Posted on September 22, 2014 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

It’s getting chili outside

 

 

What’s with the TGIM? Thank God It’s Monday, of course!   Monday gets a bad rap so it’s time to change it up a bit. I , for one, am very grateful that it’s Monday and that “I live to fight another day.” If you think Monday is going to suck then it probably will… a self-fulfilling prophecy, as it were. But how about being grateful that it’s Monday and how privileged most of us are?

Day 2 of the Hot Meal program at St. James United church was launched last Thursday. Our office, Success’N Planning, under the captaincy of Rosemary, served up some mighty fine chili to the hungry. We had a lot of fun and it was extremely gratifying . It is not too late to sign up as a volunteer. You don’t have to make a long term commitment. Let me know if you are interested and I will add your name to the list. We have 7 teams and will be looking for extra hands from time to time, to prepare and serve the meals.

Tomorrow, I will be launching my first trilogy with the initial installment of “Milling About.” I worked in a sawmill for about 6 months back in the 70’s. A sawmill is a very noisy place to work and I remember my first shift distinctly working on the “green chain.” Hands up. How many of you know what a green chain is? Thought so. You are way too smart  to have worked in a sawmill. I actually enjoyed working at the mill. It’s fun to do manual work and to be able to go home afterwards with nothing to worry about other than getting the stench of chemicals off of your clothing and out of your skin pores.

So, part 1 coming up tomorrow of “Milling About.”

I was at the Farmer’s Market last Saturday and was chatting with a couple of friends. One thing led to another and the word “provincials” reared its head. I’m talking about provincial exams and not play downs for a soccer title. Any of you who wrote “provincials” know exactly the emotions that that word evokes. I decided to recreate my own angst with a story called “ All or Nothing.” Thanks to Miriam and Bernice for the brainwave.

Most of you would not know this and certainly wouldn’t care about it. I played football for St.F.X for one year back in 1972. Now that fall is here, I think about football and remember vividly the time that I donned equipment and suited up for the “blue and white.” I was telling Shane about this a few weeks ago and he suggested that I get this one down on paper. “Run For Your Life” chronicles one memorable game where I literally “ran for my life.”

My second book is in the final editing stages and will head to the printer in mid October. I hope to have it in my hands at the end of that month. And remember, I will be donating the first copy to the live auction at the fundraiser in Heatherton on October 26^th. The other 999 copies won’t be available until my book launch on December  4^th. Once again, I plan to do a few signings at the 5 to $1.00 on Saturday the 6^th. and Saturday the 13^th. of December.

Have a great week.

P.S. Don’t ya just love the aroma of freshly spread liquid pig manure permeating the atmosphere these days?

Posted on September 20, 2014 under Storytelling with no comments yet

I could see the golf course from “The West Wing”

 

 

I was recently invited to attend a gathering of business colleagues on Prince Edward Island. As I am on the cusp of retirement ( in 30 years or so), I don’t attend many of these functions any more.  My days of late nights and many drinks are well behind me.  I love the expression one of my friends , who gave up drinking, uses: “I reached my quota”.  The event, of course, included golf.  Sad to say, I used up all my good shots many moons ago.  And I have listened to one too many speakers drone on at conferences.  You know that feeling, like your head is in a vise.

So why exactly did I agree to go? Because some very nice people invited me to join my business partners in a discussion on succession planning.  We think we’ve done a pretty good job with our strategy.  Luckily most of the attendees haven’t given up drinking.  They made need a few after we’re through with them. Or before.

One of my business partners  picked me up on one of the more dreary mornings of the summer. Yes, it’s technically still summer. It poured rain and it was foggy as we approached the ferry terminal at Caribou.  “Do you think we will get on?” he quipped.  I peered through the mist as we passed the booth that normally houses someone directing you to the proper lane.  I had to squint, as failing eyesight is one of the many joys of aging.

About a 9 iron away, I saw three cars in a lineup. Yes, our chances were excellent that we would get on the early boat.

We had a smooth passage and meandered slowly through hill and dale behind two trucks hauling horses. Despite the threat of road rage from Shane, we arrived in one piece at Brudenell.

We had lunch with several other guests. Respectfully, the boys all waited until 12:02 before having their first drink of the day.  It certainly wouldn’t be their last.  I was quite impressed that Shane chose a heart healthy lunch of dark rum and coke and fiery chicken wings.  I guess when you’ve had your gall bladder removed, anything goes.

Despite my chronically ailing back, I decided to golf. I had the pleasure of sharing a cart with Steve.  Shane and Paul rounded out the foursome.  The weather had settled down.  In fact, it was unseasonably warm during the early afternoon.  Rory McIlroy needn’t be threatened by the calibre of golf in this group, despite some impressive shots off an illegal driver that Shane was using.  At one point I offered a piece of advice to Paul, who seemed to be fighting a losing battle with the bunkers.  He successfully extricated himself from the sand trap.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that the ball was last seen flying over Montague.

A combination of my sore back, the return of the driving rain and my less than stellar golf prowess convinced me that the hot tub was the place to be. I packed in in after nine holes, the farthest point from the clubhouse at Dundarave.  Mercifully, a course marshal helped me to find my way back to civilization.  When he was certain that I wouldn’t get lost, he cut the tether and I was on my own.  I clutched my new Blackberry Q5 and was about to hit “maps” when the clubhouse appeared off in the distance.

I went to the front desk to check in. “Mr. MacDonald, here is your room key. You will be in the West Wing.”

I have done my fair share of travelling over the years and have stayed at some pretty fancy addresses. To demonstrate how sophisticated and urbane I am, I even know exactly where Steve’s house is in Spryfield.  My daughter lives right around the corner.  He admitted that his choice of neighborhood included walking distance to both the liquor store and McDonald’s.

I was impressed that the conference organizer, Cathy,  would bestow an honor like this upon me by choosing me for this prestigious address at the hotel. I wondered if champagne and chocolates would be waiting for me in my room.  It’s nice when people respect their elders and offer them the very best in accommodations.

Have you ever tried to haul a trolley through a door that doesn’t open automatically, carrying enough baggage to make a Himalayan voyage seem like a trip to the cottage? I quickly discovered that to get to the West Wing, you had to go through the hotel, back out into the rain and across a creaking deck to another set of doors that don’t open automatically.

I approached the door with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation, made a successful entry and headed to the royal suite.

I almost expected a chorus of trumpeters to greet me.

The TV didn’t work and a light bulb was burnt out. Instead of dialing up the maître de, I called maintenance.

And there wasn’t any chocolate or champagne. Just a few bags of chips.

I thought about asking for a cabin, but realized that this was a very bad idea as it was likely that the young bucks in the group would be there, gearing up for the night ahead.

I planned to go for a long soak in the hot tub but that would have required taking the elevator, exiting the building and crossing the groaning planks one more time … in the rain.

On second thought, a hot shower will do just fine.

 

 

Posted on September 18, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

Best shot of the day ( with a camera! ) #12 at Brudenell

 

 

There’s only one thing better than golfing if you haven’t played in years. And that is not golfing. I was on “The Island” for three days attending a conference. I haven’t played any golf in the past eight years. I tried playing on Sunday and it only took nine holes for my back to tell me in no uncertain terms, that this was a very bad idea. A sore back and a multitude of horrible shots, sent me scurrying back to the clubhouse. The sudden rain squall and dropping temperatures made the decision very easy.

When I checked in, the clerk announced that my room was in the “West Wing.” Wow. I was thinking presidential but it turned out very differently. You can read all about it in my upcoming story called ( oddly enough! ) , “The West Wing.”

This week’s “Monday Morning Musings” got somewhat derailed after the accounting of last Saturday’s “beach party” in Inverness.

I’m sure I have mentioned this before but I am taking my first crack at a trilogy with my “Milling About” stories. Back in the 1970’s, I worked for a period of time in a sawmill and quickly discovered that this was not my first career choice. Some funny things happened at the mill that I had completely forgotten about until I passed a sawmill in Middle Musquodobit a few weeks ago. The first episode will be launched soon.

I am pleased and excited with the progress of my second book. All the stories have been written and submitted to my book editor. We did a phot shoot last week and I am really happy with the cover design ( front and back ) that was done by Jean Pearcey of Jeanious Designs. Jean does wonderful work and you will see the results of her labor on December 4^th. at my book launch at the library. More to come on this.

However, if you just can’t wait (!) you will have an opportunity to get the very first copy on Thursday, October 26^th. at the fundraiser in Heatherton. ( See the poster at the top of the page ). I’m taking my Week45 Express show on the road. In addition to myself and my good friend Phil Milner, I am really pleased that my four children will be performing some tunes. They haven’t played together in close to 10 years.

There will be a silent auction and I will be donating the first book out of the box to the silent auction table. If you win the bid, I will stick around after the show and autograph it for you. The rest of the books won’t go on sale until December 4^th. at the launch. Once again, I will be doing a signing on December 6^th. and 13^th. at the 5 to $1.00.

The response to yesterday’s story, “ No Waffling” was amazing. I have only had a few other stories in the last couple of years that have received as much attention as this one. I am really pleased and I suspect many of you are patrons of Authentic Belgian Waffles.

Please keep supporting all of our young business people and if at all possible, SHOP LOCAL. It’s so tempting to shop on line or go to the big cities but if we don’t support local businesses, there won’t be any in years to come. And then, who will support all of the sports teams and charities?

Have a terrific weekend.