September 8, 2009. Chevy Chase, Md. Brothers.

My brother has indulged me all my life.  It is unbelievable but true, but I do not think we have ever had harsh words about anything, not even a serious argument.  I was fortunate to be the sister of my brother David.  Even as a young child, my brother gave me what I asked for, so when I needed bus money, he gave it to me.  He was a very good older brother, and he still is.  The truth is, Dave has never said no to me.  When we wanted to buy our first home, Dave lent us the down payment and when we wanted to buy country property he and Irene bought half of the farm even though we live two hours away from the farm and they lived ten hours away.  They were helping out.    If anyone wanted to look at good supportive families they would do well by looking at our family.  For three summers I lived with them when I took Physical Education classes at McMaster University before I married.  Their children were young so putting up with me I am sure was not easy, but they both accommodated me very well.  It really has been a remarkable run of events.

Ken and I and Dave and Irene have played tennis together many times and often attended tennis resorts together, along with Andrew nd David.  By then their children were grown and gone so our boys played tennis along with the adults.  And we had many long hikes together and taken them over many rough patched of the trail.  But they have always been good sports about our travails.  Often they stopped to visit us on the way down and back to Florida and they visit us in Nova Scotia every year.  Graduations are not big deals in Canada and after Andrew's high school graduation when the only one attending was Ken and me, Dave and Irene have attended every graduation for both David and Andrew for college and graduate school.  They were helping out and of course having fun as well.  It has been a life time of helpfulness from my brother who has always had the support of Irene too.

I hear other folks speak of their siblings and tell tales of the difficulty they encounter.  But not me.  I have always had the good fortune of having my brother David who has never caused us a moment of grief who along with Irene have enhanced our lives immeasurably.  I am a very lucky lady.

September 7, 2009. Chevy Chase, Md. HOME AGAIN.

Ken is still opening mail while I am all ready for the week.  After feeling smug and complacent, I discovered that I had forgotten the twins birthdays.  The day came and went with nothing from their grandmother to note the day.  No cards, no flowers, no gifts, no calls.  What a bad grandmother I am.  Ken even has the date on his computer, but obviously we were not paying attention to the computer.  

I called Suzanne and David to tell them we were at home, and after conversing with Suzanne and getting an update on the lake, where the water is very very low, I spoke to each girl in order.  Allison told me with her voice full of excitement  that she had her ears pierced for her birthday.  Dead silence on my end of the phone.  Oh my goodness, I forgot.  But all is not lost.  Their birthday party is being held this weekend so I can send flowers and then figure out what to send them for their birthday.   We gave a painting to Sarah for her last birthday, so I must ask Suzanne what they need or would want.

The only thing I know is that I do not give toys.  For good or ill, I give them books or clothes or art.  I once got a clever idea to give a set of dishes to the girls, so by the time they were ready for their own apartment, they would have a nifty set of nice dishes, all their own.  It started when I saw a pattern called "Sarah's Garden", which I bought and gave to Sarah a few pieces at a time.  It seemed unfair to eliminate the other girls, so I started the practice for Abigail, Kate and Mary Frances.  The only problem is that the Mothers are required to store these stupid dishes, so what seemed to be a good idea ended up a bit of a nuisance.  The dished are great and the girls like them a lot, but for now they are stored away.  I have not started the custom for the twins.  It seemed a good idea at the time.

Now we are home in our little nest in Chevy Chase.  It took us almost two hours to get home due to construction on the Beltway.  Welcome home indeed.

September 6, 2009. Western Head, N.S. Whales and Terns.

The sea is sparkling like a jewel.    The day is perfect by the sea.  Thousands of terns were diving for fish out in the middle of our bay, right in front of the house.   It was an unbelievable sight.  Ken spotted them first and thought they were seagulls, but on closer inspection I thought they were terns, as these birds were diving into the water.  Seagulls do not dive for food, they sit on the top of the water and catch the food coming by, or they feed on the outgoing tide, right along the shore.  Now I must try to figure out what type of tern I had been looking at.  While we watched from our bedroom, I commented that very often we see whales close behind the feeding fish.  In fact, that is one way to see the whales, try to spot the birds first, then watch for the whales.

Sure enough,  later in the morning while Ken was out working in the yard, he spotted a whale  coming up for air.  He called to me, and by the time I came outside, the whale came up again, this time right in front of the house.  This is very unusual, for a whale to be so close to shore and in such shallow water, and sure enough, he headed back to safer water and we could only see the blow come up furthur out to sea, but it was thrilling to see this whale so close to our house. 

Last evening, when we went out to the hot tub I spotted a fishing boat out at sea and knew the fish were running.  Some things are predictable.  The fish are running and the fishermen come out to fish at night.  The birds and whales follow along for the feed.   The good folks of Nova Scotia have been doing that for four hundred years, but we have not, so for us it is exiting and interesting to follow the seasons so predictably.  The whales are on their way south for the winter, and as they travel they fill up on the fish for the journey.  This is the first time this summer we have seen the whales, the day before we leave.  It is the promise of more in store, later in the month.

September 5, 2009. Western Head. Lazy Days.

I still can't believe that I did very little the past two days than read while sitting on the deck at the cottage.   Ken and I arrived  mid morning and while Ken fished from the Poke boat, I sat and read my book.  I just started "The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor",  by Sally Armstrong.  I have been reading the new book about the writing of the Constitution, but yesterday I dove into this new book and I am loving it.  I swam for half and hour, and I made lunch for the two of us, and I slept soundly for an hour in the late afternoon.  Then it was back to my station on the deck right beside the water.  The weather was wonderful, just the way the weather should be at the cottage.  Finally Ken brought wine down to the deck and we stayed until almost dark.  An osprey flew overhead, making smaller and smaller circles as he descended.  Then finally he swooped down with his feet and caught the fish, but he was never able to take off with his prey, so we watched him as he swam along with the current until we lost sight of him.  The loons were calling to each other as the sun went down.  It was a wonderful evening.  It was so late that we never did eat dinner.  Ken heated us some milk before going to bed.  Can you believe that we are so old that we drink warm milk before going to bed?  Wonders never cease.

Today was more of the same at the cottage.  Ken fished while I read my book,  all morning and half the afternoon.  No company, and no visitors makes for a quiet time.  I at least made lunch for Ken, but the rest of the day I did nothing but watch the lake and read my book.    This is a holiday weekend and by mid-afternoon today, three Seadoos  were scooting around and making a loud noise, but fortunately we had to head for home.  This was the first time we have heard or seen these noisy beasts out on the lake and I hope they are the last.   Two ducks visited me several times.  They seem totally unafraid of humans.  They sat on the ramp preening their feathers for almost thirty minutes, then tucked their neck around into their back and took a nap, with Ken close-by in the kayak.  The rabbits just sit and look at you while you walk past them, and the chipmunk cames right onto the deck while we sit there eating lunch.  Amazing.

That is my two lazy days at the cottage.  It is a bit like taking a nap.  Is this a good thing or a bad thing, spending two days doing nothing productive?  That is the question.

September 3, 2009. Western Head, N.S. Workmen.

We are very fortunate with our working people here in Queen's County, Nova Scotia.  Working hard and doing well seems to be bred in the bone.    On Sunday I left a message with Robbie that a leak seemed to have developed, coming onto the living room ceiling from the new bathroom.  The new little bathroom was installed three years ago.    His return call came in the evening, to say that by 8:30 a.m. on Monday,  he would be there.  Sure enough, he came with his helper, whistling all the while,  opened up the roof of the living room but made no mess, fixed the leak immediately, and by 10:00 he was on his way.  In 1999 Robbie was the plumber for the old house renovations and the new construction, also the work in the Carriage House and the Cottage.   Back then, he was a young man, just starting his own business.    He always tries to finds a less expensive way, and often will try to talk us out of an expensive task, such as putting the heat in the floor in the garage, and putting so many valves installed in the heating system.  He is the opposite of a shyster.  He is quick and competent.

Now I have a hole in the ceiling of the living room, so I called our builder George, who came over directly and patched the hole, all while we were at the cottage.  Today, while we were out, he came by again to  sand the patch and put on an undercoat.  Soon after the patch is completely dry, either George or his crew will paint the area,  so that soon,  the patch will be a distant memory.  It is a remarkable system.  Two phone calls and the job is complete.  No fuss and muss.  Just quiet competence.  I feel so grateful for the quality of the workmen here in Queen's County.  I always wonder whether the long time residents understand how fortunate they are with their workmen.  

Septrmber 2, 2009. Western Head, N.S. Dinner Party.

Connie and Ross invited us for dinner at their home.    We met them last summer but between our company and their schedules,  we have never been able to get together with them at their home.  Then have attended several of our parties and we like them a lot, but it took us a year to find a suitable date.  Today was the night.   Ross attended Dalhousie Medical School, and four of those class mates decided to retire together here in Liverpool, and that is just what they have done.  The four lived and worked all over the world, but they kept in touch and now they all live here in retirement, in Liverpool, in lovely homes on the shore.   Ross and Connie designed and had built their own home and it is lovely.  Large and gracious.   Ross plays the bagpipes and plays many volunteer engagements.  He plays in three pipe bands and must play three of four times a week.  Fortunately he loves to play his bagpipes.  Every Thursday, one of his bands visits the cruise ships in Halifax, to give a demonstration to the good folks on the ship, of course wearing the full dress of a Scottish gentleman.  Connie plays the fiddle and plays Celtic music.

Tonight, at the dinner party, we met a new couple who live on Sand Beach Road, just along from Gill.  They summer in Vancouver and winter here in Nova Scotia, so even though they have lived here for over two years we are not here at the same time as them.  For years they lived in Montreal, in fact Bill was born there  but Cherise is from New Brunswick who moved to Montreal for College.  They married and  moved to Vancouver,  then they had three children.  The children still live there, so even though Bill would prefer to live full time in Nova Scotia, they return to Vancouver for half the year.  While out west, they travel the coast in their sail boat.  He is mostly retired.  It is a life style that could only be done in this day and time.  His daughter runs the company, which makes payrolls for other companies both large and small.  It was interesting to get to know them.  Now they are in the process of building a new home along the shore.  The home they bought here is quite small and too close to the water.  The last storm dumped two inches of water in their basement and came within a foot of their front door.  If it were my house I would build a new home too.  I was delighted to meet them.  Last week I went by to invite them for cocktails at our home, but they were out of town.  They will be here for the rest of the season now, until they return to Vancouver in April.

The other couple there was Loretta and Butch, who were both born  in Newfoundland.  Butch can speak a great Newfoundland accent.  Saturday evening Ken and I will dine in their home in Liverpool.  More about them later.  Our evening was lovely.  Wonderful food and wine and interesting lively people.  These good folks in Nova Scotia are very welcoming.

September 1, 2009. Western Head, N.S. The Cottage.

Today. after lunch, Ken and I are going to the cottage.  There was a big rain and a big blow this weekend and we left all our outdoor furniture in place so we are keen to see what happened to all the chairs and tables.  We are expecting several chairs  to be found in the lake.  With the schools in action here in Nova Scotia we expect the lake to be very quiet.  Normally, a busy day is four or five boats passing us in the middle of the lake, so this time of year we will see only loons and ducks.  This summer a family of ducks came by regularly to be fed.  At this time of the year, the babies are bigger than the parents, which is the same as with the sea gulls.  The only thing that distinguishes  the parents from the babies is their color.  In both species the young ones are darker than the parents.

Today Dave and Irene leave for home.  Right now, Wendy has come by to say goodbye and Clifton has just driven up to do the same.  Tim and Kate left this morning.  We are all back to our small group on Gull Bay.  Our summer here has been busy and happy.  Now we have a bit of peace and quiet before returning to the big city.  The Autumn season in Nova Scotia is beautiful.  Very often the weather is better in the Fall than in the summer.  My sister Carol and husband Ken have always come to stay in our home here in Nova Scotia in September and she will do so this year, coming on Labor Day and staying the month.  The good weather stays pleasant through the end of October.  At that point, the Mitchell's leave for Delaware and Annapolis.  Ken and I try to come back at least once in the Fall and this year we come at the end of September, to close up the cottage and visit with my sister for a bit.  These summers go by very quickly.  Ken's garden is bountiful this year so Betty and Vinal will harvest the vegetables.  The venture was worthwhile.  

Now we too must soon say goodbye to the sea, but not yet.  We have a few days of quiet enjoyment.