at once, it was age 64 when my father died, I was age 6 , as was Ed's father when his father died. Today in the Atlantic they have piece on Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan, now 64 years since both recorded their first song, yet both still going strong performing, into their 80s. Someone has written about how to grow old gracefully, I guess maybe 65 is officially old. On passing age 64, I felt ok that I had not died yet, and now age 78, an extra 14 years, and always aware most start to decline at age 50. When older, a multitude of things is happening, with things breaking down, like the old Nlfd Hydro thermal units at Holyrood, or those old gas turbines, or a computer now a bit obsolete, as to memory capability. operable but needing a bit of TLC. Ed is yet a mere youngster, but wise beyond his years. I was born a Nflder, Ed already long a Canadian, and Confederation benefits already on the march, but not forgetting his unique Nfld roots. Before me, a 47 vintage, was the generation that lived through the Great Depression, and WW2, when few could read or write. So little written accounts of the first 3 centuries of life in this province, and the sacrifices to survive. Unlike Ed, by skill set, mine was mostly math, but second, thankfully, was an interest in history. To hear first hand the stories of old people, some born in the 1800s, it was amazing, and I recorded many of those stories. Hope Ed, your mind stays active and good for many more years. Great to hear of your ancestors struggles and that it not be forgotten. I think the Quiet Revolution of shedding church control in Quebec happened in the 1960s, 3 decades earlier? Harvard started in the 1600s? MUN, now age 100 years old, but started as a college, a mere century ago, was helped along by Carnige donations, from the USA? Danny Williams a Rhodes Scholar, ............yet, led us the Muskrat Falls boondoggle!!!. Sometimes seems we're going backwards, h'ey b'y. You trying to steer us forward, to remember our history, and learn lessons.
Happy Birthday Ed,
Your article brings back many memories and realization of the tremendous changes that occurred over our life times. I was in university when you were born and going from kerosene lamps and a one room school to a university grad in little over a decade was a ride. The following decades you recall are also my memories.Thanks for helping me recall them.
Happy Birthday. hope you live to be a hundred
#WellDone #CarryOn Happy Birthday. Have a great year!
Happy Birthday Ed!
Thanks Doug