Posted on August 27, 2018 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

“Farewell to Nova Scotia, the seabound coast”

 

“All things come to he who waits.”

Violet Fane

If patience is a virtue, then area skateboarders must be among the most patient people in history. A skateboard park has been the dream of this collective for decades. They have lobbied and fundraised and have been thwarted in their numerous attempts to find safe, accessible skateboard park somewhere within the confines of the town of Antigonish.

An announcement last Friday that a consortium of players would make the dream of a first class skateboard park a reality, has brought large smiles to the faces of the Antigonish Skate Park Collective. A piece of land adjacent to the old Municipal Building on West Street will be leased by St.F.X. to the group sponsoring the project. Fundraising for this initiative is underway. One hopes that the skateboarders haven’t grown too old waiting for this facility to actually get to use it themselves!

I am thinking of entering the contortionist competition at the Eastern Nova Scotia Exhibition which starts in a few days’ time. Don’t go looking for this in the schedule. I just made this up. My continuing attempts to deal with chronic pain, have led me to the doors of an osteopath. While his intentions are honorable, he seems bent on disconnecting my head from my torso. I have seen Brett “Hitman” Hart use hammerlocks and other nefarious moves to disable his opponent that blushes in comparison. I’m only kidding, of course. I keep chanting the mantra “no pain, no gain” in my attempts to manage pain.

I witnessed a lot of compassion last week. I attended the memorial service for the late Sarah Mulcahy at the new CACL/Legion complex. It was a beautiful evening and may serve as a model for other tributes. Many family, friends and colleagues eulogized Sarah. In attendance were several members of the staff from the RK MacDonald Nursing Home who provided care in Sarah’s final years.

I know that I’ve written about this before but going to the RK twice a week to do music has been an enlightening experience. I have realized that literally any one of us, regardless of age or current health, could end up in a care facility in the blink of an eye. None of the residents of the RK chose to get old and in fact, several of them are not old. I continue to be impressed with every person who works in the facility. Their jobs are not easy yet most of them have a passion for caring.

If you missed last week’s post, I’m trying to raise $5,000 to send to India for the victims of the flood in Kerala, the state next door to Tamil Nadu where I spent four months last year. A million people have been displaced and they desperately need food, clothing and shelter.  If you want to help, there is an account ( Investment India) in my name at the Bergengren Credit Union. I can also accept e-transfers at investmentindia2017@gmail.com.

As Wednesday is a travel day, don’t panic if you don’t see a post Thursday morning. But you will be deluged with travel stories over the next few weeks as Pete and I make our way across Canada from Victoria to Halifax.

Have a great week.

Posted on August 23, 2018 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

The Daughters of Mary providing relief for flood victims in Kerala, India

 

Heavy monsoon rains followed by mudslides have devastated the state of Kerala in southern India. Kerala is the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu where I spent four months volunteering with the Daughters of Mary in 2016-17. A million people ( approximately the population of Nova Scotia ) have been displaced and are in urgent need of food, shelter and clothing.

I received an e-mail from Sister Archana the other day. You may remember that she and I worked together to get the fifty new taps installed at the leprosy colony in Kannyakumari. The convent has become one of the relief camps and the sisters are trying to feed 3,000 people daily. Having lived there for several months, I understand what a strain this would be on their physical and financial resources.

So, once again, I am appealing to your generosity to help those who are in need.

I still have an account at the Credit Union that has been assisting the Sisters on an ongoing basis. If you would like to make a donation, stop by and tell them that you are contributing to flood relief in India and would like to make a contribution to the Investment India account that is in my name.

I am also accepting e-transfers at investmentindia2017@gmail.com.

It would be great if we could raise $5,000 ( 250,000 rupees ) which would be an enormous help. Be assured that every dollar will go to those who need it.

Thanks very much.

Len

Me and Sister Archana

Posted on August 20, 2018 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

Pat Foote. Demonstrating her craft at the Antigonish Art Fair

 

Summer is winding down but you’d never know it. Yes, the heat and humidity have subsided and you can feel the first breath of fall in the air but if you like doing things, Antigonish will keep you more than occupied 365 days a year, 366 on leap years.

The final Art Fair of the summer was held last Friday evening. The weather cooperated and there was a large turnout to see local artist and artisans. The food trucks were there and a lot of musical talent on display including a performance by former Great Big Sea writer and singer, Sean McCann. Sean has a solo act and much of his concert focused on his recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. It couldn’t have been more different than a Great Big Sea show but he kept the crowd’s attention with crafty lyrics and wonderful story telling.

Pat Foote, the potter in the photo above, drew big crowds as well as she displayed her amazing pottery skills.

The community continues to be indebted to Beth Latwaitis, David Miller and Mike MacEachern for the immense efforts to promote art and artists in our community. Besides the Art Fair, their newest project is the Art House, located in the old Visitor Information Centre next to Boston Pizza. It has been a beehive of activity all summer with art classes for young people and the plan is to keep the facility open year round as a focal point for art, music and culture. I heard rumours that there will be bell dancing classes this winter. The bad news is that these will not be open to men. I know it is an awful visual but I was thinking of taking one of these classes. NOT. I can just imagine what an hour of gyrating would do to an arthritic back and neck. I’ll just stick to walking.

What? You have never been to Chez Deslauriers? For shame! Perched high on a hill overlooking St. George’s Bay, this wonderful facility serves up traditional Acadian cuisine every Friday of the summer between 11-2 p.m. The setting is perfect, the large group of volunteers friendly and accommodating with all proceeds going to their historical society. I think the last meal of the summer will be served this Friday.

There was a huge turnout at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday. This has become a “must do” event on Saturdays (besides the New York Times crossword puzzle). The Market was humming with activity as more and more crops ripen and become available. It is also possibly the premier meeting space in town as locals and their guests and tourists all mingle. Mercifully, most attendees aren’t glued to their cell phones as they’re either sampling wares or swapping tales with old friends.

A small plug for my website. As many of you have noticed, I have advertisers on my website. I have just concluded a successful six month campaign and will be launching another one on September 1^st. Advertising is very inexpensive ($10 a week) and the ads are shown around 35,000 times over a six month period. Drop me a note if you know of anyone who might be interested in advertising on one of the most widely read websites on Court Street!

I received an urgent call for help from my friend Sister Archana in Kannyakumari, India. The Daughters of Mary are providing food and shelter to thousands of victims of severe flooding in Kerala which is just next door to where I was volunteering last year. Take one minute and watch the devastation. IndiaFlood

If you can help, I still have an account at the Credit Union in my name called “Investment India.” I can also accept e-transfers at investmentindia2017@gmail.com Thank you for your consideration.

Have a great week.