Posted on July 3, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

181 Days of Gratitude

 

 

This is what 181 days of gratitude looks like.  Every single day since Jan.1^st. of this year, I have taken a few moments to write something that happened that day for which I was grateful. It could be as simple as putting my feet on the floor in the morning to scarfing down a piece of M.F.’s world class lemon meringue pie.  What are you grateful for today?

It was a terrific long weekend with warm, sunny days. Great weather for the beach, the pool and for Canada Day festivities.  And speaking of Canada Day, we had to take a pass on the pancake breakfast that morning. We would have loved to have gone to the Legion and hoed in to some pancakes topped with maple syrup. And why weren’t we able to drag our sorry asses down to Main Street? Because we had a house showing at noon on July 1^st.! We found out the day before and had to roll up our sleeves early on Canada Day to get the house ready.

In story telling, you need to have what is known as “context.” In other words, sometimes you need a little backgrounder in order to understand the story. To truly appreciate the subtleties of the next story, please go back and read “Hide and Seek.” If you’re not familiar with my sight, just go to the home page and enter the title in the search bar.

I was up at my usual time ( 5:30 ish ) and started my part of the staging “drill” by cleaning the kitchen and hiding everything. By the time my wife and granddaughter got up, I was ready to start the vacuuming. Only one minor problem. We couldn’t find the vacuum cleaner. I can understand misplacing a ring or even a cell phone but a vacuum cleaner? We looked everywhere and I mean everywhere. I even private messaged a painter who had been doing some work at our house.

We like this particular model as it is a “stick model.” It is light weight and easy to manoeuver. We have an older model which is big and clunky. I was just about to start in with the older model when I heard a giggle from upstairs followed by Betty’s tell tale hysterical laugh. I must leave you in suspense until the story gets published next week. Please feel free to guess all you want. The story is called “ Taken to the Cleaners” and will appear next week. Might even be a Casket story.

This Saturday, I will be publishing a story that appeared in last week’s Cape Breton Star called “ No Cake Walk.” It’s the tale of a trip I took to Iona a few years ago to deliver a three tiered wedding cake. When I look back, I think that was when my hair officially started falling out.

The rabbit story is in the final edit stage. “ A Hare Raising Experience” is Phoebe’s story and how she passed through a few set of owners before settling in with the current owners who keep the rabbit ( wait for this )…. in the bathroom.

It’s shaping up to be a nasty weekend but should be excellent story writing weather.

Have a great weekend and best of luck to Candace on her wedding day. Betty and I were married the day after a hurricane. We survived that storm ( and a few others along the way! ).

Posted on June 26, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

Someone’s small piece of paradise

 

 

I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Montreal to pick up our granddaughter who is going to spend most of the summer with us. Early Tuesday morning ( 5:00 a.m. ), I was on my way to grab a coffee. Verdun is one of the older neighborhoods in Montreal and the streetscape is very typical of Montreal. Street after street is made up of three story apartments side by side with a spiral staircase reaching the top floor. There is a small plot of grass in front of each building. My guess is that it might be 10 feet square at the most.

It was early daylight when I passed an apartment and saw this lawn display. It is amazing that some people are able to make something out of very little.

The “chase the ace” phenomenon is spreading like wildfire after someone won $289,000 last week in Havre Boucher. Congrats to her and the hard work of the community. But, as you know, sometimes I can’t resist poking a bit of fun about lotteries and games of chance. “Chasing Clouds” is a light hearted look at this latest craze. I hope to publish it soon… after I stand in line for lottery tickets!

How many of you have travelled to Iona? Iona, Cape Breton,  that is. It is one of many beautiful spots in Cape Breton and the subject of my story in this week’s Cape Breton Star. Some of you will remember that my daughter was ( is ) a great baker. She was the “cupcake lady” at the Farmer’s Market in Antigonish , for a few years. She also made amazing wedding cakes. This story is the tale of a harrowing drive we took to Iona a few years ago, with a three tiered wedding cake on the hottest day of the summer. I will be posting this on my website in the next week or so.

And keeping with the Cape Breton theme, I was at it bright and early yesterday morning writing another piece for the Star, highlighting the community of Inverness. Betty’s father was a doctor there for several years and we travelled to visit them on many occasions. “ A Link to Cabot”, a none too subtle reference to the new world class golf course, Cabot Links, is a reflection on my times visiting the area.

Ok. Here’s my last chance to plug “Art in the Park” which launches tomorrow evening at 5:30 in Chisholm Park. It runs until 9:00 p.m so don’t worry if you can’t get there at the beginning. It’s going to be a great evening of art and culture. I will be the emcee and will be wearing my kilt. No peeking! If you want to see some wonderful talent on stage or in the many kiosks dotting the property ( including food ), grab a chair and “come on down.”

And one other thing. Unless my editorial team says otherwise, I will be publishing “Pipe Dreams”  this Saturday on my website. It’s meant as a shout out to the Antigonish Highland Society Pipe Band.

Have a terrific weekend.

 

Posted on June 19, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

Arisaig ( You gotta click on this picture )

 

 

“ Can you imagine, a piece of the universe,

More fit for princes and kings”

Song For The Mira” Allister MacGillivray

 

This picture is not the Mira but I can’t think of too many places “more fit for princes and kings” than our very own Arisaig. Every time I come around that turn in the road, coming home on the shore road from Halifax, I slow down to stare at the wonder. We are blessed with so many beautiful vistas in this province.

Show of hands.  How many of you are watching the World Cup? How many of you are appalled by the antics of the soccer players , who writhe on the ground as if they’ve been shot at the mere hint of being hit? The soccer ( football ) is quite extraordinary but the “diving” certainly takes something away from “the beautiful game.”

And speaking about pain, those of you who suffer from chronic pain… I feel your pain. I have some long standing issues and have been going to see a pain specialist in Truro. He is a wonderful guy and has helped me immensely. Betty has also been suffering from chronic pain ( 32 years at last count ) but I don’t think Dr. Smith can do anything about that.  A pain in the arse is a hard thing to get rid of.

I wish I was more poetic and could adequately describe the smell of a lilac bush. I find myself stopping on a regular basis these days to inhale this incredible fragrance. I’m sure people passing by in cars think I’m a weirdo. You, dear reader, are different. You know that I am a weirdo.

I’m certain that there are some of you who have tried to make a wedding cake. It is a delicate task and something that can be very nerve wracking. Have you ever tried to transport a three tiered wedding cake a distance of 128 kilometers , over some of the bumpiest roads you ever saw? I have. My daughter , Ellie, used to make magnificent wedding cakes. Yes, she’s the same Ellie who made those delicious cupcakes that she used to sell at the Farmer’s market. For some unknown reason, she entrusted me with helping her deliver these cakes. Coming soon, “ No Cake Wak.”

You can look at some of Ellie’s creations by clicking on this link. http://s556.photobucket.com/user/cakesbyellie_photos/library/?sort=6&page=1 ( It takes a couple of seconds to load )

 

Skinny dipping.  I’ll tackle any subject. With summer just around the corner ( they say… ), I thought it was an appropriate time dust off the swimming trunks ( remove them? ) and do an expose on skinny dipping. There are a few “curves” in this story.  This looks like a good Saturday story when summer will officially be here. It’s called “ The Skinny on Dipping.”

 

Just a reminder that Stan Carew and the Magpies will be performing this Sunday at the Legion at 3:00 p.m. in aid of Friends of Antigonish Library. I still have four tickets left to sell. $15. each. Get in touch if you want to go.

 

Have a terrific weekend.