Thursday Tidbits

Posted on December 27, 2018 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

Poppy

“The cattle are lowing.

“The poor baby wakes.”

Away in a Manger

Most Christmases follow a familiar pattern but more often than not, each Christmas provides unique memories. It could be a special gift, a certain meal or even a sporting event like the World Junior hockey championships. Maybe you were blessed by the birth of a child or a grandchild which is the ultimate Christmas present.

When I look back at Christmas 2018, I will remember it for a few animal encounters. No, I didn’t hear cattle lowing at the manger.

On Christmas Eve, I was invited to a meal with family and friends. It was at a house in Halifax. When I knocked on the door, I was greeted by two dogs baring their teeth, snarling and barking. Normally, this would not cause my blood pressure to rise but one of the four legged creatures was a pit bull. Apparently my friends rescued Poppy from a puppy mill in Georgia. An American pit bull. I didn’t stop to ask him his political leanings.

The other dog was a Shih Tzu. Rio provided the soundtrack for dinner barking at almost anything and everything. I don’t know enough about this dog to determine if this is a characteristic of the breed. When it came time for dessert, Poppy hovered near my legs eyeing my apple pie and ice cream. I almost considered giving it to him, possibly saving a limb in the process.

On Christmas Day, my travels to the west coast required three separate flights. What are the odds that there would be cats on two of these flights and that one would occupy the seat next to me and the other, the seat behind me? The owner of the cat on the longer of the flights, from Toronto to Calgary, had given her feline a sedative and I heard not a whimper throughout the 3:50 flight. The cat on the shortest leg of the trip from Calgary to Victoria (1:25) whimpered and cried the entire time. There was a chorus of voices behind me trying to comfort the cat. Some were singing while others made a variety of sounds. At the end of a long day, it was mildly irritating… especially the human cat whisperers.

If you haven’t done so already, go and see the latest version of Mary Poppins. I took my granddaughter last weekend and it was fantastic. The music, dancing and special effects were superb. Every so often, I glanced over at my granddaughter who was absolutely transfixed by the spectacle on the big screen.

If you get a chance, please read John Graham-Pole’s excellent book “Journeys With a Thousand Heroes”. John is a retired pediatric oncologist. He spent much of his life caring for young cancer patients. He was also a pioneer of bringing the arts into hospitals as part of the healing process. John has been living in Antigonish for close to a dozen years and is one of the founders of Arts Health Antigonish (AHA!).

Have a great weekend.

P.S. For the next three weeks, my posts will arrive at 10:00 a.m. Atlantic (6:00 a.m. Pacific)