Posted on May 25, 2020 under Monday Morning Musings with 3 comments

The glass is half full

 

“Ooh, what a lucky man he was

Ooh, What a lucky man he was.

Lucky Man – Emerson, Lake and Palmer

Why I am a lucky man.

The accident of birth brought me into this world in this small community in rural Nova Scotia almost 69 years ago. Every time I contemplate this number, I momentarily shudder until I realize that while the pace of life continues to accelerate, I am so fortunate to have made it this far. My father and younger brother were not so lucky.

My hometown is not perfect but pretty damn close. We have hummed along nicely since 1889. We live in a part of the world that is blessed with mostly good weather, avoiding major catastrophes. We don’t have a lot of heavy industry in this part of the province blessing us with clean air and clean water. Ocean breezes refresh us, and we are surrounded by rolling hills and lots of forests. Our economy has always been quite stable with a university and regional hospital as major anchors of the economy. Farming, fishing, forestry, and tourism round out the picture. Covid-19 will test our resolve, but we have shown resilience in the past.

Our roots in the Cooperative movement are in the collective DNA of the community.

I am lucky to have been born into the MacDonald/O’Flaherty family. Both my father and mother’s families were musical, and this gift continues to be passed down to our offspring. My parents left us with good compasses to navigate our way through this challenging piece of work called life. My siblings are good people and are a great source of strength and comfort especially when the road gets bumpy. Nobody is guaranteed a smooth ride.

My children continue to inspire me. They are making their way during a very tumultuous and unpredictable time. They make beautiful music when they have the chance to get together and even when they can’t physically be there, the wonders of the internet and technology allow them to share their music with others. They are socially conscious and responsible citizens. Betty has supported me and allowed me to pursue many adventures. Our grandchildren. Well, I’ll just let you choose your own words. Most of my readers are north of 60 and many of you have grandchildren so rather than me gush, you already know what I am going to say.

I am especially lucky to have inherited my mother’s energy. I am frequently asked about my apparent zest and passion for life and the energy that this entails. I always point to mom. She was an unstoppable force and the word “can’t” never crossed her lips. She didn’t always succeed in everything she did, but she was never afraid to try. Ditto for my late brother, Tom.

I am so, so lucky to have friends including those of you who are reading this post. Many of you I know quite well, some not so much , and, a handful of you that somehow stumbled upon my website, not at all. Having friends is every bit as important as air, water and food.

At this point in my life, having good health is the thing that makes me feel like a jackpot winner every day. I know that this will not be the case forever. One never knows what is around the next turn in road’s life.

Yes, I am truly a lucky man and I am consciously grateful of my good fortune.

Have a great week.

 

Posted on May 18, 2020 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

 

Going bananas during isolation

 

Did you ever have one of those days when you felt like everything was a little off center? You wake up and in the first few minutes, something just doesn’t feel right. Your morning coffee has a bitter taste to it and your raisin toast gets burned even though you haven’t touched the settings on your toaster in weeks. And then things go downhill from there.

I had one of those days last Friday. After a few hours of missteps, I threw in the towel and did what any self-respecting person would do. When the world is slightly off kilter, go and bake something.

Now, I would hardly say that I am an expert pie maker. Peggy A.B. was in a league of her own. I sampled many of her apple pies and they were simply unparalleled. However, under the tutelage of my sister -in-law, I have become reasonably competent at this craft. The proof is in the pudding (or custard) as they say. I routinely share my pies with my siblings and they don’t seem to have any problem gagging down a slice of my coconut cream pie. Mind you, they are sugar addicts like me, so this is hardly a discerning crew!

I usually make enough dough for six single shell pies. I shape them like an oversized hockey puck and throw them in the freezer for future use. When I get a craving, I take some dough out the day before and let it thaw. I have done this enough times to know that this technique works perfectly…until it doesn’t.

As I had several things to do on Friday, I reckoned I would make the pie shell in the morning and then finish off the filling later in the day. Today’s offering would be a banana cream pie. Four slightly over ripe bananas sat on a shelf opposite my kitchen counter.

I sprinkled liberal doses of flour on the countertop and on the rolling pin and started rolling out the dough. If you’re not a baker, so far this story must remind you of watching paint dry. BORING! Everything was going along smoothly until I tried to transport the rolled out dough into the pie plate. For some reason, only known to the baking gods, it didn’t lift off the counter easily. As a matter of fact, the dough was uncooperative. I gently tried to slide a knife underneath it with poor results. It was like someone had put some crazy glue on the counter earlier in the morning. After some huffing and puffing and carefully chosen expletives, I was forced to bring in the wrecking ball. Have you ever witnessed someone shouting and cussing at pie dough? Sounds like isolation has claimed another victim.

I was forced to put the dough into the pie plate in pieces and form it into a shell. This was ominous. At one point, I was tempted to throw the works into the garbage and make a fresh batch of dough. I forgot to prick the pie shell with a fork which helps to release steam. I put on my pie weights and popped it into the oven. When it was cooked, I removed it from the oven. It looked like Mt.St. Helens had erupted. This was turning into an epic disaster.

I am happy to report that later in the morning, I prepared the custard filling without incident or a single curse word. If I had screwed this up, it might have been “custard’s last stand”.

After the pie cooled, I whipped up the whipping cream. With no grandchildren around, I licked the beaters. Some old habits die hard.

I was dealing with some other stressors that day so by mid afternoon, I was ready to indulge and get a much needed sugar high. I cut into the pie. The crust didn’t have its usual crusty and flaky appearance. Actually, I was the one feeling crusty and flaky. I slipped the pie server under the piece I had just cut. It didn’t dislodge easily. On close examination, it looked like the crust had somehow mutated into some other species. I was quickly coming to the realization that this wouldn’t be one of my pies that would be shared with humans. Seeing that I has single handedly killed this pie, I thought about donating it to the murder of crows who hang out near The Wheel Pizza and Sub Shop.

Using different techniques, I managed to extricate the slice of pie and went and sat in my easy chair. Finally, after a frustrating day, I could enjoy the fruits of my labour. Speaking of fruit, you may have noticed that I haven’t said much about the main ingredient in the pie – bananas.

I took my first bite. It was quite tasty. I mean, custard and whipped cream are a meal in themselves when push comes to shove. I took my second bite and I realized something wasn’t right. I could see that the crust was a disaster. It was like Quality Concrete has poured a basement and the cement didn’t quite set. It was gummy. I couldn’t quite figure out what was wrong until I went to the kitchen to get a glass of milk. That is when I noticed the four over ripe bananas still sitting on the shelf opposite the counter.

Yes, folks, I was consuming the first ever “banana less cream pie”. My first inclination was to pie myself. Yup. Just take the pie and get the satisfaction of plowing it into my own face. I mean, how is it possible to make a pie and leave out the key ingredient that distinguishes it from other pies? Can you imagine Peggy A.B. forgetting to put apples in her pie? I was astonished at my ineptness and carelessness. That did not stop me from having a second piece later in the day.

I had planned on making supper but after this unmitigated disaster, I decided to play it safe and ordered a “super sub” from the Wheel.

I was sorely tempted to give the rest of the pie to the delivery person to see if they could take  it to the crows.

 

Posted on May 11, 2020 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

 

 

Cabot Trail walk – August, 2019 – Ingonish

(Bronwen Smith Cooke photo)

 

We are all coming to the realization, or at least we should be, that this could be a marathon. The experts tell us that only a vaccine will ultimately bring this situation under control. This is not the news that we want to hear heading into summer.

Will summer come or will we have snow in August as well as May?

Everyone is trying to process what’s going on, but it is a real struggle because no one of our generation has been through something quite like this where virtually everyone on the planet is being affected directly or indirectly. I wonder and worry about poorer countries who don’t have the resources to implement financial measures. They will be hit harder one would think.

For many of us, the pandemic is inconvenient. We still enjoy many creature comforts. For many others, however, this is MUCH more than an inconvenience. It is life threatening for many, especially the elderly, as the death totals continue to rise. Essential workers are being put in harm’s way every day. Children can’t go to school and visit with their friends and parents who are out of work, in many cases have the double whammy of reduced incomes and their children at home.

I think most people agree that things will never be the way that they were three months ago. Even when a vaccine has been found and a sense of safety returns, the mental, emotional, psychological, and financial impacts will be felt for a very long time. Some would suggest that the business world was already in transition. Coronavirus has accelerated the process by several years.

Many sectors of the economy were struggling before the virus hit. This could very well be the death knell of many, many small businesses, built by hard working, enterprising people. Sadly, the economy has no feelings and the carnage will be substantial. Just the other day, two major retailers filed for bankruptcy. Aldo, a Canadian retail giant and Neiman Marcus, an American behemoth have fallen. As one economist said, “Big trees are falling. Many more small trees will also fall.”

I hope this is not too terribly depressing, but I think we need to brace ourselves for more difficult times. However, mankind has proved its resiliency before, and it is certain that it will again. Things will look different but often, different isn’t such a bad thing.

We need to brace ourselves for the “brave new world” we’re entering.

One thing keeps me grounded and gives me perspective when I feel gloom descending upon me. At times like this, I think of refugee families like the Hadhads and others who spent years in refugee camps. These families lost everything in wars not of their own choosing. They lived in fear and uncertainty without creature comforts. With nothing but the clothes on their back, along with hopes and dreams, they have built new lives. This gives me great hope.

Have you driven around the Cabot Trail? Have you ever had an adventure while doing the Trail? Please send me your stories and I might add them to the final chapter of the book I’m writing about my Cabot Trail walk last summer. But you need to do it soon… this week! Fire me off an e-mail at lenpdmacdonald@gmail.com.

Have a great week.