Posted on August 22, 2019 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

Happy Trails

 

And… they’re off and running!

No. That’s not quite right.  It should read, “I’m off and walking.” This Saturday, August 24^th, I will start my walk around the Cabot Trail. I am looking forward to the physical and mental challenge and all the time I’m walking, I’ll be thinking about my friend, Simone MacDonald who suffered a severe stroke a month ago. I know that she would dearly love to be doing a trek like this as she was an avid walker.

Over the past few weeks, I have tried to nail down some accommodations along the way with not a whole lot of success. This has not deterred me in the least. I’ll figure it out as I go along.

On Saturday, I plan to leave the Red Barn in Nyanza and head west through the Margaree Valley and then north through Cheticamp, Pleasant Bay before reaching Cape North. I’ll cross over to Neil’s Harbour and then onwards to Ingonish, Wreck Cove, the North Shore, St.Ann’s, Baddeck and back to the Red Barn. The Cabot Trail is pretty well exactly 300K. I have been asked how long I expect the walk to take. I think it will be somewhere between 10-14 days. There are some very big mountain climbs which will undoubtedly slow me down but I am looking forward to the challenge.

So, if you happen to be driving around the Trail in the next few weeks, honk as you go by. For those of you more adventuresome, you might want to walk with me for a day.

I plan to continue accepting donations for Simone until the conclusion of the walk. So far, you have generously donated $3,100 of my $5,000 goal. Thanks to all of you who did e-transfers, mailed cheques or stopped me on the highway during one of my recent training walks. Keep up good work. If you want to support Simone with her recovery, you can send an e-transfer at lenpdmacdonald@gmail.com or mail me a cheque at 8-9B Court Street, Antigonish, N.S. B2G 1Z7. Of course, you can track me down on the Cabot Trail and give me a donation in person!

I have received a copy of my new book from the printers. It is a prototype. It needs a bit of tweaking but I expect it to be available by the end of September.

Have a great weekend.

Posted on August 15, 2019 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

Nice looking corn crop

 

Bye- bye, so long, farewell,

Bye-bye so long farewell,

See you, in September,

See you when the summer’s through”

See You in September. The Happenings

 

“Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer,

Those days of soda and pretzels and beer,

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer,

Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer.

Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer. Nat King Cole.

 

“Slip slidin’ away, slip slidin’ away,

You know the nearer your destination, the more you’re slip slidin’ away”

Slip Slidin’ Away. Paul Simon

The mornings have a distinct chill in the air. You can almost feel and taste it but September is lurking like a thief in the night, ready to steal our warm, precious summer days.

Summer was slow arriving as is becoming the norm. But once it arrived, it has delivered a beauty. We have been blessed with an abundance of warm, sunny days and just enough rain to keep the wells filled and the crops growing. And the flowers. I can’t remember seeing so many beautiful flower gardens as I walk the roads of the town and county.

This has to be a banner tourist season in Nova Scotia. I haven’t seen this kind of highway traffic in decades.

The three songs listed above are among those that remind me most about summertime. They’re all oldies, just like me and each one brings back so many memories. I can already hear you groaning. “PLEASE don’t go on one of your nostalgic trips about the good old days” but I simply can’t help it because those WERE the good old days.

But wait, there’s more. (The old tagline from K-tel!). Do you remember these summer themed favourites?

Summertime; Summer in the City; In the Good Old Summertime; The Boys of Summer; Summer Nights; Hot Fun in the Summertime; School’s Out; Summer of ‘69; Summer Breeze; Summer Love.

I wonder which one of these gets stuck in your head for the next few days? Let me know.

This has been a summer of grandchildren, ice cream, strawberries, beaches and walking. I used to love all the seasons equally but I must confess that summer is still at the top of my list. Sitting on the deck at the cottage, embracing a warm summer breeze while looking at the ocean is just about unbeatable… unless you add a cold beverage to the list!

But now, in mid-August, I can feel it “slip slidin’ away”. The “back to school” flyers clog our mailboxes and the signs are up for the Eastern Nova Scotia Exhibition. September harkens.

My Cabot Trail walk harkens as well and by the looks of things, I may be sleeping under the stars. I’m reposting something from a few weeks back. I am trying to find accommodations in the following places, preferably in someone’s house where I can gather some stories. People tell me that Cape Bretoners have a few tales to tell!

Day 1 – North East Margaree

Day 2 – Grand Etang

Day 3- Pleasant Bay

Day 4 – Pleasant Bay *

Day 5 – Cape North

Day 6 – Cape North **

Day 7 – Ingonish (close to Dino’s former restaurant)

Day 8 – Wreck Cove (nearest to the base of Cape Smokey)

Day 9 – Tarbot

Day 10 – Big Harbour exit on the 105

Day 11- Pick up at Red Barn

*My most pressing need is on Day 3 and Day 4. There are no amenities or homes from Cheticamp to Pleasant Bay. I need to find someone from pleasant Bay to pick me up on French Mountain and take me to Pleasant Bay. If I can’t find a home there, I will stay at the hostel in the community. On Day 4, I need someone to take me from Pleasant Bay back to French Mountain where I stopped walking the previous day. I will then walk to pleasant bay and stay there once again at a home or the hostel.

Day 6. I’m thinking of taking a rest day in Cape North after walking for two days in the mountains. I know my quads will need a rest. I’ll either stay at the hostel or with a family if they’re brave enough to have me.

Have a great weekend.

P.S. I’m going to tackle a BIG walk on Saturday from home to Ballantynes Cove via North Grant and Malignant Cove – 43K with lots of hills. If you find me lying on the side of the road, resuscitate with cold beer!

 

 

Posted on August 8, 2019 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

Hands that care

 

Early this afternoon, I will be at a local nursing home as the guest speaker at a graduation for successful C.C.A. candidates. The Continuing Care Assistant certification is a requirement for individuals providing direct care and support services In Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness funded nursing homes, homes for the aged and home support agencies.

It is summertime and it is obvious that finding any speaker is a coup as most sought after speakers are hanging out at the beach sipping on a beer. All joking aside, I feel very honoured to spend some time with the graduates. Full disclosure- the grads took up a collection and paid me if I promised to keep my speech under five minutes! It has been so hot lately, that the last thing needed at a summer graduation is more hot air.

I am certainly no expert on the health care system but I have been a consumer all of my life and lately have been given a front row seat in a nursing home setting. My mother was a resident in this nursing home a year ago until she passed away. I got to see the day to day inner workings of a long term care facility. Further to this, I have been working part-time at the home providing music services.

While every component of the health care system is vital, today I want to pay tribute to C.C.A’s. This in no way diminishes the role of everyone else.

Flat out, their work is hard. It is not glamourous work. In many ways it goes unnoticed and in the eyes of many, it is undervalued.

C.C.A.’s are the people who are closest to the people they serve, the residents. They are often the eyes and ears for those who sometimes are unaware of their surroundings.

In my experience, I have found C.C.A.’s kind and generous and many of them have a great sense of humour.

The ultimate honour is to spend time with a resident and their families when the resident is in their final hours. Nothing is so precious and sacred. I have watched C.C.A.s perform their duties at this difficult time with professionalism, grace and dignity when residents and families need it the most.

I salute the newest C.C.A. graduates and say thank you to all the hard working men and women who look after our loved ones. Simply put, they are terrific people.

Speaking of caring, the response for financial aid for Simone MacDonald is quite something. There are three or four initiatives going on to provide financial resources for Simone and her family as she faces a long rehabilitation. Many of you have already donated but I certainly don’t want anyone to feel left out! In a few weeks’ time, I will be walking around the Cabot Trail and I will be dedicating the walk to Simone. I will also continue to raise money for her. So far, you have contributed over $2,000 to my “trek around the trail”. If you would like to make a donation, you can send me an e-transfer at lenpdmacdonald@gmail.com or send me a cheque at 8-9B Court Street, Antigonish, N.S. B2G 1Z7

One last thing. I have finished writing my Camino book and it is in the final editing stages. I have yet to decide whether or not to do a launch but regardless, the book will be available in the next few weeks. You can get them locally at the 5 to $1.00 store or track me down. For those of you out of town, and my Camino friends from around the world, it will be available on Amazon.

The book contains interviews of fellow walkers from Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Ireland, France, Portugal, Spain, USA, Canada, Great Britain, Argentina, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Costa Rica, and South Korea. Some of the stories are quite remarkable.

Have a great weekend.

P.S. In preparation for the Cabot Trail, I am doing two, long, back-to-back walks on Friday and Saturday, 68K in total.