Laurentian Valley

Carol Ripley

Let’s welcome our neighbour, Carol Ripley.

Hi, Carol! Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi, Ottawa Valley Neighbours.

I’m a retired, married, mother, grandmother (Mimi), and daughter of a frail, elderly Mom challenged by dementia. I feel as though I have had several lives! My first life was being raised in a traditional nuclear family of five. I was the oldest of 3 children, all born in the 1950s. My childhood was idyllic. We were a family of travellers, moving across Canada and taking holidays during the summer, covering vast miles from the Atlantic to the Pacific. My sister and I performed for our grandparents at Christmas, singing songs and reciting ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. I was a feisty kid, duly bossing my younger sister and brother around. My father and his mom were quite hilarious. There was never a shortage of laughter, fun, and games growing up. I truly had an exciting and fun childhood, free from any worries!

My second life included being married young and having three children of my own. My husband at the time was in the military, and we moved around. During this second life season, I struggled with a spouse who was in the throes of addiction. In 1981, I landed in a foreign land with no instruction booklet on how to parent a child with a developmental disability. I found myself living in the Ottawa Valley in August 1986. Soon after that, I was divorced.

Single parenting, finding a career path, and becoming the CEO of my home with the kids shaped my third life. The children’s father was a classic deadbeat dad. I once bought a small new BBQ on Father’s Day, telling my son that I was a dad, too. In a sense, despite deep hardship at times, I began to thrive. I had two careers — nursing and working in the disability community. I met many people along the way who mentored me in becoming a strong advocate for my daughter and for the people I provided services and support to at work. I began to get more involved in the community as time allowed, joining various non-profit organizational committees and boards. I soaked up info about inclusion, advocacy, and feminism, building as much social capital and community connections as I could muster. I found a way through my inner strength, faith, love, and support of my family to not just survive, but feel exhilarated.

My fourth chapter is evolving with a second marriage eight years ago, retirement, grand parenting, and travelling. My husband and I joined the Pembroke Community Choir eight years ago, and for seven of those years I’ve been on the Executive. I’m also a member of W.I.N. I became a dog owner and am delighted with my 7-year-old Yorkiepoo, Percy. I have always been a walker, and Percy and I put on tons of kilometres weekly.

What’s the funniest thing that has ever happened to you?

I have had many funny things happen in my life. I was once pecked on the rear end by a seagull who wanted my french fries, but most recently, on a trip to Ireland last fall, our tour bus was just about to leave our hotel in Belfast when I suddenly realized I had left my coat in the hotel room. I tore off the bus to the lobby to get help, and to my utter shock and astonishment, a naked middle-aged man stepped off the elevator in the lobby holding nothing but an umbrella. After the shock wore off, I had one heck of a story to share with my fellow busload of travellers. I didn’t live it down for the remainder of the trip!

What is your least favourite household chore?

Probably dusting. It’s just so boring.

Have you ever named your car? If so, what names have you used?

Yes, we have named our cars. Currently, we have Mitzi and Deb.

What is your weirdest habit or trait?

I’m a little obsessed with my Fitbit and am hard on myself if I don’t get my allotted steps in each hour. I have a hard time fitting in as a “Human Being” as I’m more of a “Human Doing!!” When Geoff and I got married, he was constantly asking me if I just sat down to do nothing once in a while. The answer was a clear “NO.”

What sound do you hate?

I hate the sound of squealing tires. It brings back memories of past car accidents, and particularly my daughter’s dog being hit by a car in front of our house years ago. It literally makes me shudder and shake.

Do you have any phobias? What are they?

I fear heights. When I was a kid, I was fearless. It was no problem for me riding the Ferris wheel and stopping at the top. And I loved being frightened. But those days are now gone. I don’t like looking over any high edges and discovered on the Eiffel Tower in Paris that I was fine inside, but when I went outside, I literally had to ask my husband, Geoff, to take me by the arm and bring me back inside as I was becoming nauseous and panicky.

If you could start a whole new career path, what would you be?

I think I would have made a good teacher. In fact, I often said I was always teaching people in all my jobs and as a parent, too. If I could have trained and worked intentionally as a teacher, I would have loved the pension plan and summers off to go with it. Haha.

What three adjectives do you think your family and friends would use to describe you?

Supportive, encouraging, and authentic.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I would love to visit the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France, the Juno Beach Centre, and Normandy Beach — in other words, the sites where Canadians, including my paternal grandfather, fought during WWII. If possible, I would include Germany in that trip as well.

Who is the best-known celebrity you have ever seen in person?

I’ve always been a Royal Family follower. I saw Princess Diana and her then-husband, Prince Charles, at the Ottawa Airport on her first trip to Canada. I was up close at the window with my oldest girl in my arms! I was waving and so was she! I thought she was beautiful.

Are you a cat or a dog person? Why?

I’m definitely a dog person. I’ve had many dogs and cats in my lifetime, but I’m definitely much more engaged with dogs. They respond so eagerly to love and attention. I’ve decided cats are too aloof for me. Also, after many years, I discovered I was allergic to cat hair.

If you were an Olympian, which sport would you compete in?

I would definitely be a curler. I grew up in curling rinks watching my parents curl, I curled myself at various times, and I love watching curling.

What decade do you wish you had experienced? Why?

All of my grandparents were born in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I would have liked to have been around during that turn of the century. There were huge cultural shifts, urbanization, the rise of the middle class, and there were tons of inventions, including Thomas Edison and electrification coming to light and the first automobiles. It would have been an exciting time.

If you could hang out with any cartoon character, who would you choose and why?

It would definitely be Mickey Mouse. He is the epitome of fun, laughter, silliness, making others feel happy, and he’s funny, too. Hanging out with Mickey at Disney World would be a great gig for me!!

Thanks for sharing with us, neighbour Carol.

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Next week, we welcome Debbie Knechtel.