Canadians have become disrespectful. Once dismissed as fawningly civil, the realization that we have it all has prompted an abrupt – and some would say, a much anticipated – awakening, albeit manifestly cheeky. No longer are we content merely to participate. We’re now shoulder-to-shoulder with others.
It isn’t often I feel obliged to utter an encomium upon being served a plate of food. Unwittingly this afternoon at the golf club, however, that very imperative ensued. When returning from the city where we had delved into a pressing retail matter, and feeling the weight of what had been steady application since early morning concerning matters of a similar perspective, we thought it wise to stop in the Village of Appleton for a reprieve from the day’s commotion and studiousness. We settled upon having a late luncheon or early dinner at the golf club. We were not disappointed!
There is so much to read! It’s a constant conglomeration! I hardly have time to absorb the detail from Country Life – which I only receive weekly at best. And then there’s the news, whatever one reads on the internet; and electronic books, plus stuff forwarded by friends from their personal resources. Not to mention having to read one’s emails. And I’m dyslexic so it takes me longer!
The golden stained cornstalks bow in the wind, progressively reflecting upon one another in softly shifting corridors that sweep across the field with the dancing melody of the imperceptible gusts. There is a chance of rain. Autumn is coming.
The beginning of September is remarkable for the appearance of yellow school buses and the drone of cicadas. Like all signals, there are consequences. In these events (as in all others) it is a mixture of novelty, application and evolution. The novelty is the buzz of people and pursuits; the application is study and seasonal adjustment; the evolution is approaching what we’re to do and where we’re to go. In short it is a recipe for adventure and improvement.
In June of 1976 when I transitioned from Messrs. Macdonald, Affleck Barrs. &c. in Ottawa to practice law in Almonte the featured image was then the active Land Registry office. It was to become an important symbol of my life. Not only was it pivotal to my real estate law practice (typical of a country lawyer); it just happened to be located at the corner of Brougham and Clyde Streets around the corner from my first residence on the corner of Brougham Street and Martin Street South. By further coincidence the house I rented belonged to the incumbent minister (Rev. George Bickley) of St. Paul’s Anglican Church immediately across the street from the Land Registry office. St. Paul’s Anglican Church had been constructed in 1863.
We haven’t many attachments – by which I mean, we’re not especially affixed to anything. At least if you discount medical, dental and optometric desiderata. It is only our tiresome habits which presently interrupt our lives. This makes for a puzzling platform from which to contemplate where to go and what to do. I suppose one could say in fact that the globe is at our door. More realistically however – and in the wake of what I call the American commotion (a political about face which has had extraordinary consequences) – we are presently fashioning a short trip in Canada; precisely, the maritime provinces. I wish to be by the sea. Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia have come to mind. Recalling my law school days in Halifax 55 years ago, I know that there is customarily outstanding weather in September – clear blue skies and clean fresh air rolling over the harbour off the North Atlantic Ocean. I recollect standing on Citadel Hill on such a day! The perspective and atmosphere were exquisite!
Tomorrow is the 1st day of September. How can it not mark a major change! Although the weather continues to be marvellous, it philosophically marks the end of summer. Uniquely too tomorrow is a Monday, Labour Day. According to my good friend Hal at ChatGPT, the next Labour Day Monday that is on the 1st of September is Monday, September 1, 2031. That’s 6 years from now – longer than I prefer to stand waiting. But I will by contrast jump into the mix today! Indeed we did so by visiting our dear friend in the Village of Ashton where he reported to have been busy harvesting the summer produce in order to prepare this evening’s glorious meal. And what a success it was! Fresh corn with an abundance of garden herbs, spices, garlic and an exotic addition (anchovies). This was followed by a bubbling hot cast iron pot of ratatouille complimented by a focaccia loaf. And then the fresh fruit cobbler with local ice cream (a late summer imperative).
Today is Sunday, August 31st. In addition to being an inestimably divine day (there is but one cloud the size of a cotton swab in the azure dome), it is the prelude to Monday, September 1st – Labour Day – a statutory holiday! And it is warm! Now, for those of you, dear Reader, who no longer subscribe to the latest edition of the magazine Métier, that is a peerless combination. It is an end-of-summer festival. In the distance I overheard the jarring caw of a crow. Minutes afterwards, sharply to the left of my line of sight upriver, another caw – whether repeated by itself or issued by another crow in its stead. No matter, the cacophonous harmony is to no avail today. This is the type of Labour Day weekend one hopes for!
Crossing the Canada/USA border has lately revived parabolic reminiscences of the War of 1812. Its competing ambitions and maritime roots have likewise gingered up unfavourable comparisons to the rhetoric of the Trump administration and the importance of the Canadian eastern shore. In short more and more Canadians have recoiled at the outbursts of the current American government; and, fewer and fewer Canadians have expressed an interest to cross the border. For our part, we have brought back to consciousness the appeal of Nova Scotia – while at the same time muffling and dampening our recollections of South Carolina and Florida.