Harrowsmith Country Life Magazine


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DECEMBER 2010
No. 215

Almanac

24 Scenes from the Sideroad
Dashing through the snow in a very unique way. Photograph by Glenn Davy

26 Wet Behind the Ears
It’s one of those very un-sexy home improvements, but you should know something about water softeners.
By Bridget Wayland

45 If These Walls Could Talk
A new scientific technique allows
owners of heritage homes to pinpoint exactly when their houses were built.
By Jason Santerre

30 World’s Best Hot Chocolate
Three delightful ways to serve up one of the season’s most memorable fireside treats. By Darlene King

32 How Bazaar
Seasoned shoppers know that the Christmas bazaar is the best place for seasonal shopping. By Nancy Payne

36 The View From Up Here
In the days before aerial photography, the bird’s-eye poster was the only way to see your town from the air.
By Tom Cruickshank

38 On Comet! On Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!
When Santa comes to ask Rudolph to guide his sleigh tonight, at least one Alberta rancher is ready.
By Tony Kryzanowski

40 Ode to a Christmas Urn
All it takes to make a pair of faux-topiary ornaments is some backyard clippings, a good measure of chicken wire and lots and lots of cedar greenery. Step by Step by Kathryn McHolm

42 Take This Job and
Shovel It
The ergonomics of fine snow-shovel design: Only a Canadian would care. By Jason Santerre

44 Playing Favourites
A fond look at miniature farm animals, the toys of choice for a generation of pre-Barbie kids. By Tom Cruickshank

Features

46 Fresh Out of the Pan Sweet Gingerbread Man
The kids are in their 30s now, but this rural family keeps up the tradition of making gingerbread men at Christmas. After all, it’s a ritual for them. With suggestions for a holiday potluck.
By Tom Cruickshank with Recipes
by Darlene King

Bulletin Board

Click here...

Things to do, people to see, places to go...

60 The Perfect Gift
We ask our resident playwright to reminisce about the memorable year he was talked into directing the Christmas pageant at the local church.
By Dan Needles

66 Our House Is a Very Very Very Fine House
A tour through a newly built country home offers lessons in Arts and Crafts style, not to mention advice on state-of-the-art green technology.
By Tom Cruickshank

74 In Praise of Older Barns
They are fast disappearing from the Canadian countryside. More’s the pity. A Harrowsmith Country Life Staff Report

Departments

Greetings 6
Mailbox 8
The Harrowsmirh
Companion 10
Index 2010 85
The Gazette 87
Bulletin Board 86
Snapshots 89
Dan Needles 90

Contributors

Yvonne Duivenvoorden is a photographer whose greatest strength is her ability to tell a story in pictures. She is particularly good at finding the defining moment that is worth a thousand words. It’s a talent very much in evidence in “Fresh Out of the Pan Sweet Gingerbread Man” (page 46.)

Based in Port Hope, Ontario, Michael Wallace continues to oblige whenever we need the services of a seasoned photographer, no matter how unglamourous the assignment. In that light, he has photographed chickens for us, learned a lesson in milking cows, and tried to maintain order while we sheared sheep. Imagine his relief when we sent him on a shoot that didn’t involve farm animals. The results are on page 66.

Glenn Davy first started taking pictures for his high school newspaper and soon combined his new pastime with his first love, Canada’s wilderness. His stint as a bush pilot allowed him ample opportunity to indulge both. Some of his more recent work appears in Ontario Nature and at photo stock agency All Canada Photos. In this issue, Glenn provided a moody shot for our regular “Scenes from the Sideroad” segment. See page 24.

Montreal-based artist Normand Cousineau penned the illustration that accompanies our Christmas story (page 60). Normand is one of the creative forces behind De la ville, il ne me reste que toi, a travelogue that will be in stores in January. The book is a whimsical journey through the world’s great cities—London, Rome, Nice, Paris, Quebec with Normand’s illustrations at centre stage. Text is by Jennifer Tremblay.

Established 1976

by Tom Cruickshank