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

“The Bird Man”

All good things must pass and after a week of glorious sunshine in Florida, Peter and I hit the road yesterday with the car pointed west. Before leaving Florida, I wrote a short piece about the small community of people that I have come to know at our time share. They are very much like the wonderful friends I have back home. Here’s how I summed it up: “ People leave all pretenses at the gate when they arrive. There is no one upmanship. Quite frankly, no one gives a damn how rich you are or how smart you are or how important you are in your home community. Here, at The Islander, you’re simply one of the gang. “ One couple who have been going there for years and will celebrate their 60^th wedding anniversary next week ,said it best. Coming to Florida and feeling the warmth of sun and friendship, has extended their lives.

I’ll tell you, the combination of time zone change and winding the clocks back an hour has thrown my internal clock into a tizzy. It’s bad enough that I’m usually up with the birds but the last several days, I have been tapping away at my computer at 4:00 in the morning. So, it came as quite a surprise Saturday morning when I stared at the clock on the stove and it was almost 5:30. I checked my pulse to make sure I was alive. Betty and Ivory ( our granddaughter ) had flown in to Florida the night before and due to a lack of space, I walked across the pool deck and spent the night on my brother’s couch. I got up, made a pot of coffee and went and threw in a load of laundry. There are clocks on the stove and microwave and one that is old fashioned and of the wall mounted variety. I quickly discovered that the two digital clocks had not been changed with the time change last week. Can’t remember the last time I did laundry at 4:30 a.m.!

We spent some time with a sweet lady from St. Louis the other evening who has crisscrossed the United States many times in her life. Her husband has had multiple health issues over the years so she does all the driving. Last year, she drove nonstop from St. Louis to North Redington Beach Florida… quite a feat if you’re Peter’s age. She’s well up in her 70’s. Ahem. This is an 18 hour drive! In any event, Dot was immensely helpful as we mapped out the next leg of our trip. Our route will take us through Biloxi, Mississippi ( where we stayed last night ), Dallas, Amarillo ( Texas ), Albuquerque, New Mexico and Flagstaff, Arizona. We’ll spend some time at the Grand Canyon and then head north to Boise, Idaho and finish our trek in Victoria.

Dallas. November 22, 1963. The assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy remains one of the most significant events of the 20^th. century. I remember it as if it were yesterday as do many of you my age and older. I still shake my head when I realize that this was 52 years ago. This singular event, more than anything else, reminds me how fast life zips along. If everything goes as planned, I hope to stand on the grassy knoll this morning and stare at the spot in Dealey Plaza where JFK was killed. Apparently there’s an X on the road to mark the exact spot. There are tours of the Texas Book Depository where allegedly, the lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald fired the rifle that killed the president. I say allegedly because there are still conspiracy theorists who believe that there was more than one gunman involved. I plan to write a major piece about this in an upcoming story. Obviously, this will be one of my serious pieces.

I am still waiting to see if my editor will allow me to publish the story, “Resurrection.” It is the true story about a friend of mine who is convinced to have a pedicure. I wouldn’t exactly call the story racy or salacious but it has the potential to raise a few eyebrows from people who read my material on a regular basis. It is actually very harmless. As mentioned in my last piece, I “test drove” it at the book launch and it received a great reception.

Coming up later this week is my tribute to people who do shift work, especially my friends in the nursing profession. It’s called “A Seismic Shift. I will also be publishing the story “Borderdom” about the pleasant hour we spent with Customs officials at the St. Stephens crossing a week and a half ago.

A special shout out. My story editor has a birthday today. Please wish her well.

Have a great day.

“ They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them “

 

 

 

Posted on November 5, 2015 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

Casey and Maggie. Co- conspirators in “The Smell of Success”

 

 

I just had to show you the other part of the dynamic duo who starred in yesterday’s story “The Smell of Success.” I wasn’t sure how this story would be received but I knew the picture of Casey would at least get your attention! I’m a sly old dog myself. From the response I received, most dog lovers not only liked it but many of you could relate to it and had your own story. Like the lady attending a wedding shower when the hostess’s dog let one rip a few feet away from her. Everyone looked at her when the smell permeated the room and at least one person accused her of being the author. “The dog farted , not me,” she said embarrassingly. The hostess replied “ Yeah, that’s what everyone says. Always blaming it on the dog.” Ya just can’t win.

I mentioned on Monday that I had two stories just about ready for printing. The first one is about people who work shift work. It’s called “A Seismic Shift” and it is a tribute for people who work very hard and are continuously dealing with the vagaries of shift work.

The other story is about a recent crossing of the border at St. Stephen, N.B. We got very unlucky as we got pulled over by a slightly overzealous Customs official suffering from terminal boredom. We were the only car in the lineup. When I mentioned this on MMM the other day, one of you got back to me to tell me about the time that your family got stopped at the border for 24 hours! I had a hard time keeping my patience ( and from wetting myself until the border agent relented and let me use the washroom ) for one hour. “Borderdom” will be posted in the next few days.

Rarely ( never )do I stray from the path of righteousness but there’s always a first time. I heard a story at the resort the other day and it was so funny that I just had to write it even though it might attract attention from the censors ( my editor! ). My duty is to entertain and not provoke so I’ll have to grapple with this before I (we!) decide to publish it. It’s really quite harmless… I think. The subject is pedicures and it is the hilarious story of a middle aged guy who is cajoled into getting one. The story is called “Ressurection” and I’ll let you know how this goes once I send it along for editing. BTW. I tried it out at the book launch yesterday and people LOVED it!

And finally…. my Florida book launch. Despite sweltering heat and high humidity, 20 brave souls came to the Gypsy Souls coffee shop for an hour of music and story telling. We had a blast and just winged it. Peter was in great voice. I read the dedication for the book ( dedicated to my 4 children ) and then Peter got things going with Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” Had some fun and sold some books… helping keep the economy of Nova Scotia strong!

We had a surprise anniversary party at our resort last evening for two of the sweetest people you could meet. They have been married for 60 years and they still have a zest for life. They bicycle just about every day they’re in Florida and aren’t hesitant to go to trivia night at one of the local bars. In other words, they’re good sports. After a pot luck supper, I sang “Rennaisance” ( a Valdy tune ) as their anniversary song. They danced. It was quite touching. And then Pete and I let it rip non stop for an hour and a half. We have made so many wonderful friends here over the years. Joyce, one half of the duo, gave a beautiful talk when all was said and done. She says that coming to Florida and seeing old friends is life giving. I feel blessed to be part of this group.

Ok, folks. One more day before Pete and I hit the road for Victoria. More road stories and Peter’s pics comin’ at you.

Have a great weekend.

Posted on November 4, 2015 under Storytelling with no comments yet

Man’s best friend…. most of the time

 

 

Micky was young, bright and personable and ready to make her mark in the world. She had a day job which she loved but she also yearned to try something on her own; to be her own boss.  Why give up a certain and steady paycheque to chase a dream?  It’s called entrepreneurship and Micky was ready to go for it.  She was intrigued with nutrition and fitness and discovered a company that afforded an opportunity for her to test her mettle.

The business world is in constant flux and more and more people are choosing to work from home. Technology has enabled people to conduct business anywhere in the world, any time of the day.  It also allows people the chance to work in a more casual setting.  No need to spend time in front of the mirror in the morning or waste precious time picking out a wardrobe.   Unless you are in front of a web cam.

It didn’t take long for Micky to hit her stride and, before she knew it, she was becoming a bona fide success story. She took on the role of recruiting new people and became a coach for others with similar goals.  It was all pretty heady stuff and to top it off, she and her partner discovered that they were about to have a child.

On the day of a very important video conference, with people in different parts of the country who were interested in coaching, Micky was both excited and nauseous. The nausea was NOT a case of nerves but rather morning sickness.  She would just have to shrug it off.  She had been prepping her presentation for the better part of a week and was ready to deliver 40 minutes of optimism.

She settled in at her computer and within minutes was connected to seven other people. She started to feel better physically as she got into the meat of her presentation.

Micky had two dogs and having them around was like wearing a comfy pair of slippers.  Casey was a 2 year old black lab and her best friend was Maggie, a 12 pound miniature dachshund.  As dogs are wont to do, they started playing with each other … at Micky’s feet, which wasn’t a great distraction at first.  Some of the other conference call participants had babies on their laps.  This was one of the bonuses of working from home.

Just as Micky was about to deliver her key message, she smelled something awful. It was worse than awful.  It was so bad that she went into a serious coughing fit and her stomach did cartwheels.  Casey had decided to deliver his own commentary with a series of massive farts.  The first one was of the SBD variety (silent but deadly) but the second ricocheted around the living room at a decibel level heard across the country.

Micky lost her concentration. She almost lost her breakfast as well.  She was quite rattled and mustered up all of her coaching skills to deal with the stress of the moment.  Only when the call came to an end, did she confess to the others what had happened.  There was much good natured ribbing.  The other participants were effusive in their praise of her presentation and she signed off.  Casey, the culprit, and her sidekick Maggie were nowhere to be found.

Flattery will get you anywhere. Flatulence is a whole other matter.  It’s not the usual smell of success!