Posted on August 4, 2014 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

A “wig” I won’t be wearing any time soon

 

 

This is a “special” time of the summer, especially a hot and humid summer, when a wide variety of bugs make their annual appearance. I think my favorite is earwigs, pictured above. I was getting in the shower the other day and was unwrapping my towel from the shower curtain rod, when out popped a couple of very large earwigs. They landed in the tub near my feet. I wasn’t surprised or alarmed. More like mild disgust. Earwigs must have been standing in the “ugly” lineup when the creator was handing out looks.

The other insects you may have noticed in abundance lately are fruit flies. Yes, like you, we dutifully compost and have a small container in the kitchen that eventually makes its way to the green bin. But not before armies of fruit flies find the container and hover around the lid like teenage girls to Justin Bieber. ( apologies ladies! ). Not comparing Bieb to fruit flies.

Do you remember what your green bin looked like when they only picked up garbage every other week in the summer? The maggot problem has been solved with the invention of the plastic compost bags. If you are not using them, grab a box. Experts now tell us that we should keep our compost in the freezer until moved to the green bin.

Ok. All of this talk about insects prompted me to write a story about this summer phenomenon. It is appropriately called “ Bugged. “ This one has a surprise ending.

I attended a marionette show last week with my granddaughter. It was absolutely fantastic. It was amazing to see the age ranges in the crowd. There was at least one infant (!) and one 90 something lady. The show was for the young and young at heart. It brought back a lot of memories as the show was “Rumplestiltskin”, a play that I performed in during elementary school days. I sure wish that I could turn straw into gold today. It would make retirement planning somewhat easier.

I also attended the Busker Festival in Halifax on the weekend. It was bedlam down at the waterfront. We went there with our one year old and six year old granddaughters. I bumped into some friends from “The Hawk” who were also chasing around a five year old grandson. They looked as ragged out as me. We all love our grandkids but trying to keep up with them over any extended period of time ( beyond 15 minutes! ), is a monumental task.

Thanks for the great response to “Ticket to Ride.” I think everyone can identify with that feeling when a Mountie goes by you and you know you might be going a bit too fast. The quick glance in the rear view mirror, followed by accelerated heart rate and sweaty palms. If you missed this, you can go back and read it. All of my stories are archived.

Every writer likes compliments and every once in a while, you get one that is special. I received one last week and the author had an interesting way of describing my writing. If you go to my home page and click on “Testimonials” you can see his remarks.

The second last Antigonish Art Fair show is this Friday at Chisholm Park. We have a jam packed lineup of entertainment, art and cuisine from around the world. We will also be treated to a performance by one of the world’s leading practitioners of Sheng Zen Qi Gong, Master Li. Master Li is coming from China to put on some workshops and will be our special guest. If you haven’t made it out to the Art Fair yet, please join us. It is a fun filled evening for the whole family.

Hope you have a wonderful day off today and enjoy the week ahead.

P.S. My Tuesday story will run on Wednesday this week.

Posted on August 2, 2014 under Storytelling with no comments yet

Checking out the rear view mirror

 

 

“She’s got a ticket to ride

But she don’t care”

Ticket to Ride – The Beatles

There was a time, not all that long ago, that drinking and driving was the norm.  It would not be uncommon to see someone exit the liquor store and pop a cold one while leaving the parking lot.  As a society, we have become much more aware of the perils of this practice and now it is the custom to have a designated driver.  Taxi companies experienced a growth in business when the crackdown on drinking and driving came.

This does not mean that common sense always prevails.  There are still some people who think that they can drive better while under the influence than their spouses can sober.

I recently travelled to a party with some friends in their vehicle.  Being a non- drinker, I volunteered to drive home after the gathering so that they could have a few glasses of wine with supper.   We spent a lovely afternoon at the lake, kayaking, playing washer toss and just letting the warm breeze blow across our faces.  After a gargantuan feast, it was time to hit the road.  As it turned out, I was relieved of driving duties as the wife of the couple had not imbibed.

I rode shotgun while her husband and daughter occupied the back seat.

We weren’t very far down the road when the driver inquired about the speed limit.  We had yet to see a sign.  We crested a hill and coming straight at us was a car with the unmistakeable markings of an R.C.M.P. cruiser.  The driver took a quick peek at the speedometer, which is the natural instinct.  Having not seen a speed limit sign, it was anyone’s guess whether or not she was speeding.

The young child in the rear seat was oblivious to the drama that had the potential to unfold.

There is always a ten second time frame after a Mountie car goes by you, travelling in the opposite direction.  The driver immediately looks in the rear view mirror.  This is followed by a decided spike in the heart rate and perspiration in the palms of the hands.  “Will the red and blue lights on the roof of the officer’s vehicle go on, accompanied by the tell-tale siren?”

In this particular case, the driver had several things running through her mind besides these thoughts.  When she looked in the rear view mirror, she saw a little smirk on her husband’s face.  He was pondering the delicious irony of the situation.  How embarrassing would it be for his wife to get a speeding ticket while nobly serving as the designated driver?  He really didn’t want the Mounties to whip around and take chase, but there was a small corner of his psyche that would have enjoyed it.

She wondered what would be worse.  Explaining the intricacies of the situation to her daughter, or paying a fine?  No.  There is something far worse.  This couple was attending a neighborhood party later that evening and the razzing she would take, once the story was embellished by her husband, would be relentless.

The lights and siren did not go on.  You could clearly hear her exhale.

She did not “get a ticket to ride” … and she does care.

 

 

Posted on July 31, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with 2 comments

The second viewing stand at The Landing

 

 

I never tire of walking around The Landing. My granddaughter and I went for a nature walk the other evening. A six year old has so many questions. A 63 year old has so few answers!

Going for a walk is one of life’s simple pleasures. There are lots of others too, many of them experienced as a child. I fear that many children these days will never experience the things we did. Back in the day, we were thrown out of the house and we had to manufacture our own fun. There was no adult supervision. Today, a parent can be charged for leaving a child unattended in a park. So sad.

The other day on my way to work, I found myself kicking a stone. We used to do this all the time.  I wrote down as many things as I could remember from my childhood and wrote a story called “ A Few of My Favorite Things.” Do you remember sitting at the beach and digging a hole all the way to China? Did you ever build a fort in the woods? Do you remember what spruce gum felt and smelled like? When was the last time you waded through a field of tall hay or perched in a tree surveying your universe? This is a story any one of you ( of a certain age! ) could have written.

I attended a party out in the country a few weeks ago and offered to be the designated driver on the return trip. I’m sure you’ve all encountered the macho male who thinks ( mistakenly ) that he can drive, with a few drinks under his belt, better than his sober wife. My friend luckily wasn’t one of these people.  As it turned out, I did not have to be the DD. There was a funny sequence of events when my buddy’s wife almost got caught for speeding on the way home. There is always a rush of emotions for about ten seconds when a Mountie car goes by and you’re not sure if you’ve been speeding or not. Your heart rate goes up. The palms start to sweat just a bit. You stare in the rear view mirror waiting to see if the red roof light will go on. While all of this is unnerving, the thought of getting a ticket when you’re the designated driver, is almost too embarrassing to ponder. “Ticket To Ride” examines those precious 10 seconds in detail.

I have met some of the loveliest people through my writing. Every week I get a handful of e-mails from people who confess to liking my material. While I am grateful for the compliments, I get a big kick out of their stories.  Don’t hesitate to drop me a note. I answer all correspondence and I’m always on the lookout for new story ideas.

Have a great holiday weekend.