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.
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!”
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."
]]>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.
]]>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.
"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.
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.
]]>I hope you had a lovely week, and thank you for joining me today.
~ 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!”
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!
]]>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."
]]>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.
]]>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
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.”
]]>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.
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.
]]>Put the kettle on; time for a relaxing cuppa. It’s Saturday morning, after all.
"If a man insisted always on being serious and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it." ~ Herodotus
Local Positive News. Thank you to our local CBC journalists, Laura Meader and Jane Robertson.
P.E.I.'s Canada Day celebrations are back, focusing more on Indigenous representation.
COVID-19 prevented public Canada Day activities from taking place in 2020. And in 2021, after discovering hundreds of unmarked graves at residential school sites across Canada, many municipalities withdrew their plans as the country mourned.
Lea said the city has been working with L'nuey for this year's Canada Day programming, which includes event staff wearing orange shirts instead of red and white. There is also orange throughout the decor, and other planned initiatives, including a land acknowledgement.
"Probably the highest-profile activity that we have will take place on our main stage in between some of our evening acts," she said. "We're going to launch a new series called Understanding our Past, Reconciling our Future." Full Story Here.
And this year, Anne of Green Gables, the world's longest continually running musical, has a diverse cast on the Main Stage of the Confederation Centre.
A teacher once told Kelsy Verzotti she might never play Anne Shirley at the Charlottetown Festival because she's not white.
Hearing that was a pivotal moment in her young career, Verzotti says.
"Oh, I can't be in a show because of the way I look? Because of my race and my culture?" she recalls thinking at the time.
"I remember that moment being very defining for me in this industry."
A fire was lit under her, not only to prove the naysayers wrong but to earn a role like that and become the role model she wanted to be for kids like her who were told they couldn't do it.
"When I look at our cast, like, we are stunning. It's all kinds of people that maybe have been told they'd never be in a show like this, I know I was, and so it feels full circle to be here and be doing the work," she said.
"It's going to mean so much to people who come to see the show who maybe don't always see themselves represented on stage."
This representation is how it should be, as the Confederation Centre of the Arts' artistic director Adam Brazier will tell you. The fictional world of Avonlea — the quaint setting of Anne's stories — should reflect Prince Edward Island.
"The face of P.E.I., today, is very different than it was in 1908, and the face of Canada is very different," he said.
"This is an iconic Canadian story, and it should be reflective of the face of Canada." Full Story Here.
It was such a wonderful experience this past week visiting friends off-Island after not seeing them for a few years, thanks to Mr. Covid.
Connection to others is an integral part of being human.
"Old friends become more and more precious to us as the years' pass. They can look at us for who we once were and who we are now, appreciating the difficulties we have overcome, the abilities we have acquired, and the ways we have stayed true to ourselves." ~ Wendy Lustbader
Having more time on my hands and a propensity for getting things done has my focus beaded in on our home, as it is the season for gardening and as Okakura Kakuzo has written, "A garden is a friend you can visit any time."
~ Alfred Austin
While away this week, I managed to get a wee bit of time pursuing used book stores, picking up some engaging titles and added them to list of books to be read.
I purchased A Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright and The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton by Thomas Merton.
Just starting to read, A Short History of Progress. The book's essence begins with the author sharing how he got his start on the book by sharing a story about French painter and writer Paul Gauguin leaving France in the 1890s for Tahiti and the South Sea Islands. After months of illness, poverty, and suicidal despair, the artist harnessed his grief to produce a vast painting - more a mural in conception than a canvas' — in which, like the Victorian age itself, he demanded new answers to the riddle of existence. He wrote the title boldly on the image: three childlike questions, simple yet profound. "D'Où Venons Nous? Que Sommes Nous? Où Allons Nous?" Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?
Gauguin's third question- Where are we going?-is what the author attempts to address in this book. It may seem unanswerable. Who can foretell the human course through time? But he thinks he can answer it, in broad strokes, by answering the other two questions first. The author Wright states, “If we see clearly what we are and have done, we can recognise human behaviour that persists through many times and cultures. Knowing this can tell us what we are likely to do, where we are likely to go from here.”
Some heroes wear turbans.
“If you have something, you have to share it with other people,” said Jaswiendre Singh, a Phoenix gas station owner.
Love this man's approach to life.
I got to run as I am off to my first ever writing class with a real author! Whoohoo!
I look forward to learning more about writing today from Marjorie Simmins. Fortunately, I know she cannot send me to the principal's office like many other class experiences I’ve had. LOL.
Here I come, Marjorie!
Anxiety and excitement feel the same, but how we interpret and label them can determine how we experience them. -Brené Brown
Today, while writing, I have been listening to Pêtr Aleksänder.
A great song for getting the cells all bouncing in the same direction. Bounce, Bounce.
Have a wonderful weekend, and thank you for being with me today.
With love from Prince Edward Island!
Bruce + Mille
ps. Your Morning Smile
When the new patient was settled comfortably on the psychiatrist’s couch, the doctor said, "I'm not aware of your problem, so perhaps, you should start at the very beginning."
"Of course." replied the patient. "In the beginning, I created the Heavens and the Earth..."
]]>"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams." ~ Ashley Smith
I hope everyone had a great week. Shirley and I headed off-Island for what was to be a few relaxing days, which turned into a bit of adventure.
We were parked when we heard a loud bang and felt slight rocking of the car, frightening us. I enjoy my 2016 Mini, which owes me nothing after having almost trouble-free 200,000 KM in 5 years. Fortunately, the car dealer was not too far away, and we drove the car there. On the way, we called several car rental places to rent a car and continue our travels, and with this attempt we were met with, "sorry, no cars available from three agencies."
When we asked the Mini dealer if they could rent a car to us, and they said, “we might be able to arrange something.” They made a few calls, and lo and beheld, they were. It wasn’t a Mini, but we were moving in the right direction.
We headed back out on the journey hoping they could repair it before our trip was to end.
After a few phone calls back and forth between us and the service department, we learned that we needed to have a front drivers side spring replaced and it would be ready when we got back to the area three days later.
Friends suggested we take the Fundy Trail Parkway, and we did. We could tell it would have been a fantastic and beautiful drive like no other in the Maritimes but met heavy rain and heavy fog.
I took this phone photo at the interpretive centre in Big Salmon River, New Brunswick. While at the centre, we watched a video of the drive we missed because of the fog; we knew we would need to head back again for the drive and the fall colours.
"It is in the wild places, where the edge of the earth meets the corners of the sky, the human spirit is fed." ~ Art Wolfe
Local Story
I love this local story of a young man wishing to become a professional organ player.
Jason Chen, who is 15, picked up the organ to better play the piano. He became a student under a new scholarship from the Royal Canadian College of Organists (RCCO), a not-for-profit dedicated to promoting the instrument.
Thank you, Arturo Chang of CBC PEI, for the story here.
"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative." ~ W. Clement Stone
Given the dream to pursue what is laid on your heart can be frightening. But it can also be the path you are to follow and a reason for excitement, and if one treats each setback as a discovery, it will continue to fuel curiosity and desire.
For example, look at what Emma Towers-Evans, 29, did when she followed her heart. She picked up a pencil when she was just two years old and said her love for drawing began after watching the film ‘Free Willy’ when she was inspired to draw killer whales.
These are stunning hyper-realistic pencil drawings that can take up to 100 hours to complete - but the self-taught artist insists ‘anyone’ can master the craft if they put in the hours after she saw her skills improve after years of practice.
If you have time and want to participate in doing something creative, you might want to try the fantastic digital play area created by Google.
Van Gogh’s sunflowers might be yellow, but yours don’t have to be! Colouring has always been a favourite activity for children, but it’s becoming increasingly popular among adults looking for some mindful downtime. So exercise your talents and get inspired as you colour famous artworks and landmarks from Street View.
The painting or picture is decomposed into layers, and eight dominant colours are presented at the bottom of the colouring page. Unlike a classical colouring book, this one adds depth and perspective elements present in the original artwork as the user colours an area.
This simple colouring tool lets people discover twenty-one famous paintings and monuments in a new way. A flashy pop palette is also available for the most daring ones to experiment with their version of the artwork!
Click Here for the FUN of it. If not for you, send it on to someone who might be interested in such.
"The health of your brain is much more about your actions than your age."
~ Dr. Daniel Amen
This morning while writing, I have been listening to Music for Growing Flowers by Erland Cooper.
Now that I have finished writing, I have chosen to get up from the desk to giggle and wiggle!
I know what I am doing today.
"A rainy day is the perfect time for a walk in the woods." ~ Rachel Carson
I hope everyone has a beautiful week ahead.
Volume 5 of my new blog, A BUNCH OF GOOD THINGS, will be out tomorrow evening; if you wish to receive it, please sign up here. If you have already signed up, thank you, I feel the love.
PS. Your Morning Smiles
Earlier this week, I made an appointment to check my hearing; I found below apropos.
Waking into a ladies' clothing store, the hard-of-hearing customer says to the clerk, “I’d like to buy a pair of stockings for my wife." The clerk asks, “Sheer?”
And the man replies, “No, she is in another store.”
+
A police officer says to a couple: "I'm sorry to tell you this, but your son set the school on fire." They asked: “Arson?
The officer replies: “Yes, your son!”
]]>The change of the season is in the air, and probably save enough now to plant the annuals, but I like to wait till the full moon in June is completed just for safety's sake. Sometimes, Mr. Frost wants to get one last bite before heading somewhere till the fall.
This year, June 14th, is when we can expect a full Moon; this moon has traditionally been called the Strawberry Moon.
The last full Moon of spring or the first of summer — has been used by Algonquin, Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota peoples, among others, to mark the ripening of ”June-bearing” strawberries that are ready to be gathered.
And on that note, I look forward to the first crop of Island strawberries arriving. No berries taste finer than the ones that have captured their flavour essence from the beautiful iron-rich soil of Prince Edward Island.
Thank you to The Old Almanac for the video below.
“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is not only a history of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, and kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvellous victory.” —Howard Zinn.
Today is day 108 of war and terror in Ukraine, one good news story has arrived on our shores, and the Zakharenkova family needs all our Island community can offer.
Anya Zakharenkova recalls hearing her mother crying on the phone from Ukraine back in February when the Russian invasion started. Zakharenkova now lives in Halifax, but worked as a hairstylist on Prince Edward Island for years.
Her mother told her that her 91-year-old grandmother, who is blind and in a wheelchair, was too shocked to understand what was going on. The whole family including Zakharenkova's father and aunt sought shelter in a subway tunnel in their hometown of Kharkiv. While there, they found a dog living in a box, so they took him in.
Now, months later, her family — including the rescue dog — has arrived on P.E.I. and is living at Zakharenkova's house in North Rustico. They are among thousands of Ukrainians who have fled to places in Canada, including P.E.I.
Thank you to our local CBC for sharing this story. Read More Here.
“Compassion is even more powerful than courage. Sure, with courage you can conquer a world – but only with compassion can you heal and build it.” – Rasheed Ogunlaru.
Whenever we travel, I like to visit the local library and I look forward to seeing our public library open in its new location sometime this summer.
Ode to Librarians
I came across this story many months ago and neglected to write where I found it. My apologies to the originator of it.
A little girl dropped off this letter for her school's "book-wrangler," leaving her speechless: "I'm of a fearsome mind to throw my arms around every librarian who crosses my path, on behalf of the souls they never knew they saved. Truly amazing school librarian is hard to find, difficult to part with, and impossible to forget. When you enter this library, you are a scientist, you are an explorer, you are a reader, you are important, you are loved, you are respected. You are the reason we are here."
That was just so awesome! Imagine having received that letter. Just wonderful.
After having visited, I will never forget the New York Public Library. It was a cloudy day, and entering this room and seeing all the lamps lit and a near-empty room was a magical moment.
Real wisdom is not the knowledge of everything, but the knowledge of which things in life are necessary, which are less necessary, and which are completely unnecessary to know. Among the most necessary knowledge is the knowledge of how to live well, that is, how to produce the least possible evil and the greatest goodness in one's life. At present, people study useless sciences but forget to study this, the most important knowledge - Jean Jacques Rousseau.
I find it hard to believe that I have been writing this blog for over 7 years early Saturday mornings. It is not a chore, it is a delight for me to rise up to the fun challenge.
There is little or no preparation done prior to turning on the computer and looking at the blank page. And so the game begins.
I have just finished reading, The Now Habit, a book I enjoyed. The premise of his book is this: If we procrastinate it is because we don’t play enough. The Now Habit is based on the fact that somewhere in your life there are leisure activities and forms of work that you choose to do without hesitation. So we can use this fact to help us with understanding our procrastination.
From the book….
Pain, resentment, hurt, and fear of failure have become associated with certain kinds of tasks.
Your first step toward breaking the procrastination habit and becoming a producer involves redefining procrastination and coming to a new understanding of how and why we use it.
Procrastination is not the cause of our problems with accomplishing tasks; it is an attempt to resolve a variety of underlying issues, including low self-esteem, perfectionism, fear of failure and of success, indecisiveness, an imbalance between work and play, ineffective goal-setting, and negative concepts about work and yourself.
I have written more about it here.
Over time I have experimented with listening to a variety of music styles while trying to stimulate thoughts to write. However, it seems that I always come back to classical or classical crossover music.
Today was no exception. I listened to Rosey Chan; a multimedia artist. A virtuoso musician who studied piano and composition at the Royal College of Music, Rosey's creative output spans a wide range. Her solo concerts incorporate cinematic visuals and combine her own compositions with selected classical repertoire and electronic fusion.
Her new album is called Sonic Apothecary.
But when I finish, I like to celebrate, and today I do so. Let’s Dance.
Have a wonderful day and take care of each other.
With love from Prince Edward Island
Bruce + Millie
ps. Your Morning Smile
The teacher barks at Little Johnny, “Is that bubble gum in your mouth?" Johnny nods.
"In the trash can! Right now!”
Little Johnny looks at the trash can,
Then back to the teacher, "With the bubble gum?"
]]>Welcome to my musings this morning and thank you for being here.
May 31, 2022, was the anniversary of “the bridge” opening linking Canada to Prince Edward Island.
It was a day I remember for another reason as well.
May 30 - after 3,000 hours of thought-provoking programming - Morningside with Peter Gzowski bid farewell to CBC Radio listeners.
Peter Gzwoski, known colloquially as "Mr. Canada" or "Captain Canada," was a Canadian broadcaster, writer and reporter, most famous for his work on the CBC radio show This Country in the Morning and Morningside. I loved his sense of humour and friendly, warm interviewing style. As a result, I learned a lot about our country.
Both days were huge for Canadian heritage.
It felt like my heart moved from the left side of my sternum to the right. I was 50/50 between the yes and no campaign, but I voted yes. I knew that I would miss Morningside with Peter Gzwoski and the time spent on the ferry going between the two worlds, the little one and the big one.
We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~ Thornton Wilder
Our six and eight-year-old daughters and I walked to the halfway point and back on the bridge that day. Shirley and a number of her girlfriends walked the complete 14-kilometre/9-mile bridge only to find out on the other side that they had to keep walking another 9 kilometres or almost 6 miles to catch the ferry back. It was quite a day. Quite the memory for us all.
Many angels are amongst us, but Vanessa MacKinnon gets the honour this week.
Vanessa left the island, headed to the war zone in eastern Europe, and arrived in Romania on March 18, almost a month after the Russian invasion. She made her way to Siret, a small Romanian town that borders Ukraine, to assist Ukrainian refugees.
"I really wanted to do something to help," she said. "I had lived and worked in Ukraine before, so I felt this connection to Ukraine."
At the end of March, MacKinnon returned to her teaching job at a Charlottetown language school but kept thinking about what more she could do to help.
Starting this month, she will be hosting free group English classes to help Ukrainians on the Island — especially those who recently arrived.
Read the incredible story here. Thank you, CBC.
Vanessa, everything you do contributes to a better world. Thank you.
In your life's journey, there will be excitement and fulfilment, boredom and routine. but when you have picked a dream that is bigger than you personally, that truly reflects the ideals that you cherish, and that can positively affect others, then you will always have another reason for carrying on. ~ Pamela Melroy
This week, Katherine MacLaine posted a beautiful series of photos on the Gardens of Hope blog. Take a look at May Colours in the Gardens.
Sitting in my cabin and writing the blog this morning, my mind wanders to nature. The view as I see it today.
By William Woodsworth
Have a wonderful peaceful weekend.
With love from Prince Edward Island,
Bruce + Millie
My blog, “A Bunch of Good Things,” newsletter goes out Sunday nights. If you have signed up already, thank you. If you have not, you can sign up here.
ps. Your Morning Smile
A retired man who volunteers to entertain patients in nursing homes and hospitals went to one local hospital in Brooklyn and took his portable keyboard along. He told some jokes and sang some funny songs at patients' bedsides.
When he finished, he said, in farewell, "I hope you get better."
One elderly gentleman replied, "I hope you get better, too."
]]>Thank you for being here with me this morning; I appreciate you.
I headed into the woods this morning before sitting down to write and the silence was beautifully complimented by the song birds.
Now, I am ready for a cuppa and chat.
I have to be honest I feel so much sadness for the families and the children affected by this week's tragic events in Texas that I find it hard to concentrate and write.
Of course, I feel many other things as well, but I had promised this blog was not to be a pulpit for politics, and it won’t be.
But there can be no reasonable defence as to why 288 school shootings in the United States since 2009 are 57 times as many as the other six G7 countries combined.
The trauma of these tragedies affects families, the local community, and the country, affecting the global community.
“Energy moves in waves. Waves move in patterns. Patterns move in rhythms. A human being is just that, energy, waves, patterns, rhythms. Nothing more. Nothing less. A dance.” ~ Gabrielle Roth
I am optimistic that things will change, but as Martin Luther King said, "darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, and kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvellous victory.” —Howard Zinn.
Looking for some good news this morning, I thank Kevin Yarr of CBC PEI for sharing this story about grade seven student Emerson Hammill.
“I’m starting to think this world is just a place for us to learn that we need each other more than we want to admit.” – Richelle E. Goodrich.
In Kevin’s words….”Tuba players don't often get much time in the spotlight.
Instead, they will sit near the back of the stage, not usually attracting a lot of attention, adding bass depth to the melody or helping to keep the rhythm, passing the glamour roles to violins or trumpets.
Emerson Hammill is an exception to that rule.
At the MusicFest Canada earlier this month, the tubist earned the Slaight Music Outstanding Performer Award after being selected to play in the Canadian Junior Honour Band with about 100 other student players from across the country.”
Congratulations to Emerson, her parents for their support and to her teacher, Kirsten MacLaine, for guiding and encouraging her.
“Some people look for a beautiful place. Others make a place beautiful.” – Hazrat Inayat Khan.
Freedom Day for the cows and the Keepers.
Summer is coming. I am looking forward to spending as much time in and on the ocean.
We have been to the beach a few times this year to sit, relax and read. And I am looking forward to the first dunk. Last year, Shirley and I swam together on June 7, our wedding anniversary.
If we had wanted to swim together in the late 1700s, this would have been the only way we could have done it.
“Picture that moment when you finally get to the beach after a long winter, excitedly peel off your clothes, run madly towards the water and crash into the salty waves without a care in the world … this is not that. If you were a beachgoer in Georgian or Victorian times, more specifically, a female beachgoer, your day at the seaside would’ve likely had all the fun sucked out of it by a little invention known as the bathing machine.”
Take a “peek” at the Victorian Prudes and their Bizarre Beachside Bathing Machines.
Does anyone want to sing and dance together and shake it all off!
Lyrics included!
I am everyday people
Have a wonderful weekend!
My blog, “A Bunch of Good Things,” newsletter goes out Sunday nights. If you have signed up already, thank you. If you have not, you can sign up here.
With love from Prince Edward Island,
Bruce + MIllie
ps. Your Morning Smile
]]>
I hope you had a lovely week, and welcome back.
"Time flies. Time flies faster every year. Time flies whether you're having fun or not, whether you're living your life big or small, whether you surround yourself with fear or laughter." ~ Claire Cook
The staff and Adam and Marsha, the new owners of Prince Edward Island Preserve Company, held an open house this past Tuesday in honour of Shirley and me, and it was an absolute pleasure to see so many turn out, customers, staff, friends, family, politicians, and suppliers. We thank you for all your love and support.
Not sure where you are, but this was the week of a dandelion explosion on Prince Edward Island.
The well-known plant of the daisy family, the dandelion, can be found in Europe, Asia, and North America. Not getting too much into the etymology, the plant gets its name from a contraction of dent-de-lioun, from Old French dent de lion, literally "lion's tooth" (from its toothed leaves).
Whether you love them or hate them, dandelions are among the most familiar plants known globally and the most successful plants that exist.
People praised the golden blossoms and lion-toothed leaves as a bounty of food, medicine, and magic in history. So gardeners often weeded out the grass to make room for the dandelions. But somewhere in the twentieth century, humans decided that the dandelion was a weed. They’re also the most unpopular plant in the neighbourhood, but attitudes change.
One can see beetles, butterflies, bumblebees, and insects on the dandelions. And society is waking up to the interdependence we have on nature and nature on us. Cooperation is a beautiful thing.
The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.
~ Rachel Carson
The winning photo below for the Smithsonian Magazine 2021 photo contest under the “Natural World” category
Environmental photographer Matjaz Krivic accompanied a pair of journalist friends to Kenya last year in part to cover a story about former special forces soldiers training wilderness rangers on how to foil poachers.
Take a peek at all the winning photographs here.
An area of interest for me has been to learn what nature has to offer stomachs and minds through foraging. Now that I have more time, I hope to pursue this intentionally.
"Our life is composed greatly from dreams, from the unconscious, and they must be brought into connection with action. They must be woven together." ~ Anais Nin
In the video below, Eric Joseph Lewis - plant educator, avid forager, permaculturist and Earth lover - shares his top 10 wild edible greens. He looks so content doing what he loves to do.
Don Quixote is an allegory of every man who, unlike others, pursues an objective, ideal end that has taken possession of his thinking and willingness, and then, of course, he stands out as an oddity in this world. ~ Arthur Schopenhauer
I read this week about a village tucked away in the mountains of Japan’s Shikoku island, a town of about 1,500 residents, 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 into a buying, consuming, and discarding system to reach carbon neutrality. The town estimates it is 80 percent toward meeting that goal by 2030.
This link will take you to the Washington Post article.
Last week's Ode to Joy video brought us to tears. It was so beautiful.
Here is another, I enjoyed as well.
I plan to send my first A Bunch of Good Things newsletter Sunday night. If you have signed up already, thank you. If you have not, you can sign up here.
We wish you and yours a wonderful weekend and lots of love from Prince Edward Island.
Bruce + Millie
ps. Your Morning Smile
Son: I watched a guy do 50 push-ups in a row. Can you do that, Dad?
Dad: Of course, son. Heck, I could probably watch someone do 100 push-ups.
]]>I hope everyone had a good week. I appreciate you being here with me this morning.
It has been a great week for sunshine; feels good.
"Behold, my friends, the spring has come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!" S. Bull
Kettle on? Time for a cuppa.
This week, I noticed a returning visitor to the wooded area beside our home; a beautiful majestic Bald Headed Eagle. He showed up last year, sitting up high in a tree observing the goings-on. Unfortunately, I have not seen any signs of nest building, but will be watching for any hopeful signs.
For the thirty-five years I worked and played at our shop in New Glasgow; there was always a pair of Bald Headed Eagles nesting not too far from our building. Unfortunately, a few years back, the female flew into electrical wires in the village and was killed. And after that, for what seemed like a year, the male would fly constantly overhead, looking for his mate. It was so sad knowing that these birds mate for life, and often not choosing another mate when one of the pair passes on.
Before this accident happened, they would often fly near our building to the delight of many folks in the dining room. At times they would put on a show by diving into the river and come away with an eel or a trout wiggling to try and get free. (that was the eagles, not the customers. LOL)
I learned that when a bald eagle loses a feather on one wing, it will lose a feather on the other to keep its balance.
I feel blessed to think that another pair might be starting their nest in the woods beside us. But, if not, it must be close, as up to this point, I only see the one eagle every day, and, based on its size, I believe it is the male.
The females do most of the incubation when it comes to nesting, and the males do the hunting. The size difference fits perfectly for their duties; the males’ smaller, sleeker body enables them to be slightly better hunters, and the females’ larger size allows her to sit for long periods on the nest. The larger size in females is also an excellent deterrent for predators approaching the nest. Fortunately, good hunting in the tidal river is not too far from our home.
The circle of life is what it is; having the eagle close, smaller birds will have difficulty nesting successfully, as evidenced by the amount of small broken eggs I find dispersed on our lawn while walking to the cabin to write.
Millie will join me in the cabin, and she is great to relax under my desk and just lay at my feet for an hour or so and then gives the nudge that it is time to play or go out and her business. Much better than the stand-up reminder on the Apple watch!
I know Millie brought a lot of joy and comfort to our family during the Covid lockdown. And after reading this New York Times story, What Your Dog Wants, I learned that it was the same for millions of people worldwide.
As a dog owner who read this article, I found it helpful and learned a few things. For example, when Millie licks my face, it is not to say I love you; it is to find out what I ate last! LOL.
"All his life, he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. For, after all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog." ~ Charles M. Schulz
A 2021 study found that, during the pandemic, people who owned dogs felt more socially supported and were less likely to have symptoms of depression than people who didn’t own a dog but wanted to.
The abstract from the study.
“Major life events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, affect psychological and physiological health. Social support, or the lack thereof, can modulate these effects. The context of the COVID-19 pandemic offered a unique opportunity to understand better how dogs may provide social support for their owners and buffer heightened symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression and contribute to happiness during a significant global crisis.
Participants (768 pet dog owners and 767 potential pet dog owners) answered an online survey, including validated depression, anxiety, happiness psychometric scales, attitude to and commitment towards a pet, and perceived social support.
Potential pet dog owners were defined as individuals who did not own a dog at the time of the survey but would be very or extremely interested in owning one.
Dog owners reported having more social support available to them significantly compared to potential dog owners, and their depression scores were also lower than potential dog owners.
There were no differences in anxiety and happiness scores between the two groups. Dog owners had a significantly more positive attitude towards and commitment to pets.
The results suggest that dog ownership may have provided people with a stronger sense of social support, which may have helped buffer some of the negative psychological impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The New York Times story, What Your Dog Wants.
"If there is no struggle, there is no progress." ~ Frederick Douglass
I am trying to get into a routine these days but still find it challenging to do so.
Sometimes, I wonder. ADHD in Adults.
In my new blog, A Bunch of Good Things, I plan on sharing what I am learning from the reading from the non-fiction books I have on the go.
The first newsletter will be coming soon, I have a couple of minor things to work out, and once I do, the weekly newsletter will start. You can sign up here.
I have to run, finally getting the winter tires off. Yahoooo...
Ode to Joy.
I wish we were all in this video today.
Have a great weekend!
With love from Prince Edward Island.
Bruce + Millie
ps. Your Morning Smile
Employer: "We need someone responsible for this job."
Applicant: "Sir your search ends here! In my previous job whenever something went wrong, everybody said I was responsible."
]]>While walking through the field trying to get closer to the sunrise at 5:45 am, the crisp air is refreshing, and the crunch of light frost backdropped with the sounds of the birds waking are all reminders to be grateful.
"Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all." ~ William Faulkner
Local News: Mask Mandate Lifted.
It is hard to celebrate knowing the number of lives lost to the virus. Still, we can celebrate the ingenuity and hard work that prepared the world for safety through the speed with which the vaccines were designed and rolled out, enabling millions of people to live. CBC PEI Story Here.
Earlier this week, the local CBC ran a story about educating high school students about Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women in Canada. I celebrate that Canada is thigh-deep into the reconciliation process. However, we must keep going until we are all immersed in the one species pool mentality.
Ever want to pick up a duck?
I am now into week 6 of releasing our 35 years of hard work and joy over to Adam and Marsha.
Work comes from inside out; work is the expression of our soul, our inner being. It is unique to the individual; it is creative. Work is an expression of the Spirit at work in the world through us. - Matthew Fox
Having lost twelve people I know to disease or ageing in the last few years brings home the fact we are all mortal, or at least I have learned I am.
So Father Time came knocking and nudged us towards new priorities.
Our relational and physical health is popping to the top.
Close friends know I love trying new apps on my phone. And an app I am having fun with is called Sleep Cycle.
The famous management guru said Peter Drucker is often quoted as saying, "You can't manage what you can't measure."
Sleep Cycle tracks and analyses your sleep, and if you need waking, it can do that too.
They have a great blog, and if sleeping is something you ignore but feel you shouldn’t, check it out here. (Disclosure: No endorsement monies received)
What is your favourite app?
Mine is Readwise.
Anyone who follows my Saturday morning musings knows that I like quotes and have been collecting them for years. But having the information stored in a spreadsheet wasn’t doing anything for my memory.
I discovered Readwise and love it because while reading on Kindle/Kobo, PDFs, webpages, etc., I can highlight any quote, paragraph, etc. and save it too Readwise, tag it, and save it for future reference.
So I imported my spreadsheet with over 8000 quotes into the Readwise system and got rid of the spreadsheet forever—no more cut and pasting.
To help with memory, I have the app send me an email at a specified time each day with seven random quotes from those I have saved. It is a great refresher. You can choose how many and how random.
It would be an excellent tool for a student, where they could create flashcards to help with memorisation.
They gamify your use. The app tracks your consistency of use and rates you against other users. For example, the leaderboard tells me; I am #134 at 604 days in a row where I review my quotes. The leader James is number one at 1224 days.
I was going to write a complete explanation of Readwise, but Lawson Blake does a fine job here. (Disclosure: No endorsement monies received)
I am trying to get into a daily routine of writing on my new blog, A Bunch of Good Things; not quite happening yet, but I feel it is just about to. I also struggle with the format and the whole silliness about being perfect before putting it out there.
“Perfection is procrastination masquerading as quality control.”- Chris Williamson.
Knowing that trying for perfection derails me from the process of learning-by-doing, interestingly, as it is how I learned to date; I need to create and not just consume.
If you wish to watch/read my attempts at becoming a writer, please join me at A Bunch of Good Things.
"We don’t have time for perfect. In any event, perfection is unachievable: It’s a myth and a trap and a hamster wheel that will run you to death". – Elizabeth Gilbert
I am going to have a good weekend, which is perfect. I hope you do as well.
Be nice to yourself and others.
With love from Prince Edward Island,
Bruce + Millie
ps. Your Morning Smile
My twin brother called me from prison.
He said: “You know how we finish each other’s sentences?”
]]>Put the kettle on, this is a journey of thread pulling today.
While the rain beats its soft rhythm on the metal roof above it reminds me of the nourishment it brings the spring flowers waiting to burst forth. After resting and waiting our daffodils are pushing to show off their trumpets.
"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want—oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heartache, you want it so!" ~ Mark Twain
Positive Local News
~ Malcolm Fraser
The P.E.I. legislature has voted unanimously to urge the federal government to change the name of the Confederation Bridge to Epekwitk Crossing.
P.E.I. Premier Dennis King put forward the motion on Friday, with support from the leaders of the Official Opposition Green Party and the Liberal Party.
Epekwitk, pronounced ehb-uh-gwihd, is the original name given by the Mi'kmaq for the land now known as Prince Edward Island.
Thank you, CBC for the story. Watch Premier Dennis King in the Prince Edward Island legislature speak of the proposed change.
"We are seeing healing among the stolen generations, and initiatives which are enabling Indigenous people to make their distinctive contribution to our national life." ~ Malcolm Fraser
Kevin Lamoureux is committed to reconciliation and contributing to an even better Canada for all children to grow up in. Kevin is the Associate Vice-President Of Indigenous Affairs at the University of Winnipeg.
A fantastic speaker, I encourage you to watch.
The Truth and Reconciliation Committees: Calls to Action
Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, in 1883: “When the school is on the reserve the child lives with its parents, who are savages; he is surrounded by savages. Indian children should be withdrawn as much as possible from the parental influence.”
+
=
that kindness is the best way." ~ Lady Gaga
The grass is growing and cows will soon be make their jail break to grazing on the land. I can’t imagine that they could be any happier; unless someone who is into cow love would want want to install one of these.
Reading “The last phone boxes: broken glass, cider cans and – amazingly – a dial tone an article by Sophie Elmhirst” in the UK Guardian reminded me of travelling with Shirley in England and Scotland in 2014. We are looking forward to going back sometime. We would love to visit Wales and Ireland, as well.
Reading the article I learned the traditional red phone box was voted in 2015 the greatest British design of all time, ahead of the Routemaster bus, the Spitfire, the union jack and Concorde.
At their peak, in the mid-1990s, the British population of phone boxes was about 100,000. Now, there are just over 20,000 working boxes left.
A neat idea; converting a phone box into an aquarium with live goldfish, part of the Lumiere London arts festival, 2018. Photograph: Stephen Chung/Alamy
PEACE FOR UKRAINE! Keep the prayers and the candles lit!
War / No More Trouble by Bob Marley
We don't need, no more trouble (we don't need, we don't need)
I will have a weekend of gratitude knowing that I live in peace. I hope you do as well. We have subscribers on our list from Ukraine and Russia, we think of you as we send this.
With love from Prince Edward Island
Bruce + Mille
"Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms." ~ George Eliot
I am having technical challenges with my new blog, A Bunch of Good Things. I planned on launching this weekend; sorry it looks like I have to postpone till next weekend. If you have already signed up, a big thank you. If you haven’t, you can sign up here.
ps. Your Morning Smile
]]>It was a cool and crisp walk from the house to the cabin to write this blog this morning, and I couldn't help but think about spring.
In Prince Edward Island, our door is always open to spring. She is welcome anytime but seems slow to show herself and share with our anticipating spirits; she usually shows up a month late.
On the way to the barn, I hear the birds' sing for spring.
“Spring is made of solid, fourteen-karat gratitude, the reward for the long wait. Every religious tradition from the northern hemisphere honours some form of April hallelujah, for this is the season of exquisite redemption, a slam-bang return to joy after a season of cold second thoughts.” ― Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life.
This proverb from Guinea is an affirmation that could easily be mistaken for one written by an Islander. "No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow." "No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow."
Last weekend, a friend wrote in his blog post-Cultivating Hope how he and a good friend plotted to do something over Easter weekend, something hopeful during the previous two months.
What sprang from this plotting were 200 Cultivate Hope cards, printed on Peter’s letterpress on paper impregnated with wildflower seeds.
They printed the cards with a hearty band of press assistants and made their way to Dead Man’s Pond in Victoria Park to hang the cards and tree branches for all who might want one.
If planted indoors in a pot, covered with ⅛ inch of soil, kept moist, hope will spring forth in 7 to 10 days.
See the beauty of their efforts here. I loved this Peter and L.; I am only disappointed I did not get to Dead Man’s Pond. Thank you for putting hope into the community. Take a read and peek at the beauty of their handiwork.
~ Emily Dickinson
Recently, I purchased a first edition hardcover copy of Thomas Merton's autobiography Seven STorey Mountain. I started to read it this week, and there are moments of literary brilliance. His writing skills inspire me.
Merton finished the book in 1946 at the age of 31, five years after entering Gethsemani Abbey near Bardstown, Kentucky.
"It is true that the materialistic society, the so-called culture that has evolved under the tender mercies of capitalism, has produced what seems to be the ultimate limit of this worldliness. And nowhere, except perhaps in the analogous society of pagan Rome, has there ever been such a flowering of cheap and petty and disgusting lusts and vanities as in the world of capitalism, where there is no evil that is not fostered and encouraged for the sake of making money. We live in a society whose whole policy is to excite every nerve in the human body and keep it at the highest pitch of artificial tension, to strain every human desire to the limit and to create as many new desires and synthetic passions as possible, in order to cater to them with the products of our factories and printing presses and movie studios and all the rest."
The Seven Storey Mountain is Thomas Merton's account of trying to work out that destiny. Near the end of his life, the monk could summarise it in one short phrase: "My task is only to be what I am…
In the preface of a Japanese edition of The Seven Storey Mountain printed in the early ’60s, he wrote: Therefore, most honourable reader, it is not as an author that I would speak to you, not as a story-teller, not as a philosopher, nor as a friend only. I seek to speak to you, in some way, as yourself. Who can tell what this may mean? I myself do not know. But if you listen, things will be said that are perhaps not written in this book. And this will be due not to me, but to the One who lives and speaks in both.
Since retiring from active duty at The Preserve Company, I have been asked a lot of questions, ie. if I was staying on the Island. Are you planning a new business? Are you sick? Is Shirley sick? What are you going to do? Why? to name a few.
Every one of us has a "good work" to do in life, which accomplishes something needed in the world while completing something in us. When it is finished, a new work emerges which will help us to make green a desert place, as well as to scale another mountain in ourselves. The work we do in the world when it is a true vocation always corresponds in some mysterious way to the work that goes on within us. ~ from Cry Pain, Cry Hope by Elizabeth O'Connor
I am working on an essay, Why Be an Optimist? for my new blog, A Bunch of Good Things. I plan on launching the new site, on April 30th. If you have already signed up, a big thank you. If you haven’t, you can sign up here.
Music Today
Stephane Grappelli lived from 1908 till 1997, I became a fan of his music over 40 years ago, and for some reason, he popped into my mind this morning. Perhaps it was a note in one of the birds' songs?
I spent the early morning listening to a number of his renditions of old standards while writing. I think the upbeat rhythm of his sound had my fingers typing at a higher speed than usual.
He has been called "the grandfather of jazz violinists.” And I find him an inspiration, having continued to play concerts worldwide well into his eighties.
I am experimenting with embedding a sound player into the blog. Below is Mr. Grappelli’s music. It will give you a little taste while remaining on the site.
I need to determine at a later date if the player can be enabled allowing the full song be played.
Here he is playing How High the Moon.
Have a wonderful weekend.
With love from Prince Edward Island,
Bruce + Millie
ps. Your Morning Smile
Him: "Your little brother just saw me kiss you. What can I give him to keep him from telling your parents?
Her: "He generally gets 5 dollars."
]]>“The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.” – Barbara Kingsolver.
This weekend the majority of the 2 billion Christians worldwide celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I feel he came to end religion, not to reform it. He was a rebel with a cause. Love is the way. Caring for each other as a species is the way. Being good stewards of the environment is the way. Forgiving each other is the way. Being non-judgmental is the way.
The date for Easter is different between eastern and western Christian Churches and is based on how the date is calculated. The west uses the Gregorian calendar, but the Eastern Orthodox Church still uses the earlier Julian calendar to calculate the dates of festivals, including Easter.
This morning, I pulled on the curiosity thread to learn more about “Easter.”
Christians will be celebrating Easter, the day on which the resurrection of Jesus is to have taken place. The date of celebration changes from year to year.
This variation is that Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox.
Easter is derived from 'Ostara' or 'Eostre,' a pagan fertility goddess whose feast was celebrated on the Vernal Equinox. The word East is derived from her name, as is, Oestrogen, the female hormone.
However, In most languages other than English and German, the holiday's name is derived from Pesach, the Hebrew name of Passover, a Jewish holiday to which the Christian Easter is intimately linked.
~ from TERRA CHRISTA by Ken Carey
Compassion changes everything. Compassion heals. Compassion mends the broken and restores what has been lost. Compassion draws together those who have been estranged or never even dreamed they were connected. Compassion pulls us out of ourselves and into the heart of another, placing us on holy ground where we instinctively take off our shoes and walk in reverence. Compassion springs out of vulnerability and triumphs in unity. ~ Judy Cannato
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph. D. is a scientist who came to faith.
Dr. Collins is a physician-geneticist noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes and his visionary leadership of the Human Genome Project (HGP); he is the former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute.
He was awarded the Inamori Ethics Prize and the National Medal of Science. Collins and Steven Weinberg, a Nobel Prize recipient for physics, shared the Trotter Prize and discussed the interplay between science and religion.
During his time as a doctor of medicine, he came to faith.
I love this story in the New Yorker. Dr. Collins is a fine example of love and compassion, a human spending his life looking for the answers outside himself; who came to discover the solutions are inside ourselves.
Strident atheist Christopher Hitchens was very vocal in sharing his distaste for all things spiritual.
He once said the earth sometimes seems to him “a prison colony and lunatic asylum that is employed as a dumping ground by far-off and superior civilizations.”
Before his death from cancer, Dr. Collins and he became friends.
"If we could look into each other's hearts and understand the unique challenges that each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance and care." ~ Marvin Ashton
From the New Yorker…
After Hitchens was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Collins offered to help, visited Hitchens in his home, and got to know his family. They spoke about genomics, faith, and history. Sometimes, Collins played the piano. Before he died, Hitchens called Collins “one of the greatest living Americans.”
Read the complete New Yorker article here.
“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, and kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvellous victory.” ― Howard Zinn.
Kelly Mooney, an Prince Edward singer/songwriter, heard for the first time the song Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen sung by K D Lang at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
She was very disappointed at the incomplete and distorted view the lyrics gave of Jesus Christ and the title of the song, which means “Praise the Lord” to Christians.
Kelley wrote new lyrics keyed to Easter and, after taking two years of approaching Mr. Cohen, received permission to publish her lyrics to his music. The only two renditions to have legal rights. Or so as I understand it.
There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope.” – Bernard Williams.
Happy Easter with Love from Prince Edward Island
Bruce + Millie
ps. Your Morning Smile
Do you know what really makes me smile from ear to ear?
Facial muscles.
pss. Bruce MacNaughton is the founder of Prince Edward Island Preserve Company in New Glasgow, Prince Edward Island. He and his wife Shirley sold their beloved business in March 2022 to Adam and Marsha Doiron. Bruce now writes this blog, Bruce’s Muses, for this website and soon to be A Bunch of Good Things blog from their home in Warren Grove, Prince Edward Island.
]]>Where the snow hangs on in the woods sending its melting crystals to thirsty streams waiting.
Where the stubs of hay stand erect, saluting the sun through the last remnants of snow while they wait for their rooted feet to thaw and release the energy stored around them.
Whereas a 9-day old retiree, I am getting used to the calendar popping up at 6 am to tell me, “you have no scheduled events today.”
~ Ada Limon from "Notes on the Below" in THE CARRYING
It is heartbreaking to see the evil carried out in Ukraine, but as the darkness of events clouds our view, there is light there.
You will always find people who are helping.”
Here are just some of the helpers:
There are hundreds of helpers, but one needs to choose wisely.
( I have not researched their administration % costs versus dollars to those who need it, nor the validity of the organizations; I feel safe suggesting these.
World Central Kitchens. Chefs around the world go into harm's way to feed people. https://wck.org/story
Global Empowerment Mission GEM has supported missions in 28 countries, 50 US states, and territories, including the Caribbean. In addition, the organization's complete 360-degree response has a long-lasting institutional impact.
Flags for Good. Buy a Ukrainian Flag
Voices for Children Their objective is that every child suffering from the war in Ukraine must get psychological help in time.
Their values: respect for child’s dignity and rights; understanding the needs of every child to be heard; faith in getting the best results only with the help of partnership and mutual aid.
They work in various villages and towns along the frontline in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Russian philosopher Leo Tolstoy,
You should respond with kindness toward evil done to you, and you will destroy in an evil person that pleasure which he derives from evil.
Thinking about our species humankind led me down many paths, but trying to keep this blog to around 1000 words, I will focus on music and the second part of human-KIND.
Kind and caring people have come into my life at times. So many of us have been blessed by the love and kindness of others.
Before you know what kindness really is, you must lose things and feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth. What you held in your hand, what you counted and carefully saved, all this must go so you know how desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness. How you ride and ride thinking the bus will never stop, the passengers eating maize and chicken will stare out the window forever. Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness, you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho lies dead by the side of the road. You must see how this could be you, how he too was someone who journeyed through the night with plans and the simple breath that kept him alive. Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing. You must wake up with sorrow. You must speak to it till your voice catches the thread of all sorrows and you see the size of the cloth. Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore, only kindness that ties your shoes and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread, only kindness that raises its head from the crowd of the world to say, it is I you have been looking for, and then goes with you everywhere like a shadow or a friend.
– Naomi Shihab Nye
Music is one area of living where people can agree that music, in most cases, brings people together regardless of one's culture and beliefs. Everyone can stand in awe of music that seems to have been conceived by someone's musical skill touched by a higher power.
I am not naive to think there is no “B-side” to this record; music is used to whip up emotions to the point of tribal group-think mindlessness.
We need always to question our personal beliefs. But it is not up to me to “challenge” yours.
Many people need more knowledge and less judgement. ~ Kushand Wisdom.
Vladimir Horowitz was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 1903 while it was under Russian occupation and part of the Russian Empire.
On December 18, 1925, Horowitz made his first appearance outside his home country, in Berlin. He later played in Paris, London, and New York City. Horowitz was selected by Soviet authorities to represent Ukraine in the inaugural 1927 International Chopin Piano Competition in Poland but decided to stay in the West and did not participate.
He passed away in November 1989. After watching the video below, I imagine if he was playing this today, his tears are for the pain being experienced in and for Ukraine.
Last week, we sold our little company to Adam and Marsha Doiron. This blog post goes into detail regarding the change. However, I am grateful they asked me to continue writing Bruce’s Muses for the unforeseeable future.
I started a new blog as well to keep myself engaged with life.
A Bunch of Good Things is where I plan to write daily. Covering subjects inspired by studying things about philosophy, psychology, spirituality, music, cultures, nature, personal development, architecture, or whatever thread I feel inspired to pull on.
The site is less than 70% ready but 100% ready to have you sign up.
Last week, we asked for emails only and thanks to those who signed up. You made me feel hundreds of waves of warm gratitude.
I was disappointed with the system not allowing me to only ask for emails and first names.
Using their protocol, I asked for first name, last name, and email this week.
Please understand I DO NOT share any information with anyone. It is strictly between you and me.
If you signed up last week, you could sign up again with your full name and same email address. However, you will not get two newsletters.
I would love to send a newsletter using your first name. I hope you will sign up here.
"If you look deep enough, you will see music; the heart of nature being everywhere music." ~ Thomas Carlyle
( I can’t find the author's name. Anyone?)
I wish everyone a peaceful weekend.
With love from Prince Edward Island.
Sincerely,
Bruce + Millie
ps. Your Morning Smile
A first-grader came to the ophthalmology office where I work to have his vision checked. He sat down, and I turned off the lights.
Then I switched on a projector that flashed the letters F, Z and B on a screen. I asked the boy what he saw.
Without hesitation, he replied, "Consonants."
“A lot of people have their big dreams and get knocked down and don’t have things go their way. And you never give up hope, and you really just hold on to it—Hard work and perseverance. You just keep getting up and getting up, and then you get that breakthrough.” – Robert Kraft.
Shirley and I sold our beloved little company yesterday.
Emotions are all over the place. As I write, I grieve the loss of our “business family” and experience the joy of freedom to come at the same time.
Scott F. Fitzgerald wrote, "Intelligence is measured by a person's ability to see validity within both sides of contradicting arguments."
There has been a pull to change direction for the last few years. After lots of chit-chatting with retirees and talks with Shirley, prayer led my spirit to let me know it was time.
You don’t stop laughing when you age; you age when you stop laughing.
I am channelling a lot of author Scott Fitzgerald's today; many of his quotes seem to resonate.
"I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."
~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
Our company became a favourite destination for Islanders and visitors alike. We were fortunate to be in New Glasgow, one of the prettiest villages in Canada. The company's popularity grew from the hard work and service of such excellent staff; many have been with us 20 years plus, and Lynn marks number 30 in May.
I wrote about the start in the July 2021 blog number six in a seven blog thread of how I met Shirley and the journey to New Glasgow.
We did not arrive to this point without the support of so many loyal customers. It is a family business, and a large part of our family has been the staff and the customers.
We would like to thank all the operators who make Prince Edward Island one of the best Island destinations in the world. Their hard work and dedication to the industry are the envy of many jurisdictions in Canada. As well, the accommodations’ front-line staff have consistently supported us, and we thank them.
Our company grew from a specialty food manufacturer into a food gift store and online retailer, restaurant, small theatre cafe, Gardens of Hope, and butterfly house.
Shirley and I will continue our ministry of serving others through our non-profit Foundation of Hope Respite Cottage.
"And in the end, we were all just humans...Drunk on the idea that love, only love, could heal our brokenness." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
We will remain in an advisory capacity to assist the new owners with the transition. And I will continue writing this blog for the company.
We are pleased to have Adam and Marsha Doiron step in and infuse new energy and heart into the company.
Adam & Marsha are no strangers to the tourism industry. They are very familiar with the Preserve Company, having worked for decades in the motor-coach travel industry where they confidently sent thousands of visitors to us.
The purchase brings much nostalgia to the couple; in 2006, they were married in the Gardens of Hope. We are grateful to them for their plans to continue the company support of the Respite Cottage as well.
Marsha and Adam publicly shared yesterday: “We are excited to purchase this truly unique business. And we are excited to work with the dedicated and loyal team at the heart of the company. We appreciate the years of hard work behind creating this icon and continue the legacy.
We look forward to growing the business with this excellent, strong team.”
What's next?
Not knowing how to write, I started this blog in 2014. After reading my blogs, Betty Morgan (90+) and Althea (80+) would write to me. These two ladies of age and beauty reminded me to pay closer attention to my colons, semi-colons and grammar.
Their messages encouraged me to try and learn the craft of writing.
"You have a place in my heart no one else ever could have."
~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
He said it; I mean it.
Writing is one of the essential skills in the world. One of the benefits of improving your writing skill is you become a better thinker.
There are a number of reasons, I did not like school and did well to graduate from high school. My education has come from school of hard knocks.
So my new adventure is to read more, learn more, write more and teach more.
I am starting a daily blog starting real soon. I hope you join me there.
The site is still in the design process, but it is far enough along to accept sign-ups.
Hope you join me on A Bunch of Good Things. Sign Up Here.
To the consistent readers of this blog on Saturdays…
"You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person(s) I have ever known—and even that is an understatement." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
He said it; I mean it.
Lots of Love from Prince Edward Island. And THANK YOU for being here today.
Bruce, Shirley and Millie
ps. Your Morning Smile
A woman is getting lunch ready when the phone rings.
"This is the middle school calling about your son Johnny. He's been caught telling unbelievable lies."
"I'll say he has," the woman replies, "I don't have a son."
Let's Wiggle, Jiggle, Giggle and Dance
I love music.
Bruce + Millie
The prize is often referred to as "architecture's Nobel" and "the profession's highest honour."
"Architecture is primarily a service to humanity, to create an environment where a human being can develop itself, can be happy, can have what I call wellbeing," he explained in the video.
Kéré, based in Berlin, is the first African and the first Black architect to win the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize since it launched in 1979.
Keep the Dream Alive
"Each one of us has a unique potential and purpose; that means that we’re the only ones who can evaluate and set the terms of our lives. Far too often, we look at other people and make their approval the standard we feel compelled to meet, and as a result, squander our very potential and purpose." ~ Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy
Now for something different...
A Battle of the Bands
Billie Jean on Ukulele or the Real Billie Jean by Micheal Jackson.
Now let's dance.
Dum spiro spero, While I breathe, I hope.
And never stops at all." ~ Emily Dickinson
I apologise to the Ukrainian artist whose name I have mistakenly deleted from my digital files. Wherever you are, may you be safe.
The way people are helping keep the spirits of Ukrainians alive is so inspiring.
Ukrainian soccer player Roman Yaremchuk was made a substitute during a recent game. But with 30 minutes left, he was brought onto the field and given the captain's armband. The stadium erupted with cheers as Yaremchuk made his way onto the field, with most of the crowd waving Ukrainian flags and anti-war signs.
Ukrainian footballer Roman Yaremchuk comes on as a substitute for Benfica in Lisbon. Watch what happens.
Ukrainian footballer Roman Yaremchuk comes on as a substitute for Benfica in Lisbon. Watch what happens. pic.twitter.com/H2HCZCq9Os
— Piotr Zalewski (@p_zalewski) February 27, 2022
Cities across the world, including Rome, Italy and Dallas, Texas, are lighting up buildings with the colours of the Ukrainian flag to show their support.
Residents of Poland are using their own money to provide food, water, clothes, medical and psychological help, and more for Ukrainian refugees.
This image broke me.
Moms in Poland left their baby strollers in rail road stations for the Ukrainian moms that fled carrying their children. pic.twitter.com/zVfyKETKaX
— SCRIBEMOON (@SCRIBEMOON) March 5, 2022
With a provocative and bold move, even The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan supports Ukraine with medical supplies.
Take a peek at what a reader of this blog sent to me this week. Thank you, Donna.
30 Pictures Showing The True Beauty Of Ukraine.
May hope join our imaginations and prayers to collectively reverse advances against democracies and freedoms.
Music This Week
Julia Cooper, a composer I learned of this week, has a new album, Continuum. I had the album playing in the background of my life all week.
I appreciate classical music for its creativity and sensitivity. And I respect the thoughtfulness and consternation composers must wrestle in creating music.
I hope you love her album as much as I do. Sample Listen Here.
I wish you a weekend of peace.
With love from Prince Edward Island.
Bruce + Millie
Ps. Your Morning, Smile
"Hello! Is this Gordon's Pizza?"
"No sir, it's Google's Pizza."
"Did I dial the wrong number?
"No sir, Google bought the pizza store."
"Oh, alright then. I'd like to place an order, please."
"Okay, sir, do you want the usual?"
"The usual? You know what my usual is?"
"According to the caller ID, the last 15 times you've ordered a 12-slice with double-cheese, sausage, and thick crust."
"Okay, that's what I want this time too."
"May I suggest that this time you order an 8-slice with ricotta, arugula, and tomato instead?"
"No, I hate vegetables."
"But your cholesterol is not good."
"How do you know?"
"Through the subscribers' guide. We have the results of your blood tests for the last seven years."
"You know what, I'm sick of Google, Facebook, Twitter, and everyone else having all my information! So I'm going to an island without internet, where there's no cellphone line and no one to spy on me!"
"I understand, sir. But you may want to renew your passport... it expired five weeks ago."
]]>I hope this finds you doing ok.
I find writing difficult today as the brave souls of Ukraine fight for their democracy. Many tears were shed this week for the people of Ukraine.
We live in a time when history is written with an uncertain outcome.
Nourish your hopes, but do not overlook realities. ~ Winston Churchill
I try to write in a hopeful and encouraging way every Saturday morning. This morning is challenging me. Pulling on the history thread at 5 o’clock this morning, this is where I am.
What is more expensive, ignorance or education?
"Schools should be democratic public spheres. They should be places that educate people to be informed, to learn how to govern rather than be governed, to take justice seriously, to spur the radical imagination, to give them the tools that they need to be able to both relate to themselves and others in the wider world. I mean, at the heart of any education that matters, is a central question: How can you imagine a future much different than the present, and a future that basically grounds itself in questions of economic, political and social justice?" ~ Henry Giroux
I am researching the history and the personality of authoritarians. I share what I found.
Personality of Authoritarians
(embedded sources are in the Wikipedia article.)
The authoritarian personality has a strict superego, controlling a weak ego, and cannot cope with the id's strong impulses. The resulting intrapsychic conflicts cause personal insecurities, which result in the superego adhering to conventional norms.
The authoritarian person presents a cynical and disdainful view of humanity. And a need to wield power and be tough. Which arise from the anxieties produced by the perceived lapses of people who do not abide by society's conventions and social norms. Destructiveness and cynicism; a general tendency to focus upon people who violate the value system. And to act oppressively against them. Anti-intellectualism, general opposition to the subjective and imaginative. Tendencies of the mind (anti-intraception); a tendency to believe in mystic determination (superstition). And an exaggerated concern with sexual promiscuity.
"Authoritarianism and secrecy breed incompetence; the two feed on each other. It's a vicious cycle. Governments with authoritarian tendencies point to what is in fact their own incompetence as the rationale for giving them yet more power." ~ Josh Marshall
History of Authoritarian Regimes
(embedded sources are in Wikipedia article.)
Authoritarian regimes such as China and Russia and totalitarian states such as North Korea have attempted to export their system of government to other countries through "autocracy promotion."
"Freedom of choice is meaningless without knowledge. That's why it's crucial we all get engaged and get informed." ~ Neil Young
Have a a good weekend and till next time, take care of you.
Pray for Ukraine.
With love from Prince Edward Island.
Bruce + Millie
That's it! Time to Smile
]]>Good Morning from Warren Grove, Prince Edward Island
This might a two cup visit. Maybe a bit today and a bit later today, I have been thinking and a lot has been into this journal.
I cannot help think of the people of Ukraine. People have been working hard for the last 20 years to establish a liberal democracy.
My curiosity has me pulling on a thread to determine how many free and democratic societies there were in the world. I was shocked to see the graph representing the number of people living free. Knowing that I live in the darker blue section; I am very grateful. And I need to be diligent in preserving what we have.
I love this quote by Dale Carnegie.
“Any fool can criticise, complain, and condemn—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.”
I asked the three-year-old what he likes to eat.
“No,” she said with a smile, “donuts!”
The full moon above caught my eye while on Thursdays early morning walk.
Thank you for allowing me to join you for a cuppa this morning.
I hope you had a lovely week without too much stress.
I tell myself to breathe.
I enjoy the peace emanating from Max Strom via this TED video.
Anxiety, stress and sleep dysfunction are skyrocketing around the globe. It's time we look at the unspoken reasons why. These debilitating challenges change with ten to twenty minutes of breathing exercises daily. Max Strom, who has taught breath-work for 20 years, reveals his insights into the healing power of the breath.
When I started the blog in 2014, I did not know the first thing about writing but jumped in anyway.
The person who says he knows what he thinks but cannot express it usually does not know what he thinks. ~ Mortimer Adler
I’d love to master a skill; I find writing challenging yet fun. I have seen it written in many places; one must read a lot to be a good writer. Read, read, read, write, write, and write.
- Vincent T. Lombardi.
In his book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell stated that, on average, it takes 10,000 hours to perfect a craft.
Steve Martin said on perfecting your craft, “ one must be so good that they can’t ignore you.”
I find it intimidating having my name on a written piece floating on the internet for who knows how long. However, when I look at my first written posts and more recent ones, a sense of improvement gives me hope and a desire to continue.
Learning new skills can take effort, especially ones that don’t come naturally.
It is so easy to listen to the negative voice in my head pushing me away from attempting anything new.
In his book The War of Art, Stephen Pressfield calls it “the resistance.”
Stephen Pressfield is an author of over 20 books, making a few into movies.
The essence of his ‘resistance’ message is this:
The playing field that you, the aspiring artist, stand upon is not level. It is stacked against you.
Resistance (self-sabotage, procrastination, fear, arrogance, self-doubt) is inside you. No one inflicts it on you from outside. You bring it with you from birth.
If you don’t believe me, look around at friends and family who have talent and ambition in spades ... but are drinking, doping, abusing themselves and their loved ones, wasting their lives because they can’t get out of their way and do the work they were put on this planet.
Trust me: you will NEVER, NEVER achieve your dreams until you learn to recognise, confront, and overcome that voice in your head that is your own Resistance.
You're not "wrong" if your head is your own worst enemy. You're not "weak." You're not "sick." Everybody experiences Resistance.
Resistance is an objective force of nature, as immutable as gravity.
There's no magic bullet. No hack, no trick, no tip, no class, no degree.
But you, armed with the right knowledge and resolution, can acquire the self-motivation, self-discipline, and self-belief necessary to become a focused, mentally-tough working pro.
Every week I look forward to receiving Mr. Pressfield’s newsletter to read his thoughts on writing or reading.
One day, I decided to hit reply and say thank you for a book of his I recently read.
To my surprise, he responded.
He noticed I was in Prince Edward Island, and from the initial email, we had many more back and forth.
He shared that he and his wife have always wanted to visit our Island. So as any Islander would do, I left them with an open invitation and a place to stay if ever.
In thinking ahead to spring and our desire to do more bike riding this summer; I sought information about different bikes, and I came across this interesting story.
Andy Dix spent 17 years honing his craft as a master furniture maker.
In Wales, he gave two years of his life to building a prototype bicycle made from wood.
I am sharing this comment from Positive News.
“Ash is a kind of underdog: relatively cheap and fairly easy to process,” Dix says. “It’s a very utilitarian material, but it turns out it’s also brilliant at absorbing vibration. I was gliding along battered roads that would have shaken me to bits on a carbon bike. Then, finally, the penny dropped: not only could I make a bike out of wood, but it had inherent advantages over other materials.”
Timber is carbon-negative from the cradle to the grave. Being so, I thought this was a great idea.
Twmpa Cycles was born and is based in Hay-on-Wye at the foot of the Black Mountains in the Welsh borderlands.
If you are a gear-head and appreciate engineering talk, you will enjoy this video which goes into great depth about the science behind the bike.
This week, I discovered a YouTube channel called Trybals. A Pakistan-based youtube reaction channel. It creates cross-cultural reactions to art, music, food, and culture worldwide.
Each character is priceless, and their personalities endearing.
I had many laughs and felt a connection to each one of these fellow human beings. We are all cousins!
Our world is an ecosystem in which our only real chance at survival as a species is cooperation, community, and care, but it’s being led by people who believe in an egosystem, run on competition, power, and self-interest. – Austin Kleon
I watched many Trybal videos. So it was hard to choose one to share. The video below shares their reactions to Pentatonix, an acapella group is singing Leonard Cohen’s song, Hallelujah.
The Pentatonix video was not all that visible in the above video.
So here it is.
We wish everyone peace.
With love from Prince Edward Island.
Bruce & Millie
ps. Your Morning Smile
It seems I have spent a lifetime of mouthing mechanically, “Say thank you... Sit up straight... Use your napkin... Close your mouth when you chew... Don’t lean back in your chair...”
Just when I finally got my husband squared away, the kids came along.
]]>Good Morning from Warren Grove, Prince Edward Island
It looks like we will have a lovely weekend and no more snow sent our way.
I did manage to restock the storm chip cupboard this week, though. My friend curiosity led me to research the ‘potato chip.’ I wanted to know what it all began.
I found an excellent article in Smithsonian Magazine and share it a little below.
The origins of the potato chip lead to George Crum (born George Speck), a 19th-century chef of Native and African American descent. Who made his name at Moon’s Lake House in the resort town of Saratoga Springs, New York. One day in 1853, the railroad and shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt was eating at Moon’s when he ordered his fried potatoes to be returned to the kitchen because they were too thick. Furious with such a fussy eater, Crum sliced some potatoes as thin as he could, fried them to a crisp and sent them out to Vanderbilt as a prank. Rather than take the gesture as an insult, Vanderbilt was overjoyed.
The rest of the Smithsonian article is a great read and found here.
I saw two Robins yesterday and thought it was an omen of some sort until I read this.
I love waking before the rooster crows. To enjoy the quiet, the slow pace of the morning to read, reflect, pray, do stretches, pushups, drink tea and write. I am creating a new sunrise habit of going for a 45-minute walk outside.
Phone photo this morning at 7:22am
I find it easier to create positive habits versus setting goals. It’s fun and a challenge and brings immediate rewards. There are good and bad habits. But increasing the quantity of the good ones helps diminish the influence of the bad ones. So I will keep adding the positive.
Do you like collecting and trying recipes from the Internet but find all the advertising a nuisance? Try this website. www.justtherecipe.com I love it; they have a free version and a premium subscription.
On recipes, check out our recipe blog. Adrienne, our baker and Katherine, our photographer, share their talents with you.
Valentines Day is in a couple of days, and I feel so blessed to have a wife and two adult children I love very much. (and they tolerate me, too. lol)
Recently I read a story of unrequited love.
Eric Satie (17 May 1866 – 1 July 1925), who signed his name Erik Satie after 1884, was a French composer and pianist. He was the son of a French father and a British mother. Erik studied at the Paris Conservatoire but obtained no diploma. In the 1880s, he worked as a pianist in café-cabaret in Montmartre, Paris. He began composing works, primarily for solo piano.
Years after Satie's death in 1925, a group of his friends were able to enter his cramped apartment in Arcueil. He had not allowed anyone in for twenty-seven years. Amongst the chaos they found, two grand pianos placed one on top of the other. As well as seven velvet suits, many umbrellas, a chair, a table, and stacks upon stacks of love letters. The letters were never sent to his muse, lover and neighbour Suzanne Valadon.
Inspired by the love letters Kats Chernin wrote a suite of twenty-six exquisite piano miniatures. The album was released in 2017 and each miniature reflects some element of Satie's wholly unique art, love and life.
Or listen to the album in its entirety via the YouTube video below.