Posted on October 4, 2023 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with one comment

 

 

 

 

Limping to the finish line

 

“To everything, turn, turn, turn,

There is a season, turn, turn, turn,

And a time to every purpose under heaven.”

Turn Turn Turn – Pete Seeger

A few random anecdotes about the joys of aging.

I met an old friend at the pumps the other day. We played hockey together in our youth and then lost touch for years when he was away for work. He has been back home for years and had been retired for about 15 years. I am a Catholic and am well aware of the Litany of Saints, often recited at the Easter Vigil. The list of saints has grown over the years and apparently there are now over 3,000 saints. Sadly, I am not on the list and the chances of me becoming a saint are slightly below winning the Power Ball in the United States where over 181 million people play each year.

I digress.

My friend has not enjoyed great health and as we pumped, he intoned his own litany of maladies, starting from the feet and working his way up to the torso and then the head. While I was astonished at the scope of his health issues, his parting words gave me something to think about. “All of my health problems started after I retired.”

Of course, there is some logic to this because retirement is an indicator that one is getting older. But I believe that there is more than just wear and tear and warranty issues that cause older people’s bodies (and minds) to break down. For the vast majority of our lives, from the time we learned to walk, we have had a sense of purpose, no matter how mundane it might be, but especially so during our working years. For many folks, when they’ve punched the time clock for the last time, they no longer have a good reason to get out of bed in the morning. This, I suggest, is not a good thing. Not many weeks go by without us hearing about a neighbour, friend or work colleague whose health has gone south after working their tails off for years.

I am not about to advocate for people to work until they have one foot in the grave. However, retirement planners would be well to discuss with their clients the need to keep active, mentally and physically once they’ve packed it in.

The other day I was chatting with someone I hadn’t seen in years. After talking about the weather and the blue jays (not the birds but the baseball team!), we got around to the favourite topic of seniors: the state of our health. There was a third person present, the proprietor of the business where we happened to meet. We started with the easy stuff like aches and pains and then got down to serious business. This old business acquaintance had suffered a life-threatening heart attack a year ago and nearly gave up the ghost.

Like me, he is now in his 70s. I asked him how he was spending his days in retirement. He informed us that he is in his 7^th year of a Bachelor of Arts program at our local university. He takes a few courses a year and hopes to receive his B.A. in a few years’ time. I love hearing these kinds of stories. There is much to be said about lifelong learning. It is good for the mind, the body and the soul.

Having a reason to get out of bed in the morning is a key determinant to health in our golden years.

It’s never too late.

Keep learning…. from the womb to the tomb.

Have a great weekend.

Posted on September 20, 2023 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with no comments yet

Fallen warrior

 

“I think that I shall never see,

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest,

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear,

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain,

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

Trees- Joyce Kilmer

I received a message a week or so ago from my brother. It was sad news, tragic, actually. He was calling to let me know about the death of an old friend. This was a dear friend who brought a lot of joy and comfort to many of us in our youth. This friend was sturdy, upstanding and graceful. He was with us through thick and thin, good weather and bad. We thought that he was ageless. That is, until someone took a chainsaw to him.

I’m not sure of the age of the magnificent chestnut tree that graced the grounds of the former CJFX radio station but many of us think it has been around for over 100 years.

If only that tree could talk.

Do you remember climbing trees in your youth? Of course, you do because that was a common form of play decades ago when one had to make their own fun. Learning how to climb a tree was a rite of passage. We climbed apple trees to pick off the fruit. Some of these apples were akin to the “nectar of the gods” while others were sour and tart and induced stomach aches. We climbed spruce trees and arrived back home with spruce gum on our hands and the wonderful smell of the outdoors. We saw partridges but none in pear trees!

Some of us had the good fortune to grow up near a forest. Just a few steps from our backyard, we could meander a few steps through a field and then enter a magical place filled with trees, dreams and adventures. We built forts and tree houses, imagining that we were early explorers. When we got tired, we simply lay down on a bed of moss. A peanut butter and jam sandwich tasted every bit as good as steak and lobster. Fresh air and the great outdoors made everything taste better.

Of course, you need trees to play a proper game of tag.

Later in life, these same woods, a mere handful of paces from our high school, provided a quiet place for budding romances and the first few drags of an illicit cigarette. If you needed time to yourself, there was plenty of space to go off on your own to ponder the mysteries of life. There were even small hills where one could go for a sleigh ride. For those foolish enough to dabble in teenage love, some wise scribe penned these profound words:

“John and Mary, sitting in a tree,

K.i.s.s.i.n.g,

First comes love, then comes marriage,

Then comes baby in the bay carriage.”

And, yes, we climbed chestnut trees. We didn’t climb them to secure ripened chestnuts as these fell to the ground with their prickly overcoats. Once we extricated the smooth brown chestnuts, we made chestnut necklaces. Are these still in vogue? We climbed chestnut trees because they were massive and had large limbs, providing the perfect lookout.

The chestnut tree at the top of Kirk Street provided shade from sweltering summer sun and we often sat under it to ride out a thunder and lightning storm. In many ways, the tree felt like an older brother, a protector of sorts.

And now it is no more. It is one thing to lose trees in a hurricane (Thanks Fiona), but to have a healthy tree cut down is a head scratcher.

And very sad.

It takes so long for a tree to grow and such a short time to reduce it to sawdust.

They can remove the trees, but the memories will last forever.

Have a great weekend.

Posted on September 13, 2023 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with no comments yet

 

Life is sweets!

 

I wanted to use this space today to talk about my daughter Ellie’s new business venture, La Vie Sucrée. (the sweet life!)

Many of you in the Antigonish area will remember Ellie from her days at the Farmer’s Market in Antigonish with her fabulous cupcakes. She moved to Montreal many years ago and worked in a high end bakery.

Recently, she moved back to Nova Scotia and resides in New Glasgow. A few months ago, she decided to once again participate in the Farmer’s Market, this time in New Glasgow. She makes mini pies along with flourless almond cakes and wheat-free pies. The pies are baked fresh the morning of the market, ensuring the highest quality. Ellie strives to use seasonal Nova Scotian ingredients whenever possible with flavours such as apple, blueberry, mixed berry crumble (My fav!), peach, pear, cherry, maple pecan, and chocolate maple pecan.

As her “lovely assistant”, I travel to New Glasgow early Saturday mornings to help at the Market. Her products routinely sell out.

A few people from Antigonish have already discovered Ellie’s delicious baked goods and have placed orders. Starting this week, La Vie Sucrée is offering a delivery service to people living in Antigonish and surrounding areas. If you place an order by 6:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, Ellie will fill your order that Saturday and I will transport it to my home in Antigonish where you can arrange to pick it up any time after 2:00 p.m.

There is a minimum order of 6 mini pies and you can mix and match flavours. A six pack costs $22.50 and a dozen costs $40.00. Almond cake is sold by the slice at $6.

This week’s mini pie flavours are as follows:

-Valley Apple

-Great Village Blueberry

-Cherry Crumble

-Valley Pear

-Maple Pecan

-Chocolate Maple Pecan

-Wheat-free* Maple Pecan

To place an order, either contact me or send Ellie an e-mail at laviesucreesweets@gmail.com.

If you have any questions, give me a shout.

Have a great weekend.

*Please note that the flourless and wheat-free products are made with gluten-free ingredients but are not suitable for those with Celiac as they are not made in a dedicated facility and there is a risk of cross-contamination with wheat products.