Posted on September 21, 2015 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

The philosopher’s post at The Landing

 

 

Those of you who regularly walk The Landing might have spotted this small poster stapled to the end of the bridge along the trail. Here’s what it says: “ Only ideas won by walking have any value.” The quote is attributed to the late German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche. I took some time to read about Nietzsche and I don’t think he was a fitness freak by any stretch of the imagination. He is best known for his writings on good and evil.

There are regular Landing walkers and I believe they all share something in common. They have come to realize that a daily walk is healthy. It is good for the lungs, the heart, the brain, the legs, and yes, even the soul. The phrase “God is dead” is attributed to Nietzsche. Those of us who walk in the early morning and see the sun rise over William’s Point aren’t so certain.

Someone stopped me the other day ( as I was entering The Landing ) to tell me that they were inspired with my hiking story ( A Walk in the Woods ). Lest you think that the intent of my stories is to try and motivate people, that is not the case. I am merely relating everyday stuff that a lot of other people do. If it happens to inspire someone, then that is terrific.

Last week, I spoke about a “murder of crows” in the story “ Nothing to Crow About.” I followed this up with a quiz and one reader identified the name for a collection of owls. It is called a parliament. I will not insult your intelligence by asking you to identify the name for a collection of rabbits. Too easy. It is called a herd. But do you know where they live ( besides your vegetable garden! ) ? Correct. Rabbits live in a warren.

Now the reason I bring this up is that I am seriously thinking of relocating once again to move in with the herd. You see, I have embarked on this new journey to eat properly and over the past 16 days, I have possibly eaten more vegetables than all the rabbits in Antigonish County combined. I am eating a very balanced diet with a preponderance of veggies and fruit along with my daily walk. Not bragging, but I’ve shed 11 pounds in less than three weeks. These are the easy pounds of course but I am very encouraged. My life long craving for sweets is dissipating with each passing day. I don’t smoke or drink and am off the sweets. I could be a candidate for the most boring person in Antigonish!

I have two good stories on the drawing board. “Late Fee Fiasco” is a story about getting caught in a lineup…. not just any lineup, but a bank lineup. The protagonist, Donna, is on her way to work and gets stuck in a bank bottleneck. She needs to pay her credit card bill on time ( that very day ) or absorb exorbitant bank fees. We’ve all been in this situation. We’re under the gun with time constraints and the gods conspire to make our lives difficult.

Now, the other story might not appeal to everyone. If you didn’t grow up in the 60’s in Antigonish, most of the content of this story won’t mean a damn thing to you. But, it doesn’t really matter. If you grew up in any small town during that era, you will have fond memories of the businesses that dotted your Main Street. So, for any of you who had a feed of possibly the best fish and chips ever at Johnny Lord’s, stay tuned. I don’t have a name for the story but you’ll get an alert.

Have a great week.

Posted on September 19, 2015 under Storytelling with no comments yet

Don’t get bulldozed into getting married

 

 

Most of us vividly remember our wedding day. The endless planning, jangled nerves, the realization that you are going to have a mother-in-law; all stress-inducing to be sure. And when the big day comes, we are consumed with the last minute details of hair appointments, getting dressed, and pondering the imponderable; “is that women really prepared to put up with me forever?” And then there’s the church adorned with flowers and sometimes candles. It is important to create the appropriate backdrop for this once in a lifetime event. I have also witnessed weddings in parks, barns, farmers’ fields and, of course, at the ocean. Watching a stunning bride and a dashing groom exchange vows with the sun setting on the Gulf of Mexico is something to behold – unless the backdrop includes several D-18 Caterpillar dozers.

 

I fondly remember my own wedding. In retrospect, it somehow seems fitting that our wedding day was the day after a hurricane had brushed the northeastern tip of Nova Scotia, causing extensive wind and wave damage. My loving bride was not swept off her feet by her prince charming. No, that was done compliments of the hurricane. The one and only outdoor picture was taken moments after exiting the church with the umbrella inside out and pointing skyward.

 

So I am standing at the barbecues at our vacation resort, lovingly preparing some 2 for 1pork chops for my bride of 30 years. I am engaged in a conversation with 2 lovely women from Ohio who are permanently moving to Florida any day now. Why anyone would trade Ohio for Clearwater in mid-February is beyond me.

 

As the sun is beginning to set there is a stir next door at an establishment well-known in the area for putting on weddings. A young couple, beaming with excitement, followed by their entourage, emerges from the hotel to exchange their vows on the beach. Unfortunately the best man is wearing a hard hat with the words “American Army Corps of Engineers” emblazoned on his jacket. You see, this unsuspecting couple could not have possibly known that on this exact day, at this precise hour, at this particular resort, the wedding party would not be accompanied by the strains of violins or bagpipes but by the sounds of enough heavy equipment to rebuild the Panama Canal.

 

Some time ago a storm roared up the Gulf of Mexico, literally and figuratively changing the landscape. In order to restore the beaches, a major reclamation project was initiated to import sand from far offshore and bring the beaches back to their pristine selves. To do this requires engineering and lots and lots of noisy, smelly, heavy duty equipment.

 

I was trying to lip-read the justice of the peace as he began the ceremony amidst the din. After a while I noticed him wildly gesticulating with his hands which could only mean that he was reduced to using sign language above the defeating roar. We will never know for sure if the marriage was legitimate. If an annulment is ever requested by either spouse, a strong case can be made that neither of them heard the other say “I do”.

 

My offer of two perfectly-cooked pork chops to the bride and groom went unnoticed. They were too busy making sand castles on the beach.

 

 

Posted on September 17, 2015 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

Livingstone Cove at dusk

( Peter MacDonald photo )

 

 

The picture above was taken by Peter on Tuesday evening at Livingstone’s Cove. We were out that evening scouting out possible places to shoot pictures for the cover of my third book ( which will be published in November ). It was a wet , dreary evening when we headed out to Ballantyne’s Cove to check out one of the hiking trails. We walked a short way up the trail in the waning light. From one of the lookouts, we spotted a sliver of light across the way in Livingstone’s Cove. We hustled back to the car and made a beeline for it.

It is hard to believe that barely a few kilometers away, we were able to witness this stunning sunset. We thought that there was zero chance of seeing anything resembling the sun when we left town an hour earlier. Pete snapped several photos. He asked me to stand perfectly still as he repeatedly clicked the camera. This wasn’t easy. It’s hard for a senior citizen to remain motionless when the body sometimes shakes at will. Add to this, a very stiff breeze and I came to appreciate the work that models do. I am no model!

There were three other lovely people watching this spectacle: Coady students. Two of them were from India and one was from Western Canada. The women from India were quite taken with the scenery even though they found it a tad chilly. They were wearing parkas with hoods. Hopefully they’ll get back home before a real shock to the system occurs.

Ok. We’ve all been stuck in a lineup at least once… more likely dozens of time. Picture this. You’re on your way to work and you’re in a short bank lineup. There are two tellers and they both are waiting on customers. There is only one person in front of you. It is 2:35 when you enter the bank. You have 25 minutes to pay your credit card bill. At 3:00 , you finally get to the teller ( yes, your math is correct. That is a 25 minute wait ). Your bill is due today and if it’s not paid on time, the bank levels you with exorbitant late payment fees. You slide the bill in front of the teller and her screen freezes. Yup. Been there… done that. Coming soon at Week45, “Late Fee Fiasco.” Get in line for this one.

I was wading through some old material and stumbled upon one of the first stories I ever wrote when I was in Florida. The wedding season is all but over here but in Florida, these types of events are going on all the time. “The Bride Wore a Hardhat” is a true story of an unfortunate couple who decided to exchange vows on the beach just a few paces from where we were staying. She looked ravishing and it was a lovely day. One small problem: The American Army Corps of Engineers was bulldozing the beach – a reclamation project after a recent hurricane. If you’re bored Saturday morning, check this one out.

Yes. I was hanging out with Rick Mercer the other day at St.F.X. … me and about 1000 others. If you’re not on Facebook, find a friend who is and check out the photo. Or check my home page… at the top. After all the hoopla on the football field, I walked up into the grandstands where Rick was sitting and asked him to pose for a photo. He obliged and good thing, because moments later, he was whisked away to do some media interviews.

I received some lovely comments on the story “A Walk in the Woods.” Someone who is no longer able to hike felt like she was on the trail with us. Always appreciate the feedback.

Yesterday, Peter and I hit the road at 6:00 a.m. and went back out to the Cape knowing that the weather was going to be favorable. We nailed down some awesome pictures and now I have the book cover concept shortened to three ideas. I like all of them.

Have a great day and an awesome weekend.

P.S. Welcome aboard Kay,  from Alberta!