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 16, 2015 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

Slim pickings at St.Ninian’s Cathedral on a stormy Sunday

 

 

Yes. Most of you are getting a holiday today as Nova Scotia rolls out Heritage Day for the first time. But this does not mean you get a break from shovelling snow as we dig out after yet another winter storm.

So, how did you spend Valentines Day? Were you wined and dined? Were you showered with gifts of chocolate , flowers or perhaps jewelry? Were you feted at one of Antigonish’s excellent restaurants? We are still trying to get our house ready to go on the market again so we spent most of Valentines Day at the house packing and purging… and shovelling snow off of our decks in anticipation of doing it again today. We thought about going out for dinner but were whipped and still in our scruffy clothes so we opted for some food from the deli at Sobey’s. We plunked ourselves down on the couch and watched two episodes of Mad Men.

We also took advantage of arguably the best day of the winter to walk around The Landing.

As part of the grand purge, we donated in excess of 100 old 33 vinyl records to the Angus L. Library. Many of these records , belonging to Betty’s aunt , are over 70 years old and in mint condition.  Thanks to Shane for his help lifting the boxes which were extremely heavy. I suspect that a few of you are still holding on to some well worn vinyl.

Like most people, I try to live in the present. But it is hard not to reminisce every so often. For some reason, I was humming the McCartney tune, “When I’m 64” on the weekend. This is not unusual as most of us have a tune or two spinning around inside our heads most of the time. It dawned on me that I will turn 64 this summer.  What do I like about being “almost 64?” Well, I will tell you in a story that I wrote about this subject. In many ways, older people are more confident than they were in their youth. We are, by and large, quite comfortable in our own skin. There is very little to prove at this stage in the game. We know how and when  to pick our battles and to not sweat the small stuff.

But in some ways, we are less confident. Our vision and hearing is not as acute, we are not as sure footed as we once were ( especially on icy sidewalks )and we are showing signs of forgetfulness. Don’t you absolutely hate struggling for people and place names? I am not lamenting the aging process… merely stating the obvious.

It also dawned on me that it will be 45 years this June since I graduated from high school with some of the most amazing and talented people I have ever known. Cue up Stan Rogers “ Forty-Five Years.” While I was having a fit of nostalgia about the prospects of turning 64, I thought, “what the hell,” I’ll write a story about graduation while I’m at it. Sixty two of us walked across the stage at the “St. Ninian Culture and Recreation Centre” on June 13^th. 1970, the last graduating class of the old Antigonish High School.  A classmate sent me some photos from grad night. Priceless! I guess it’s time to start planning our 50^th. Coming soon, “ Forty-Five Years From Now.”

I’m thinking about having another get together at the Prissy Pig in the next few weeks to swap stories. Hopefully some of you will be able to make it.

Also, mark June 7^th. on your calendars. There will be an evening of story telling, music and culture at the Schwartz auditorium in aid of “A Partnership in Caring.” This is a group of people who go to Africa to provide help to those who need it most. Hopefully we won’t have to worry about the weather come June.

Have a great week.

Posted on February 9, 2015 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

Sometimes, ya just have to color

 

 

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s winter . In some ways, it’s like an old fashioned winter with the significant accumulations of snow , but 50 years ago, I don’t recall the wild swing in temperatures. It would snow in December and get cold and would remain that way until April. Depending on who you’re talking to, you either hate winter or you embrace it. I saw some pictures of a friend ( 50 ish? ) who was trying snowshoeing for the first time and lots of people have been enjoying skiing and snowmobiling. Global warming? Questionable. Climate change? Absolutely!

It’s human nature to comment on the weather but from the relentless chorus of whining, you would think that we lived in the tropics and that snow, sleet and frigid temperatures were foreign to our climate. I don’t hate winter but I love it less every year, especially after taking a pretty good spill on the ice the other day. Might I suggest a trip to the hospital to visit the sick and dying to get a bit of perspective?

Do you know what a nonagenarian is? If it was spelled “nanagenarian”, I might have guessed that it had something to do with being an elderly grandmother. I’m partially right. People in their nineties are called nonagenarians. I am reluctant to call anybody 90+ “elderly” any more as people ( most of them woman ) are living healthy, vibrant lives. Our next door neighbor turned 90 last weekend and if ever there was a poster child for aging, then she certainly fills the bill. She is agile, bright and witty. The storm last Friday didn’t keep her from going out to dinner with her children. I know several other “nonas” who are doing extremely well. They are a source of inspiration. To all of them I say “ lang may yer lum reek.”

I posted a picture of my back yard on FB last week and it received a lot of comments. Our apartment abuts the Brierly Brook and on the other side of the river lies the “salt ponds.” As children we spent thousands of hours there skating and playing hockey. We would show up after school, scrape the ice and play until supper. After supper ( and homework? ), we would be back at it and play until exhaustion set in. The moon provided natural lighting. I had forgotten this but “Big Alex” reminded me that we used rubber boots as goal posts. When conditions were perfect and the field was covered with a thick layer of perfectly smooth ice, it was not uncommon to have to skate a very long way to retrieve an errant puck. Yes indeed, it was a much simpler and joyous time.

Last week’s move was very challenging to say the least. Mind you, when you choose to move in February, you “play the cards you’re dealt.”  When the last of the boxes were moved, I decided to pen a story so that I would never forget this week. Most sensible people would quickly try to erase this from their memory banks forever. I haven’t been accused of being sensible lately, if ever. “Court Street Blues” is an account of moving in less than ideal conditions.

Have a great week.