For those of you on the fringes of my readers’ circle who can’t quite understand what B, S and T is the short form of, let me enlighten your questioning thought.
It is the twice yearly, spring and fall, Buy, Sell, Trade Day at Mount Forest, of the SVFFFA, whose headquarters is centrally perched in the heart of Markdale.
If that abbreviation ruffles your hackles in further confusion, let me enlighten your overworked brain cells just a little bit more.
That acronym is the difficult to pronounce, hard to remember, confusing short form of the (are you ready for this) “Saugeen Valley Fur and Feather Fanciers Association,” which was first formed in the year of our Lord, 1987. Can you imagine that? Do the math folks – it is celebrating its 26th anniversary this year.
I personally have been attending this organization’s twice yearly operational fundraising day for well over 10 years. Only recently have I joined its executive, and believe me folks, it is a fun day for far more than just me.
I think you all are aware that I am a bird watcher and proud of what little I know about the habits of birds. Well, if you promise to keep it under your hat and not tell anybody, I am going to let you in on a less known, well-kept secret.
The Little Lady and I, in addition to loving all creatures of this great country of ours, were also avid “people watchers.”
To put it in blunt yet more simple language, we found the combination of expressions, actions and attitudes of the so-called hairless ape rather fascinating.
Though she is no longer by my side, this, in addition to curling my hair when in deep thought, with the tip of the third finger on my left hand, are idiosyncrasies that I seem not able to shake. We, both she and I, overflowed with a sense that when we cease to have human contact with animals, denying them relation to ourselves, we deny also our own humanity.
This past Sunday I never even had a chance to get around the double loop circle of vendors that overfilled the park long before the gray light of dawn had faded.
I was kept overly busy at my stand, where I was downloading a number of overstocked show birds that I have raised. I was kept busy answering questions from strangers wanting to know about this and that as well as greeting many who are readers of my column. Most of them strangers to me as well.
I must admit that I enjoyed the many white tooth smiles and gap-toothed grins of young and old, friend and stranger alike. And, too, I enjoyed the friendly chats and often comic, expressive gestured remarks from many as they viewed and discussed the great selection of creatures on hand.
And I am sure I can safely say that I have never, in any one place, seen such a diverse collection of birds, animals and people. Many, both vendor and buyer, had driven many hours to get there on time.
You could well have travelled the world bragging “Been there, done that,” but let me tell you folks, whoever you may be, if you have never been to the SVFFFA BST Day, then you are skipping an interesting niche of society
Take care, ’cause we care.
barrie@barriehopkins.ca
519-986-4105