Posted on September 7, 2015 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

1277 reasons to be grateful. Welcome X Frosh

 

 

It was “back to school “last week and I decided that this was a good time to further my education. I enrolled in a nutrition/fitness program. There are not many people I know who don’t struggle in some way with unhealthy eating habits and who are not as active as they should be. I promise I won’t go preachy on you here but as we get older, our health quickly becomes our number one priority.

You are well aware of the expression, “ you are what you eat.” This is not so good if you eat too much bread and supplement your diet with muffins, fries and sweets. I am re-learning how to eat properly. Back in my marathoning days, I could get away with eating almost anything , when I was burning calories as fast as I could consume them. If you are interested in learning more about the program, send me an e-mail ( len.macdonald@eastlink.ca ) and I’ll put you in touch with my coach, who just happens to be my daughter, Margaret!

I know it’s a long weekend and you have much better things to do than read my material but just in case you missed it, I published a story on Saturday that is one of my favorites. It’s a true story about a couple who have to go to Halifax to get their car serviced. The routine maintenance is anything but routine. The story involves construction tie ups, epic heat and humidity, frayed nerves and a trip to several malls…. to find an adult coloring book! If you missed it, go back and check it out. It’s called “ Be Mindful.”

So, are you heading down to Inverness next weekend to “Chase the Ace?” The size of these jackpots is quite astonishing. I was reading a piece in last week’s herald about this phenomenon and they were interviewing the folks who got the craze going in earnest in this part of the world down in Havre Boucher. One of the organizers mentioned that overflow crowds were being directed to an adjacent funeral home. He said that the event was quite an “undertaking.” ( Pause for groan ).

I have been taking some good natured ribbing about the picture I posted last week of me playing the harp. When I retired, I wanted to try something new. I think it’s good to try new things throughout one’s life. It’s so easy to fall into ruts so shaking things up from time to time, isn’t such a bad thing. Someone wondered if I was trying to get an inside track to heaven. It’s going to take a lot more than playing a harp!

Are you fascinated by crows? I was at the hospital last week and noticed that they cut down all the pine trees right at the front entrance to the building. They looked perfectly healthy ( which they were ) but apparently they have been having an awful time with crows who congregate there on a regular basis. They have become a nuisance and have been attacking patients and staff when they see food. I knew that crows were amongst the smartest birds so I did a little research and wrote a story called “ Nothing to Crow About.” It will be published soon here and in the Cape Breton Star.

The first person who can tell me what a collection of crows is called will win a Week45 baseball cap.

Hope you have an awesome Labour Day.

Posted on August 31, 2015 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

I expect to be harping at you soon

 

 

When I retired a few months ago, I had three goals ( sitting around putting on pounds and being lazy wasn’t one of them ): (1) Whip myself into shape. I have enrolled in a program ( nutrition and exercise ) and will start tomorrow. The endless journey for wellness and balance continues. (2) Find a part time job to stay engaged. I started new work this past week ( casual/part time ). (3) Find a new hobby to keep the brain stimulated. The picture above says it all. My harp instructor is Thea Huard. She is wonderful and incredibly patient. ( www.antigonishcelticharp.wordpress.com )

First, the good news: summer has arrived in all its glory. The bad news: tomorrow is September 1^st. It looks like the best stretch of weather we’ve had all year will happen this week. Better late than never, as the expression goes. We spent yesterday afternoon at Lawrencetown Beach with some of the family. Hadn’t been there before. What an awesome beach.

Our family reunion is in the rear view mirror. There was a time when I was much younger that I didn’t think much of family reunions but the passage of time has changed all that. I now know that these get togethers are so important on so many levels. There is a lot of mileage when you consider that the youngest attendee was 2 and the oldest was 90. It is a time to reflect on the past, live in the moment and ponder the future.

I have some new stories ready for publication. “Done Roamin,” my Casket story later this week , is about a gentleman from Doctor’s Brook who, like many of his generation, went to the “Boston States” to seek employment back in the 50’s. He spent much of his working career in Boston and retired to Nova Scotia. I like writing these kinds of stories. They are about the lives of real people who faced all kinds of challenges ( like the rest of us ! ). We often romanticize about the “good old days” but for our parents’ generation, there wasn’t too much that was glamorous. I still think the reason for their longevity is their incredible work ethic. They didn’t have any choice. Without most of the modern conveniences that we take for granted, their lives involved physical exertion at every turn.

In my research, I was shown a story from a 1941 edition of The Casket. It is an incredible story of two women who went from Doctor’s Brook to Antigonish to do some shopping and were storm stayed for five days. After three days in Antigonish, they decided to walk in waist high snow back to Doctor’s Brook by way of Cloverville and Big Marsh. I thought running the Boston Marathon was a feat of endurance until I read about these incredibly tough women.

On a much more light hearted note, “Be Mindful” is a story about a couple who goes to Halifax to get their car serviced. While driving the dealership’s loaner car ( one of those eco friendly models ), they get stuck in horrible traffic on their way to Bayer’s Lake . It was one of those days when the humidity was through the roof. The air conditioning wasn’t working properly. Are you starting to get the picture? The regular maintenance checkup turns out to be something more serious. Well one thing leads to another, including a request from their daughter to pick up a couple of adult coloring books. I don’t want to spoil the story but the quest for the coloring books involves four malls. This story will make you laugh or cry or both because we’ve all been in a similar situation.

I am looking forward to a trip up to Neil’s Harbor to meet a family doctor who has been practicing there for over 40 years. I expect that he will have some great stories.

Have a great week.

Posted on August 24, 2015 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

I wouldn’t skip a family reunion for anything

( Peter MacDonald photo )

 

 

Wow! My head is spinning. What a whirlwind four days. The range of emotions is really hard to articulate.

It all started last Thursday when a dear friend of the family passed away. The scourge of cancer claimed another person. Dave Dixon was a quality guy and we are all going to miss him. I’m doubly sad because he suggested a subject for one of my “living tributes” as I like to call them. He mentioned an older gentleman from Doctor’s Brook who led a pretty interesting life. I met with this person two days before Dave died. I had hoped to have the story finished in time so that he could hear it. But sadly, it wasn’t to be, although I was able to tell him a few funny stories from the interview. This story will be published in next week’s Casket .

Friday was also the last Art Fair for 2015 and this coincided with the first MacDonald Family Reunion in 15 years. Did I mention that it was an unseasonably warm and humid weekend…just in case you didn’t notice?! The reunion started late in the morning with a walk around The Landing and ended Sunday afternoon with a catered lunch at the John Paul Centre.

I certainly won’t bore you with all the details. This would be as bad as someone coming back from a mid- winter cruise and telling how great it was. There were definitely a few highlights though. On Friday night at the Art Fair, I was joined on stage by almost every relative, for the finale. We sang a handful of songs in four part harmony. And who was smack dab in the middle of this motley crew? My 90 year old mother. Even though she is showing signs of aging, she remembered every word to the songs we sang. I believe that music is one of those things that’s hard wired in our brains.

However, we were definitely upstaged by 19 Coady students who put on an amazing display in their 20 minute set. The crowd, estimated at 1200, clapped , hollered and cheered , as each participant brought greetings to Antigonish in the official language of their country. We are so fortunate to have them in our midst. It was a wonderful evening and I think everyone went away happy.

The rest of the weekend was full on family reunion. You know how these things go. It’s exhausting and exhilarating. The youngest attendee was Leah ( aged 2 ) and the oldest was mom at age 90. Thankfully, the weather forecasters had it all wrong ( a disturbing trend these days ). There wasn’t one outdoor event that was even close to being cancelled. The clan’s patriarch, P.D. died in 1977 so most of the people attending the reunion never got to meet him. The last event on Sunday was dedicated to his memory as most of my siblings told stories about dad so that our children and grandchildren would get a glimpse of who he was and what he stood for. All of my brothers and sisters ( including yours truly ) had a hard time getting through our presentations without some gulping and tears. As I said earlier, these kind of events evoke all kinds of emotions.

A huge thanks to the four cousins that put the whole thing together: Margaret , Laura, Tricia and Betsy.

September is lurking like an unwanted intruder.

Have a great week.

P.S. Yes, I can jump that high… and pigs fly!!!