Monday Morning Musings

Posted on February 16, 2015 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

Slim pickings at St.Ninian’s Cathedral on a stormy Sunday

Yes. Most of you are getting a holiday today as Nova Scotia rolls out Heritage Day for the first time. But this does not mean you get a break from shovelling snow as we dig out after yet another winter storm.

So, how did you spend Valentines Day? Were you wined and dined? Were you showered with gifts of chocolate , flowers or perhaps jewelry? Were you feted at one of Antigonish’s excellent restaurants? We are still trying to get our house ready to go on the market again so we spent most of Valentines Day at the house packing and purging… and shovelling snow off of our decks in anticipation of doing it again today. We thought about going out for dinner but were whipped and still in our scruffy clothes so we opted for some food from the deli at Sobey’s. We plunked ourselves down on the couch and watched two episodes of Mad Men.

We also took advantage of arguably the best day of the winter to walk around The Landing.

As part of the grand purge, we donated in excess of 100 old 33 vinyl records to the Angus L. Library. Many of these records , belonging to Betty’s aunt , are over 70 years old and in mint condition.  Thanks to Shane for his help lifting the boxes which were extremely heavy. I suspect that a few of you are still holding on to some well worn vinyl.

Like most people, I try to live in the present. But it is hard not to reminisce every so often. For some reason, I was humming the McCartney tune, “When I’m 64” on the weekend. This is not unusual as most of us have a tune or two spinning around inside our heads most of the time. It dawned on me that I will turn 64 this summer.  What do I like about being “almost 64?” Well, I will tell you in a story that I wrote about this subject. In many ways, older people are more confident than they were in their youth. We are, by and large, quite comfortable in our own skin. There is very little to prove at this stage in the game. We know how and when  to pick our battles and to not sweat the small stuff.

But in some ways, we are less confident. Our vision and hearing is not as acute, we are not as sure footed as we once were ( especially on icy sidewalks )and we are showing signs of forgetfulness. Don’t you absolutely hate struggling for people and place names? I am not lamenting the aging process… merely stating the obvious.

It also dawned on me that it will be 45 years this June since I graduated from high school with some of the most amazing and talented people I have ever known. Cue up Stan Rogers “ Forty-Five Years.” While I was having a fit of nostalgia about the prospects of turning 64, I thought, “what the hell,” I’ll write a story about graduation while I’m at it. Sixty two of us walked across the stage at the “St. Ninian Culture and Recreation Centre” on June 13^th. 1970, the last graduating class of the old Antigonish High School.  A classmate sent me some photos from grad night. Priceless! I guess it’s time to start planning our 50^th. Coming soon, “ Forty-Five Years From Now.”

I’m thinking about having another get together at the Prissy Pig in the next few weeks to swap stories. Hopefully some of you will be able to make it.

Also, mark June 7^th. on your calendars. There will be an evening of story telling, music and culture at the Schwartz auditorium in aid of “A Partnership in Caring.” This is a group of people who go to Africa to provide help to those who need it most. Hopefully we won’t have to worry about the weather come June.

Have a great week.

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