Posted on January 23, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

Don’t be fooled for one minute. We are definitely not down south. I had to put a picture with today’s post so rather than “after the storm” pictures, I thought an “after the vacation” picture was every bit as good. Don’t you agree?

Those of you not from the area, bear with me as I pass along this piece of information. Those of you who grew up in Antigonish in the 1960’s and 1970’s will remember a wonderful member of the Town’s police force: Joe “Judique” MacDonald. Joe was a wonderful and decent man and I did a tribute to him which appears in this week’s Casket newspaper. It’s called “No Ordinary Joe.” Please support our local newspaper and pick up a copy or go to their website.

As some of you know, I also write for The Fairview Post, in Fairview  Alberta. The editor of the paper was in touch with me this week and specifically asked if I would prepare a piece for Valentine’s Day. As they say, ” be careful what you wish for.” While home yesterday afternoon riding out the storm, I took a crack at the first draft. This one will undergo a serious edit, similar to the story on menopause, methinks. It’s hard to put me and romance in the same sentence without evoking snickers. The story starts with cut out Valentines cards in elementary school and ends up at the present day. Tell me women, are you treated like royalty on Valentines Day by the special person in your life? The story is called “The Heart of the Matter” and will be appearing sometime around Valentines Day.

I have a slightly longer piece coming this Saturday. It’s about tobacco, particularly chewing tobacco. I got chatting with this lady from Guysborough a few weeks ago and somehow we got on this topic. Have you ever tried chewing tobacco? Have you ever swallowed the juice? Wasn’t that fun? So curl up with a coffee at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday and check out ” The Spitting Image.”

A few of you have come forward expressing an interest in helping out with the hot meal program at the St. James United Church. I am meeting with their people next week and will have an update for you shortly.

Don’t let the weather beat you down. From ” the 10 habits of optimists” … “be a positive forward thinker”

 My “gratitude jar” for the month of January is filling up. Something as simple as a good meal is one thing  to be thankful for.

Have a great day and a great weekend.

Posted on January 22, 2014 under Storytelling with no comments yet

 

“Oh, I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain…”

James Taylor

Cheers!  Raise your glass and let’s toast a family owned business that has survived fire and floods, big box stores and online shopping.  Come in to the warm and welcoming embrace of the 5₵ to $1.00 store in Antigonish.

It seems like the 5₵ to $1.00 has been here forever and, for as long as I can remember, there has been a member of the Jewkes family running the business.  They have an innate sense of what shoppers want and need and always seem to have what you are looking for.

For two Saturday’s running, I had the pleasure of sitting at a card table, just on the doorstep of the ladies wear department, signing copies of my book.  In the space of a couple of hours I saw hundreds and hundreds of people from far and wide and chatted with many of them.  The 5₵ to $1.00 is like an old sweater that fits just right and makes you feel warm.  They don’t need a welcome mat at the entrance.  You can feel it once inside the doors.

The store occupies its space right next to the Brierly Brook and just about every year, the river gets clogged with ice and, following a thaw or major rainstorm, overflows its banks.  For years that was a huge problem for businesses abutting the river as basements were flooded on an annual basis.  This was bad enough, but back in the day, the basement of the 5₵ to $1.00 housed, among other things, the toy department.  You just can’t sell soggy teddy bears.

And back in 1999, the flood of the century hit, with unprecedented rainfalls causing near catastrophic flooding in the region.  I remember it well as our green Geo Metro was the only car sitting in three feet of water in the parking lot behind the Main Street stores, at the height of the storm.  Our son literally waded waist deep in water, attached a rope, and several of us pulled it out of a raging current.  As it turned out, we would have been better off if we had simply left it to drift down river into the harbor.

Even a major fire did not deter the Jewkes family and, from the ashes, there rose a phoenix.  You can see it on the sign as you face the store on Main Street.

But mostly, the store is a reflection of the owners and staff.  Besides the late Creighton Jewkes and sons Lloyd and Stephen, who currently hold the reins, the names of the staff of yesteryear are as well-known as the letters of the alphabet.  Bob, Tina, Billy, Margie and many, many more spent a good part of their lives welcoming customers as they browsed the aisles of the store.  There is a whole new generation of men and women who are becoming the seasoned veterans.

And no discussion of the store is complete without mentioning the name of Hamish.  Simply put, Hamish is an institution at the store.  He knows every customer and can tell you where to find anything in the store, or who to ask.  If you look up the phrase “heart and soul” in the dictionary, don’t be surprised if you see his picture beside the definition.  Creighton was ahead of his time in so many ways.

For many years, I had the privilege of going to the 5₵ to $1.00 after Remembrance Day to raise a glass with Creighton and many of his war buddies.  We had our picture taken and inscribed a few words into a journal.  And we would always end the session by singing “Pals”.

And just like a good pal, the 5₵ to $1.00 remains loyal and true after all these years.

 

Posted on January 20, 2014 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

I thought I’d start off the week with a picture. It could be titled “Hope” or “Wishful Thinking.” As long as the winter seems for some people, it is amazing how quickly the seasons come and go once you hit 60. I am not lamenting this fact… just stating a reality.

The January thaw has come and gone and it looks like winter is back. It never really left. It merely hit the pause button. Someone was telling me the other day that they finally broke down and bought a snow blower. They had to order it in and it arrived after the thaw last week. There is a better than average chance that they won’t get to use it the rest of the winter and it probably won’t snow for three more years. That is according to “Len’s Law.” When I heard this story I thought about different things over the years where we finally made a purchase ( can you say “home renovations” ) and sold the house before we got to derive any pleasure from the upgrades. This and much more in the upcoming story “Len’s Law.”

My story about two local bands from the ’60’s is in the hands of my editor. I shifted gears part way through the story. While the story is ostensibly about The Strangers and The Escorts, I wandered down a slightly  different path part way through writing the story. I was reminded about a scary band trip where the band truck lost its brakes coming down Cape Smokey after playing for a dance in Ingonish. The story is called “Band on the Run” and will appear soon right here at Week45.

It’s “shameless promotion” time. I sit on the Board of Friends of Antigonish Library. ( FOAL )  Our major fundraiser, a dinner theatre, is coming up on Valentine’s Day. For you non romantic types, that would be February 14th. It will be held at the Legion in Antigonish and tickets ($35 per ) can be purchased at Brendan’s, The Library or from me. I will be working at the dinner selling lucky 50/50 tickets. Grab your sweetie and join us.

Here’s an update on something I mentioned at the beginning of the year. I plan to get involved with the hot meal program at St. James church. They are looking to add a second day ( Thursdays ) to the program and I plan on helping with the organization. What I need most is for a few people to step forward and volunteer to captain a team of 6 or more people. These captains need to find five or six friends or work colleagues to help them put on a simple meal once every six weeks at the church. I will raise the money for the year. If you have the time and the inclination to help out, please get in touch with me. We probably won’t get this going until the spring. Thanks for considering this.

Coming this Wednesday is the story “Where Everyone Knows your Name.” I never watched a single episode of Cheers but am aware that this was the theme song. The story is about a local business that has survived fire and flood, the onslaught of on line shopping and the arrival big box stores.

From “The 10 Habits of Optimists” … SMILE MORE, FROWN LESS

Have a great week.