Standing Into Danger

Friday, July 18, 2025

Oh Canada!

Terry and I decided a week ago that we couldn't make our annual trip

to Nova Scotia over the August long weekend in Canada.

There is just too much going on here at home in Colorado.

Typically, my extended family members try to visit Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia

over the weekend followed by the first Monday in August.

In Canada, this Monday is formally called the Civic Holiday.

The Civic Holiday is not a federally-mandated statutory holiday,

but it is a day off for employees in many provinces and territories.

Different places have different names for it.

For example, in Nova Scotia it is called Natal Day.

My family, like many, considers Civic Holiday part of the August long weekend.

Source

For my family the holiday weekend is a time for getting together

and enjoying games, great food and drink, and giant bonfires.

It's a happy time!

Source

Watching Jake Play Baseball for Nova Scotia on TV

Me (Louise), Krista, Olivia, Bertie, Natalie (Jake's Partner), Peter, Dean, and Martin (sitting by me)

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

August 4, 2018

Roy Makes a Game-Winning Move

Sue, Barb, Terry, and Roy

Barb and Pat's House, Smith's Cove

July 23, 2024

Where There's Family, There's Often a Bonfire

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

July 29, 2023

Every Family Has One! 😂

The Life of the Party, Our Cousin Pat!

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

August 4, 2024

I thought that I would share a few funny Canadian Memes,

just because they make me smile and think of "home."

No Timmy's here in Colorado! ☕️😭

Love This Photo of Roy with His Special Latte

Made by Sister Barista Bertie

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

August 4, 2024

We all take our hockey seriously! 🏒

We love our fires, campfires, bonfires! 🔥

Sane Master Fire Maker and Engineer Martin Gets to Work

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

July 27, 2024

Insane Master Fire Makers aka Cousins and Friends

Additives: Frozen Yogurt, A Can of Beer, and Some Diesel Fuel

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

August 1, 2015

We love our lobster dinners! 🦞

Meanwhile in Smith's Cove, Sara Cracks Lobster Claws

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

August 7, 2019

Actually Our Family Has More Than One! 😂

Sisters Natalie and Sara with Terry and Krista in the Background

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

August 7, 2019

Actually Our Family Has More Than Two! 😂

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada

July 28, 2014

And always the hardest part is saying "Goodbye." 👋🏻

We're too busy saying "Goodbye" to take pictures.

But we're always up for snapping hugs and squeezes!

A Squeeze from My Favorite Brother

Beautiful Cove, Long Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

August 2, 2016

I'm linking to Tom's Aloha Friday, Nicole's Friday Face Off, and Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date.

For Tom: Aloha! ~ Aloha is a complex concept, but certainly love of family is aloha.

We've Been Taking Family Group Shots Forever!

Front: Roy, Great Grammie Sara, Baby Barb or Joanie, Me (Louise), Mom Sara, Donnie

Back: Great Aunt Vera (?), Grammie Ella, Great Aunt Mary (?)

I've asked the extended family detectives to help me out.

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

Circa Summer 1956

For Nicole: Happy Family Faces! ~ The August Long Weekend Last Year.

Happy Family Faces!

Back: Pat, Barb, Terry, Roy

Front: Martin, Me (Louise), Donnie, and Sue

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

August 1, 2024

For Rain: Owls ~ This "family"owl now hangs out in the Smith's Cove Museum. Mom's first cousin Kelsey Raymond bought it in a sale from the Jaggar Estate after a fire in 1950 for 50 cents. It had been shot off the Methodist Church sometime in the past. Most of my life it sat in the front parlor of my Great Grammie Sara Cossett Cossaboom. The Jaggar Estate belonged to Louise Jaggar (my Mom's mentor ~ who persuaded Mom that she was smart enough to go to university) and her brother Thomas who founded the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

The "Family" Owl

Smith's Cove Museum

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

July 21, 2023

I thought this would be an easy post! Ha!

When I was working on it a couple of days ago, my sister Donnie FaceTimed me,

and she found me crying because I missed my family and was distressed

that I wouldn't be in Nova Scotia for the August long weekend this year.

Why would I answer a FaceTime then?

Because Donnie is one of my lucky stars!

She managed to bring me round to laughs with a reminder

that I could come in September and baby Elsie and brother Jackson would be there.

Elsie and Jackson

Outside London, United Kingdom

May 2025

I'm doing fine now!

I wasn't even bothered when I learned today that our renovation

is now scheduled to finish the week of July 28. 😵‍💫 🤞 😂

Have a great weekend!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be

Friday, July 25, 2025 🤞

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Friday, July 11, 2025

Glitched Out!

I learned a new term on Wednesday, "Glitched out."

My "education" began a little after 9:00 am on Wednesday when I received a text

from my endocrinologist's office telling me that I needed to

update a computer form before my 11:00 am phone appointment with my doctor.

No worries! I had accessed this large healthcare system's patient site before.

I sat right down at my computer to do it.

An hour later I was nowhere.

After texts, phone calls, security identifications questions,

password changes, emails, codes, and expiring links,

I was online with an IT specialist at the large health system.

He investigated my problem for a few minutes,

came back and told me that my account was "glitched out."

He said he'd try to fix it and to wait on the line until he got back to me.

Twenty minutes later, my call was dropped.

I guess he couldn't fix my account's "glitched out" issue.

Google

I called my endocrinologist's office and was told no completed form,

no appointment.

They sent me a direct link. Didn't work.

I called a second time and explained.

They sent me another direct link. Didn't work.

I called a third time.

"My account is glitched out. That's what IT told me before they dropped my call,"

I explained in frustration ~ Yet again! "I can't access my account or the form."

"You have to fill out the form or book a new appointment."

"I already went to the hospital and had blood tests for this appointment.

I don't want to have to the repeat the blood tests," I sobbed.

(ADHD and LD in technology is not a good combination.)

By this time Terry had been running in and out of my office telling me to hang up.

That this was ridiculous. Repeatedly.

He shouted at the doctor's office person, "Just tell the doctor what's going on.

She knows us. She wouldn't like what's go on. She'll call us.

She'll take my wife's appointment, form or no form."

"No," said Office Person.

"I'm going to have to take my wife to the emergency room, if you don't fix this.

She is very upset!" said a very loud and upset Terry.

"I'm fine, " I yelled at Terry. "Fine!"

Google

Things were not going well in the Barbour household. 😂

"The doctor is with another patient right now," said Office Worker.

"But this is my appointment time."

"But you didn't fill out your forms, so you lost your appointment."

"Then get us to the doctor after this person," Terry demanded with a few !@#$%s. "Or we'll get a new doctor."

"I'm going to say "Goodbye" now," I said.

Thank you for your help. Have a good rest of the day."

Silence.

I ended the call.

Glitched Out!

Google

Glitched Out!

Google

I resorted to playing Royal Match and eating Shredded Wheat Bites.

Ten minutes or so later my phone rang.

It was my endocrinologist.

This wonderful Chinese woman from Adelaide with this warm Aussie accent

smiled at me from my phone and listened patiently as Terry unloaded.

This was most distressing for this born Canadian.

Google

"Okay, I better stop now, so you can talk to Louise." He leaves my office.

"I'm sorry!" I say. "I'm not as upset as Terry said.

He's just worried about me because he loves me."

"I know," said my doctor. "Sometimes we just have to vent."

My bloodwork and thyroid are excellent!!!

Ten minutes after my endocrinologist and I finish talking, my phone rings.

It's my doctor's office.

"You had an 11:00 appointment with your doctor that you missed ..."

Some days do you just want to crawl under the covers

and work up the courage to start again? 😵‍💫

From Debra!

Now I'm contemplating calling the health system's IT department,

to see if someone can fix my glitched out account.

I've got nine months before my next appointment. 😂

AI Overview: "Glitched out" is an informal term used to describe a situation where something is not working correctly, especially due to a temporary malfunction or unexpected problem."

HiNative: "It can also refer to a person feeling panicked." 😵‍💫

I'm linking to Tom's Aloha Friday, Nicole's Friday Face Off, and Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date.

Have a great week!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be

Friday, July 17, 2025 🤞

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

IWSG: Wednesday, July 2 ~ Three IWSG Authors with a Little Led Thrown In!

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.

To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are

Rebecca Douglass, Natalie Aguirre, Cathrina Constantine, and Louise Barbour (Fundy Blue)!

Stop by their posts and thank them for hosting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.

This month's optional question is:

Is there a genre you haven't tried writing in yet that you really want to try? If so, do you plan on trying it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy July, Everyone!

I hope all is well with each of you.

I have never written romance.

I could write about sexual assault, but not romance.

I'd like to break through that barrier.

We shall see.

On an entirely different topic, I like to read books written by IWSG authors,

and I've read a fair number.

This month I've read two new books and reread a favorite.

The first is the short story "The Power of Touch" by Pat Garcia.

I may not have written romance, but I enjoy romantic stories,

and this one is refreshingly unusual.

For Gianluca Abate, "One single, gigantic blast

had blown up everything he lived for." (from "Power", page 3...)

But at a train station, he meets a stranger,

someone unlike the cold-hearted people in his life,

someone who might redirect his despairing course.

This story will make you believe in the possibility and the power of love.

Amazon

The second is the inspiring memoir "Determination: A Mother of Five Conquers College"

by Victoria Marie Lees, another longtime active IWSG member like Pat Garcia.

"Funny thing about dreams," Victoria writes.

"You can try to hide them in your heart, but they never truly die." (from "Determination", Introduction ...)

This determined woman finally sets out to prove to her children,

the naysayers, and herself that dreams can come true.

I connected with this memoir on so many levels.

It reminded me of my mother's struggle to earn her degree as a mother of five,

and of my own nontraditional path to my Masters degree and beyond.

Amazon

The third is a book I've read and reread, a definite original, "Imagine Hatt: Season One"

by a second Pat, my friend and a fellow IWSG Admin, the irrepressible Pat Hatt.

Pat and I

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

July 27, 2024

"So what do you want to do with the rest of your life? ...

The Researcher patiently waited for my response."

"I'm going to continue my writing

and hopefully bring a little imagination back to the world.

People are stuck, unable to use their imagination because they lack it

or they are stifled by the big wigs.

I'd like to show it can still be used." (from "Imagine Hatt", page 103 ...)

I think those few sentences are the key to who Pat is as a writer and why he writes.

And Pat's imagination is in full use, as Orlin, the irreverent and funny cat,

erases his human's boring emails to a penpal

and replaces them with zany tales making fun of humans instead.

Even though the novel is funny, outrageous,

wildly original, poignant, and, in places scatologic,

I had trouble remembering that it was fiction and its characters fictional.

And it has changed forever how I look at planes flying overhead.

I'm the first to admit that this book isn't for everyone,

but if you're broad-mined, imaginative, and uninhibited,

Books Read in 2026

"18 Days in Heaven" by Gale Poirot
"A Serial Killer's Daughter: My Story of Hope, Love, and Overcoming" by Kerrie Rawson
"Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life" by Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD.
"Is Math Real? How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics Deepest Truths" by Eugenia Cheng
"Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir
"Tell Me Everything" by Elizabeth Strout
"The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese
"The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity" by David Graeber and David Wengrow
"The Life Impossible" by Matthew Haig
"The Lord go the Rings" by JRR Tolkien
"The Match" by Harlan Corben
"The Night the Path Disappeared" by Terri Bergen
"The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper" by Roland Allen
"Theo of Golden" by Allen Levi
"Think Twice" by Harlan Corben
"Why Christianity Must Change Or Die" by John Shelby Spong

Standing Into Danger

Pages

Friday, July 18, 2025

Oh Canada!

Friday, July 11, 2025

Glitched Out!

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

IWSG: Wednesday, July 2 ~ Three IWSG Authors with a Little Led Thrown In!

Translate