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Happy News + Rewilding + Magicians Dilemma

Happy News + Rewilding + Magicians Dilemma

Good Morning from Warren Grove, Prince Edward Island
 
Fall has arrived. The changes in the season have begun.
 
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~ Albert Camus
 
 
 

I hope folks who frequent restaurants to enjoy food and the company of friends set the happy tone for their time together. Please do not give the management or staff grief. By order of the Public Health Office they have to ask for proof of vaccinations. Be Nice. 

And on that note, we are closing our restaurant for the season this coming Monday. Thank you for your continued support during these trying times.

We need to convert our dining room to prepare for mail order season. The orders for the holiday season are already flowing in. The demand for our shortbreads and oatcake cookies and fruitcakes is exciting. 

Books. 
 
I read “The Little Prince” by Antoine De Saint-Exupery this week.
 
The Little Prince is a novella by French aristocrat, writer, and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in English and French in the US by Reynal & Hitchcock in April 1943, and posthumously in France following the liberation of France as Saint-Exupéry’s works had been banned by the Vichy Regime.
 
The central” theme of The Little Prince is the importance of looking beneath the surface to find the real truth and meaning of a thing. The fox teaches the Prince to see with one’s heart instead of with one’s eyes.
 

Quotes from the book.

A goal without a plan is just a wish.

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

Love is not just looking at each other; it’s looking in the same direction.

What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well.

It is such a secret place, the land of tears.

Language is the source of misunderstandings.

One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.


Only the unknown frightens men. But once a man has faced the unknown, that terror becomes the known.

I also finished reading Into the Magic Shop by James R. Doty, MD.
 
I enjoyed the book on many levels. We seemed to have somewhat similar journeys’, but the authors is on a grander scale.
 
The book is part memoir, part science, part inspiration, and part practical instruction. Into the Magic Shop, shows us how we can change our lives by first changing our brains and our hearts.
 
Growing up in California’s high desert, Jim Doty was poor, with an alcoholic father and a mother chronically depressed and paralyzed by a stroke. Today he is the director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University.
 
Quotes from the book.
 
“There are a lot of things in life we can’t control. It’s hard, especially when you’re a child, to feel like you have control over anything. Like you can change anything. But you can control your body, and you can control your mind.
That might not sound like a lot, but it’s very powerful. It can change everything.” 
~ James Doty, MD.
 
“Each of us chooses what is acceptable in our lives. As kids, we don't get a lot of choice. We are born into families and situations, and it's all really out of our control. But as we get older, we choose. Consciously or unconsciously, we decide how we are going to allow ourselves to be treated. What will you accept? What won't you accept? You're going to have to choose, and you're going to have to stand up for yourself. No one else can do it for you.” ~ James R. Doty, MD.
 
“Research has shown that the more connected we are socially, the longer we will live and the faster we will recover when we get ill. In truth, isolation and loneliness puts us at a greater risk for early disease and death than smoking. Authentic social connection has a profound effect on your mental health—it even exceeds the value of exercise and ideal body weight on your physical health. It makes you feel good. Social connection triggers the same reward centers in your brain that are triggered when people do drugs, or drink alcohol, or eat chocolate. In other words, we get sick alone, and we get well together.” ~ James R. Doty, MD
 
Happy News for Families
 
Sharing this article is not a political statement. Just the fact families have been without their loved ones for some time and are now reuniting is happy news. This story has been front and centre of news reporting in Canada and China. Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor and Meng Wanzhou are home now. NY Times story here.
 
Happy News for Our Planet
 
In Scotland, landowners and communities are set to establish conditions allowing half a million acres of Scottish Highlands rewilding. Read the story here.
 
Affric Highlands will be one of the most significant rewilding projects in Europe. It has part of Rewilding Europe’s growing network of large-scale nature restoration projects. Others include the Danube Delta in Ukraine, Romania and Moldova, Romania’s Southern Carpathians and Swedish Lapland.
 
The proposal is based on the conviction that nature, people and businesses need each other to be sustainable for the long term.
 
These shared interests are part of a progressive and shared plan to strengthen the local economy and enrich lifestyles.
 
“Affric Highlands will take large-scale nature recovery to a new level, providing a catalyst for the local economy at the same time,” said Steve Micklewright, chief executive of Trees for Life. “The Highlands has huge potential to help nature to come back and so help people to thrive, and to make a leading contribution to tackling the global climate and nature emergencies.”
 
Times of great calamity and confusion have been productive for the greatest minds. The purest ore is produced from the hottest furnace. The brightest thunderbolt is elicited from the darkest storm. ~ Charles Caleb Colton
 
Get Into Nature
 
Prince Edward Island cornfields will leave you a-mazed. If you are on the Island this weekend, perhaps a journey through some these will leave you amazed and dazed. The story by CBC is complete with an ariel video. https://bit.ly/2Y2p3dL
 
Some of us have exceptionally high expectations of the leaders and the organization where we serve. Unrealistically high expectations cloud our perspective, create unwarranted disappointment, and steal our emotional energy. Certainly, some cultures are so toxic that the best course is to leave as quickly and as graciously as possible, but far more often, the best place to start a revolution of change is in our hearts and minds. Instead of waiting for the top leader to change the culture and make everything smooth, pleasant, and easy, we need to begin with the one person we have the power to control: ourselves. ~ Samuel R. Chand, author of Culture Catalyst
 
That is No Way to Say Good-Bye
 
Have a wonderful weekend and a week ahead.
 
Love from Prince Edward Island.
 
Bruce + MIllie
 
Ps. Your Morning Smile
A magician was working on a Caribbean cruise ship.
The audience was different each week, so the magician allowed himself to do the same tricks over and over again.
There was only one problem: The captain's parrot saw the show every week and began to understand what the magician did in every trick.
Once he understood, he started shouting in the middle of the show:
"Look, it's not the same hat!"
"Look, he's hiding the flowers under the table!"
"Hey, why are all the cards the Ace of Spades?"
The magician was furious but couldn't do anything; it was the captain's parrot after all.
One day the ship had an accident and sank.
The magician found himself on a piece of wood, in the middle of the ocean, and of course the parrot was by his side.
They stared at each other with hate, but did not utter a word.
This went on for several days.
After a week the parrot finally said:
"Okay, I give up. What'd you do with the boat?"
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Comments

Georgie Ann Wilkins - October 2, 2021

Bruce your blogs are like a breath of fresh air. Keep them coming. And to Brianne – the potato pie is AWESOME!! Worth a return visit. I have not read The Little Prince but my husband has && he loved it. I am going to order it. I am so happy for the two Michaels & their families. Also am relieved they got the 29 miners out safe & sound. It is said that The Little Prince is second only to the Bible as the most read book. It has been published in over 300 different languages. And my husband & I eat out often. We have been to the Preserve Co. many times Love it there. And being native Frederictonians we are at the Cabin every Friday of life come hell or high water. We always let our servers know they are appreciated & leave an extra tip.

Kathy Downing - October 2, 2021

Thank you Bruce for your blogs. I have found them very inspirational and comforting during this very trying period in our lives. We love your store and your products. Sadly we did not get there this year, hopefully next year. Even though we did not get their physically, I love waiting for my package to arrive from you, Looking forward to shopping online for great products again! Stay Safe!!!

Julie MacKenzie - September 26, 2021

I read “The Little Prince” in Grade 7. We read that book together in Language Arts class. We read quite a few great stories in that class..“Flowers for Algernon” & the short story about “Walter Mitty”. The video with Judy Collins & Leonard Cohen was awesome. Thanks for another enjoyable blog.

Brianne - September 26, 2021

Darn – I’ve timed my visit a week too late! But it’s a rest well deserved for you and your staff. I’ll have to fill my basket with gift shop goodies, and come back for the potato pie next summer! With love, Brianne

Diane - September 26, 2021

Bruce, thanks for reminding everyone that the restaurant employees are simply doing their job as required. It’s unfortunate that people take out their frustration on someone simply doing their job. Hope things settle down soon. We recently visited your restaurant for the first time a few weeks ago and fell in love with the area. Look forward to your weekly email and keeping up on the activities. You said in the blog that the Christmas orders are already starting for the fruitcake and shortbread and oatcake cookies. I don’t remember seeing those available in the store and I don’t see them anywhere online either. Will they be listed on the website as something we can order and have shipped or is there another site I should be checking out? I kept looking for oatcakes during our trip to the Maritime region but never found any! The only good ones I’ve discovered here in the states is Effie’s and it is supposedly from Nova Scotia and based on a family recipe handed down through multiple generations.
Thanks!!

Georgina Thurgood - September 25, 2021

I love your Blog each week. Look so forward to it.

Monica - September 25, 2021

I have been following your blogs for some time and today had the pleasure of reading it while having lunch in your restaurant. We have been waiting 2 years to be able to come back to the island and oh how we missed it here! Until next time. . .

Laura Ann Noye - September 25, 2021

The Little Prince is one of my favourite books. I have the quote of seeing with the heart on my wall. I reread it often. Thank you for your blog, I look forward to it every week.

LaVonne Bilby - September 25, 2021

Bruce,
My husband and I took the opportunity to visit PEI for two days this past week. We stayed at a delightful inn near your business! I visited your store on Monday afternoon (20th) and was delighted to see a tour bus in and hear live music in your restaurant!
I wandered around your shop for half an hour, picking up several items for Christmas gifts and enjoying the music from the restaurant! It was great! I did see you outside, busy chatting with some of the tour bus folks. I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation but I did want to say hello from an avid follower of yours from Truro, NS and thank your for your thoughtful and thought provoking blogs each week. I enjoy the music additions as well.
God bless!

Jack & Lillian Paul - September 25, 2021

Thank you Bruce for another great blog.
I love your choice of music this week with Judy Collins and Leonard Cohen
Thanks
Lillian

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