Posted on September 9, 2013 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

“The hills are alive, with the sound of music.” Eat your heart out Julie Andrews. I took this picture of Betty at “Ridge Lookout” on a hike this past weekend. I posted this picture on Facebook and have decided that I should put a picture of Betty with every story I write considering the response I received.

For you locals, if you are interested in seeing one of the most spectacular vistas in the county, here`s what you need to do. Head out the Cloverville Road and at the fork veer right onto the Fairmont Road. Continue along heading towards the back road that eventually comes out at Jimtown.  You will pass the Walsh Post Road and Brophy Road. Continue along Fairmont Road and you will see a sign on the right hand of the road for access to the Fairmont ridge trail. Don`t attempt this if you have a weak heart as the grade on the logging road is quite pronounced. We encountered one flat section of the road that had a huge puddle ( maybe 40 feet in length ). The road ends and then you have to locate a small trail leading to the lookout. It is reasonably well marked with orange ribbon but I wouldn`t do this walk anytime near dusk. In total it takes about 30 minutes to get to the top. Take a picnic. You won`t be disappointed.

Admit it. Cleaning your own house prior to moving is one of the most soul destroying exercises imaginable. However, there are things far worse. How about cleaning up after one of your children who has occupied a sublet with some buddies over the summer months. Or cleaning a mess left by complete strangers. Coming this week is the story `Down and Dirty` which explores this topic in all its sordid detail.

I was chatting with my buddy Phil the other day and  was reminiscing about growing up next door to the radio station. I started to tell him some stories about the early days of the station and some of the colorful on air characters. This is definitely a local story but I`m sure that anyone who comes from a small town that has a radio station can identify. Let`s see if you remember these names: The old timer; Armand; Danny Gallivan; Dr.Cecil; John a Go Go; Gus; Ray Mac; Freeman; and some of the more contemporary voices like  Kenny, Rhonda and Marilyn. The story is called `In The Shade of The Chestnut Tree. “

I received a lot of feedback on the lottery ticket story. While I made light of the situation, it definitely hit a nerve with a lot of people. Seriously, there has to be a better way for the lottery commission to manage the whole lottery ticket business. I am not the only person who finds this aggravating in the extreme. And I even heard back from a convenience store owner who invited me to spend a day on the other side of the counter. Pardon my French but can you imagine what a shit show that must be, dealing with lottery ticket freaks all day long.  Just hit me with a stick and put me out of my misery.

Have a great week.

Posted on September 2, 2013 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

Some of you are old enough to remember the band “Earth, Wind and Fire”. If you are not, go to Youtube and search for the song “September”. Have a listen.

Give your head a shake. Yes, it’s September again and a time of change. A change in the seasons and often a time of transition for many families. For young families, it may be the start of school for your 5 year old. This is both an exhilarating and traumatic event… for the parents!  And you could say much the same about your last child heading off to university, especially if they are going somewhere that is not in your hometown. It is a defining moment for families and a lot of mixed emotion. The first few weeks are odd when the usual chaos and bustle subsides and is replaced by silence. But like everything else, you get used to it and I can assure you that this feeling is fleeting and temporary. They will be back!

“If you build it, they will come”. ( Field of Dreams ). “If you humiliate yourself, they will come”. ( Field of Nightmares ). Ah yes, I certainly got your attention on the weekend with the story, “Getting an Earful” and the accompanying photo. I thought about posting this photo for some time as it was taken many months ago. I finally got up the nerve to do it after a pretty stressful week last week. I thought, what the hell. What have I got to lose besides my dignity? I knew it would make people laugh and that is what this project is all about. One kind soul commented “your stories pick me up when I’m down”. That is all the flattery and motivation I need to keep doing these stories.

Have you ever gotten stuck in a lineup at a convenience store behind a person who is cashing in their lottery tickets? And who wants to re-invest their precious dividends in more tickets, all the while causing a major traffic jam like the 401 at rush hour? This has happened to me so many times that I finally had to write about it. I was as charitable as I could be. The story is called “Of Vice and Men”, a steal from the classic John Steinbeck novel “Of Mice and Men” which is about two migrant workers during the Great Depression. One of the characters is Lennie. ( hint: lineup, lottery tickets, depression, Lennie ). You see, this is how my twisted mind works when I come up with these stories.

And coming up tomorrow is my story about the recently concluded Exhibition or,  Fall Fair,  as the locals refer to it. The story is called “Fall Fare” .

Hope you have a good week and don’t forget the big fundraiser coming up on September 26th. Support a great charity and have a few laughs while you’re at it.

Posted on August 26, 2013 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

Ah, life’s simple pleasures! We went on a very long hike over the weekend with our granddaughter at Beaver Mountain Park. This is another treasure that we have right in our back yard. If you haven’t been there , you should check it out. It is glorious in the summer and if you like cross country skiing, it is a treasure in the winter too. There are a few brooks that run through the park… a great place to play Pooh sticks. You don’t know how to play Pooh sticks ? Each player drops a stick on the upstream side of a bridge and the one whose stick first appears on the downstream side is the winner. There is an International Pooh Sticks championship held annually on the Thames River in England. I am not lying.

Tickets are now on sale for our big fundraiser coming up on September 26th. If you are reading this on my website, just click on the picture of me and Phil and you will find all the information about the event. People not reading this on my website, please go to www.week45.com. If you want to receive my stories regularly, just hit the “follow” button in the blackened area on the right of the home page. And speaking of my stories, I know a lot of people read them and occasionally I get comments. If you like a story and don’t have time to comment, please hit the” like” button.

The Eastern Nova Scotia Exhibition is just days away so I thought it only “fair” that I pen a story about this iconic institution. It is called “Fall Fare”. I don’t know if you have been following the story out of Ontario about the outbreak of food poisoning at their big exhibition, specifically the gourmet food “cronuts”. This is what got me thinking about our own Fall Fair and some of the delectable food served up every year. Can you say “cotton candy”? This story will also be appearing in next  week’s Casket.

And before you know it, school will be back in session. The population of our town will swell as more than 4,000 students from all over the world  start another academic year at St.F.X. I wrote a story a while ago while walking to work when the university was in session last Spring. It is called “Putting the Ant in Antigonish”. I noticed a long line of students walking down both sides of Hawthorne Street en route to campus. It did look like a colony of ants.

By the way, who votes this as “the best summer ever”? We have been blessed with amazing weather and by the looks of it, everyone took advantage of it.

Have a great weekend and I’m sure you know that next weekend is a holiday weekend. Woo hoo!!!