Sally Hansen:April Fool! - theHumm April 2015
Sally Hansen:April Fool! - theHumm April 2015
By Sally Hansen
Art… and Soul
My mother claimed credit for delivering me five weeks early to be an April Fool, but I’m convinced it was my destiny. It’s a great birthday. People remember it. It forces you to develop a sense of humour. It precludes you from taking yourself too seriously. By the time you’re five years old you have learned the joke is on you.
On April 1st of this year I sally forth into the fourth quarter-century of my life, marvelling at my good luck. As a birthday tribute, my editor and daughter, Kris Riendeau, has assigned me the task of featuring myself as theHumm’s Intrepid Arts Reporter, and as a nature photographer. Over the past fifteen years almost 200 local artists have patiently submitted to my chatty interviews and my arbitrary rules about photographs and Artist Trading Card declarations. I’ve admired and really enjoyed meeting all but three, although their art merited positive attention too.
The request to write for theHumm was another of the fortuitous strokes of good luck and timing that have made my life much more adventurous and exciting than I ever dreamed. After earning a degree from the Samuel Newhouse School of Journalism at Syracuse University, I learned many painful lessons about the rampant sexism in the workplace in the ’60s. When I became the single parent and sole support of two wonderful babies, I became and remain an ardent supporter of workforce equality.
Luck and brownies were integral to opening the door to my 37-year career in IT. Luck, hard work, awful bosses and wonderful colleagues and friends eventually propelled me from keypunch operator to Chief Information Officer at B. C. Hydro, Carleton University and Newbridge Networks. It was an amazing journey for a former housewife and mom in Pennsylvania long ago.
Luck walked into my office at the Computing Center at SUNY Buffalo in 1970 when Robert Bender was looking for my boss. Bender noticed a kooky bird swinging on a spring over my terminal (no, we didn’t have PCs then), and he ruffled my feathers with a perceived insult. When I realized I had finally met my match, the kids and I moved to Ottawa with him in 1974. He is my second, third and last husband and I adore him.
Bad luck abruptly ended my computing career just as I led an incredible IT team at Newbridge Networks through a successful Y2K conversion and simultaneous global SAP implementation. The company was sold to Lucent Technologies, and a former peer and frequent rebel against corporate IT standards was named CEO. He was delighted to inform me that my services were no longer required.
During my many years of submersion in technical details, staffing issues, political in-fighting and 14-hour workdays, I had dreamed of a retirement immersed in the arts and nature. When IT unexpectedly retired me, fortunately I had already achieved my new status as “Kris’s Mom.”
Wiled By Nature
Photographing nature has always been a source of keen enjoyment for me. Kris and her brother Kirk remember laughing at me and taking my picture when I got stuck in the muck at the edge of a lake in Kenya in 1986, absorbed in photographing flamingos. Fast-forward 31 years and I experienced equipment envy for the first time. A photographer next to me was aiming his enormous gear at the same Great Horned Owlets I was trying to find with a little point-and-shoot camera. He let me look through his paparazzi lens, and it was a revelation to me — bigger can be better! He could do things with it that I resolved to experience, and thus began a serious effort to master a complex technology and a never-ending progression of equipment upgrades. I am happy to note that age is no barrier to continuing enjoyment. Last week I bought myself the only thing I wanted for my milestone birthday — a(nother) state-of-the-art DSLR Nikon camera. I write this as my patient and extraordinarily skilled Sherpa and I are on location in Tucson, AZ, where we continue our photographic adventures.
The Thrills of the Chase
Two years ago in Tucson I was pursuing a flight shot of a hawk when I felt something weird under my left hiking boot. In probably the luckiest misstep of my life, I had firmly positioned my boot on the back of the neck of a coiled Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. The sight of its darting black tongue and fierce eyes is indelibly recorded in my otherwise forgetful brain. The Arizona admonition to “watch where you step” is useless. After rescuing myself and my gear with my Sherpa’s expert assistance, I photographed the sneaky snake in the grass and added the shot to my camouflage collection.
Four years ago on Katmai Peninsula off Kodiak Island in Alaska I was sitting on the edge of a stream trying to remove a water-logged hip-boot when a large, disgruntled Kodiak bear ran right between me and an Estonian photographer who was trying to get a photo of the bear catching a salmon. The bear got a salmon. Neither of us got that shot.
The Biophilia Hypothesis (please Google it)
As my mother succumbed to the ravages of a dementia in her nineties, the last two things that gave her pleasure were familiar music and my nature photographs. I am selfishly and altruistically amassing a collection of images that I can enjoy and share for the rest of my life. I have found no better voice for my love, respect and concern for the natural world than to learn about it and record and share what I am privileged to see.
On Tuesday, May 5, the Almonte Branch of the Mississippi Mills Public Library is giving me the opportunity to present a photographic overview of a three-week trip to Namibia that my husband/Sherpa and I took two years ago. Namibia was eye-opening in many respects, and I have tried to capture both the beauty and the struggle for survival that pervades in this extreme environment. The “Travelogue” starts at 7pm and the Library is located at 155 High Street in Almonte. I plan to continue as theHumm’s Intrepid Arts Reporter until I am retired. Thank you for reading my column!
Sally Hansen:April Fool! - theHumm April 2015
By Sally Hansen
Art… and Soul
My mother claimed credit for delivering me five weeks early to be an April Fool, but I’m convinced it was my destiny. It’s a great birthday. People remember it. It forces you t......
Westport’sBig Fish Story - theHumm April 2015
By Georgia Ferrell
The Westport Rideau Lakes Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring an event that will bring great things to our area and to the surrounding areas as well.
The One That Didn’t Get Away, or The Big Fi......
A Rare Man — a Rare Flower - theHumm April 2015
It is unusual, these days, to find an original homestead that has been kept in the same family for almost two hundred years. It is even more unusual that the surrounding land would become a famou......
Rural Festival and Event Summit - theHumm April 2015
Are you organizing a festival or event in your community? Are you interested in learning from experts and networking with your peers to share stories and successes? Mark your calendars and plan t......
Old Dogs with New Licks Folkus presents Ball & Chain, Durham County Poets - theHumm April 2015
By Sandy Irvin
I have two dogs. One is young and full of, well, piss and vinegar. One is a little older, and let me tell you, the young dog makes me appreciate the finer points of growing up. You may be a littl......
50 Years of Movies and TV in Song - theHumm April 2015
The Goulbourn Jubilee Singers are proud to present their spring program — Big Screen, Little Screen — at two concerts at Glen Cairn United Church (140 Abbeyhill Road in Kanata): Saturday, May......
Fiddler’s Friends Benefit Concert - theHumm April 2015
Whether your heart sways to the rhythm of Scottish, Irish, French Canadian, Polish, or other European fiddle music, you can hear some of your roots in the traditional music of the Ottawa Valley. ......
Fiddling in the Key of… Eh? - theHumm April 2015
Renowned Canadian fiddle champion Scott Woods and his band will be in the area to present an incredible new show called “Fiddling in the key of… Eh?”
This fast-paced, uplifting show explores ......
Camino Weekend at Wintergreen Studios - theHumm April 2015
Late last fall, Wintergreen Studios held a Camino Evening, and the organizers were absolutely delighted by its success — it sold out and the feedback was fabulous. Inspired, they are now holding ......
30 Years of Excellencein Therapeutic Riding - theHumm April 2015
The Lanark County Therapeutic Riding Program (TRP) is a veteran recreation therapy program with thirty years of performance excellence behind it. The mission statement of the Program is to provid......
Advance Care Planning: It’s Time to Start the Conversation - theHumm April 2015
By Sharon Baxter
An elderly woman with incurable end-stage heart disease is rushed to hospital and quickly goes into cardiac arrest. Despite her poor condition and minimal chance of survival, her panicked husband......
Hiking for Hospice - theHumm April 2015
Hike for Hub Hospice Palliative Care
Please join us for the third annual Mississippi Mills Hike for Hospice on Sunday, May 3 at the Mill of Kintail. Across the co......
Young Awards — Not Just for the Kids! - theHumm April 2015
By Glenda Jones,
The 2015 Young Awards Foundation Gala takes place at the Almonte Agricultural Hall on Saturday, May 9. This annual gala not only raises funds for dynamic arts initiatives in the schools of M......
Art is Springing Up in Almonte - theHumm April 2015
By Miss Mills, Puppet Reporter
This month, I decided to check out some of the art shows popping up like tulips in Almonte — starting with the new Stairwell Gallery in the Old Post Office building, right in the centre of Mill S......
Coming Soon to Mississippi Mills - theHumm April 2015
Here are a few things to keep an eye out for in the coming months in Mississippi Mills.
Bike aficionados are no doubt already anticipating the onset of Mississippi Mills Bicycle Month in June......
Almonte in Praise! - theHumm April 2015
Back by popular demand: Almonte in Praise! Mark your calendars for 7:30pm on Saturday, May 2, and get ready for a delightful evening of music. This year’s event will be held at Almonte Unite......
Agatha Christie’sLove From a Stranger - theHumm April 2015
Love From a Stranger by Agatha Christie is the next exciting production from The Station Theatre in Smiths Falls. Adapted for the stage by Frank Vosper, it features Katharine Coleman as Cecily Ha......
A Sweet Month in Perth - theHumm April 2015
By John Pigeau
So you’re jazzed that spring is here, but the yard is still a bit mushy and there’s too much rain and the street cleaner just seems to be making a whole big other mess and more sunshine would be ......
Get Art, andGet Framed, on Gore! - theHumm April 2015
By John Pigeau
Every shop has its story.
The story behind Perth’s new Gallery on Gore is a charming one; the sort that makes you smile and reminds you that it is entirely possible to pursue your dreams and ......
Peeking At the Windows - theHumm April 2015
By ByCarol A. Stephen
Mark your calendar now for a fun-filled event on May 23: Arts & Heritage on Edmund Street! Arts Carleton Place, the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum and the Carleton Place Hor......
All About Arbour Week Tree Walks, Talks, and The Lorax! - theHumm April 2015
This year’s Arbour Week, taking place April 18–26 in Mississippi Mills, will have a special focus on heritage trees — trees that, if endorsed by Town Council, will be protected from the chai......
Men@Words to Play in Perth - theHumm April 2015
Three of the world’s finest songwriters and most respected singers — Jez Lowe, Archie Fisher and James Keelaghan — have decided to take their friendship on the road. These three don’t just write ......
Tee-rific Fundraiser for SchoolBox - theHumm April 2015
Calling all moms, golfers and SchoolBox supporters! Don’t settle for par for the course. Give Mom what she really wants for Mother’s Day this year: her family, all wrapped up in a game of golf. S......
Ian Thomas at the Gallipeau Centre - theHumm April 2015
Iconic and consummate musician, author and songwriter Ian Thomas will grace the stage at the Gallipeau Centre on Saturday, April 18. One of Canada’s most experienced entertainers, he just ke......
Toronto Welsh Choir with Kelly Sloan - theHumm April 2015
On Friday, April 10, the Almonte United Church is proud to present the Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir (TWMVC) in concert with guest soloist Kelly Sloan. The concert takes place at 7:30pm, an......
The Perth Shoe Factory Experiment - theHumm April 2015
Quentin Navarre is an aspiring visual artist, musician and heritage carpenter. His latest exploit involves 250 linear feet of paper painted with acrylic dissolved in various solvents. Lately Quen......
Film Circuit Celebrates 20 Years - theHumm April 2015
This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Film Circuit. The Film Circuit encompasses over 180 groups, bringing the best of Canadian and interna......
Find Humour and Pathos at The Salvage Shop - theHumm April 2015
Sylvester (Sylvie) Tansey, owner of the Salvage Shop in the seaside town of Garris, Ireland, is in his twilight years — an aging maestro left with unfulfilled dreams. His disappointment......
MVFN’s Cliff Bennett Nature Bursary - theHumm April 2015
The Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists are looking for young people with a passion for nature who believe they can make a difference in meeting the environmental challenges of the fut......
Check Your Selfie Before YouWreck Your Selfie - theHumm April 2015
By Emily Arbour
Dear Miss Write,
My teenagers are about to start looking for summer jobs in this area, and I’m a little bit concerned that their social media activities might not be e......
Brock and Brunch - theHumm April 2015
By Rob Riendeau
Brock Zeman is truly a modern day troubadour. As my better half put it after we attended his performance at O’Reilly’s in Perth on a Tuesday night: “not every one of his songs is about heartbreak......
Listen Up, Perth! Play Explores the Lives of Local Teenagers - theHumm April 2015
A first-hand look at the lives of small-town, rural teenagers will be performed at the Royal Canadian Legion (Perth-Upon-Tay branch, 26 Beckwith Street East) on Saturday, April 18 at 2pm. Th......
Mississippi Mills Youth Forum: April 15 and 16 - theHumm April 2015
Last fall, downtown Almonte’s TYPS Youth Centre closed, leaving a big void in local youth services. In January, an Interim Youth Task Force, composed of organizations and community members who ar......
Putting it into High Gear - theHumm April 2015
By Tony Stuart
For music teachers, spring means busy season. As other teachers and departments are winding things down, we are putting it into high gear. This month, I thought I would offer our readers a glimps......
Check Out a Book — Discover a Life! - theHumm April 2015
After a successful launch last spring, the libraries in Lanark County, in partnership with United Way Lanark County, are excited for the return of the Human Library! On Saturday, April 18, a......
A Treat from PPAC - theHumm April 2015
As a special addition to this year’s series, the Perth Performing Arts Committee (PPAC) is presenting the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony on Friday, May 1. Since it was formed back in 1945 to ac......
Keep Every Plate Full - theHumm April 2015
By — Karin Nakamura
This year Food Banks Canada has announced an exciting new national campaign to raise awareness about food security issues and to help fill the plates of every hungry Canadian this summer. Every P......
On Being a Master Chef - theHumm April 2015
By Glenda Jones
I’m hooked on MasterChef Canada, and I know I’d be able to qualify and get one of those coveted white aprons.
Here’s how it goes. My first thoughts on waking each morning are: What day is it......
Creativity Blitz 2015 - theHumm April 2015
In 2014, the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust (MMLT) held its very first Creativity Blitz. The event received such popular acclaim that they are doing it again!
On Saturday, May 2, from ......
Natural Heritage in the Carp Hills - theHumm April 2015
The Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust (MMLT) will hold its Annual General Meeting in Carp this year, on April 28, at the Carp Memorial Hall, 3739 Carp Road. The Land Trust wishes to draw publ......
Mudds Present Swamp-Dwelling Princess Tale - theHumm April 2015
By — Mary Alexander
Many moons ago, Kate Osborne was immersed in a production of West Side Story in Deep River. She had no idea that she would share the stage years later in another town, by a different river, with ......
Perth Choirs Perform Music of John Rutter - theHumm April 2015
The combined adult and children’s choirs of St. Pauls’ United Church and St. James the Apostle Anglican Church and Friends will be performing a program of music by the British composer John Rutte......
Speaking of Volunteers - theHumm April 2015
By Elizabeth Goldman, Librarian
As April’s Volunteer Month approaches, it’s a time to reflect on how important volunteers are to our communities, not least to our libraries.
Volunteers work in many roles in libraries, ofte......
Sing with the OVMF - theHumm April 2015
The Ottawa Valley Music Festival has a wonderfully full season of music planned.
Tickets are now on sale for the 2015 season, which includes a “Festival of Choirs” concert on June 7, “Yo......
Every Green Tree — Portraits of the Wood - theHumm April 2015
Set aside some time on April 12, between 2pm and 5pm, to attend the vernissage for Gwen Frankton’s art show, Every Green Tree. It is a collection of tree portraits — acrylic paintings and pe......
Empty Bowls in Perth Good Food, Good Friends, Good Cause! - theHumm April 2015
It is the 25th year for the Empty Bowls project in North America, the 14th year for Empty Bowls Perth, and the 11th for Foodsmiths Empty Bowls fundraiser. The Empty Bowls Project began when Bloom......
Oct 5 - 6 MAG Artists Studio Tour
Oct 12 Jason Kent
Oct 12 - 13 Crown & Pumpkin Studio Tour
Oct 12 - 13 Expressions of Art
Oct 18 Evan + Ron
Oct 19 Amanda Keeley Trio
Oct 19 - Nov 30 The Second Wife’s Story -- Matheson Housewarming Party
Oct 19 - 20 Red Trillium Studio Tour
Oct 20 Choral Evensong
Oct 26 New Kid in Town
- Linda Hynes — Doing What Comes Naturally
- Laugh Out Loud — Twice!
- Fall Red Trillium Studio Tour
- Amazing Art & Fabulous Food at the 2024 Crown and Pumpkin Studio Tour
- News from The Pews in Merrickville
- For the Love of Music A Concert in Memory of Ann McMahon
- Choral Evensong in Perth
- Almonte in Concert Another Exciting Season of Music
- Drag and Art atthe Textile Museum
- Back-to-School Portraits Raising Funds for the Miss Mills Library