Flowers that bloom in the spring ~  Snowdrops

Flower in the crannied wall,
I pluck you out of the crannies,
I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,
Little flowers ~ but if I could understand
What you are, root and all, and all in all,
I should know what God and man is.

[Tennyson:  Flowers in the Crannied wall]

Photo: L. Walker, taken today.

The Fairies ~

There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!
They often have a dance on summer nights;
The butterflies and bees make a lovely little breeze,
And the rabbits stand about and hold the lights.
Did you know that they could sit upon the moonbeams
And pick a little star to make a fan,
And dance away up there in the middle of the air?
Well, they can.

~ by Rose Fyleman, British poet best known for her fairy stories (1877 - 1957)

"There are fairies at the bottom of our garden."

Note:  Our friend, Sharon Jackson, gave us the Garden-Boy Reading a Book.  She also introduced us to this beautiful poem, The Fairies.  A long time ago, Sharon  painted a sign for the garden bearing the first line, "There are fairies at the bottom of our garden."  Thank you, Sharon.

Josephine, Thank You for All the Cookies

Josephine McMullen of Cayuga and Bill Haartman ~

Members of The York Grand River Historical Society.

This active group meets every third Tuesday of the month.  Please join us next Tuesday at St. Andrew's Masonic Lodge*, Caledonia.  2:00 p.m.
Guest speaker:  Karen Richardson, Curator of the Haldimand County Museum.  Topic:  Our part in the War of 1812.

* Hwy. 6 at the tracks, opposite Tim Horton's.

The York Grand River Historical Society meets next Tuesday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m. in Caledonia at St. Andrews Masonic Lodge.*

For anyone interested in the War of 1812, this is the meeting to attend.  Karen Richardson, Curator of The Haldimand County Museum, is our guest speaker.  Everyone welcome.  (An afternoon with the historians along the Grand is something you don't want to miss!) Coffee and cookies.

Jean Farquharson and Bill Haartman

* Hwy. #6, beside the tracks opposite Tim Horton's.

Collection of Stories from 1783 to 1930

Told by the Folks Whose Families Lived Them

Stories along the Grand ~ The York Grand River Historical Society has published two books.  The latest book, Stories along the Grand, is a collection of historical tales by local writers. Available at The Neat Little Bookshop, this 194 page gem includes articles by people many of you will know ~ including the original owner of The Neat Little Bookshop, Herb Martindale.

(Although the one-room school house depicted on the back cover appears identical to Gypsum Mines school, it is actually Sims Lock school at York.)

Along The Grand River ~ 

Roads Less Travelled ~

Designated as a Heritage Site, Gypsum Mines Schoolhouse is now privately owned.

This stately one-room structure is located on Haldimand Road #17, east of Cayuga.
A flourishing mining industry existed during the 1840s, three miles south of Cayuga.  A post office, about fifteen houses and a school were built to accomodate the company workers.

(Source:  Cayuga - North Cayuga Centennial History 1867 - 1977)
Photos:  L.Walker, Feb., 2012.