The Founder’s Blog

Good Morning from Warren Grove, Prince Edward Island Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your mornings.  I will start with a CBC story about Prince Edward Island Province House.  "Real craftsmanship, regardless of the skill involved, reflects real caring, and real caring reflects our attitude about ourselves, about our fellowmen, and about life." ~ Spencer W. Kimball Listening to the masons speak of their feelings about being a part of history and someday bringing their grandchildren to view their work moved me to pull on a thread regarding Province House.  "He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist" ~ Francis of Assisi. Story Here.  Many readers of this blog have visited Prince Edward Island and may or may not have had a chance to see it. The 100-million-dollar restoration began in 2015 and will not be complete until 2025.  Below is from the National Parks website.  Completed in 1847, Province House was built in neo-classical style by local architect Isaac Smith to accommodate the provincial legislature and administrative offices. It also housed the Island’s Supreme Court until 1872. The first session of the Prince Edward Island Legislature, held in the new Colonial Building in January 1847, marked the official opening of the structure. The small Island community had designed, built and furnished a major public building comparable to those in other British colonies in North America. The Colonial Building represented the epitome of Island craftsmanship during the mid-19th century, a time of unprecedented prosperity and optimism. Today, Province House retains its central role in Island public life, with the Assembly holding sessions here until the building is closed for conservation work in 2015.   In September 1864, Province House was the scene of the first conference on the colonial union. Delegates from the colonies of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Canada met in the legislative council chamber to begin discussions, which led to confederation in 1867. If you are interested in history, read this two-minute story, The Charlottetown Conference.  "A generation which ignores history has no past — and no future." ~ Robert A. Heinlein This morning I have been listening to the musical talents of Sophie Hutchings through her newest album, Echoes of the Valley.  It’s almost like you’re diving into the lungs of the piano. Recorded in a rustic timber studio nestled in the crook of a dramatic valley in the Byron Hinterland: mountains and farmland to the west, rainforests and the ocean in the distant east. She’d go to bed with the window open, hummed into slumber by crickets and cicadas, then wake a few hours later to the cacophony of morning birdsong.  In the recording, you can hear every click and creak of her instrument as she plays in concert with her surroundings. Echoes In The Valley is an exercise in simplicity and inspired by it. “I’m always hearing melodies in my head, so it’s very tempting to add layers,” says Hutchings. “I was so tempted to put another instrument on it but had to tell myself, ‘No.” As a result, the only audible accompaniment to the piano in these songs is the stroke of keys, push of the pedal, and the outdoors permeating in. Today is the last day for my blogging for Prince Edward Island Company, and it has been a real treat and educational experience for me.  When I started the blog in 2014, I had no idea what I was doing. I had no idea how to write a sentence (still learning), knew nothing about grammar, and almost nothing about technology.  On the grammar front and using commas, semi-colons and colons, I have to thank Betty (96 years young) and Althea (80 years young) for their friendly scolding, LOL, and suggestions. Their comments inspired me to get better at expressing myself through writing. Love you both.  To the hundreds of comments readers have made over the years, a big thank you goes out to you. I could hug you all. You were so kind to take the time and effort to write your thoughts, ending up as words of encouragement, so I owe you my future.  A big thank you to the folks who supported our family through the purchases made. I wanted to do something different when my interest in bottling food began in 1979. I wanted to create a bottle of preserves with the least amount of sugar possible and as much authentic fruit flavour as possible, and through trial and error, I think we did it.  To all the staff over the years who taught us and helped live our desire to create a property that would create memories for those visiting and act ourselves through our motto, Everything in Good Taste.  To Adam and Marsha, we thank you for continuing our hard work and dreams; we wish you great success, and we hope that many more generations of people will enjoy your efforts.  As to our future, time will tell what Shirley and I will do in Act Three, but in the meantime, I will try and learn the writing craft and share it through my new blog, A Bunch of Good Things. If you have signed up, thank you. And based on all your comments, the format will be changing and it will be sent on Saturday mornings, starting next week.  If you have not signed up, you can do so here.  I do not want to get to the end of my life and find that I just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well. - Diane Ackerman But before I go, how one last wiggle and giggle.  LET’S DANCE and offer up prayers for peace around the world.   Have a great weekend and a lovely fall season.  With love and hugs from Prince Edward Island. Bruce + Millie ps. Your Morning Smile A guy goes in for a job interview with the employer.  The boss asks him, “What do you think is your worst quality?”  The man says, “I’m probably too honest.”  The boss says, “That’s not a bad thing; I think being honest is a good quality.”  The man replies, “I don’t care what you think!”  “To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” —Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Good Morning from Warren Grove, Prince Edward Island Welcome back to my second last blog post for Prince Edward Island Preserve Company. A little damp here today, but the heavens are not adding too much rain, just a nice little refresher for the garden beds.  I hope you have had a lovely week and are ready for a nice weekend.  “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” — Carl Sandburg, In preparing to decouple my involvement with the company we founded, I have been thinking about what I can do to keep my mind active and my actions helpful to those around me.  For years, I had a coaster on my desk where over time, I had placed thousands of cups of tea and on the coaster was a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “nothing great was achieved without enthusiasm,” and reflecting on the past, I agree 100%.  I loved building the company enthusiastically, and one of my many favourite things was greeting motor-coaches. I love people.  And meeting new people from other parts of the world was a joy, whether Pugwash, Nova Scotia, or Florence, Italy.  I must admit the Italians were always a lot of fun. After their visit, I loved jumping on the motor-coach and saying arrivederci, and 50 enthusiastic Italians would smile from ear to ear and shout back the same.  The most coaches I greeted in one day were thirty-three, and I welcomed over 650 coaches in one year. So, after being there for 35 years, using thirty as the multiple and the average of 400 coaches with 40 people, I guess I have greeted close to half a million people. So, arrivederci, my friends.  "What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly." - Richard Bach. Micheal Gerber, author of E-Myth preached that an entrepreneur should “work on their business, not in it.” A great concept, but I did not listen. Instead, as Frank Sinatra sang, I did it my way. I like giving it all, just as Pete Rose did when he ran to first base even if he was walked. I have always to tried to the same but hitting 65 years of age; I found that the physicality I needed to continue positively wasn't there. And as my management style was always hands-on, and I strived never to ask a staff person to do a job that I was unwilling to do.  I figure life is a three-act play, and I gave the second act all I had. So it is time to start the third act. Writing and learning to express thoughts and observations through words is a challenge and frightening at the same time. I dive into this enthusiastically and will do my best to express positivity through the experiences and lessons learned.  To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved but at what he aspires to. - Khalil Gibran One project I was considering was to seek out other adopted adults around the globe to determine if there was a common psychological thread regarding how one felt about their place in the world.  In researching, I found a book, Being Adopted, The Lifelong Search for Self, by David M. Brodzinsky, Ph.D., Marshall D. Schecter. M.D., Robin Marantz Henig.  I have started reading, and I find it enlightening and interesting. I will share more about the research and personal experiences on A Bunch of Good Things soon.  Reading “How an adopted 'sisterhood' uses P.E.I getaways to get together” on the CBC website is the catalyst to sharing what I have just shared.  Though not biologically related, members of 'the sisterhood' adopted from Guiping, China, have become their chosen family. The P.E.I gatherings attract not just the core group of five but close friends from B.C. (Jane Robertson/CBC) "He who can reach a child's heart can reach the worlds heart." ~ Rudyard Kipling And I love this story from Aeon. A bluesy ballad tells the story of Old Bet, the first circus elephant in the US. In 1806, Hachaliah Bailey, a Somers, New York farmer, bought an elephant to help plow his farm. He paid $1,000 and named her Old Bet.  He realized he could make more money from her as a paid attraction, so he began travelling the country with Old Bet and charging curious onlookers 10 cents for a rare glimpse.  Structured around a bluesy country ballad by the US composer Sam Saper, this film from the US animator Lynn Tomlinson recalls Old Bet’s tale from the imagined perspective of the farmer’s dog. The video shows unique handcrafted animations made with clay-on-glass and oil pastels. Lynn, the artist, brings a mournful sense of pathos to the story of the first circus elephant in the United States. And she hints broadly at the tragic centuries-long history of exotic animal exploitation for the sake of human entertainment. Got to run but before I do, let's WIGGLE AND GIGGLE I started a newsletter a few months back called A Bunch of Good Things—a place for positivity, my muses and encouragement. Thank you to the seven hundred who have signed up, and if you have not already, please do so here.  Our actions entrench the power of the light on this planet. Every positive thought we pass between us makes room for more light. JOHN LEWIS With love from Prince Edward Island.  Have a great weekend!  Bruce + Millie ps. Your Morning Smile During a county-wide drive to round up all unlicensed dogs, a patrolman signalled a car to pull over to the curb. When the driver asked why he had been stopped, the officer pointed to the big dog sitting on the seat beside him and asked, "Does your dog have a license?" "No," the man said, "he doesn't need one." "Yes, he does," answered the officer. "But," said the driver, "I always do all the driving."

Great to have you here, and thank you for your time today. I hope you had a nice week and are ready for some R&R.  "The universe is made of stories, not of atoms." - Muriel Rukeyser. This week had lots of family from away showing up to visit. And laughter and tears were shared by many. COVID has kept too many people apart for too long.  Old Home Week is officially over this evening, but it was great to have the Gold Cup and Saucer Parade celebrate its 60th year after taking two years away, thanks to the pandemic.  See a few photos here; thank you, CBC.  Also, thank you to Sara Fraser of CBC for this beautiful story of wedding bliss at the midway.  The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.' ~ Audrey Hepburn Jeffery MacDonald and Katelyn Waite (now MacDonald) of Long Creek had been engaged for three years but delayed their wedding because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Katrina Kuzminer, their photographer, took many beautiful photos and said, “as soon as Jeff lifted Katelyn up to kiss her ... 400 people were clapping and cheering. It was surreal.” Read the story and see some of their photos here.  "Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses." ~ Ann Landers May their love grow and grow and grow.  Summer Reading.  "There is a temperate zone in the mind, between luxurious indolence and exacting work, and it is to this region, just between laziness and labour, that summer reading belongs." ~ Henry Ward Beecher So far, this summer's completed fiction reading includes, No Man’s Land by David Balducci and The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. In non-fiction, I finished On Writing by Stephen King. In the middle of and hope to finish this weekend, Stephen Kings, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.  On the non-fiction list, I finished On Writing by Stephen King and started Timothy Keller's Making Sense of God. I just cracked the covers on The Interpretation of Cultures by Clifford Geertz and Dimensions of the Sacred. Not sure where these heavy lifts will take me. What are you reading these days?  I just signed up for The Seniors College of Prince Edward Island provides learning opportunities for adults 50 and over in Queens, Prince, and Kings Counties! In three semesters from October to May, enjoy membership benefits and our affiliation with the University of Prince Edward Island. Here is the course list, and I am looking forward to signing up for a few.  "Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death." ~ Albert Einstein I have been listening to a lot of peaceful music on Spotify this week.  I feel the video below speaks to this quote.  “To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.” Terry Tempest Williams 81-year-old surprises care home with a note-perfect rendition of 'Unchained Melody.' On that note, I wish you unchained love and invite you to join me in a little place in Mexico below that would be a great spot to share a cup of tea.  We must never stop dreaming. Dreams provide nourishment for the soul, just as a meal does for the body. ~ Paulo Coelho You can watch the video posted by the real estate agent here. Turn off the sound and just watch.  I started a newsletter called A Bunch of Good Things—a place for positivity and encouragement. If you have not already signed up, please do so here.  Have a wonderful weekend.  With Love from Prince Edward Island Bruce + Millie ps. Your Morning Smile The CEO of IKEA was just elected president in Sweden. He should have his cabinet together by the end of the week.

Good Morning from Warren Grove, Prince Edward Island Thank you for being here. I hope you had a lovely week and are ready for the weekend.  "When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." ~ Marcus Aurelius Last year a respirologist diagnosed me as having light asthma, and he prescribed the puffers.  But I don’t want to use the puffers, so I don't. I want to know what I can do to reverse the onset. So I have started thinking, reading and listening a bit more about breathing.  I am starting with researching propane. I have always had propane stoves, I like cooking with them, but now in light of everything, we have started shopping for an electric induction stove.  After seeing how gas stoves pollute homes, these researchers are ditching theirs. Read Science Story Here. I found a BBC documentary, The Lost Art of Breathing After recovering from pneumonia for the third time, journalist James Nestor took decisive action to improve his lungs. He questioned why so many humans - and only humans - have to contend with stuffy noses, snoring, asthma, allergies, sinusitis and sleep apnoea, to name but a few. James hears remarkable stories of others who have changed their lives through the power of breath. His deep dive into the unconscious and oft-ignored act of human respiration offers us all a way to breathe easier. With contributions from Dr. Richard Brown, who worked with 9/11 survivors; Dr. Margaret Chesney, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, on-screen apnoea; Mandar Apte and Rosa Lagunas on Sudarshan Kriya Yoga; Chuck McGee III on the Wim Hof Method; Dr. Andrew Hubermann, professor of neurobiology at Stanford University on the brain-body relationship and Dr. Kevin Boyd, pediatric dentist, on the changes to the human skull. Listen Here. "When you consciously decide to breathe more slowly and deeply, you alert your body to the fact that you want it to behave differently. You are not just changing your breathing pattern, you are making a full-body announcement that you are entering into a different relationship with your mind and your body." ~ Eric Maisel Forward-thinking news from Prince Edward Island; thank you, CBC, for the story.  The University of Prince Edward Island will now require all incoming graduating students to complete a course in Indigenous Studies. The course is launching this fall as part of the university's newly established Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research, and Applied Studies (IKERAS). Assistant professor David Varis, Cree and a UPEI Indigenous Circle member, says the Indigenous Teachings course will cover Indigenous history, cultures and practices.  "We will also be getting into weighty topics, such as trauma and intergenerational trauma resulting from residential schools. The Sixties Scoop," he said. Complete Story Here.  I have a sweet tooth and thought of applying for this job.  Wanted: A taste-tester willing to try 3,500 pieces of candy per month. Ever wonder how to laugh online in 26 languages? Here is how. This week, I have been listening to a new Album By David Orlowsky, and David Bergmuller called Alter Ego.  Below are two videos. One is of the interview with 107-year-old Eileen.  And the other video is one of her dancing to music they named after her.  I know many times I posted to get up, wiggle, jiggle and giggle. If Eileen can do it at 107, we all can. LOL "The truest expression of a people is in its dances and its music. Bodies never lie." ~ Agnes de Mille I started a newsletter called A Bunch of Good Things—a place for positivity and encouragement. If you have not already signed up, please do so here.  With love from Prince Edward Island.  Have a great weekend!  Bruce + Millie ps. Your Morning Smile If I eat healthy today, then I can have one piece of candy as a reward. If I eat unhealthily, I can have the whole bag. 

Good Morning from Warren Grove, Prince Edward Island I hope you had a lovely week, and thank you for joining me today.  "A picture is a work of art, not because it is 'modern,' nor because it is 'ancient,' but because it is a sincere expression of human feeling." ~ John F. Carlson My wife Shirley, our daughter Emily and I went to the van Gogh immersive art exhibit a few months ago while in Halifax. We thoroughly enjoyed it, and the good news is it is now on Prince Edward Island at the Delta Hotel and P.E.I. Convention Centre and runs until Sept. 5. If you are a van Gogh art lover, I highly recommend taking it in. The self-portraits and portraits of others blew me away.  The exhibit uses large-scale projections, music and special effects, creating a new way to interact with 300 of Van Gogh's paintings.  Below are a few photos and a video I took with my phone.  Recognising The Magic And Blessings That Surrounds Us Every Single Day As a child, there was no doubt in your mind that magic existed. You immersed yourself in a world of wonder and unique possibilities.  But as adults, we get caught up in solving problems and simply surviving from one moment to the next while forgetting about the magic of life. Miracles are always happening, especially in all those small things we so easily overlook. Recognise the magic and blessings that surround you every single day. The best kind of movie is the one that makes you laugh and cry. Enjoy.  The ordinary stories of our ordinary lives have extraordinary gifts coded within them. ~ Christina Baldwin Dance over depression….A Study "The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too" ~ Vincent Van Gogh Wiggle, Jiggle, and Giggle Time. Turn it up, and LET’S DANCE!  “There’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met.” —Jim Henson.  Love ya. Thank you for being here. Are you wondering where the sharks are?  Have a wonderful weekend.  My wife Shirley and I created Prince Edward Island Preserve Company and Gardens of Hope. This spring, we sold our company to Adam and Marsha Doiron. I will end my writing on this blog soon. However, I started a newsletter called A Bunch of Good Things—a place for positivity and encouragement. I hope you will sign up here.  With love from Prince Edward Island.  Bruce + Millie ps. Your Morning Smile  I recently went to my 30th class reunion from nursery school. I didn't want to go because I've put on maybe 90 or 100 pounds since then. plus…. I saw an ad for burial plots, and I thought: “That’s the last thing I need!”

Good Morning from Warren Grove, Prince Edward island I hope you had a good week and are safe.  "I am not an optimist because I am not sure everything ends well. Nor am I a pessimist because I am not sure that everything ends badly. I just carry hope in my heart. Hope is the feeling that life and work have meaning. You either have it, or you don't, regardless of the state of the world that surrounds you. Life without hope is an empty, boring, and useless life. I cannot imagine that I could strive for something if I did not carry hope in me. I am thankful to God for this gift. It is as big as life itself." ~ Vaclav Havel Thinking about Weather and Whether On the Island, we like to talk about the weather, and it seems it is not only a point of local conversation and amusement; the weather has become a global concern.  I am deciding whether to golf today. The weather folks are calling for a mix of sun and cloud, a 60% chance of showers, a risk of thundershowers with a high of 25C / 77F, and a Humidex of 30. So, if I head out to the links, I do so with my fourteen lightning rods, or I should say my golf clubs. Have you heard of anyone suing someone else because lightning struck his barn? Thank You goes to the Farmer’s Almanac for the answer…. During a prolonged drought in the mid-1880s, a minister in New York State called a prayer meeting so that all the residents could pray for rain. One farmer, Phineas Dodd, apparently thought prayer was unnecessary, so he did not attend the meeting. Thunderstorms rumbled through the area three hours after the meeting ended, bringing the much-needed rain. Unfortunately, the thunderstorms also brought lightning, which struck Dodd’s barn and burned it to the ground. Dodd sued the minister, Duncan McLeod, whose lawyer pointed out that the minister and the people at the prayer meeting had prayed for rain, not a thunderstorm. Therefore, McLeod could not be held accountable for the lightning strike. Dodd’s case was thrown out of court. On the environmental front, some local good news. Maritime Electric plans on getting to net zero by 2030.  Most of the utility's current greenhouse gas emissions come from buying energy off-Island and delivering it to customers on P.E.I. Maritime Electric. also buys all of the Island's wind energy from the P.E.I. Energy Corporation. Jason Roberts, CEO of the utility, said the utility needs to find ways to produce more renewable energy on the Island. To reach its reduced emissions target, Roberts estimates the company will need approximately 100 megawatts of additional wind power and 120 megawatts of solar energy added to the grid by 2030. Maritime Electric also plans to fully replace its light-duty fleet — including pickup trucks and vans — with electric vehicles by 2032.  "Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are." ~ Saint Augustine This week I changed search engines.  Ecosia is a search engine. I have started to use it instead of Google and have had no issues.  If you are a Google Chrome user, you can add Ecosia as an extension, and it becomes your search engine instead of Google. For every 45 searches, they plant a tree.  Ecosia is a not-for-profit B corp. They use the incredible profits generated by search to plant trees.  By planting trees and offsetting its energy use with renewables, Ecosia removes .5 kg of CO2 from the air each time you use it, which makes them a carbon-negative search engine.  So far, Ecosia has planted 140 million trees. You can join here. "May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears." ~ Nelson Mandela I appreciate the Japanese culture. This Washington Post article is an excellent window into this community's efforts to do what they can to help the environment.  Tucked away in the mountains of Japan’s Shikoku island, a town of about 1,500 residents is on an ambitious path toward a zero-waste life. In 2003, Kamikatsu became the first municipality in Japan to make a zero-waste declaration. Since then, the town has transformed its open-air burning practices for waste disposal into a system of buying, consuming and discarding to reach carbon neutrality. Now, the town estimates it is more than 80 percent of its way toward meeting that goal by 2030. In this well-presented article by Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Julia Mio Inuma, there are many photos and a great explanation of how they are attempting to meet their goals.  "When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better." ~ Maya Angelou Speaking of hope, after suffering a brain aneurysm in 2015, Joni Mitchell has occasionally made public appearances, but last weekend gave her first live set since 2002. In light of Joni Mitchell’s surprise visit to the Newport Folk Festival last weekend, I have listened to her music over the last few days.  River, The Joni Letters is a Grammy award-winning album by Herbie Hancock. In addition to Herbie's piano magic, friends such as Tina Turner, Leonhard Cohen, Norah Jones, and others added their vocals to showcase Joni’s songwriting genius.  I hope you have a lovely weekend and a great week ahead.  With love from Prince Edward Island, Bruce + Millie ps. Your Morning Smile I’m really excited about the amateur autopsy club I just joined...  Wednesday is open Mike night!

Good Morning from Warren Grove, Prince Edward Island It is a new glorious, and beautiful morning. It seems we are in for a scorcher of a day on the Island today.  Wherever you are, stay safe.  A Sort of Local Story "How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these." ~ George Washington Carver. I love this story by Melissa Tobin, a Gander reporter working for CBC Newfoundland Morning. Charlie Comrie, a 96-year-old veteran of the Second World War, sold his house in Clinton, Ont. last December to move 3,000 kilometres east to a rural town on the island of Newfoundland. Comrie now lives in Plate Cove West, a village of about 170 people who have welcomed him and his best friend Shiloh, a Nova Scotian retriever, with open arms. But you might wonder why an older man would move such a distance to live along the rugged coast of the Atlantic Ocean. And the answer is simple. Love. You must read the “lovely” story here; it is humanity at its best.  “I believe that the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love.” ~ Wendell Berry Here are two love birds shuffling through the music to entertain each other; meet husband and wife Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver.  He and Charlie are the same age. Go, Boys, Go.  “Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits.” ~ Thomas Jefferson I discovered a story about a Reddit user whose neighbour agreed to pet sit their three pets. However, they were apprehensive, unsure how it would all work out. The neighbour sent a letter soon after the pet owners got home from their vacation, their elderly neighbour explained why the two weeks he spent with their German shepherd, beagle, and cat meant so much to him. The letter says it all.  Another love story. Dad and Daughter are making it forward through life together.  There are many reasons to treat each other with great tenderness. One is the sheer miracle that we are here together on a planet surrounded by dying stars. - Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer Time to wiggle and giggle to one of my favourite songs. I am unsure why I associate this song with Saturday mornings, but I do.  Wishing you a “happiness” weekend, writing this reminded me of something Bob Dylan said when asked if he was happy: “Oh, man, I’ve never even thought about that,” Dylan said, laughing. “Happiness is not on my list of priorities. I just deal with day-to-day things. If I’m happy, I’m happy – and if I’m not, I don’t know the difference.” He fell silent for a few moments and stared at his hands. “You know,” he said, “these are yuppie words, happiness and unhappiness. It’s not happiness or unhappiness; it’s either blessed or unblessed.” With love  from Prince Edward Island Bruce + Millie  (this was not Millie or me) ps. Your Morning Smile I told my boss, “Sorry I’m late. I was having computer issues.” "Hard drive?" he asked. "No, the commute was fine. It’s my laptop."

Good Morning from Warren Grove, Prince Edward Island. Thank you for joining me for a cuppa.  This past week has been interesting; COVID moved in and lives with us as I write. We feel a bit better and thankful to have had the vaccines and boosters. I can’t imagine having had COVID without them. Amongst a variety of symptoms, I found the virus brings brain fog, making it difficult to read and write. (I am laughing now, as it took me five tries to type this sentence.) So it might be a shorter blog than usual, and boy, oh boy, I am grateful for spell check today.  I watched a video of Billy Joel at his old high school opening of the Charles “Chuck” Arnold Theatre Dedication. The video makes me reminisce about my school teachers.  I have had many friends and still have friends who are teachers, and bless them all for jumping in and doing their part for society. However, a few weeks ago, a friend mentioned she went to high school graduation, and of the hundreds graduating, not one said becoming a teacher was an aspiration. One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child. ~ Carl Jung Thank you, Miss MacDonald, for being my grade 11 and 12 English teacher. Watching a dormant passion within someone gets lit by another person's generosity is fantastic.  In a Washington Post story, I read about 11-year-old Andrii Sidorov fleeing Kyiv in late February; he packed a small suitcase of essential items. But unfortunately, he had no choice but to leave his prized Lego collection behind. “He was so sad,” said his father, Igor Sidorov, who drove with two of his four sons to Vienna on Feb. 23, just before Russia launched its assault on Ukraine. His two older sons — ages 19 and 16 — stayed to fight in the war. Their mother remained in Kyiv, too. Without instruction manuals and using his imagination, he would craft intricate trucks, ships and robots since he was three. Over the years, he acquired thousands of pieces and cherished his vast collection. His Dad mentioned the situation on social media, and consequently, the hotel where the Irish government had arranged their stay got inundated with Lego packages worldwide.  Generosity and kindness inspired the young man to start his YouTube Channel, Lego Boy Star.  "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~ Unknown If you have the time, I enjoyed this Fareed Zakaria, a favourite interviewer of mine, interviewing Billy Joel. Includes some well-known stories that keep getting deeper and deeper. Interesting to hear Joel talking about his 1970 suicide attempt and other tales of his life. If you don’t have time for the interview, here is a lovely song, piano and vocal combination.  Have a great weekend, and stay healthy.  With love from Prince Edward Island Bruce + Millie ps. Your Morning Smile  A man goes to the doctor with a swollen foot. After a careful examination, the doctor gives the man a pill big enough to choke a horse. "I'll be right back with some water," the doctor tells him. The doctor has been gone a while, and the man loses patience. He hobbles out to the drinking fountain, forces the pill down his throat and gobbles down water until the pill clears his throat. Then he hobbles back into the examining room. The doctor returns with a warm water bucket,  "Okay, after the tablet dissolves, soak that foot for about 20 minutes." I am pleased to write this on behalf of the new owners, Adam and Marsha Doiron. Now retired as the founder of Prince Edward Island Preserve Company, I have started a new blog, A Bunch of Good Things. Newsletters go out Sunday evenings. Please Sign Up Here. 

Good Morning from Warren Grove, Prince Edward Island I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to believe it is July 9th!  Where does the time go?  Having just retired, I thought I would have all the time in the world to do items on our wish list, but now, I wonder how I had time for work before.  But…. "We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery." ~ H. G. Wells I have been researching essay topics I want to write on. Topics include compassion, kindness, creativity, happiness, optimism, faith, hope, growth and change with a plan to share them through my new blog, A Bunch of Good Things.  While researching, I came across a letter written by Jerrie Cobb to President Kennedy, being forthright in her firm and persistent desire to be the world's first woman astronaut.  Born in Oklahoma in 1931 to Lt. Col. William H. Cobb and Helena Butler Stone Cobb, Geraldyn ‘Jerrie’ Cobb was twelve years old when she first took the controls of her father’s 1936 Waco aircraft. From that day, she never looked down. At sixteen, she had a private pilot’s licence; at eighteen, she was a certified ground instructor; soon, she set various world aviation records for speed, distance and altitude. In 1960, she was the first of thirteen women (the ‘Mercury 13’) to undergo intensive training to determine whether a woman could become an astronaut; however, despite passing every test, she remained grounded, and the programme was soon cancelled. Finally, in 1963, has brought the issue before Congress to no avail; Cobb wrote this letter to President John F. Kennedy and pleaded to be sent into space immediately. Three months after she wrote the letter, cosmonaut Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova became the first woman in space. However, it would be another twenty years until an American woman, Sally Ride, left Earth’s orbit. I discovered this letter on Shaun Usher’s Letter of Note blog; his mission is just to share letters of historical significance. I thoroughly enjoy his blog.  Read: I can be patient no longer. An aspiring astronaut pleads with JFK to be sent into space.  "You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try." ~ Beverly Sills. “The night skies remind us of our place in the Universe. Imagine if we lived under skies full of stars. That reminder we are a tiny part of this cosmos, the awe and a special connection with this remarkable world would make us much better beings - more thoughtful, inquisitive, empathetic, kind and caring. Imagine kids growing up passionate about astronomy, looking for answers, how advanced humankind would be, how connected and caring we’d feel with one another, and how noble and adventurous we’d be. How compassionate with fellow species on Earth and how one with Nature we’d feel. Imagine a world where the happiness of the soul is more beautiful. Ah, I feel so close to inner peace. I wonder how my and millions of other lives would have changed.” ~ Sriram Murali, Filmmaker Lost in Light a short film on how light pollution affects the view of the night skies. When you look up, do you ever wonder how many people are in space? Take a peek at, How Many People Are in Space Right Now. Once on the site, scroll down to see who is in space right now as well.  As a visual learner, I appreciate Visual Capitalist's website; look at these ‘notable’ women.  Which Countries Feature Women on Banknotes? If you appreciate film, you might find this filtering service of interest. Movie of the Night is a search engine that filters data from streaming services and presents what is available. Try it; kind of neat. "Among the liberal arts, let us begin with the art that liberates us." ~ Michel de Montaigne How about a beautiful piece of poetic musical artistry? Please Forgive Me, Song by David Gray Please forgive me If I act a little strange For I know not what I do Feels like lightning Running through my veins Every time I look at you Every time I look at you Help me out here All my words are falling short And there's so much I want to say Want to tell you just how good it feels When you look at me that way, ah When you look at me that way Throw a stone And watch the ripples flow Moving out across the bay Like a stone I fall into your eyes Deep into that mystery, ah Deep into some mystery I got half a mind To scream out loud I got half a mind to die So I will never have to Lose you girl Won't ever have to say goodbye I won't ever have to lie Won't ever have to say goodbye Whoa I Whoa I Whoa I Please forgive me If I act a little strange For I know not what I do Feels like lightning Running through my veins Every time I look at you Every time I look at you Every time I look at you Every time I look at you David Gray performs a beautiful rendition of his classic tune 'Please Forgive Me' accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra. Breakfast time, I am going to groove at the stooove!  Thank you for being here today. I hope you have a lovely weekend.  I am busy preparing my Sunday evening blog, A Bunch of Good Things, and if you have not already signed up, you can do so here. With love from Prince Edward Island.  Bruce + Millie  ps. Your Morning Smile Dad is down at the auto dealership, looking at potential choices. “Cargo space?” he asks.  The salesman, slightly confused, finally replies, “Car no do that... car go road.”

Good Morning from Warren Grove, Prince Edward Island  It’s the first day of Canada's 155th year.  I am writing from an area of the world where the 16th-century European governments took the land from the Indigenous peoples.  The eastern woodland areas of what became Canada were home to the Algonquian and Iroquoian peoples. The Algonquian language is believed to have originated in the western plateau of Idaho or the plains of Montana and moved with migrants eastward, eventually extending in various manifestations from Hudson Bay to what is today the Maritimes in the east and as far south as the Tidewater region of Virginia. Speakers of eastern Algonquian languages included the Mi'kmaq and Abenaki of the Maritime region of Canada and likely the extinct Beothuk of Newfoundland. All levels of government, through various departments, education and media, are doing their best with better to come in bringing our dark history into the light of day and are doing what is required to right the wrongs for all concerned.  "Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward." ~ Nelson Mandela I pulled on this thread after reading the CBC story about how one community on Prince Edward Island is giving back to nature what has been taken for generations.  Thanks to Jessica Doria-Brown for this story about how the Abegweit First Nation is working toward releasing their second million of hopefully millions more of brook trout and salmon.  "To the naked eye, our oceans are beautiful. But scientists tell us that all of the world's fisheries will collapse by 2048 unless we change how we manage them. Help protect our oceans so the next generation can also enjoy their bounty." ~ Ted Danson Their fish hatchery is celebrating a significant milestone: it has released more than one million fish into Island streams. Thank you goes to all those involved, and we applaud your desire to make the world a better place. Since 2012, the facility on the reserve at Scotchfort has been raising Indigenous fish species like salmon and brook trout. Those juvenile fish are then released to support the recreational fishery — or replenish streams affected by fish kills.  The milestone means a lot for Todd Knockwood, assistant manager for the Abegweit Biodiversity Enhancement Hatchery. "We, really, really are extremely happy that we have over a million fish released here on Prince Edward Island," he said. "We love that we got to rebuild the stocks that everybody's been taking, and we've been taking, to replenish Mother Earth." Read More Here.  One Can Dream Where dreams come from is still a mystery, but some are more common than others. Dream interpretations date back as far as 3000 B.C, and even the Bible has over seven hundred references to dreams. So a group of interested social scientists researched the most Googled dreams in the world. And below is a visual map to give you an idea of how common our dreams are.  If the map is too hard to read, take a peak at it here. He Had a Dream I don’t think there would be too many people who would disagree with me when I say Tom Hanks is one of the world's favourite actors. He had a dream and, as a seventeen-year-old, wrote a letter to a recent Academy Award winner.  Five years after directing the widely adored Western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, in 1974, American filmmaker George Roy Hill received an Academy Award for the film. Later that year, as the dust settled, Hill received an enthusiastic letter from a 17-year-old aspiring actor keen to break into Hollywood. His name was Thomas Hanks. Here is the letter read by another great actor, Benedict Cumberbatch. "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." – Mark Twain This morning, I listened to Spotify's playlist, Not Quite Classical.  When I finished writing I got up and wiggled and giggled to get the day moving.  I wish you a wonderful weekend and a great week ahead, friends.  "I argue that the most powerful thing you can do to add healthy years is to curate your immediate social network. In general, you want friends with whom you can have a meaningful conversation. You can call them on a bad day, and they will care. Your group of friends are better than any drug or anti-aging supplement and will do more for you than just about anything." ~ Longevity researcher Dan Buettner With love from Prince Edward Island. Take care of yourself.  Bruce + Millie ps. Your Morning Smile The old lady handed her bank card to a bank teller and said, “I would like to withdraw $10 The teller told her, “For withdrawals less than $100, please use the ATM.” The old lady wanted to know why …. The teller returned her bank card and irritably told her, “These are the rules. Please leave if there is no other matter. There is a line of customers behind you.” The old lady remained silent for a few seconds, then handed the card back to the teller and said, “Please help me withdraw all the money I have.” The teller was astonished when she checked the account balance. She nodded her head, leaned down and respectfully told her, you have $300,000 in your account, but the bank doesn't have that much cash on hand.  Could you make an appointment and come again tomorrow? The old lady then asked how much she could withdraw immediately. The teller told her any amount up to $3000 "Well, please let me have $3000 now, please and thank you", The teller then handed it very friendly and respectfully to her.  The old lady put $10 in her purse and asked the teller to please deposit $2990 back into her account. The moral of this tale is:  Don't be difficult with older people. They spent a lifetime learning the skills.