For the Love of Fungi and Leprechauns By Noreen Tyers

From childhood I have been fascinated with all different fungi.  Being a child who climbed trees and would sit for a time and take in her surroundings, I was conscious of Nature and growing things.

I came from an Irish background and a grandfather that did instill the magic of the imagination.  I travelled on many adventures with him, touring his workshop and watching him create his many talents and thoughts. Grandpa always found a lesson in everything he did and always shared his knowledge.  

He was a man of many talents and one thing he did was make Dandelion Wine.  He had his recipe which had been in his family for years.  Come Dandelion season, he would be getting ready to pick his blossoms, he would ask if I would like to help.  Out to the woodshed he went and picked up an old apple basket and away we would go,

It seems to me the best place for the blossoms was the green space by the railway track.  We did have to walk the path at the end of the field across on the other side of Gardner Street.  The field/bush had many things to be discovered and one thing I had noticed was the fungi growing on the side of the tree. Because my Grandpa was always so smart and had the answers, I asked him about it.  As we were walking, we passed an old tree and there it was a charming growth on the trunk of the tree. When I asked about it, he said well you see that is where your leprechaun lives.

Laura Logan

Now I did believe that this is where my interest came from.  He explained that every little person had a leprechaun to watch over them, but they were hard to find, as they sometimes became invisible.  They did not like to be found as they were always watching out for your well being.  He told me if you approached the fungi and looked under it you might just find your little leprechaun sitting there. I do have to admit as we were on a mission for those yellow blooms from the dandelion, I did not get the chance to look.

I have to admit I never did find my Noisey O’Really in all my time of looking, although there were times I felt someone on my shoulder. 

You know things do come back into your life again and teachings you received as a child do come back to be.  When my nephew was about six years old he would come to visit for a week during the summer and stay at our home.  He was a delightful child.

Deedee Sonnenburg

At the time we had a dog I would walk and Kevin  would come with me on a tour of our walk around the block.  One day on a tree by the spot between the sidewalk and the street there was a fungus on the trunk of the tree.  It was much too close to the ground for me to bend and look for the leprechaun.

Like any Irish descendant, Aunt would pass the story on,  and she told him that If he was quiet and did not make too much noise, he might find a leprechaun.  It seems to me whenever he visited he would come on my dog walk.  The only thing was the leprechaun also eluded Kevin.

I guess we were not quiet enough and I am still waiting to find my Leprechaun.

From the ✒ of Noreen

October 2021

Hair Attention — Noreen Tyers

The Handmade Tablecloth — Noreen Tyers

Cutting a Christmas Tree at the House of Old at R. R. # 4 — Noreen Tyers

Making the Fudge for that Special School Affair 1940s Noreen Tyers

The Teeter Totter Incident Noreen Tyers

Childhood Movie Nights at Reliance Motor Court in Eastview — Noreen Tyers

Hats, Ogilvy’s and Gaudy Teenage Years — Noreen Tyers

Sending Thoughts of Winter to You, from my Wee Dog Ruffy Noreen Tyers

A Trip in the Carrying Case– Noreen Tyers

Just Me Growing Up in the Early 1940’s Noreen Tyers

Grandma and the Cute Little Mice– From the Pen of Noreen Tyers

Another Broken Bed Incident — Stories from Richards Castle — Noreen Tyers

Lets Play Elevator- Charles Ogilvy Store — From the Pen of Noreen Tyers

At Church on Sunday Morning From the Pen of Noreen Tyers

Jack’s in Charge-Scary Stories — From the Pen of Noreen Tyers

Adventures at Dalhousie Lake at the Duncan’s Cottages —- From the Pen of Noreen Tyers

I am Afraid of Snakes- From the Pen of Noreen Tyers

Hitching a Ride Cross Town — From the Pen of Noreen Tyers

My Old Orange Hat –From the Pen of Noreen Tyers of Perth

Out of the Old Photo Album — From the Pen of Noreen Tyers

Snow Road Ramblings from Richards Castle — From the Pen Of Noreen Tyers

Summer Holidays at Snow Road Cleaning Fish — From the Pen of Noreen Tyers of Perth

Snow Road Adventures- Hikes in the Old Cave — From the Pen of Noreen Tyers of Perth

Putting Brian on the Bus– Stories from my Childhood Noreen Tyers

My Childhood Memory of Richard’s Castle –From the Pen of Noreen Tyers of Perth

Grandpa’s Dandelion Wine — From the Pen of Noreen Tyers of Perth

My Wedding Tiara — From the Pen of Noreen Tyers of Perth

The Art of Learning How to Butter Your Toast the Right Way — From the Pen of Noreen Tyers of Perth

Smocked Dresses–From the Pen of Noreen Tyers of Perth

The Kitchen Stool — From the Pen of Noreen Tyers of Perth

The Flying Teeth in Church — From the Pen of Noreen Tyers of Perth

The Writings of Noreen Tyers of Perth

Memories of Grandpa’s Workshop — Noreen Tyers

Cleaning out Grandmas’ Fridge — Noreen Tyers Summer Vacation at Richard’s Castle

My Flower Seeds — From the Pen of Noreen Tyers of Perth

My Barbra Ann Scott Doll –Noreen Tyers

Greetings From Ruffy on Groundhog Day Noreen Tyers

That Smell Of The Lanark County SAP Being Processed — Noreen Tyers

Adventures at Dalhousie Lake at the Duncan’s Cottages — Noreen Tyers

The old Sheepskin Slippers Noreen Tyers

Egg Readers — Fortune Telling Quackery? Clippings 1800s

 

 

 

Passaic Daily News
Passaic, New Jersey
21 Oct 1910, Fri  •  Page 2

The Kansas City Times
Kansas City, Missouri
22 May 1898, Sun  •  Page 1

The Devil’s Telephone? The Ouija Board

The Witch of Plum Hollow and the Blacksmith

An Interview with the Witch of Plum Hollow–Mother Barnes— The Ottawa Free Press 1891

My Grandmother was Mother Barnes-The Witch of Plum Hollow

A Bewitched Bed in Odessa

The Witch of Plum Hollow – Carleton Place Grandmother

Different Seasons of Witches in Lanark County

Plum Hollow Witch and The Mountain Man of Pakenham

The Witches of Rochester Street

Hocus Pocus –Necromancy at Fitch Bay

The Witch of Plum Hollow – Carleton Place Grandmother

The Witch Hollow of Lanark County

Who was Mother Barnes? Find Out About the Witch of Plum Hollow April 7

Local Miracle Story– Woken From a Ten Week Coma

The White Witch of Lanark County–Having the Sight

One Day on William Street

A Bewitched Bed in Odessa

We Know About the Witch of Plum Hollow — But Have you Heard About Mother Lajeunesse?

Magic in the 70s — Roy Cottee –The Granddaddy Of Magic

Clipped from

1. The Ottawa Journal,
2. 24 May 1979, Thu,
3. First Edition,
4. Page 65

 

 

Photos from the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum 1977-1978

Do you remember him?

 

Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read. Also check out The Tales of Carleton Place.

Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in The Townships Sun andScreamin’ Mamas (US

Magic Tom –A Suitcase That Was Full of Illusions

So What Happened to Laird Keller and His Ventriloquist Dummy Woody?

The Hi- Diddle-Day House of Carleton Place – Puppets on a String

Patsy Williams from Carleton Place and Uncle Ray’s Mail Bag

Magic Tom –A Suitcase That Was Full of Illusions

Hello Boys and Girls, it’s time for Magic Tom!

Every afternoon as a child, I was glued to the TV set awaiting my beloved Magic Tom Auburn on CFCF TV out of Montreal. Tom once described himself as a “man who played with silk hankies” but to me and every child he was a man with something new up his sleeve every single day on “Surprise Party”. Canada’s Man of Magic was never fully appreciated by my Father as he constantly said Magic Tom needed to polish up his act. I realized he was never as good as the local circus that passed through Cowansville, Quebec once a year, but you have to remember– to us children magicians were magic.

Magic Tom once said that little girls only wanted to be three things in life: a Mommy, a Nurse, and an Airline Stewardess. It was the same thing I heard a few years later in the CHS Vice Principal’s office when I told him I wanted to I wanted to be a fashion designer, but  in all honesty Magic Tom could say no wrong to me.

 

My grandfather seemed to be friendly with the magicians, ventriloquists and the puppeteers that frequented our small town and and I just got involved with all of it hook line and sinker. Later I became obsessed with great magicians like Houdini and became obsessed with the Westerfield House in San Francisco.

Architecture Stories: ‘Once Upon a Time’ -Home of the Kool Aid Acid Test & Other Time Travel Stories

 

Tom began his career at age 13 with a bout of scarlet fever, a magic book and a lot of time on his hands just outside Cornwall. It is the unspoken ethic of all magicians to not reveal the secrets and once in a blue moon Tom did. Sometimes the kids thought he was cheating and expressed their sentiments– but the next time you saw the same trick, maybe you didn’t see that glass of milk sinking under the red cloth– and wondered if you had been right the first time.

Each day I waited until the end of the show to see the empty silver dish suddenly become full of candy for the kids that were watching with a simple mere tap of his magician’s wand. No matter how hard I looked I could not find out how Magic Tom did this trick. I found out however that this same trick was performed in WW11 by a small group of French Patriots who were being held prisoner by the Germans. They made a deal with their captors that if they performed this trick they would be let go. There was a happy ending and they were freed but their captors were shot in the morning for making such a bad decision.

 

 

Magic Tom’s fans were everything to him and one day he played at the NAC in Ottawa and told reporters he had to cut the interview short as there was an 8 year- old waiting in the wings for Magic Tom to look at his magician’s wand. The young boy had told Tom that his wand must be defective as it just couldn’t seem to do anything, so Tom was going to offer some helpful suggestions.

 

Magic Tom and his wife Dolores have long passed and are buried in the Cornwall region at the St. Lawrence Valley Cemetery near Long Sault/Cornwall. I hope people remember Magic Tom as a  kind man who brought magic to the people as he pushed the boundaries of wonder for all of us. Some people say there isn’t magic. Some people say there is. I say there always will be— as in a way, we are all magicians.

 

Linda Nilson-Rogers Magic Tom Auburn! Saw him at a “White Elephant” sale my Gran used to take me to somewhere in Verdun,I think! I was under 6…he amazed me then

Rosemary Jones I loved Magic Tom as a kid. He was a regular on our TV and I saw him perform as a child.

Paula Theriault Wow, lol. I didn’t think anyone besides me knew of him. I got to be on the show when I was 5 or 6yrs old. You had to sing a song and i sang ” I Can Sing A Rainbow” lol. It not long after we moved to Montreal from England in ’71 or ’72. I have that exact same autographed photo somewhere . Forgot about it

Ann Brady OMGosh, have not thought of Magic Tom in decades!

Nancy Bourdeau Loved the part of his show when he would note viewers birthdays. He would put his magic top hat upside down on a table and tap it and candy would spill out of it 🙂 He was a gentle man..always admired him.

 

Johnny Jellybean– CFCF TV

 

Judy Goyette-Marsh Man I remember him . Also Johnny Jellybean.

John Dykeman My wife’s dad worked at CFCF in entertainment group; Magic Tom and Johnny Jellybean were visitors at there home. JJ at lunchtime in 1966-67

Emily Turpin He was great, loved his show and raced home every day to watch. Also Johnny Jellybean at lunchtime. xx

Helene McSween He came to the Christmas party for kids at my father’s company in Beauharnois in 1968 approx. When I was 4 years old. I still have a signed post card with his picture! He was great!

Sue Frechette Had to accompany my cousins, Sandi and Peter Singleton to one of his shows, as per request of Aunt Theresa.

Shirley Ann Mewett I was 6 coming out of Eatons in downtown Montreal with my mum, and he was on the side walk. I remember telling mum look it’s Magic Tom. He heard me came over and I was so shy I couldn’t say anything. Mum told him how much I loved his show. He was very nice!

Penny Dustin Rodrigues I went to see him in Montreal for my birthday…can’t remember which one, I think I was 8 or 9. so much fun!

Christine Et Pierre Rousseau My sister was on his show.

Shirley Nortcliffe I was once on his show! To talk about my postcard collection! In appreciation, he sent me a copy of “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss.

Rob Forster The Vilas Company in Cowansville hired him annually to entertain at their families’ Christmas party, which of course he did very ably and in both languages. (We Vilas kids were BTW allowed to leave school early to attend that, which made it a party indeed.) A more adult memory of Tom was when I was in my 20s and he did a series of shows that I watched before leaving to do the 3-11 shift at my summer job. It was a series of local travelogues where he did some ordinary stuff like visiting the Granby Zoo, but also a long sequence where the premise was that he was lost in time inside the old Frontier Town theme park in upper NY State. He wandered around for weeks meeting the various characters there, all of it set to the tune of ‘Duelling Banjos’ from the then-recent movie ‘Deliverance.’

Oh yeah, and at one of the Vilas affairs Magic Tom had me up on the stage and made me a magic paper party hat out of a glass of milk or something. Upon examination later, I was mildly disappointed to find it was made from ordinary glue and crepe paper. I don’t know what I was expecting. I do remember that it got harder for him to do his show as the baby boom kids aged, we always knew where the bunny had really gone even if we didn’t know how.

Finally I remember seeing Magic Tom interviewed a long while after his show had been cancelled on CFCF. He was very sad that he hadn’t known what turned out to be his last show (I think it was the Frontier Town sequence) was to be his last one; he said that he would have made a very special good bye episode if he’d known.

Nelson Wyatt One of my assignments when I worked for the Sherbrooke Record was to cover Magic Tom when he did an appearance at, I think, Camp Garagona. I showed up ready to interview him and take a few pics and then he told me that was fine but then asked me if I’d mind helping him out with a few tricks so I became Magic Tom’s assistant for the show, which was a kick after watching him for so many years on CFCF. He was a really nice guy and the kids loved him.

Sharron Raymond I remember going to see Magic Tom at the St. Therese girl’s Catholic school in Cowansville one Saturday or Sunday afternoon. It was packed full. It must have been winter because the floors were a mess with slushy dirt and sloppy. Magic Tom was late arriving probably because of the roads. That must have been between the years 1960 and 1962.

Darlene Dover I remember him being at the Princess Theatre in Cowansville when I was young. He was doing a magic show, and I think I still have his little card.

Wayne Kemp Magic Tom rented a cottage next door to ours at Selby lake for several summers the cottage belonged to my uncle Charlie Buchanan who lived in cowansville it was so neat because all the kids enjoyed his magic shows quite often

Kathy Taylor I remember being on his TV show. My sister Susan and I were showing our Dalmatian, Kerry. I was so terrified I couldn’t speak.

John Farrell when my father was in charge of the dance hall at the Pinnacle Lodge in Selby Lake he would have Magic Tom come out and perform there…maybe that’s when he would rent the cottage that Wayne Kemp mentions….my father and Magic Tom grew up together in those triplexes they have in Verdun…there were two Tommies…Tommy upstairs, and Tommy downstairs, one of those Tommies grew up to be Magic Tom.

Watch some episodes of the old Magic Tom Show here.. CLICK HERE

 

Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in The Townships Sun andScreamin’ Mamas (USA)

Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read. Also check out The Tales of Carleton Place.

 

Architecture Stories: ‘Once Upon a Time’ -Home of the Kool Aid Acid Test & Other Time Travel Stories

Kindle Fire Minutes of “Dancin the Feelin“ with James Brown

eBay Bans Love Potions, Magic Spells and Curses – Haunted Dolls Okay!

Did Anyone Find the Lost Barrel of Silver Coins That Lies at the Bottom of the Rideau Canal?

Beware of the Lanark County Fairy Rings

The Lost Island– Now You See it- Now You Don’t!

eBay Bans Love Potions, Magic Spells and Curses – Haunted Dolls Okay!

 

eBay got out out of the magical Dear Abby business and effective August 30th 2012. The following items will not be allowed to be sold on eBay.

eBay’s new prohibited items list includes: advice, spells, curses, hexing, conjuring, magic; prayers, blessing services, magic potions, and healing sessions.

Now isn’t that a fine calderon of wolfbane!
All of this sounds like a class action suit to me and they may have shot themselves in the foot. In the late 1980’s the Supreme Court declared Wicca an official religion, right along with all the other mainstream religions. Someone may well sue them for religious discrimination, or put a hex on them if they are not careful. What about perpetual motion machines and magic carpets? God only knows the black market price for polyjuice potion is gonna skyrocket now. However in a change of heart; Ebay will still permit the sale of miracles.

eBay was once in the soul business, and in late July a free-lance writer Lori N tried to sell her soul on the internet auction site. How much is a soul worth? The starting bid was $2000 but eBay quickly kabashed the auction, as according to their selling rules they also do not allow the following:

We don’t allow humans, the human body, or any human body parts or products to be listed on eBay, with two exceptions. Sellers can list items containing human scalp hair, and skulls and skeletons intended for medical use.
Lori had been in a car accident in 2007, and after a three-week coma she woke up suffering from a stroke, broken hip, broken pelvis, leg, collarbone, sternum, ribs, and a collapsed lung. One has to ask if a soul is a human body part and what’s the fresh pack date on it anyways? Not to make light of a bad situation Lori N might have done better had she rented one of her “soles” to the foot fetish crowd.

What I find unusual is eBay did not ban their haunted dolls which I find simply ridiculous. Here are a few that have sold recently:

 POSSIBLY HAUNTED, BUT SWEET CHINA DOLL IN NEED OF A GOOD, LOVING HOME!

I would like to introduce you to one of the sweetest little china dolls I have. I found her in a box lot at an auction underneath a few other dolls that were porcelain. I thought she was pretty, and reminded me of the old Victorian dolls. When I picked her up I got such an overwhelming feeling of fear, sadness, alone, and longing. As I sat with her for a moment, I realized that she is so lonely and wants to belong to a family that is happy and loving. I have no idea of maker or how old she might be! She is 14″. She has no name, and the only identifying mark is a tag on her back that says “Reproduction Mary P. Mitchell Knoxville, TN”. But I don’t know if it is a reproduction made in the early 1900s? Or what time period. Her head and shoulders, wrist and hands, and ankles and feet are all china while the rest of her is soft. She is dressed in a beautiful black satin (?) dress of with a lace collar that has become unattached. She does not have a stand. Her hair is gray, which I have never seen on a china doll before, and seems to highlight her rosy cheeks and lips against her white skin. Her eyes are just the most beautiful blue! There are chips on her hair and on her toes. I have tried to show those in the pictures. Her dress shows signs of wear and tear but can be fixed. Overall, she is in GOOD condition and is such a sweet doll in need of a good home.

The doll sold for $1275 last week.

HAUNTED DOLL Metaphysical Psychic VAMPIRE Turning Ritual WARNING sex love beauty

 

 

Darla was first conjured and bound to a lifelike figure over 36 years ago by the request of A very
blood wealthy young woman; who so strongly Desired to possess the powerful attributes of the Vampire Characteristic, and was willing to pay any price to obtain it.
Once bound together, this very sultry young woman began to transform in physical appearance very fast. Though she was already very good looking, her features became beyond reality,her dark brown hair took on a more naturally alluring and healthy flow, that couldn’t seem to be flawed even if she tried.

Her teeth quickly sharpened, and strengthened as her need to eat mortal food for nourishment diminished, and her skin became like that of the porcelain doll that was always seen at her side:
Perfection.

Darla sold for $898.00.

 

 

 

Haunted Doll in Box from Maine Coast 

I grew up in a very haunted house in Maine. Clocks malfunctioned, bells rang, nightmares, my sibling was pushed down the stairs by… something- and thats just the beginning. My parents sold it because things started to become physical with the some of the female children. We moved to a semi historical home and things settled down – briefly. We later learned several people had died in this house, yet, we did not encounter the same fear or evil as we did from the first house.

As an adult I have spent much time trying to make sense of my childhood home. I have traveled to many haunted places and collected hundreds of haunted items. This has been my hobby for at least a decade. However, it has to stop. Something is in my house and it is scaring my kids to death. My daughter doesnt want to sleep here and I feel guilty. I have decided to sell my collection for the sake of my daughter .My first round of sales will be items from the first house I lived in, as well as some items I got at the Old Sisters Hospital. I will give detailed descriptions as possible on the history of the item or where it came from.

This is a particularly interesting doll. On one of my excursions, we headed to a well known haunted area of the Maine coast called Wiscasset. Naturally when I saw a lawn sale at a run down house directly next door an old run down cemetary I had to stop. The toys were being ‘sold’ by the girl in the family who was maybe 7. She had all her items displayed on a blanket and was sitting with them. I thought it was strange that she had a doll in a box it didnt go in so I decided to ask this girl about it! I asked how much she wanted for the doll, and asked her if that was her original box, knowing it wasnt.

She looked at me point blank and said: No I put her in the box to keep her still at night. I said- well did it work? She said- not until I put the tape on it. I have left this this taped up and have never opened the box. I didnt dust it.I could tell this girl was dealing with something supernatural in her life. She felt that whatever entity was in this doll had been contained to the box. There is immediately something scarey or strange about this doll in the box. The box is made of tin & plastic.

Crazy doll in a box sold for $500.

Double, double, toil and trouble; no more Love Potion Number 9’s but we can still buy these silly dolls. I wonder if the sales of “Jesus or Mary on a grilled cheese sandwich” will now have restrictions? Cheesus Christ!

Well at least each eBay sale is protected through PayPal;  but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been scammed by a Craigslist soul. Sadly these people that once bought these new prohibited items are now going to have to settle for an out-of-eBay experience.

 

 

Photos from Google

The Day That Storyland Died – Zoomer

 

The Day That Storyland Died – Zoomer.

Caption This Video March Madness! – Zoomers

Caption This Video March Madness! – Zoomers.