Monday Morning Musings

Posted on June 8, 2015 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

A Father’s Day gift?

Father’s Day is fast approaching. We were at Canadian Tire the other day when I spotted this lovely dual bevel sliding compound mitre saw. It was on sale and for just the slightest moment , I wondered what it would be like to own one of these big boys. I was quickly snapped back to reality when I realized that this would be like handing dynamite to a child as I can scarcely manage a hand saw. We gave away our vast array of hand saws ( one ) to the folks who bought our house. They will soon discover that it needs to be sharpened or thrown in the nearest garbage receptacle.

We had our first feed of lobsters on the weekend. Several of my siblings were in town so we gathered at the old homestead at 39. There was a time ( and I’m probably not alone on this one ) when we had several lobster boils each season and eating only one lobster would be a sacrilege. A half a dozen markets was the norm washed down with a handful of Schooner or Alpine beer… and maybe a drink of dark rum for dessert. Today, it is totally different. Most people my age can only manage a single crustacean and many of us no longer imbibe.

So, what happens when the person responsible for procuring the lobsters, goes to one of the national chain grocery stores and the simple act of buying 20 lobsters , turns into a debacle. I think you’re going to like this story unless you live on the Great Plains of the U.S. and have no idea what I’m talking about. Stay tuned for my latest offering “ Lobster Tales.” Coming soon.

I have one week of retirement under my belt and it was a lot crazier than I thought possible. The highlight of the week was a road trip to Mabou to meet Sally “Central.” She is an amazing woman and has many stories to tell. And well she should with her 100^th. birthday not all that far away. Most of us are interested in longevity and how some people manage a long, healthy life. You will be surprised when you find out her answer to the question I posed on this subject. Of course, we talked about religion, sports and politics. This is a story you won’t want to miss and it is simply titled  Sally “Central.”

Of course, to get to Mabou, we had to drive down Route 19 and honestly, it never looked better. It was a glorious, sunny day. The landscape was green and lush and the ocean ( Strait ) off to our left ( on the way down ) was simply breathtaking. No wonder people come from all over the world to visit Cape Breton.

On the other side of the Island is Johnstown just up the road from Big Pond. I have been invited to go there in July to do an event at their community hall. I am also going to have the opportunity to meet and interview Mike who, by all accounts, is quite the character. I am quite certain that I could spend the remainder of my life quite content driving through Cape Breton meeting people like Mike Campbell, Sally “Central” and Mike. Like many, I am fearful that the story telling tradition will die with this generation of people.

Coming up on Wednesday is “Len’s guide to a happy marriage.” It’s called “You’re Toast” and will also appear in The Casket.

Betty and I are taking a break later this week traveling to Newfoundland to visit Gros Morne National Park. This is something we’ve talked about for a very long time.

Have a great week.

P.S. An interesting bumper sticker: “Honk if you love Jesus. Text if you’d like to meet him.”

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