Posted on January 30, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

Shameless self promotion….round 2! If you’re at lose ends next week ( Wednesday, Feb.5th. @ 2:00.m. ), come on down to the People’s Place library for an hour of storytelling and light refreshment. I’ve often wondered what heavy refreshments would look like! Phil and I will be bantering back and forth talking about the process of writing, reading a few pieces and chatting it up with the audience. We would love to have you come… if you can get yourself dug out.

I still have a backlog of stories waiting to be unleashed. “Band on the Run” takes the reader back to Antigonish in the late ’60’s and chronicles the comings and goings of two local bands: The Strangers and The Escorts. “Len’s Law” deals with the quirky nature of life. You just know that when you’ve finally broken your back shovelling snow and decide to order a snow blower, that it won’t snow the rest of the winter, and possibly the next two. ” No Sign of Stew” came about from an encounter last weekend when I was in Halifax visiting our granddaughter. I went to visit friends in Cole Harbour. Sid wasn’t home so I went to see other friends! I hadn’t been there in over 10 years and finding the house ( without GPS ) proved to be more than I bargained for. A street sign would have helped.

My “Casket” story next week which will also appear on my website ( Wed. 5th. ) is a Valentine’s Day special. And what’s better than one V.D. special ( may want to change that acronym! ) ? Gosh but you guys are brilliant.  Two stories on the same topic. Yes, the week after my story, my partner in crime, Phil will be tackling the same subject, albeit from a very different angle. My story is titled ” The Heart of the Matter.” You will all remember the reference in the first paragraph of the story. When I say “cut out Valentines cards” … you know, the ones you cut, folded and gave to everyone in the class in elementary  school, you know what I’m talking about, right?

Do you ever look at the ads on Facebook? Neither do I. But if you are female, between the ages of 45-65 and live in Nova Scotia, would you humour me and see if you can spot a Week45 ad? I’m conducting an experiment as part of a class I’m taking on social media. Just message me if you see it on your feed. Thanks.

Believe it or not, I still have copies of my book for sale despite my presence on the N.Y. Times best seller list ( North Yarmouth ). Wouldn’t the gift of laughter be a swell Valentines Day gift? And only $15. I will autograph the book and even write “sweet nothings” if you so desire. Available at 5 to $1.00, Brendan’s, Brosha’s Short Stoppe and the Plum Tree… and of course from me.

Posted on January 28, 2014 under Storytelling with one comment

 

 

“Wine improves with age.  The older I get, the better I like it.”

Anonymous

Is it just my imagination or is every single person (married people too!)­ on the planet over the age of 55 drinking wine these days?  Is it possible that the glory days of rum, scotch and tequila have been thrown into the dustbin of our collective history, relegated to memories … many of them bad?  Is wine a passing fad of the boomers or a fundamental shift in drinking patterns?

It seems that many of us started our illustrious drinking careers consuming cheap wine, and now we’ve reached the other end of the continuum and we’re drinking expensive stuff.

Show of hands.  How many of you have put a jug of Golden Glow up to your lips?  Ruby Rouge?   Hermit? Bright’s 74?  Mateus?  You probably imbibed some of this nectar of the gods when you were young.  And lived to tell about it.

.And, speaking of Hermit, connoisseurs know that Hermit’s Dark was a for fighting at dances and Hermit’s White was dancing wine

Now it’s merlot and shiraz and zinfandel (zin).  More and more people not only drink wine before, during and after meals, but they have become students.  Many tourists now include a tour of wineries when they travel abroad.  I have done tours of scotch facilities in Scotland and rum factories in Barbados.  They usually have hazard signs when entering these facilities.  And I don’t think they’re worried about you coming into contact with dangerous equipment.

And speaking of zin.   Last year when we were in Florida, I received a text from a friend who was just arriving at the airport in Tampa.  “Please pick up a couple of bottles of white zinc.”  I almost went to an art store thinking that she was going to do some painting.  When I replied, “What do you want white zinc for?” she immediately corrected me and asked me to remove the c from zinc.

We have always had good excuses to drink.  We become smarter, wittier and sexier.  Fat chance.  How about better dancers?  The only time I went to a square dance, I nearly knee capped my partner after an overabundance of Captain Morgan.

And why are so many people consuming wine in record amounts?  Because it’s part of a healthy diet.   A six ounce glass of red wine is supposed to be good for our hearts.

When was the last time that you saw a Maritimer measure a drink?  What utter nonsense.   Around here, you pour your booze “by feel”.  You either eyeball it or give it the two or three finger test.  Doctors suggest that we stop after consuming a measly six ounces of wine per day.  Sage advice, but hardly worth opening the bottle.  Is it o.k. to toss down a week’s worth all at once?

My wife is a big fan of a local wine, Nova 7.  So is my mother.  Twice as expensive as most sparkling wines, it has half the alcohol content.  Hmmmm.  Keeping my wife and my mother happy … priceless.

Maybe wine appreciation is a fad, or maybe it is a trend that is here to stay.  The baby boomers have long defined what is “hip”.  Be careful, because being hip now has a very different meaning.  You’re more apt to be replacing one than being one.

Posted on January 27, 2014 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

Betty and Leah

We’ve just about broken the back of January, so hang in there.

The tribute I did last week for Joe Judique MacDonald received an overwhelming response. I had a number of conversations with family, Joe’s health care workers at the R.K. and friends. There are so many people like Joe who have been robbed of their mental faculties and can no longer tell their own story. I think it is important for all of us to chronicle the lives of our loved ones, when dementia and Alzheimers prevents them from telling their story any longer.

I am sure that there are some people who wish my computer would break so that I would stop sending them stuff on Facebook. The only good news in this is that most of you who are technologically savvy know how to make me go away. I have worked hard to bring a consistent, predictable product to my readers over the past year. It is frustrating when I know they are receiving some but not all of my stories. Those of you who know me well,  know that I don’t give up easily ( stubbornness? ) and I will continue to soldier on.

I was hanging out in Halifax on the weekend with my granddaughter, Leah. It is amazing to watch your grandchildren begin to crawl and start to communicate. We had lunch together and I was picking away at a bowl of grapes. The John Steinbeck classic “The Grapes of Wrath” popped into my head. It seems like everybody is a wine drinker these days. A lot of people  make their own. Some people will even pay $25. for a bottle of wine that is only 6% alcohol by volume. Can you say “Nova 7?” The more I pondered the wine phenomenon, the more I felt compelled to write a story. I dashed to the computer and wrote “The Wrath of Grapes” and you’ll be seeing it here sometime soon.

I hang out a lot with seniors… because I am one of them! I also spend a lot of time with people 20 and 30 years older than me and I love to listen to their stories. I am going to publish a piece in the near future  that was sent to me recently. It is called “The Back Nine.” I couldn’t track down the author. It is NOT about golf but about life. Regardless of your age, I think there are pearls of wisdom in the piece for every person who reads it.

My grateful jar for January is almost full. What are you grateful for today, besides life saving caffeine?!

Have a great week.