Strawberry Moon + Foolishly Romantic + Bubble Gum

Good Morning from Warren Grove, Prince Edward Island

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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?"