Day 212 -- is it true? or is it false?

Today I received a forwarded e-mail from an older relative. She wanted me to look through the message she'd received from a friend and tell me if it was true or not. This was one of those nasty spammy e-mails filled with bizarre, fear-mongering comments about some consumer product or other. The ones that people ask me about most often deal with food and nutrition based on my professional background.

Whenever I get one of these in my e-mail or social media, I think of some research articles I read a few years ago. Science knowledge of the average Canadian or American is not great, even though the majority of people studied had at least a high school education. This revelation led me into another article that also looked at science knowledge. This one determined that many people see science as mystery and magic. If we don't understand something, like science, as humans we go with what seems the best conclusion. I don't understand it, no one can explain it so I do understand it, so it must by something mystical. This is where conspiracy theory thrives. Seems that this is alive and well in electronic communications and not left behind in high school's rumour filled hallways <smile>.

There is another aspect of this that makes me stop and shake my head. Someone somewhere wanted this message to get out to the world -- for whatever reason. Rather than sending it through a SPAM program to millions of unknown people, all they did was send it to a small group of people they knew and those people told their friends and the number of people receiving the message grew geometrically. The time it takes for some messages to travel the world can be almost instantaneous. So -- what gives me pause is the fact that someone is getting all these others in the world to do their bidding to spread the message. Crowd-sourcing, if you will. Also, these messages never die. They continually make the rounds in e-mail or social media so that even if there were a kernel of truth once upon a time, the world has changed and that bit of truth is now a falsehood.

Oh, yes -- we all have the power to determine if a message is true or not before sending it along and inadvertently upsetting someone (like the frightened person who sent the message to me today). There are a number of places on the Web that debunk the internet rumour mill. My favourite is snopes.com.  It takes a couple minutes tops to type in the subject line of the message in question and read the true or false button. Further information is there for people who want to read the specifics.

So, where do I net out for a song to fit this? I kept hearing "believe half of what you see and none of what you hear" so that settled it for me <smile>  Enjoy!

I Heard it through the Grapevine -- Marvin Gaye

Day 211 -- Who's pulling the strings?

Another hot and muggy day but there was a bit of rain in the early evening. We came upon it as we left a performance on campus. It was another show from the theatre festival this year. It was an amazing performance of Rumpelstiltskin with marionettes. The staging was simple, but effective and the manipulation by the team of two was delightful. This is a story they have done for 25 years. After the show they let kids have their photos taken with the character of their choice. Pretty cute.

There were several groups of adults sans children there -- guess we are all just children at heart. I found the story pulled me in even though I know it well. Perhaps this is something that we need to do more often -- remember that wonder of childhood. I've often had this feeling with live theatre and even with movies and books. It may be part of the creative imagination side of the brain that wakes up to create the wonder and enchantment. It is definitely emotional, a sort of empathy with the characters. Isn't it wonderful that we have these forms of entertainment that can help us to see the world from differing viewpoints?

This also made me think about my reactions to the drama of others. Who is pulling the strings? I'm all for living string-free, but some days it seems that the wires are still attached. Where is that Blue Fairy when you need her? I want to be real <smile>. It will take a lot of energy to hang onto the strings myself and not drop them for someone else to pick up.

The selection for today ran through my mind this afternoon as I anticipated the evening's performance. I chose a newer version from a somewhat unexpected singer. Enjoy!


I'm Your Puppet -- Elton John ft. Paul Young

Day 210 -- a new store in town? What's the cost?

I've been working on course prep for September. For the past several days, I've been updating the course that deals with our global food system. There is a lot to discuss for this one -- actually way more than can fit into a 13 week course <smile>. The course begins with an exploration of the global food situation. This involves production through industrial, organic, and subsistence agriculture; distribution through local farmers' markets and multinational grocery chains; basis of the family farm income crisis; environmental degradation due to urban sprawl, industrial mining, water depletion and air pollution; and that is just the beginning <smile>. The course continues to examine the inequities in the distribution of food, food as a basic human right, and food insecurity domestically and globally -- similarities and differences. There is a lot of discussion using current events as examples of the principles covered in class. It is fun to find analogies and metaphors to help people understand the complex issues determining someone's ability to access food.

While working up one section, I found myself thinking of my recent trip to SK. Not only was there a lot of water in the fields where crops should be growing, but there were new subdivisions and big box stores popping up, too. Sprawl may not be as easy to see on the prairie as there is so much unpopulated land, but sprawl does exist. Someone somewhere is making money from this and I'm not convinced it is the farmer. We know that farmers receive a far smaller proportion of the retail cost of food products -- even less with processed or packaged products -- but I fear that when they sell a parcel of land, they receive only a small proportion of what the developer makes. Some see this as progress, and while it may be nice to have new stores to shop in, is the price really worth the cost? 

While pondering some of these economic situations, I thought of a song -- bet you didn't see that coming <smile>. But I really did. It addresses the topic of sprawl well. Enjoy!

Where a Farm Used to Be -- Gord Bamford

Day 209 -- the war to end all wars

One hundred years ago today the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia -- one month after 'the shot heard around the world' -- the shooting of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, the Duchess, in Sarjevo. That same day, Russia began to mobilize, ostensibly against the Austro-Hungarian empire, and thus began the cascade of events that led to a war that would last just over 4 years. This war resulted in the deaths of  about 8-11 million and wounding of 22-24 million combatants along with over 7 million civilian deaths due to combat, crimes against humanity, malnutrition and disease. Making sense of these numbers is difficult.

A forgotten group of combatants, though, are the service animals. With a recent movie and stage play, the plight of horses in WWI has been brought forward again. During that war, 8 million horses and countless mules and donkeys died. That is on par with the number of soldiers killed (8-11 million). Among the animals serving the fighting forces were messenger pigeons, dogs, and others. I've always been struck by the service provided by non-humans. When I was in London last year, one of the first memorials I searched for was the Animals in War Memorial at Brook Gate, Park Lane. This is a stunning visual metaphor showing animals working in battle on one side of a large concrete wall and animals walking upright in freedom on the other side. This appeared to me as animals walking through the openings in the wall to the freedom of an afterlife. I am so glad that I found it albeit on the meridian in the middle of a very busy street on a cold and snowy afternoon.

So, today I reflected on those who didn't choose to join the conflict -- conscripts, civilians and animals -- who found themselves thrown into a major conflagration with many not seeing their lives through to their natural ends. Choosing a song for today was not easy. Only one came to mind even though it is from a conflict far past WWI. It is very short and to the point. Enjoy!




Korean War Song -- Father Mulcahy

Day 208 -- "the play's the thing"

A group of us went to a play last night. Our town has a summer repertory theatre festival each year.  There were two actors new to the festival playing the lead characters – and they did an amazing job.  This experience led me to reflect on theatre I’ve attended over the years, and I realized I seek stage plays wherever I travel. I do love live performances.  

I can’t recall the first play I attended. I suspect it was in high school when the arts high school held their annual musical theatre productions. I do recall that the first time I mounted a play was in grade 8. As a group, we were to present a book report of sorts. Our group chose to write a stage play (adapted from the book) and my major role was as writer and director. It was not something that would ever win a prize, but it was a lot of fun. 

Everywhere I’ve lived I’ve attended local theatre productions. It is amazing how much untapped talent there is in a small community. When I lived in larger centres, I was a regular at theatre. In Winnipeg, we went to Rainbow Stage musicals every summer. As part of a research project I was working with, I received a ticket to see The Ecstasy of Rita Joe when it played MTC. Amazing and powerful.  Living in Toronto opened a whole world of plays. Sadly during this year I had very little income as I was still a student. I did see a few things, though and was able to immerse myself in ballet as a story-telling medium. In Saskatoon and Regina, I experienced many wonderful musicals – Evita, Phantom of the Opera, Anne of Green Gables, Camelot, and Grease to name a few. There were some wonderful actors appearing in these plays including Peter Davison, Adrien Zmed, Micky Dolenz, and Don Harron.  Living in Atlantic Canada, I’ve gone to Charlottetown Festival to see Anne of Green Gables and last summer the new musical Evangeline (amazing). In Halifax, I saw the one-man play, Dream a Little Dream, with Denny Doherty.

When travelling for meetings and vacation I always check to see what is playing where I’m headed. At Toronto meetings I’ve made side trips to see The Wizard of Oz, Miss Saigon, Rent and other amazing plays – seeing Lea Salonga and even Patrick MacNee (not a musical <smile>.  In New York, we went to see Mephis -- and there are many more trips needed to see all the amazing plays and musicals there <g>. In Chicago a group of cohorts at an international conference went to see Menopause: The Musical – 90 minutes of uncontrollable laughter <g>. In London I’ve seen The Mousetrap at St. Martin’s Theatre (a highlight for this Agatha Christie fan) and last year the highlight – The Audience with Helen Mirren – stunning.

So – from this it appears that I love theatre more than I’d actually realized <smile>.  Needless to say, I do have plans to see more and make trips just to do that. Today’s selection deals with those working in this genre. Enjoy!

Why?  -- Raul Esperanza

Day 207 -- hot, hazy day surprise

It was HOT today -- over 30C with a bit of humidity raising the 'feel like' temperature even further. I stayed indoors until after supper. As I walked down the driveway to the car, I stopped and stared at the house across the street.  There appeared to be smoke in the air around the house. When I looked elsewhere, I could see this settled all around me. I couldn't smell the smoke, so I wasn't worried about a local fire, though given the dryness of the grass and forests a fire is not outside the realm of possibility.

I met a friend who immediately pulled out a printout of a satellite shot of eastern North America. It is covered with a great grey mass of smoke.  Where did this come from? That outside my window travelled from the fires in the Northwest Territories -- thousands of kilometres!  Some of it may have met up with smoke moving along the jet stream from BC and Alberta fires, too. Amazing that it hasn't dissipated more after travelling so far. This likely has to do with the massive nature of these fires and how long they have been burning. When in SK last month there was a faint haze in the air as the first smoke from NWT made its way south, so it has taken a while to travel east. I've opened the windows to try to cool the house. I do find that my eyes are getting scratchy, so I may have to abandon that idea.

Today's selection was difficult -- a number of song lines came to mind, but I chose one line that best fit the situation outside. Enjoy!

Smoke from a distant fire -- Sanford Townsend Band

Day 206 -- What did you say?

Ever hear something that made you shake your head or gasp? Then when you asked what they meant by that, find out you misheard it?  It happens a lot, it seems. Tonight while out for dinner, the restaurant was very full and got loud at times. We had several instances when we misheard each other and then looked shocked or confused and said 'really?!' or 'what?' Once things were repeated there were peals of laughter.  So silly, but such fun <smile>.

This reminded me of misheard lyrics of songs. There have been some incredibly wild, strange and silly interpretations of words sung. Today's selection has one of my favourite of misheard lines -- "Excuse me while I kiss this guy"  Enjoy! 

Purple Haze -- Jimi Hendrix

Day 205 -- calming prairie

Today I received an e-mail from a colleague I'd met when working in Saskatchewan. She retired to Halifax, so now we are both in Nova Scotia. She wrote of a visit to SK where she described the never-ending fields of yellow canola, blue skies and puffy white clouds. It made me stop and look at two artworks in my office -- one a photo of a wheat field and wooden grain elevator from the town where my grandparents homesteaded; the other a painting by an artist from home done from the perspective of the cockpit of one of the Snowbirds (Canadian Air Force aerobatic team) as they flew over the fields south of my home town (which also is their home base). When listening to a news magazine program this evening, they interviewed the cast of Corner Gas, who are finishing up filming a movie to be released this fall. They were on set in southern SK and spoke about places that I know well.

Needless to say all of this made me think of home, a bit wistfully. So, I've chosen to share a song by a Saskatchewan singer-songwriter that describes an area south of my home town and the town where the movie is being filmed. This video has great images of the area. I find the music and the images relaxing. Enjoy!

Wood River -- Connie Kaldor

Day 204 -- stuffy, itchy, tired

Welcome to the peak season for what we used to call "hay fever."  As the weather heats up and things go to seed, the air is filled with stuff that causes me discomfort. It is worse in these hot days as it becomes necessary to open a window or two to help cool the house at night. In turn, the allergens invade my house. It is a trade off as I'd prefer to leave windows shut, but if cool air is available, it must be used so I can at least sleep.

For the past week, I've been stuffy or have a bit of a headache when I wake in the morning. Other allergy symptoms come and go through the day and across days. At least there are a number of methods to deal with them, and not all medicinal. <smile>  So, as I was reaching for a tissue today, I thought of a couple songs -- each made me smile, if not giggle a bit. One deals with the main issue of allergic responses and the other describes how the allergy fairy enters my house <grin>. Enjoy!

Allergies -- Paul Simon

She Came in Through the Bathroom Window -- Joe Cocker with Leon Russell

Day 203 -- medicinal laughter

Anyone find how laughter seems to make many things feel better?  I love to look at an absurdity within a conundrum and giggle. It can release the tension and return shoulders from their hang out around my ears. I can be feeling quite cranky about some intrusion into my inner domain and yet see or hear something that just makes me laugh. I don't mean just a smile, but a real laugh, giggle, or guffaw. Sometimes I'm able to take a lot of time and look at myself for that laugh. Sometimes someone else makes a passing comment that leads to a silly idea or thought -- and out pops laughter.

Now, as I've commented before, the trick is to get myself to back up and not take things so seriously. No jumping to hyperbole allowed. This isn't easy, especially with inadequate sleep. Today I was woken abruptly from a deep sleep by the doorbell. This was 30 minutes before the alarm was planned. I was expecting a parcel in the mail, so stumbled to the door to find it wasn't the parcel, but the lawn care fellow with a question. That start to the day seemed to put me a bit off kilter for the rest of the day. I am much better with a slow start to the day -- not ever been a morning person. When the spiral of crankiness begins it can be difficult to realize what is occurring and catch myself before being fully sucked into the vortex. That would be when a 5 minute break -- time out even <g> -- would fit best. As I've said before, I do want to recognize this and find a way to move to a more reasoned approach to an issue. I'll let you know how that goes <grin>.

Only one song stuck in my head when I settled on this topic. It is from my childhood, but fits so well for all ages. Enjoy!

I love to laugh -- Ed Gwynn, Dick van Dyke, & Julie Andrews

Day 202 -- humans and the moon

Yesterday was the 45th anniversary of the moon landing -- one of many highlights from the space programs around the world. To look up at the moon and know people have walked there is somewhat surreal. That I have touched a piece of a moon rock is also somewhat difficult to process. The moon is in most of our days -- provided the clouds don't interfere. Tides are guided by the cycle of the moon and some would say human rhythms are also affected by this celestial body. It is clear that the moon has been part of story-telling since the dawn of time, figuring prominently in global aboriginal art and cultural stories, myth and fable. Even the child's bedtime story, Good Night Moon, acknowledges this ever present part of our sky -- and this is the sky everywhere on earth, not just in a particular hemisphere.

The space programs that landed men on the moon have also brought so much technology into our homes. Corning ware (cookware based on the science of heat shields), hormonal treatment of osteoporosis (from calcium balance studies of the early Mercury missions to the advanced biochemical studies carried out on shuttle missions) and food preservation technologies (freeze-drying such as ice cream and strawberries, ultra-high temperature pasteurization for shelf stable milk, water, or juice in tetra-packs), and amazing reconstituting and re-thermalization ovens. Imagine the change from John Glenn eating a puree squeezed out of a toothpaste style tube to the ISS meals that include astronaut favourites such as birthday cakes made by moms (made in a sterile environment, mind you) and main dishes conceived by renowned chefs. That technology has come so far. Many other health and medical technologies have their roots in zero-gravity experiments. We have greatly benefited from these programs. Of late, astronauts have raised awareness of the beauty and fragility of our planet. I've read much of Col. Rick Hatfield's writings (and photos) on this subject and have heard Dr. Roberta Bondar speak twice and share her amazing stories and photos from shuttle missions. This is another major gift of the space programs.

Today's song was chosen carefully. There are so many songs about the moon, many might even be seen as trite in this context, though they are still entertaining. The selection made deals with the all encompassing nature of the moon and was written and is performed by a true poet. Enjoy!

Song about the Moon -- Paul Simon
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=song+about+the+moon+paul+simon

Day 201 -- fleeting summer days

Well -- the middle of July has come and gone. How does that happen? There are still way too many things on my 'to do' list to complete before school begins. This seems to be the way most summers go. I slow the pace of work a bit (but it is still about 40 hours/week) and try to take 2-3 weeks out of the office doing things around the house or day trips in the area. There still needs to be a longer break between convocation and start of classes to pack in all the work and fun.

Summer always seems to be fleeting. That wistful feeling is very familiar. Today's song acknowledges this common aspect of the summer season from youth to adulthood. Enjoy!

Beat this summer -- Brad Paisley

Day 200 -- time for a new job or no job?

Sorry for this one being late. I was out late yesterday and didn't get to the writing.

Yesterday when talking with an acquaintance, he noted that people in the workplace are indeed replace-able. While any single person will definitely be missed, others will be able to do the job in their own way. We miss friends, but get to know new colleagues. The topic had turned to his feeling the need to retire, while there were pressures at work to stay on the job. He explained to his superior that if you have a pail of water into which you plunged your hand, the hole left when you remove your hand is negligible. The water level is slightly less, but the hole is readily filled.

We often feel we can never replace a colleague or perhaps ourselves. When hiring employees into a vacant position, we are filling that spot with a set of skills not truly replacing an individual. How the new hire completes the assigned tasks may be different, but the work will get done. The new person will change the work dynamic and often infuse some new ideas or enthusiasm to the team. We still will miss the person we knew and worked with for years, but getting to know a new person is also a gift.

So -- for those thinking of moving to a new job, changing careers or retiring from the workforce -- today's song is for you. Don't let them make you feel guilted into staying somewhere you don't need to be anymore. Just do what is best for you.  Enjoy!

Already Gone -- The Eagles

Day 199 -- summer weekend fun

The weather forecast says we should expect sun this weekend. Heading into the height of the summer season, this is good news. There are many things to do in the region. We live within a short drive of dozens of beaches and these are well populated at this time of year. Summer festivals abound -- the strawberry festival this weekend and the summer repertory theatre festival plays have begun. Summer dining outside or in air-conditioned comfort occur a lot, too <g>.

So -- I have a few plans that need to be done this weekend and then just be open to whatever comes along. It brought to mind a song about heading out to the shore. This version is in memory of Tommy Ramone, the last of the original Ramones who passed away this week. Enjoy!

Rockaway Beach -- The Ramones

Day 198 -- more weather mysteries

For the past two days we've had gusty winds blowing clouds across the sky. Sunny breaks with some blue patches appeared, but it has been mostly angry looking clouds. The humidity has been very high and with the temperatures it is reaching the point of no sleep and no indoor cooking.

The forecast has noted that we should expect rain, but nothing arrives. I'd like to think that rain would lead to a less humid atmosphere, but I doubt that will occur. After all, we are in the maritimes and it is the last half of July (so not sure how that happened so quickly).

So, the song for today reflects some of the tension felt when expectations remain unmet. I do like the song, singer and even the room in the video -- amazing. Enjoy!

Heavy cloud no rain -- Sting

Day 197 -- summer barbecue

Tonight we had a wonderful barbecue (grilling for those south of the border) <smile>. Dinner with many great friends -- old and new involved fun conversations along with fantastic food. We celebrated a belated birthday for a group member who was travelling during the actual day. I think I ate too much <g>.

While I understand there is a major difference between southern barbecue and what Canadians call barbecue (one is more a noun and the other more a verb), I will admit to loving them both. It would be amazing to travel the southern US to try the different styles of barbecue. A plan for future vacations perhaps. <smile>. 

Today's selection is more about the southern use of the word, but it fits today's events and topic. Love this group, though this may not be one of their best known songs. Enjoy!

Bar-B-Q -- ZZ Top

Day 196 -- strawberry time

I keep buying fresh local strawberries with the hope of freezing some for use in the winter. Guess what? They seem to disappear before I have time to prep and freeze them. Where do they go? <smile>

I love slicing strawberries and using one of two marinades. The first is  a small amount of white sugar to help them exude all that wonderful juice. Then I add a bit of Grand Marnier. I serve with whipped topping and sponge cake -- my version of strawberries Romanoff.  The second involves a touch of melted butter mixed with a bit of brown sugar. I add some fantastic balsamic vinegar, pour it over the sliced strawberries and let it rest in the fridge for a while. This version is also served with sponge cake and whipped topping but includes a generous sprinkle of cracked black pepper. Either way -- YUM! And that is the answer to the mystery of the missing strawberries. 

This weekend is the local strawberry festival just out in the county, with lots of music and fresh strawberry shortcake made with rich biscuits. It is supposed to be sunny and hot on Sunday, so it may be a wonderful afternoon. 

The song title today addresses my wish to have fresh local strawberries available all year long. We live in the wrong area of the world for this to happen. So, when they arrive, we are all eating these wonderful fruits daily <smile>. I love this Warhol-esque video version of the song. Enjoy! 

Strawberry Fields Forever -- The Beatles

Day 195 -- grocery shopping dilemma

It is Monday and I had to do some grocery shopping for the week. This was a medium sized trip, but might actually fit into 'making big groceries' in New Orleans <smile>.  I had a list carefully made from the flyers for the two stores we have in town. I went to the one with the most items on the list, trying to be somewhat efficient. Asparagus was in the flyer for a decent price and the shelf said that croutons were on sale for a wicked reduction. That said, both shelves were empty. A few of the regular items that I don't put on the weekly list were not anywhere to be found either. I did come away with most items, though. Sadly, no rain cheques available since we could not find items in the flyer at Customer Service. There is a truck coming in tonight, so I could return tomorrow and gamble that the trip would be a fruitful one (pun intended).

So -- why in a little town with two medium sized stores, do I find myself often in need of visiting both of them to get the basics? Granted, I could have purchased a couple other items today at the one store, but the items are 30-45% less at the other store. Given the cost of gas, it makes me wonder if I'm actually saving anything at all -- definitely losing my patience at times.  I've asked why shelves are sometime empty and why regular products that are store brands seem to disappear once many of us have decided the product was wonderful. It seems that the marketing gurus at head office decide what will sell in our little town based on some misguided notion of what small town people actually choose to eat. It is clear that none of these individuals have ever been to this town, or they'd understand that with a university present, we have a diverse cultural makeup -- not the standard backwater town. There is nothing that managers at this end can do except put things on the shelves exactly where the marketers want items placed, and then shift them all around next week. Apparently, all this keeps the customer wandering the aisles and likely to pick up more things. For me, it has the opposite effect -- I stop wandering and head to the cash early or just plain head elsewhere. I do call the toll free number to share my consumer point of view -- they are always polite and promise to pass things along to the marketing teams. Perhaps, though these teams are really the admen or the wolves of Bay street so won't likely hear anything other than cha-ching <sigh>.

Today's song was a phrase that came to mind while standing in line waiting for the privilege of paying for two-thirds of my expected purchases. Only half of the aisles were open, and that was after pulling in extra people because today was busier than usual. I had lots of time to ponder. <smile>  There are many covers of this song, but I have settled with this one by a duo. Enjoy!

Shop Around -- The Captain and Tenille

Day 194 -- challenges of clothes shopping

An inspection of my favourite (and only) pair of jeans found some early fraying along a seam and pocket area. <sigh> I really dislike shopping for clothes. It is difficult to find something I like that actually fits. It becomes even more challenging when living in a small town with very little that is age appropriate. The sales assistants are very helpful given our age difference, but I find myself a bit self conscious when trying on something that shows areas I seem to be at odds with.

Body image issues do not deal only with body weight. They deal with shape as well as size. Changes as we age can be difficult to accept, and buying jeans draws attention to the effect of gravity <smile>. Why is it that women -- and men -- feel uncomfortable about how they look? I've studied this area and it is common in 'western' cultures. What do those cultures have in common? Mass media messages that seem to abhor aging as well as difference. If we would all be a homogeneous mass of people -- not individuals -- the marketing geniuses could sell more product -- creams, shampoos, hair dye, jeans, makeup and such. Most product marketing seems focussed to help us all stop aging -- or at least hide that it is happening. Now, even though I understand the physiology and psychology behind body changes over time, I still find that I can feel uncomfortable about the effects of the changes for 'me.'

Many positive social marketing campaigns work to improve self acceptance in all age groups. Other messages come from individuals. Today's selection is one of the latter. This is aimed at women in particular, but the message works for men, too. It has been making the rounds on Facebook. Perhaps we should all have this one handy to play when we need to pause and regroup after a trying day attempting to buy clothes that aren't even made in sizes and shapes that fit many of us <smile>. Enjoy!

Try -- Colbie Caillat

Day 193 -- tossing telephone poles

Highland Games week is coming to a close. I love seeing tartan draped store windows and kilt-wearing folk everywhere. The week involves highland dance, pipe and drum festivals (individual and group) and ancient heavy games -- Junior and Senior.

Tomorrow will be the finals for the heavy games and the massed pipe and drum corps performance. Seeing anyone tossing a caber (akin to a telephone pole for those who still have these in their towns) is somewhat stunning -- as is the sheaf toss, stone toss (with a minor sized boulder) and hammer throw -- and all this done by kilted strong men. Last time I sat at the field for the day, it ended with several pipe and drum bands, a massed band of hundreds of individuals, marching across the field playing traditional tunes. It was amazing. I expect I'll hear it from the house, if I don't go to the field. I've been privy to much from the competition announcements and musical entertainment yesterday and today.

I've chosen a traditional Scottish tune for today. This was the first music I heard this morning during the parade less than a block away and also the first heard on Thursday morning to kick off the Street Fair. It does involve bagpipes, which really aren't as bad as common opinion would have us believe -- that presupposes someone who actually knows how to play them is in charge. They can be much like violins in this sense <smile>.  Enjoy!

Scotland the Brave -- The Pipes and Drums of the Royal Tank Regiment

Day 192 -- friends, food, fun

I've been out to eat and visit with friends three times this week. Each was a catch up visit with enjoyable conversations and laughs. It had been several months between visits with two friends, but tonight's visit was the first in 16 years! Last week, I visited with many people I hadn't seen in one to 10 years. The ability to pick up and continue on with any time break is a true gift. Each conversation was rejuvenating -- bringing  new perspectives, new research ides and  new stories.

These are the times I truly enjoy. If work and location allowed, these are visits that should happen more often. I need to make a greater effort to keep in contact when things get crazy busy with the academic term -- whether over lunch, dinner or tea or by phone for those living across the continent. Perhaps during those times of high stress at work, this type of visit and conversation would be a perfect pick-me-up -- not just for "me" but also for the others involved. It can provide a bit of normalcy in a lifestyle that is a bit abnormal <smile>. Sort of a 'get a life' break, where we can take time for ourselves and evade that "when did I become everybody's everything" feeling.

The song today contains the quote from that last sentence and reminds us of what we all need to do -- take some time for self care -- whatever that may entail. Enjoy!

Good Friend and a Glass of Wine -- Joss Stone featuring LeAnn Rimes

Day 191 -- gratitude for local foods

Met today with a colleague and during our discussions we outlined a few projects to work on in the coming year. The topics deal with building community capacity for a strong local food system. This is an area we've worked in for many years, developing projects, conducting research and sharing learnings. This is a topic that I love, and the local projects have been delightful. We have a community garden program with garden boxes on donated land (and across the town and county on home and institutional land). A local food box program in place for years, provides bi-weekly bags of locally produced foods. The products included have come mainly from micro-enterprises with some from small to medium size enterprises (SMEs), and all have come from our county.

This year the program grew closer to our goal of a local foods store in the downtown core of town. The food boxes are available through a local organization and can be ordered online and picked up the day they are packed. Value-added products (including jams, sauces, honey, meats, eggs, cheese and such) are available to order to add to your food bag, which contains items that are fresh and available on the week bags are packed. This change is a major step towards the local food store, which needs a bit of further funding to implement. All very exciting, and many research and promotional projects exist for further work to allow us to share this with others. I have been lucky to present aspects of the work of past years at international conferences, which included wonderful input from others working in this field from around the world.  I'm excited to have further work in the offing.

The song for today pays tribute to those who produce our food, often without receiving adequate payment for sale of their products. If it were not for farmers, ranchers, and fishers, we'd be in a sad state. I chose this version of the song because the photos in the video reminded my of my grandparents, current relatives and friends who are primary producers on the prairies. Enjoy!

Farmer's Song -- Murray Mclaughlin

Day 190 -- summertime interactions

The temperatures are getting warmer and the humidity is climbing a bit, too. It seems to cool a little at night, but sleeping remains a challenge. The fan seems noisy rather than acting as the useful 'white noise' to shut out extraneous sounds. The heat makes nights very uncomfortable in the house.

The warm weather brings many people outside in the evenings -- many sitting in sidewalk cafes on Main Street. Others watch the world from their porches or front steps or head for a dip at a local beach. This week brings many visitors to town for a couple annual festivals, so the faces have new mixed with familiar. This differs from the winter months when people are holed up inside and not interacting to the same degree. Summer days and nights bring out many folks to walk and talk and see what is going on around them.

I will admit to liking spring and fall seasons more than the extremes of temperature and storms of winter and summer. Yet, summertime does have a particularly positive feel, even when everyone is tired and a bit cranky from lack of sleep during a heat wave. Today's song is about people getting out during the hot days of summer. The band had a Canadian at lead guitar for many years. Enjoy!

Summer in the City -- The Lovin' Spoonful

Day 189 - searching and cleaning

Today I tackled a huge pile of papers in the office and managed to make a dent in the mess. Many items could be recycled now, which made the files considerably smaller. There is another pile on top of the file cabinet that needs sorting into 'keep' and 'recycle' piles tomorrow. It looks a bit better in that corner, though many other little stashes of papers lurk in my peripheral vision.

While sorting this afternoon, it left time to think. Sometimes thoughts go to those cloistered areas of our minds -- the ones we'd like to hide from -- just like the piles of papers I was avoiding. This is the time when we begin to assess how close to our dreams we have come. Granted, dreams change as they should if we grow as we move through life. Yet, there can often be a faint feeling of yearning -- that searching for something that isn't quite clear. Thoughts such as these help us to come to terms with dreams we've outgrown and to see where we might need to refocus to find our elusive wants.

The title of the song today says it all <smile>. We all have moments of longing even if we can't fully articulate what exactly would be involved. Enjoy!

Hungry Heart -- Bruce Springsteen

 

Day 188 -- a visit from the headbanging fairy

Well, it's official. The yuckiness of the past several days definitely is a migraine <pout>. They don't come often, but the allergy season can trigger some discomfort. I'm hoping it will not last too long, another day or two seems reasonable -- not another week <smile>.

I'm feeling very fatigued with this silliness. Part of it is likely trying to readjust to a 3 hour time difference from last week out west. Travelling east always feels worse to me for the 'jet lag' or internal clock readjustment. When I flew back from Asia several years ago, we'd been travelling for over 20 hours and I'd conked out on the plane. When I arrived at a bed just for me, I slept almost 20 hours. Now, even though I'm so tired by bedtime here, my brain seems not to want to let me sleep for another couple hours. This, along with the migraine, made me feel quite useless at the work meeting this morning. Cognitive functioning is affected by both issues so it is a double whammy of sorts. <smile>. The good news is that both difficulties will pass in a couple days. Now if the evenings would cool a bit to help with sleeping, we'd be heading for perfection.

It seemed only reasonable that the selection today come from the huge catalogue of headbanger tunes <grin>. I found the chorus lines of this song fitting for the headache situation. The video has humour rather than what some might expect. Enjoy!

We're Not Gonna Take it -- Twisted Sister

Day 187 -- Playing Pick-up-sticks

This afternoon I spent time trying to clean up the yard after the storm. It was littered with leaves and small branches. Raking helped the process go more efficiently. I filled my green bin -- the large wheeled bin for compostables pick up by the town. The yard looks a bit better than it did, but there is at least another bin full waiting to be gathered -- mainly leaves as I tried to gather the twigs and branches into a pile ready to put in the green bin  after pick up on Tuesday.

I've often referred to this type of activity as pick-up-sticks -- the puzzle part becomes how to get the most into the bin -- so it is still a game of sorts. It is also a good form of exercise. The sun was warm today and the humidity is on the rise for tomorrow. It will be much warmer for the next round of clean up Tuesday morning, but the yard will look much better when it is done -- unless more wind arrives and blows this into the next yard or drops more from the trees <smile>.

I heard the chorus of today's selection as I worked away in the yard today -- made me smile <smile>. Enjoy!

Blow Away -- George Harrison

Day 186 -- passing hurricane

Well -- it isn't really a hurricane any more, but a post-tropical depression. We've had wind with some stronger gusts earlier in the afternoon. Rain is predicted overnight into the morning, but only about 5 mm in this area. Winds and rain were much more intense west of here. Many trees down, power outages and storm surges experienced in New Brunswick, made this a nasty storm for many people.

Some folks love this type of weather for the sea swells -- either watching them or surfing them. Kite boarders were expected to be out at Lawrencetown Beach later today where wave heights of 6-10 ft were expected. Not my cup of tea, but many people enjoy this.

To me the pleasant aspect of this system has been the temperature drop. It was about 20C (68F) at noon and the temp fell into the teens during the afternoon. I opened the windows to get the cool air into the house, which was still at 28C (82F) with major humidity inside. Very uncomfortable. It is now getting cooler in the bedroom and much cooler at the kitchen end. So -- that will provide a night -- maybe two -- before the humidex (feel like temps) and temps rise for the coming week bringing along sleepless nights. .

So -- a song. I will admit to having a somewhat lazy day. Doing laundry and feeling tired from the travel yesterday. This song made sense for that mood. Enjoy!

Surfing in a hurricane -- Jimmy Buffet.

Day 185 -- baggage woes

Each time I pack to travel, I sigh. Not only because I'm leaving one place or another, but because of the sad state of my luggage. Travel has been harsh for my poor Swiss Gear bag. I've contemplated purchasing new luggage. Each time I get close to making the decision amongst the "soup aisle" choices, some new damage has occurred to my poor little bag.

The first major event involved stripping the nylon off the framing wire and leaving the lower right corner wire poking out in two directions -- easy for someone to become impaled. On that trip I got duct tape and it has travelled with me ever since. The second big owie was the total dislodging of the handle assembly from the frame. Rivets were popped on the inside, while the entire handle was zipped inside the case. This incident resulted in me cutting my hand on the broken plastic when I unzipped the handle and tried to realign it so it would extend for me to pull the case through the airport. The assembly is now duct taped to the frame. The third damaged area was minor in comparison -- a mere 2-3 inch  puncture through the side denier that thankfully did not go through the inner lining. The upside of it all?  I can identify my bag quickly at a baggage carousel with the many splotches of silver tape AND no one else chooses to take my luggage instead of theirs <smile>.

So -- do I buy another good quality bag or not? The less expensive ones are not as large an investment, but perhaps they may not withstand airline baggage abuse as well. For now, I travel with my trusty duct tape.

The selection for today is a song posted to youtube a year or so before my first major incident -- interestingly on the same airline as in the song. Four songs were written about that case of baggage damage and I'm sharing the first of those here today. The others are well worth having a look through to see how things progressed. Enjoy!

United Breaks Guitars -- Sons of Maxwell

Day 184 -- Waiting on Arthur

Well -- a look at the weather forecast for the east coast of North America clearly shows that something is approaching -- something upleasant named Arthur. As the first named storm of the season -- and turning into a hurricane at cat 1 and expected to be cat 2 tomorrow -- this may not bode well for this hurricane season. Only time will tell.

In the meantime, this storm is a certainty. The track seems likely to take it onshore between  the South and Eastern shores of Nova Scotia, across the province into the Gulf of St. Lawrence and then across to Newfoundland. In anticipation, a major folk music festival has been cancelled -- Stan Fest or the Stan Rogers Festival, held annually in Canso NS, where it invariably rains during the event. A tropical storm descending on the tent city of festival goers would not be pretty, so cancelling seems the wise choice.

The song today is my favourite of folk songs written and sung by a true singing Canadian folk treasure. This version offers a written history of the song and the singer.  Enjoy!

Northwest Passage -- Stan Rogers

Day 183 -- Blog Milestone: part of me and part of you

Day 183 means we have passed the halfway point in the year. Amazing that this amount of time has passed. I will admit to enjoying this process at the end of my days. Reflecting on activities, conversations and thoughts of the day does help process the occurances and can be somewhat relaxing. Sharing ideas in a journaling format is an interesting record of time and since I do recommend that students journal for some courses, it seems only fitting that I have a formal process of this nature, too.

When thinking of a song to share for today, only one came to mind for its line "It cannot be a part of me for now its part of you."  So, writing these thoughts for the past months takes them outside of me and shares them with you. Enjoy!

Tapioca Tundra -- The Monkees

Day 182 - Canada Day

Today is Canada Day -- 147 years ago this nation arrived on the scene. The weather today is looking reasonable in most areas for some type of outdoor celebrations. In some places these have been scaled back due to the water issues, but some public events are underway across the country. My favourite is always the fireworks -- This is the one time of year when most communities I've lived in hold fireworks -- as long as the weather cooperates.

For the selection today, I'm sharing a song I sang as a child in grade school. This is an early recorded version that sounds similar to the WWI platters I have for an early record player. The photos are beautiful, too.  Enjoy!

The Maple Leaf Forever -- artist unknown

Day 181 -- is it summer yet?

Sorry to be a day behind -- got sidetracked and wasn't able to access the internet for a while. So -- that means two posts to go up today.

On June 30th, I reflected on the fact that summer is well underway -- at least on the calendar. That is two months left to get things in order for September and two months to do what many Canadians do -- try to pack 12 months of living into 2 months. The weather seems to be improving across the country with sun starting out west and temeratures rising in the eastern half. As temperatures rise so will humidity in most places due to the large amounts of standing water.

Schools were out last week where I live, so now the kids are 'free' for a month or two. Traditionally, families have done trips in the summer months -- summer vacation is here.

Today's selection ran through my head during this last week thinking of the end of school. Enjoy!

School's out for the summer -- Alice Cooper