The golf club in the Village of Appleton has proven to be aligned with the beginning and the end of my half-century existence in the Town of Almonte. Initially Mississippi Golf Club – where 50 years ago I was hired over dinner to practice law with my erstwhile principals Messrs. Michael J. Galligan QC and Mr. Justice Alan D. Sheffield – was in the Township of Ramsay which later combined with the Township of Pakenham and the Town of Almonte to form the Town of Mississippi Mills. Though I applaud the name “Town of Mississippi Mills” I continue to refer to home as Almonte.

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Do nothing against your will, contrary to the community, without due examination, or with reluctance. Do not try to embellish your thoughts with fancy language. Be neither a great talker nor a great undertaker. Moreover, let the god within you find a man in you—a mature, sociable Roman prince who has ordered his life as one ready to depart at the sound of the trumpet. One who needs no oath or witness for his words or actions.

Aurelius, Marcus. “Meditations: Modern English Edition”

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Nearby the Arnprior Regional Health, down the hill to Robert Simpson Park where the Madawaska River meets the Ottawa River, I chanced to encounter two ladies beneath the bandstand overlooking the river beach below.

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ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT by Fiona:

Greetings Again, from Le Gaspesie!
Right now, we’re having a bit of down time just outside the town of Carlton-Sur-Mer, thanks to a very rainy morning, but no complaints as we’ve been on the go now for over a week, so some time off for rejuvenation is a good thing. Plus, we’re staying at an incredibly comfortable motel in a large suite with a full kitchen, big comfy chairs and a view looking out over the Bay of Cascapedia with New Brunswick just visible on the far side. Immediately below us, there is a roughly 10km-long sand and pebble beach and when the rain lets up after lunch, a long walk beckons. In the meantime, let me bring you up to date since I last wrote.

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The etymology of “pontoon” will come as no surprise: from Latin pontonem (nominative ponto) “flat-bottomed boat,” from pons “bridge”; Pontoon bridge “roadway supported on pontoons” is recorded by 1778.

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I awoke at eight o’clock this morning – fully three hours earlier than yesterday when I was recovering from a spate of early morning rendezvous. Manifestly I needed the rest – and I have to say I am grateful for having had it; but it bothers me nonetheless to have relinquished so much of the day to what I mistakenly label a mindless sleep. By contrast today, after my ablutions and breakfast, and having brushed my teeth, it was not long after nine o’clock that I was fully prepared to launch into the day. The satisfying posture was more in keeping with my Protestant Work Ethic.

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Le terme désaxé qualifie une personne qui a perdu son équilibre psychique, sa stabilité ou ses repères. Au sens propre, il se dit d’un mécanisme ou d’une pièce qui est sorti de son axe.

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Death, howsoever elegantly portrayed, is I believe more worrisome than most care to admit. The religious pacification of death is – to my philosophic training – no more persuasive than two fingers of whiskey; that is, helpful but not necessarily determinative or lingering. My greatest despair is disconnecting from my loved ones, those to whom I owe so much. It is an unaccountable privilege.

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Out of nowhere  – and with no identifiable warning – we have precipitously broken free of the mercurial springtime weather and vaulted into the disencumbering month of June. The limitless summer sun is warm and shining brilliantly in a cloudless blue sky!

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It was the end of the day before I had the opportunity to relish the balmy summer air. My morning was taken up with an annual visit to the optometrist. It was mid-afternoon before my dilated pupils had recovered. In preparation of my ritual automotive jaunt, I first lingered on the balcony in the warm sunshine. But I didn’t stay long because the weather was inviting activity and motion. The motor vehicle is my vicarious connection to that austere motive.

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