Posted on April 13, 2015 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

Linden, Len and Betty discussing politics and religion , no doubt!

( Jean Pearcey photo )

 

 

“On the road again, I can’t wait to get on the road again.” Willie Nelson

Yes. Pete and I are back at it again. We’ll be rolling through Wyoming and South Dakota today on our way to Madison Wisconsin, Chicago, and  Detroit,  crossing in to Canada at Windsor and on to the Maritimes. Pete has a gig in Stewiacke on Friday night so we won’t be stopping for any sightseeing tours. It’s definitely “pedal to the metal” time.

I flew out to Vancouver last Friday and early Saturday morning we were off and running crossing the border into the United States at 9:00 a.m.

Last week is a bit of a blur. Let me rephrase that. Life is a blur. I haven’t found out yet how to slow down the train. Have you? Our big news is that we sold our house. It took time ( the better part of three years ) and patience but last Tuesday we got the call from our realtor. By the end of May, right around the time my mom turns 90, we should be passing over the keys. And that’s it. No more home ownership for us. Moving to a 2 bedroom apartment is not everybody’s cup of tea but we are thrilled with a major downsizing.

Last Thursday, I had the honor of being the Emcee at the 2015 Antigonish Chamber of Commerce President’s Dinner.  I had the opportunity to spend most of the evening with our  guest speaker, CBC investigative journalist and author, Linden MacIntyre. For 24 years, Linden worked on the CBC program “The Fifth Estate.” He travelled the world and met presidents, prime ministers and criminals.( some commonalities? ) What impressed me the most was that he hasn’t forgotten where he came from: Judique. He has maintained his humility and is not big on his “celebrity” status. Actually, he doesn’t have much use for people with inflated egos. He delighted a record turnout of some 170 people. I had a lot of fun and it was a great experience. Sitting and talking with Linden throughout dinner was just like talking with one of my old friends from St.F.X. days.

There was a big announcement last week. One of the teams for the Hot Meal at St.James Church is Bergengren Credit Union. When they came on board last fall, Carolyn Grant told me about a grant program through one of their partners in business, Concentra Financial. She decided to apply for money for the Hot Meal program and last week , Bergengren was informed that Concentra would be contributing $10,000 to the Hot Meal program. All of us associated with the program were both speechless and elated. This will feed a lot of hungry people. We are hoping to get a representative from Concentra to come to one of our Hot Meals to put on an apron to see where their money is going.

Sometimes, you just have to do crazy things. Not sure if it’s called spontaneity or sheer madness but yesterday, I rented a hotel room twice in one day in two different cities. Wha? Yup. It was the final round at The Masters golf tournament and Peter and I are keen golf fans. We put in a good five hours on the road then pulled into Billings, Montana. In the space of 20 minutes, we got an oil change, ordered Asian takeout and rented a hotel room for 6 hours in order to watch our favorite sports event. We watched Jordan Speith win the tournament and 5 hours later, we were on our way… to our second hotel of the day, in Sheridan, Wyoming. Passed the Battlefield of Little Bighorn. General Custer was nowhere to be found.

I was sitting beside a young lady on the Ottawa to Vancouver leg of my flight on Friday. She was going out for a job interview. As many of you know, Ottawa , in the dead of winter, is almost as cold as Siberia so I can understand why she wants to relocate to a balmy climate. She said she likes rain. I said that she will absolutely love Vancouver from December to March when it rains ( heavily ), just about every day.

Almost done. On Wednesday, I will be doing one of my “living tributes.” Once or twice a year, I like to shine the spotlight on someone that I think is special and makes a significant contribution to the community. I can’t give you the title or else you will figure it out.

Hope you have a terrific week.

Posted on March 30, 2015 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

A jewel on the Main

 

 

Some businesses go out of their way to ”put their best foot forward.” This window display at Cameron’s Jewellers just makes a person want to go in and shop. Kudos to Donna Macpherson for this beautiful creation.

Yup. It’s official. This has been the winter from hell. I managed to fall on the ice for the fourth time yesterday after shoveling for a couple of hours. The combination of fluffy snow and a big ass,  prevented me from injuring anything except my pride. I would like to propose a motion that winter officially end. Any seconders?

I was one of the lucky 580 or so people who enjoyed a beautiful lobster dinner at St. James on Friday. These folks know how to put on a lobster dinner. The food was awesome, the service excellent and the volunteers couldn’t have been nicer.

I got around to writing a new story this weekend. It’s called “Paperback Writer.” I can already imagine that this will cause an earworm with at least one person today, humming this old Beatles classic. It’s the story of someone who gets locked in a bookstore midday while an inattentive clerk leaves for lunch and locks the door from the outside. Of course, I have taken great liberties to embellish this true story. I got to thinking after I wrote this: I wonder what would happen if I got locked inside a grocery store over night? Or, how about the liquor store?

I was telling you a few days ago that I was going to publish the story about the bagpiper who plays at a committal ceremony for a homeless person. I confessed up front that this was not an original story. I can’t for the life of me find out who wrote the original. I think I will publish it anyways with a disclaimer. It’s a funny story and,  after the latest snowfall, I think we could all use a laugh. The story is called “The Pipes Are Calling.”

Later this week, Wednesday actually, I will be publishing the story about a train trip from Antigonish to Montreal in March of 1971. It happened during the “storm of the century” in Montreal. It coincided with the marriage of Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Margaret Sinclair. ( two storms of the century,  one might suggest! ). The story is called “The Habs and the Hab Nots.” And, no, you Leaf fans, it’s not a story about the Montreal Canadiens so put your prejudices aside and read it. It’s a pure nostalgia piece for those of us who took the train back in the glory days. I’m sure most of us over 60 have a train story.

As some of you know, the Chamber of Commerce is having its annual president’s dinner on Thursday, April 9^th. The guest speaker is well known CBC investigative journalist and author, Linden MacIntyre. If you are going, you might want to get your tickets early. This could be a sell out. And yours truly will be the MC so I’ll have a bit of fun.

Just a friendly reminder. The fundraising campaign sponsored by Friends of Antigonish Library ( FOAL ) is wrapping up soon. If you want to make a donation, pop into People’s Place library with a cheque made out to Pictou Antigonish Regional Library. This will ensure that you get a receipt for tax purposes. Or, if you are still snowed in ( a distinct possibility ), go to www.parl.ns.ca and make your donation on line. Go to the “donate” button at the top right hand of the page.  Thanks.

Almost done so that you can rush off to work! I will have a table at Saltscapes this year ( April 24/25/26 ). I will be selling books and might ask you to tell your friends to drop by and see me.

Have a great Easter week.

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

“Arse over tea kettle”

 

 

In case you missed my “fall from grace” this past weekend, check out this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv5gSmeTfs8. I was shovelling several feet of snow off the roof of our house and decided a leap into the snow bank was in order. It didn’t go according to script as you will see! I am currently using cream for the aching back. It’s called “revoltaren.”

Are you as sick as I am  hearing about the weather? I mean, it’s been tough but we do live in a Northern climate after all. We live on a dead end street so the whole snow removal business has been very challenging. One poor fellow has been out there every day for weeks hauling big scoops of snow some 50 yards away to the very end of the street. There is simply no other place to put it. The other day, I was walking home and I could hear a voice off in the distance. It was himself, leaning on the shovel, talking to the snowbank. I think he needs a break!

We’ve all been reading about the new anti terrorism legislation, Bill C-51. There is a new terrorism threat right in our back yard: over extended people wielding shovels. I have a message, nay, a warning for all of those people sending back those cheery photos  of themselves sipping cool drinks on the beaches in the Caribbean. Do not show up in the airport in Halifax ,deeply tanned, wearing something white to make sure you’re noticed. A group of winter warriors may impale you on the end of their shovels.

One final note on the weather. Last Friday was the first day of spring and coincidentally International Day of Happiness. This was preceded by the International Day of Misery on Thursday after digging out from another storm.

I spent the first day of spring enjoying the company of several people at the Days Gone By Restaurant ( and Bakery and Antique shop ) in Guysborough. We  had dinner and then I spent an hour telling stories and singing some tunes. It was a spectacular day and it was very inspiring to be able to look out at Chedabucto Bay in all its glory. The acoustics at days Gone By were first class. And, Aldona and staff are warm, kind people who serve up wonderful food.

Tomorrow’s story is called “Bra Beaten.”  It is a cautionary tale of how tricky it can be for a man to  launder his wife’s clothing. I can save men a lot of trouble. DO NOT volunteer to do your wife’s laundry.

Also waiting in the queue, is the story about an epic trip by train to Montreal in 1971. Four scraggly and dishevelled university students disembarked from the rail liner in the bowels of Union Station in Montreal in the middle of the “storm of the century.” Like many, I lament the passing of rail service in our part of the world. I still love getting on a train from time to time. Coming soon, “The Habs and the Hab Nots.”

Many of you will be familiar with journalist and author, Linden MacIntyre ( of Fifth Estate fame ). Linden will be coming to Antigonish on April 9^th. as the keynote speaker for the Chamber of Commerce President’s Dinner. Even if you are not a Chamber member, you can still go. Yours truly will be the MC and I plan to have a bit of fun that evening.

Here’s hoping everyone has a great week and let’s pray that Mother Nature gets over her major snit and gives us some spring weather.