June 30, 2019. Western Head, Nova Scotia. The Sutherland Family.

For the whole day I had them all by myself. And I have enjoyed every minute. Last evening at 7:30 after a long drive from Prince Edward Island, they arrived. By the time they organized their belongings into their respective rooms, dinner was late. The four children played games in the living room all the rest of the evening. We adults talked while the kids played. We have a chest full of games and they had fun with them. Dinner was easy: rotisserie chicken, salad and fresh baked bread, with carrot cake for dessert. We were all late going to bed. Today was a day to chill out. We talked some more, the kids played more games, Eleanor and Jim went for a walk, Ian and Godfrey explored the rocks and the bicycles, and we all watched the fog come in and go out. Before dinner Isabel, Gabriella and Ian played a rousing game of Monopoly. And they played Tatze after dinner. I came upstairs while the game was still in progress. Everyone had a happy day even though we did nothing unusual or exciting. Being together in a beautiful setting with the air cool was enough for the Mississippi family. Christina and the girls arrive in Halifax at 11:15 which means they will arrive here at almost 2:00. I have left the lights on for them, just in case I am sound asleep. I thoroughly enjoyed both the adults and friends from Mississippi. Now I am looking forward to having our Mississippi family join in the fun.

June 29, 2019. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Queens County Transit.

This morning I used the new transit system. I called yesterday to be picked up at 10:30, to be taken to the Hockey arena so I could do my walking. A gentleman named Bill was to pick me up in a van. The cost to me was to be $7. Everything worked as planned. Bill picked me up on time, drove me to the arena, then picked me up an hour later to take me home. I was pleased. The transit system was designed to help those older folks be taken to appointments who are not able to drive. The drivers are volunteers. Gill told me that the service was supposed to be for poor people but I was given the information by my friend Bill S. who knows I am not poverty stricken. He knew I could not drive so he told me all about the system. And he encouraged me to use it. So I did and will use them again when I have no house guests. There are taxis in Liverpool but I bet they cost more than $7. round trip. According to my friend Bill S. the new system is short on customers. So I helped them out by using their service. There is no public transportation on the South Shore. Queens County has started this system to allow those who have no car or are unable to drive be able to get places. Lots of people in Queens are poor so the service should be useful. I hope they survive. I certainly enjoyed the service today.

June 28, 2019. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Atlantic Sands.

Once upon a time, there was a convenience store on Main Street but out from the business part of the town. It is close to a spring where lots of people come to fill up big water bottles. They prefer the Spring water to the town water. But it is a destination location. You would never just stumble upon the little store. Five years ago the store closed and stayed boarded up, tight as a drum. On Saturday, Gill showed me the newly opened store. She told me that the young couple have moved here and now bake carrot cake and cheesecakes, in addition to having other convenient products. Gill wanted us to go in and buy a slice of carrot cake. I refused to get out of the car so we went on to the Caledonian Symphony. Anna and I went on Monday to order a cake but they were closed. I called on Tuesday to place an order. It turned out that the lady is the baker but does not bake cheesecake. But she did bake pies. As I will soon have a full house I ordered a carrot cake, an apple pie and multiple cookies. I arranged to pick them up on Friday when Anna could drive me. I burst out laughing when I walked in the door. At least three people had told me about the young couple who opened the store so I fully expected to meet young folks. I had to tell the new owners why I was laughing. The new owners are in their sixties and have come back to Liverpool to retire. They have done a great job with the place. Both the inside and outside look great. Now my fridge and freezers are full of their goodies. This afternoon, at the end of a b busy day, Anna and I drank a cup of herbal tea accompanied by a delicious cinnamon roll. These retired folks are definitely an asset to the community. Atlantic Sands will keep me in desserts for sure. Now why did I not order two apple pies when I will have 10 house guests? Brain freeze I guess.

June 27, 2019. Western Head, Nova Scotia. The Freezer.

When I arrived, the freezer was not plugged in and it was open, which is how I left it. Usually Mary Mac plugs it in but we had enough freezer space between the two new refrigerators to hold everything that she had purchased for me. My old kitchen fridge was full so everything that was in the freezer had to be pitched. A week after I arrived I asked Anna to plug in the freezer. It made a noise and it seemed to be cooling. A few days later, I put a package of bacon in the freezer and it seemed cold. On Friday Anna and I moved items from the garage freezer to the big freezer. All seemed well. On Monday, Anna and I went shopping and bought a bunch of stuff to be kept in the freezer but when we opened the freezer we discovered that although the freezer was cold, the food was not completely frozen. My freezer of 20 years had given up the ghost. We quickly moved the food to the other freezers. And I called MacPhersons in Liverpool. Sure enough, they had one in stock that fit the space so Wednesday my new freezer was delivered and the old one was removed. The young delivery man commented that it seemed to be a big summer for replacing appliances. We both laughed. I still have a washer and dryer, a microwave and a stove, plus a dishwasher that are all also old. And Dave and Irene want me to replace the microwave and stove right now. So far I am reluctant to replace appliances that are working and I heat my dinner every night in the microwave. But with my luck this summer with appliances, I bet some of the remaining appliances will stop working. This seems to be the year for alliances. I am pleased with the effeciency in town. One phone call with a nice young man and the new appliances arrive and get installed. Pretty good service. But enough is enough.

June 26, 2019. Western Head, Nova Scotia. The Rock Ditch.

When we bought this place in February 1999, the adjacent lot and old home were not being maintained. As it was a bit higher than our land, rain water would come from their property onto ours and run down our driveway. The gravel road would erode. So we hired Everett to dig a ditch on our side of the land, along the whole length. The ditch was filled with rocks. The ditch ended in the culvert along the main road. The system worked for many years. Hurrah for Ken for thinking of it and Everett to carrying it out. During heavy rains, Everett would come by to check to be sure the water was still coming out to the road, not across our driveway. But Everett died a few years ago. For the past year we have had torrential rains. Our driveway was washed out twice. Ingram Excavating came each time to fill in the drive. But I asked for a real fix. They gave me three options. I selected the most expensive one but the one that could work for the next 20 years. Evidently the sand and silt fill in the spaces in the ditch so the water just comes across the ditch and down our drive. This week they dug up the ditch and removed all the rocks. They dug it deeper, then filled it up with more stones. The ditch is already draining to the main road. Now I await a heavy rain to check our system. No more eroded driveway for me, I hope, thanks to Ingram Excavating. The young man who fixed the ditch is the same person who plows our snow. He has been doing it for several years so he was delighted to finally meet the folks who live in the house. I introduced him to Ken at the statue. He was duly impressed.

June 25, 2019. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Stewart Jenkins.

At 10:00 this morning, I received information from the caterer. They would be unable to bring our meals. They were to begin next Monday. I had spoken withN Nicole twice to be sure they could cater for us this summer and was assured that everything would be in place. But they changed their mind. This summer they are short staffed. On the phone I thought Nicole was upset to be telling me this. I ended up consoling her. But for me, I had a problem. I do not cook. David Jenkins came to my rescue. Gill is having a big party at the Mersey Community Hall in August and she found a new caterer from friend Karen. Gill has hired him to cater the party although she has not yet tasted his cooking. I called Gill for his phone number. I chatted with him and he came to meet with me this afternoon. And he will cook for me. He will bring dinner in the afternoon and put the dinner in the garage fridge. We will heat and eat the dinner, the same system we used with the Riverbank. Disaster averted. Stewart owns Kingfisher convenience store and restaurant in Greenfield. He has owned it and cooked for 32 years. He has always cooked for a living. But when he turned 60, he decided he wanted to be a chef, not a cook so he sold his business and went to culinary school in Halifax. He kept the land, fortunately. He graduated top of the class and now has a certificate saying that he is a master chef. But the new owner was not enjoying the business, so he asked Stewart to buy it back, which he did, but for a lower price. So he and his wife of 25 wears still own and run the Kingfisher Center. But he also does catering to expand his horizon. I enjoyed meeting with him. His wife will deliver ands he will cook. And we will enjoy his cooking. I no longer am worried. Stewart came to my rescue. Whew.

June 24, 2019. Western Head, Nova Scotia. A Fine Idea.

Every so often I have a good idea. Sometimes they actually work out as planned. This afternoon I had an appointment at the Optical company in Liverpool. Before I left, my glaucoma specialist in Jackson had given me the go ahead to rep[lace the lens in the right side of my glasses. My appointment, made from Jackson, was for 4:30 today. My problem was the timing. My helper leaves at 5, so she could take me there but she would need to go home before I would be finished. But I remembered that my friend Sandra lived just a few blocks away so I called her with a plan, which was for me to walk to her home after my appointment, and then allow me to take her to dinner at Lane's Privateer Inn. Then she would take me home. She too thought it a great idea. Everything worked perfectly. When I was leaving the office, a young lady saw me walking carefully and she offered to walk along with me, so I took her up on her offer. Turns out she was one of the Opticians in the place. Her name is Robin and she was charming. I arrived at Sandra's home safely and we both had a walk. Then Robin walked back to her car to drive home to Milton. My scallops at Lane's were excellent. Sandra is a good friend and I was delighted to see her this summer. Her husband Bob died suddenly a few years ago so I was happy to pick her brains about being a successful widow. We drank a glass of wine and we both ate a dessert. And she brought me home to a beautiful evening where the ocean looked like a lake. Both Sandra and I decided my idea was indeed a fine idea.