Beginning to look like Christmas!

This weekend, Abby and I went to the Open House at Fanningbank. Fanningbank is a large, ornate Victorian mansion overlooking Charlottetown Harbor. It is the Lieutenant Governor's residence. The Lieutenant Governor greeted us at the door, and we walked through the house, which was decorated in fine style for Christmas. While we toured the house, a women's a cappella choir sang Christmas carols. It was a great way to get into the Christmas spirit! Later, we walked around downtown Charlottetown and did a little Christmas shopping. We visited Northern Watters, a shop featuring handcrafted sweaters and other knitted items. Isabella, I hope you like your lobster claw mittens!

Our other stops were the Queen Street Outlet, my favorite clothing shop on the Island. I bought myself a pretty red jacket and a pair of leather gloves for Abby. Next we went to Luna's, a funky little shop featuring quirky gift items. It is a great place to find ideas and laugh at the funny refrigerator magnets. They also carry quite a few silk and Indian items. Last, we walked around the Confederation Court Mall, and looked at the shops. The sun was starting to set, so we left for home. Horse needed to be stabled for the night and fed.

Yesterday was a very windy, cold day. The ferry service to Nova Scotia was cancelled due to rough seas and high winds. Bridge traffic from New Brunswick was likewise restricted to car traffic only because of the high winds. Last time I drove up from Massachusetts, bridge traffic was closed to trucks and high-sided vehicles because of high winds. The speed limit was greatly reduced, and driving over the bridge was a very scary experience. There I was, high over the Northumberland Strait with the wind blowing my car left and right. I was never so glad to be off the bridge and safely on to dry land! I hope the seas and winds are calm for us on our trek south and on our way back to the Island.

First Snow and Christmas Decorating

Today is the first day of real snow! It did snow a few days ago, but just a dusting. Today we got about four inches of snow and it is still snowing. The roads had not been plowed yet when we went to Mass this morning, but the plow finally came in the afternoon. We spent the afternoon decorating for Christmas. We don't have a Christmas tree this year, since we have no room to put one up. We did put up the Nativity scene, though. It is in the kitchen, which is decorated with colored lights that run up the bannister. Puzzle the cat was very interested in the Christmas lights, and kept trying to hunt them. The other cats weren't all that interested. They are old cats and had seen it all before. Horse never made it outside today. Abby decided not to bring her outside in the snow. Abby was afraid Horse would get crazy in the snow and try to jump the fence. Memere, Alcida and Michelle went to North Conway this weekend, on our annual shopping trip, but without me!

Yesterday, Daniel and I went to Nova Scotia on the ferry to a judo tournament. He placed second in his weight class. As a white belt, he threw a blue belt for ippon! Not bad for his second tournament! We got up at 4 am, got on the ferry by 6:30 and got to Caribou by 8:30 am. The tournament finally got underway around noon. There were about 165 kids competing from Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. Judo in Canada is much better organized and more popular than in the USA. We had a great time, and took the ferry back to PEI at 6:30 pm, and back home by 9 pm. The problem with living on an island is that it is expensive to leave; it cost $68.00 to get off the island, so you need to think about it for awhile before you leave. This keeps people on the island and it is a rare thing to leave. That is why island people are 'insulated' from the rest of the world.

In two weeks, we will be going to Massachusetts for Christmas. It will be good to see everyone again, especially Aaron and Kathryn. We will all be together again for a short time. I also am planning a trip to Lowell to pick up my artwork from the studio and see my old friends at the Lowell Fiber Studio.

Abby Delivers a Calf

Today was a cold, raw, rainy day. I let the horse out around 9:30 this morning, but I put her back in the barn just after noon because it was raining so hard. When I was putting her back in the barn, the big, black and white cow escaped into Horse's paddock. No matter how hard I tried, it still took me twenty minutes to chase an enormous pregnant cow back into the cow pasture! It is amazing how fast a very pregnant cow can run. It was a very long twenty minutes. I was nearly knee-deep in cow poop and mud, trying to push open the gate to force the cow back into the right pasture.

Once Abby came home from school, around quarter to four, it was no longer raining, and Horse was neighing for company. Abby decided to go talk to Horse. While she was outside, she noticed the big tan Jersey cow lying in the field by herself, mooing. Abby surmised the cow was in labor, and ran inside to call Contessa. Contessa told us she was on her way, and the cow should be fine as long as we could see two legs coming out. Abby went back to the cow just as she was calving. She was happy to see that there were two legs coming out. Abby went over and helped ease the calf out of its mother. As soon as the calf was nearly out, the cow suddenly stood up and the calf landed on the grass. Soon Contessa showed up with Mark and Terry to take the calf home to Contessa's barn. The mother cow had nearly finished cleaning the baby off, and all the other cows were gathered around us. Contessa got the calf on its feet and announced it was a bull.

Soon it was getting pretty dark, and Contessa was concerned about coyotes in the woods. Quite a few farmers have lost newborn calves to coyotes in the area. Contessa made short work of carrying the calf to the truck. Mark sat in the truck bed and held the calf while Terry drove. Contessa walked behind the truck leading the mother cow, and since it was by now completely dark, I followed along behind Contessa with my flashers on as she and the cow walked alongside the shoulder of the road.

Traffic on most all roads in PEI is sparse but very fast; most people drive along at 50-60 miles an hour. None of the country roads have sidewalks, and most are lined by ditches, which makes it pretty similar to trying to walk along a highway back home. Country roads are only good for walking if you are nimble enough to jump out of the way when a car blasts past you. Walking a cow along the road on a rainy night at near-freezing temperatures can be pretty dangerous, but there was no other choice. I am happy to say that Terry, Mark, Contessa, the cow and her calf are all well, dry and safe. There will be more calves soon. Maybe next time I can get some photos.

Bright, Sunny Saturday following Black Friday

Today is the Saturday following Thanksgiving (oh, yes, AMERICAN Thanksgiving). Canadians have had their Thanksgiving over a month ago, on our Columbus Day, and so the holiday of the week is Black Friday! Yesterday was the day! I really don't understand how it works here, yet, but there were Black Friday sales beginning at 2 am and lasting until midnight last night. Otherwise it was an ordinary work day, unlike in America where it is generally a day off as part of the long weekend. Do people call in to work and say,"Hi, Boss! I can't come in today. Yes, I'm fine. No, it's not the black plague, it's BLACK FRIDAY!" Is that a legitimate excuse?

Yes, it is interesting to learn the cultural differences between here and home. Tney are subtle, but there nonetheless. I have joined a listing of Canadian blogs called Canadae.ca. Here is the link: Canadae: Canada's search engine. I am beginning a new fiber art piece today. The weather is warm and sunny, so I can bake my polymer clay outside in my new toaster oven dedicated to baking clay. Though such materials are labelled as non-toxic, they fill the air with fumes that cannot be good for you! The residue stays in the oven, so re-baking the fumes would not be good for the food you are about to eat, either! So many art projects, so little time!

Dinner Theater at the Tryon United Church

Tonight Aaron, Abby and I went to Tryon for a dinner theater at the United Church called "Ole King Cole's 65th Birthday Banquet." We were invited by Abby's friend Julia from school because she was in the play. Her mother is pastor of the church, and her dad was Ole King Cole. The show was in the church hall and was an original play written and directed by Julia's mom. It was a very cute story about Ole King Cole being sad on his big birthday because his children wouldn't be there to celebrate. He did not realize that they were planning a big party as a surprise. We were the peasants who were invited to the castle to sing to the king for his birthday. Each table was given a song to sing to the king, which we all did between dinner courses. We had chips and salsa, first course and first act. Then we had soup and rolls second act. Third act was roast chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, carrots, coleslaw and mustard pickle relish. The fourth and final act was chocolate cake or blueberry cheesecake and coffee or tea. A pleasant time was had by all. Apparently, Pastor Wilkie does this for a church fundraiser every year. She writes a new play every year and produces it with help from her congregation. When I met Julia and her dad, I could tell they are a very imaginative family. I just love people like that!

PEI really is a fun place to live. It is really something special. I went to take the horse out of the barn this morning, but it was raining, so I left the horse inside. Walking across the field in my muddy muck boots, I could only smell wet hay, balsam and dirt, and I thought about how lucky I am to finally be here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is an ordinary work day in Canada. The kids are off to school and Aaron is off to work. I am thinking about what questions will be on the final exam I am releasing next week for my online course at UMassLowell. To all Americans celebrating Thanksgiving today, Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the food, the football games and the Macy's Parade. I told a Canadian two nights ago that Thursday is Thanksgiving. She was surprised and asked me whether it is unusual to have Thanksgiving on a Thursday! I explained that it always falls on the last Thursday of November. Then she asked whether Americans have Black Friday, too! I said, "Of course we do, it is always the day after Thanksgiving!" I think the lightbulb turned on at that point! Alas, we are not celebrating Thanksgiving this year, for the first time in my life including the year I was in England in November. Young Aaron is spending Thanksgiving break with Memere and PopPop. They will be having dinner with Alcida, Bob, Stephen and the girls. Kathryn will be celebrating with her friends in Montreal. Turkeys here cost nearly $3.00 a pound versus $.49 a pound on sale in Lowell. A turkey dinner is pretty costly, and since there is no one around today to eat it anyway, it doesn't seem like a good idea this year. We will have to save the turkey dinner for Christmas!

Aaron and I are going to a dinner theater night at one of the local Protestant churches tomorrow night. A friend of Abby's has a role, and she asked us to go. It will be a fun night out, I am sure. Daniel has judo tonight, and I have a Spanish interpreting job, so there would be no time for turkey tonight! Daniel has a judo tournament in Nova Scotia a week from Saturday. We will take the 7 am ferry, which means we will be leaving here around 5:30 in the morning! That will be an adventure. He is doing quite well at judo, and seems to have a natural knack for it.

Today is cloudy, drizzly and warm: in the fifties (farenheit). Yesterday I took Puzzle to the Vet College for shots and deworming. She is mad at humans in general, and me in particular. Horse is read to be led into the field, and that is my job, so off I go!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A New Horse, A New Art Quilting Workshop

Two weeks ago, Abby and I were surprised to see a horse trailer coming down the driveway. It seems that our neighbor, Contessa, had rescued a horse from a bad fate. She bought the horse at auction and had it delivered to her cow pasture, where it now resides in its own paddock. The horse is part standard-bred, part draft horse and two years old. Abby is helping Contessa care for the horse. I turn the horse out in the morning, and Abby feeds the horse in the afternoon and brings her in at night. Meanwhile, the cows have grown larger and the calves are due very soon.

Abby has been riding Dama, the icelandic pony over in South Melville. Dama is very cute and has a gait called a "tolt." It looks like the horse is scooting along. The tolt is a kind of running walk that icelandic ponies are known for. Abby is used to well-schooled horses that are trained to respond to American signals. She and Bonni, Dama's owner, are still trying to figure out what signals Dama recognizes. It is clear that however she had been trained in Iceland, it was nothing like the way horses are trained here! When Dama finally gets moving, it is a beautiful thing, but until she gets the idea, it is slow going.

I will be teaching an art quilting workshop at the Clyde River Community Center to the local seniors. The workshop will take place over twelve weeks, alternating with a watercolor workshop taught by another artist. I will be teaching surface design (painting on fabric, printing on fabric, photo transfer, etc.) I will also teach design, composition and color theory. People here are very familiar with traditional quilting, and contemporary quilting is a stretch. I think it will be fun for everyone to learn to "paint a picture with fabric." Clyde River is a very small community, but there are at least three working artists here; myself, Julia Purcell the watercolorist, and Paragon Glass Studios. I see a small arts community growing up here!

Halloween, Pie Making, and Healthcare

This week on PEI, it is beginning to look a little frosty. The temperatures in the early morning hover around freezing, but warm up to the fifties in the afternoon. Still, the sun comes up later each day and sets earlier. Halloween is this weekend. Since the houses and farms are so far apart, I don't really know what Trick or Treating will be like. Whatever it is, the kids will be working for the candy! It is definitely not like Lowell where you can walk to 200 houses in an hour!

I have been invited by my neighbors to make pies at the community center (a former one room schoolhouse) for a community fundraiser. People are very nice and welcoming here. Getting around to the healthcare debate, I find it kind of funny that there are a number of fundraisers like bake sales and craft fairs to raise money to buy equipment for the hospital. Recently, someone held a fundraiser to buy a piece of equipment for the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) at the hospital. Usually, a couple thousand dollars are raised, and it is a newsworthy event. In Massachusetts, hospitals raise funds by tapping millionaires and having glorious galas to raise hundred of thousands of dollars. Healthcare here is not the finest in the world, Canadian public opinion nothwithstanding. Canadians are terrified of American health care. They are convinced the poor and elderly get no health care at all. This is ironic, since the poor and the elderly are the only ones who do get healthcare without having to pay for it!

Healthcare here is humble but sturdy. The hospitals have very little new equipment and share resources. Carts have broken wheels. Doctors sit on stools that have been repainted a little too often. The surfaces are a little shabby and could use new paint. This contrasts with the luxurious settings of US hospitals with the best and newest equipment money can buy.

Nursing care is very different here. When you are admitted to the hospital, they keep you until you are well enough to go home. Abby was in the hospital for three days for an ear infection, treated with IV antibotics. No CAT scan, no sophisticated tests. Just a wait and see attitude and low-tech antibiotics until she was better and could go home. Contrast my major abdominal surgery three years ago. I was operated on at 4 pm and sent home in a haze of anesthetic at 7 pm once I could stand up in the recovery room. The surgery was robot-assisted laparoscopy. A follow up office visit a week later. A very different approach to health care. I think Canadian health care does the best it can with very limited resources. I think American health care could do much better in that regard.

Rainy Sunday

It is raining today, and has rained every day for weeks. I hear this is typical weather for this time of year. I am not complaining, though; it was snowing last week in Massachusetts. The rain is light and warm, but persistent. The cows next door acquired a new friend two days ago, a horse named "Horse." Contessa, our next door neighbor and owner of the cows, bought the horse at auction in Nova Scotia to save it from the other bidder who had recently been cited for cruelty for starving his horses. She is a very kind hearted person, and decided to rescue the horse from a terrible fate. The horse is very plain, part Percheron and part Saddlebred. Abby says Horse is very sweet and only two years old. She has been going to visit Horse since she arrived here, and Horse loves the attention.

Abby is so happy here. She has horses to ride, mini horses to train for shows, and she loves living in the country. Life is much slower and more relaxed here, with very little crime. The downside is employment. Jobs are scarce and hard to come by, and most people just get by. Abby will graduate from high school next year and wants to go to UPEI and then to the Atlantic Veterinary College. She has wanted to be an equine vet since she was little. I hope she gets her wish.

The sun is starting to break through the clouds. I hope it clears up soon. It is beautiful here even in the rain, but in the sunshine it is really spectacular.

Riverdance

On this Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, Abigail and I went to see Riverdance at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown. The theater was very nice. There were no bad seats anywhere. We were lucky enough to have the center, first row in the balcony. The show was terrific. The dancers were clearly world champion level Irish dancers, and the singers and musicians were superb. The only downside to the performance was the family behind us who brought their toddler to see the performance. Why they didn't spend the thirty dollars on getting a babysitter is anyone's guess! It would have saved the rest of the surrounding rows from constant chatter and seat-kicking. Children this young don't remember the performance, so taking a child that young to the theater to see an adult-oriented production only irritates the audience.

I think we will be waiting to celebrate Thanksgiving until the last Thursday in November. Somehow it doesn't seem right to celebrate Thanksgiving on Columbus Day! The weather is starting to get colder and fall is definitely in the air. It is getting darker earlier and staying darker earlier in the morning. The darkness will be my greatest winter challenge. Just as I always tried to be here on the summer solstice to enjoy the ten o'clock twilight, I will now have to make it through the dark of winter. I remember going to Scotland in November and the sun never really rising. It was completely dark by three in the afternoon! I have my SADD light, so I will get through it. All in all, I am very happy to be here. People on the Island are very friendly and helpful. I have been told that I will never be considered an "Islander." However, New Englanders are just the same; even though I lived in Lowell, Massachusetts for most of my life, nearly twenty-three years, people born in Lowell would still consider me a "blow-in." I would rather just be myself, having come from somewhere else.

To all you Canadians, Happy Thanksgiving! To all you Americans, Happy Columbus Day!

Sharon

A New Beginning on Prince Edward Island

This past June, my husband and I moved to Prince Edward Island, Canada from Lowell, Massachusetts, USA. We arrived here with our two younger children and three cats. This is the story of why and how we made the move.

The story began almost twenty years ago, when we first visited PEI on vacation. I answered a classified ad for a cottage rental in Argyle Shore, PEI. I had never been to the island, but I had always heard how beautiful it is. We packed the babies in the car and set off. The drive lasted nearly fourteen hours. Thankfully, since that time, the roads have improved greatly and the ferry was replaced with the Confederation Bridge, which cut nearly three hours off our drive time.

When we arrived, we fell in love with the island. The air was so pure and sweet; the colors so bright and beautiful. The fields are so many shades of green, and the soil is rich, red clay. For many years, we promised ourselves that we would live here some day. Each year, we returned to Lowell, never making the leap. I continued working as a lawyer and raising four children. My husband kept working as a software engineer at various companies. Still, we kept talking about moving here, but always had reasons why we needed to stay where we were. That changed with the recession. My husband was forced into early retirement from his job at IBM, though he was in no way ready for retirement. He applied to work in his field in PEI and was hired. He moved in May, and I was left to sell the house and move the family. The house sold within a week, and the week after school let out, we arrived in Canada. My eldest daughter, a pre-schooler when we first came here, graduated from McGill University and lives and works in Montreal, much farther from here than Lowell. My eldest son, a baby when we first visited PEI, stayed behind in Massachusetts. He is a junior in college, studying marine engineering. The younger children, a high school and junior high student, are adjusting very well and really like it here. We still find it hard to believe we finally made it.

I have been working as a fiber artist since 2004, when I had the good fortune to meet a group of extraordinary women who later formed the Lowell Fiber Studio, http://www.lowellfiberstudio.org/sharon.html.
Lowell has an amazing arts community, centered on the Arts League of Lowell, http://www.artsleagueoflowell.com and Western Avenue Studios, http://www.westernavenuestudios.com.

Look for future posts of my art and times in Prince Edward Island.