Posted on February 23, 2015 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

Somewhere in New York State – December, 2014

( Peter MacDonald photo )

 

 

Do you ever feel old? Is getting out of bed in the morning a challenge? Do you find many of your conversations begin and end with a discussion about aches and pains? I believe they call this aging. Later this week, I will be giving a keynote address at a conference where the theme will be “Aging Actively.”  I think they should change the title to “Aching Actively.”  Our recent move, which took the better part of three weeks, is over. Time for a round of massages.

And, yes, our house is officially for sale as of today. If you know of anyone who needs lots of bedrooms and a home office, this would be the perfect house for them.

Those of you who are new to “Week45” will quickly find out that I will tackle subjects that are fraught with danger. I will tread where no man dares. In the past, I have weighed in on the church and even had the audacity to comment on menopause…  from a man’s perspective. So, why would you be the least bit surprised to find out that I have just penned a story , about…. bras!

Being a liberated male, I throw myself into domestic chores, particularly at this time of the year when my wife is putting in very long hours doing tax returns. My cooking isn’t gourmet but is passable ( I haven’t killed anyone yet. ) I shop for groceries, do household chores and handle most of the laundry duties. The latter has become so much easier now that everything is on one level and there aren’t multiple trips to the basement.

I have learned quite a bit about laundry over the years. It’s not as if men are total strangers to this task. I didn’t get married till my early thirties so I did all my own laundry for years. It’s one thing to throw a bunch of socks, underwear and t-shirts into the wash and dry them all on high heat. It’s quite another thing when you start doing laundry with women’s apparel.

I am going to do all men a big favor and give them some helpful pointers about laundering bras. I have gone to the “school of hard knocks” on this subject. There are definitely some dos and don’ts. Coming up soon, “ My Cup Runneth Over ( Bra Beaten ). “ This story could be heavily redacted by the editor (!).

Part 2 of Transcontinental Travel Tips will be published this Saturday.

Thinking about having coffee and story exchange  this Saturday, Feb. 28^th. at 10:00 a.m.  at the Prissy Pig. Would you (a) private message me (b) send me an e-mail (c) call me (d) send a message via homing pigeon or (e) smoke signals and let me know if you can join me? I need to alert the P.P. about crowd control issues!

Have a great week.

Posted on February 21, 2015 under Storytelling with no comments yet

December 26, 2014 – Day 1 of our trip

( Peter MacDonald photo )

How do you tackle a trip spanning 3 provinces, 19 states and 10,000 kilometers?  One kilometer at a time.

My son asked me to accompany him on a trip to the West coast of Canada from our home province, Nova Scotia.  He planned to spend some of the winter months in the relatively balmy climes of Victoria, B.C.  This is hardly surprising, as the winter temperature in the East can whipsaw between 0 Celsius and rainy to minus 35 with a wind chill, in a matter of 24 hours.

Flying across the country made the most sense but his work in Victoria would require a car.  I suggested that he find someone his own age to tackle the long drive across the country … in the dead of winter.   Peter dismissed that notion in favour of his old man.  After many discussions, we agreed that getting out of the snow quickly was paramount so we chose a route through the southern United States.

After completing the mandatory schedule of family functions on Boxing Day (street hockey game, singsong and a cameo appearance on stage at a local pub), we hit the road at 8:30 p.m. and soon arrived at our first stop: Amherst, Nova Scotia.

Now let me be clear: We are not the first, nor will we be the last folks to tackle a transcontinental trip by car.  However, having survived the journey, I thought a few travel tips might be in order.

Tip # 1: Never go on a long trip to places unknown without a GPS

My guess is that many marriages have ended in a car, and not in the back seat, as you might be thinking.  No.  I suspect that many arguments have occurred with a couple on a long trip with one acting as the navigator.  Actually, I know this to be true.  After a long day on the road and desperate to find a motel, finding one’s accommodations in the dark, in a strange city, is often nerve wracking for the driver and the person occupying the passenger seat, especially if they are married to each other.  As many have said before, a GPS is not only a life saver but also a wife saver.

Pete and I slipped across the border at noon the following day.  Passing through Calais, we noticed a sign with an interesting marketing ploy.  An auto glass company was offering a free lobster if you got your windshield repaired at their fine establishment.  I wondered aloud if the lobster would be live or cooked. We thought about looking around to see if we could find a gravel truck to tail, to see if the glass company would make good on their promise.

Tip# 2: Bring a cooler with some snacks

It’s odd to think that a person could actually get hungry sitting in a car for 10 hours a day.  Other than holding onto the steering wheel or checking your messages (passengers only!), driving hardly requires physical stamina.  But there’s something about traveling that causes one to think about food … often. It’s great to be able to lean back and grab an apple, a handful of grapes or some crackers and cheese.

We put the hammer down on Day One and overnighted in Danbury, Connecticut.  Before leaving on the trip, one of my brothers had loaned me an old copy of the classic book, “Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance”.  Each day of the trip I tried to read a chapter or two.  Easier said than done.  On day two, we encountered two major traffic accidents which impeded our progress.  The Interstate highways are a blessing when you`re trying to put on the miles but when an accident happens, it is utter chaos.  We stayed overnight in Roanoke, Virginia. (Want some great Mexican food?  Go to El Rodeo in Roanoke.  The portion sizes are gargantuan).

( Part 2 next Saturday )

Posted on February 19, 2015 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

Spring will come… promise!

 

 

Everybody,  I mean everybody,  has a weather story or ten from the last couple of weeks. People who have lived in these parts all of their lives have never witnessed the strange weather patterns. We’ve had really snowy winters before and we’ve had winters that were quite benign. We’ve had rain and we’ve had freezing rain and ice pellets. We’ve had stretches of bitterly cold weather and some winters that bordered on tropical. But rarely, if ever, have we seen the odd sequencing of weather events. Never have I felt more like an old geezer than lately,  trying to navigate the sidewalks. And, we haven’t even had the worst of it. Some of the pictures and video clips from around the Atlantic Provinces are quite amazing. I have a relative in P.E.I. who is still snowed in. Spring will look particularly good this year.

I have decided to publish the story of my transcontinental trip with my son, Peter,  in chapters , commencing this Saturday. When I look back, we were incredibly lucky to drive 9700 kilometers and not see a single flake of snow. If we had left two weeks ago, we could be stuck in a snowdrift in New Brunswick. I have also pitched the entire story, all 5300 words of it, to a couple of publications. I am hearing through the grapevine that it might get published.

I would like to shamelessly make a plug for our library. This Friday,the 20^th. at 4:30, the People’s Place Library will receive its plaque in recognition as one of the “Great Places in Canada.” The public is invited to attend. I plan to be there so drop over and say hello… and bring your chequebook while you’re at it! I am a board member with FOAL ( I am not a young horse, by the way…more likely  an old war horse ). The acronym, stands for “Friends of Antigonish Library.” You may not be aware but libraries are chronically underfunded. We are a group whose mandate ( among other things ) is to raise money for the library so that they can purchase books and other supplies. We are embarking on a modest fundraising drive ( $7500 ) and you can help by making a tax deductible donation to our campaign. Thanks.

More stories in the works. Stay tuned.

Have a great weekend.