Thursday, November 3, 2022

Novel Scotia - Deleted Scene

The first draft of the novel was, at 140,00 words, too long, so I began trimming. The following scene I liked very much, but the support structure to make it work was awkward, so out it went.


He arrived home just in time to avert a disaster. Smelling smoke, he rushed into the kitchen. Eula had left a pot of potatoes simmering on the stove. It had boiled dry and the potatoes were a smoking ruin. He yanked it off the stove and dropped it, the handle being too hot to hold. When Eula saw the scorch mark on the floor, she was so upset she took to her bed for several days, and the burnt floor was a constant reminder of her close brush with a fire. Unable to absolve herself of the mistake, she decided that it was time to move into a home for seniors. She was adamant about it, saying to Avon, “I’ll not be a burden nor a danger to you.” 

Lettuce agreed, emphasizing that it was for her own safety, though adding that a move would not happen anytime soon, for there was always a long wait to get into a nursing home. In this they were proved wrong by the Department of Elderly Affairs, which announced the opening of a special retirement centre in an abandoned factory in Windsor. Lettuce, who in looking after the farm’s books was adept at dealing with bureaucracy, made inquiries and returned with documents for Avon to sign. On the day of departure she provided the transportation, though there was a slight delay when she checked Eula’s bag. Avon had done the packing and included a toothbrush, a hotwater bottle, a bit of food, but no clothing beyond socks and a spare sweater. He had been too shy to look for anything of a more personal nature, so Lettuce went into the house to do it for him.

Eula was in good spirits, and reminded them once they got under way that Lemuel had often sailed into Windsor before the Avon River causeway was built, and now impeded the river in its journey to Minas Basin, Cape Blomidon, the Bay of Fundy, and the ocean beyond. The town had been one of Canada’s busiest ports in the 19th century, shipping apples, gypsum, and lumber to the world until it burned to the ground during the Great Fire of 1897. The textile factory, being just outside of town, survived that fate, and which at a later date inspired it to produce a line of flameproof union suits with trap doors. Eventually the business shut down, and an attempt to convert the building to a condominium failed during the economic crash of 2008. Though empty for years, the three-storey heap had remained a landmark of sorts due to its visibility and imposing appearance.

Inside, the factory’s industrial look was retained by walls of exposed brick and rows of bench-style seating, where a number of seniors waiting to be admitted discussed their bowel movements. Their voices competed with the blabberings of a large-screen wall-mounted monitor. and the sound of hammering on the floor above, for the place was still undergoing renovations. When Eula’s name was called, Avon and Lettuce accompanied her to a counter where an orderly in a white tunic registered her and insisted on checking her bag. Inside he found a few pieces of dried fungus and some smoked eel in a plastic container. “Sorry, not allowed. The diet of test subjects is carefully controlled.”

“Test subjects?” Lettuce asked.

I mean guests, but dont forget that this facility is is part of a pilot project and during this phase it’s crucial that conditions are carefully regulated so that results are statistically valid.”

“You’re experimenting with drugs?”

“Absolutely not. That would be contrary to our goal, which is to find a healthy and viable alternative to imprisoning seniors into ghettoes of the aged.” He handed Avon an informational booklet, then opened the gate to admit Eula, saying, “You can come through now. Welcome to your new home.”

She folded back the edge of her bonnet and offered her cheek to Avon. “Goodbye, my lamb. You must come and visit.” He watched as she was led down a green-tiled corridor and around a corner, after which he slowly turned away. As they left the building the monitor on the wall was cycling through testimonials of happy 90-year-olds living active lives, interspersed with infomercials on erectile dysfunction and the popularity of adult diapers in Japan.

It was several weeks before Avon saw her again. He made numerous attempts to visit, but never succeeded in getting past the orderly at the counter. Eula was either attending a seminar, workshop, or training session to learn new life skills. Finally he was summoned there by a phone call for an update on her progress. The foyer was still full, but less noisy since work on the second floor was now complete, and when his number was called he was shown into the office of the deputy director, a trim middle-aged man in casual attire, his desk backstopped by a wall with numerous diplomas in undecipherable Gothic script. He greeted Avon with a warm handshake and a medical homily.

“If you follow the news at all, you’ll know our health care system is in crisis. Attempts to remedy the situation usually focus on reducing the doctor shortage, but here we’re taking the opposite approach. It’s no coincidence that our senior population is the highest in the country. People are living longer, and the healthier we can keep them the less pressure they’ll exert on our overloaded health services. That’s what we’re trying to do here, and why a person of your grandmother’s advanced age was included in our study. We want as broad a range of subjects as possible. The restoration of this building is symbolic of what we’re trying to achieve.”

He beamed when Avon mentioned that he had been unable to visit Eula. “I’ll take that as a compliment. It’s one of our goals to keep our guests busy. Besides, visits can be disruptive, so we keep them to a minimum.”

“Can I see her now?”

“Absolutely.” He emerged from behind the desk, bringing his narrow Italian loafers out of hiding, and led the way to a tiled corridor with doors on each side. As he unlocked one of them, the cellphone on his belt played a merry tune. “I have to take this,” he said and waved Avon in. “Be with you in a moment.”

The door opened into a dim cavity scarcely large enough to hold a bed. The air was cool, the walls blank, the smell of disinfectant strong, the shape on the bed motionless. “Eula?” he said softly but there was no response. The only sound he heard was the purring voice of the deputy director in the hallway. He waited several minutes, then words poured out of him in a rush. He asked how she was doing and apologized for not visiting sooner. Was the food okay? Was there anything he could bring her? When there was still no response, he reached out and touched the mound on the bed, only to find that the shape under the blanket was made by pillows. He left the room and confronted the deputy director, who was just concluding his conversation.

“My grandmother’s not here.”

“Yes, sorry about that. I forgot there was an activity scheduled for her. You may not be aware of this, but seniors don’t want to sit around all day watching TV and playing bingo. An active and meaningful life is what they’re interested in, and we want to help them achieve that. Pretty soon we’ll have her doing bench presses. No, don’t look skeptical, weight-lifting promotes heart health and is on the program. In your grandmother’s case, I’m happy to report that she’s doing just fine. In fact, yesterday she crawled out a window and was found trying to hitch a ride on the 101.”

“You mean, she tried to escape?”

“Yes, we’re very pleased with her progress. She getting lots of fresh air as well as gentle exercise that promotes flexibility and stimulates the hippocampus, which is so important for memory retention.”

Questions bubbled out of Avon. “Why is the room so small? Where is she now? Could she have escaped again?”

The response was calm and rational. The room’s size was to discourage people from staying cooped up, and as to the possibility of another escape he said, “We certainly hope so, though not in a legal sense, as you’ll see if you check the documents you signed when she was admitted.”

Back in his office he asked Avon to sign a visitation report attesting to the satisfactory care that Eula was receiving. When asked why there were so many pages, he said, “Oh, it’s just a formality. You know, blah blah blah, that sort of thing.”

Avon complied, but afterward drove immediately to the Valley to make sure the furnace tank in the house was topped up with fuel, and that his uncles had keys to the gate and knew that the front door should remain unlocked, in case Eula ever got that far in an escape attempt.

NOTES

1. In 2021 part of the roof collapsed. Demolition has begun, but some of the structure will be preserved. 

2. YouTube has some great video clips of the place, and a lovely song entitled "Cotton Mill" by Terra Spencer, recorded inside.


 

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Pumpkin People


 

 

 

 

 

 

Every October zombie-like creatures appear in the streets of Kentville. They're lumpy, ill-dressed, and sometimes their heads fall off. They're the stars of the town's Pumpkin People Festival, which celebrates the approach of Hallowe'en.

In 2006 they staged a parade. 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2010 they were joined by a bad bunch from Star Wars.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2013 the police nabbed one of the culprits.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkins Are Big in the Valley

Every October there's also a Pumpkin Festival in nearby Windsor. One of the main events is a weigh-off where growers compete for the heaviest pumpkin title. The seeds used are those of the Atlantic Giant variety, developed by Howard Dill of Windsor. They are capable of producing behemoths so huge that forklifts are required to move them.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smaller versions, in the vicinity of 500-600 lbs are snapped up by people to compete in the annual Pumpkin Regatta. They are hollowed out, painted, and paddled across a small lake. There's even a motorized division.



 

 

 

 

 

 

Valley Ghost Walks

I'm not sure why pumpkins are associated with Hallowe'en, especially since in some places it used to be called Cabbage Night, but pumpkin people share the limelight with Valley Ghost Walks, now in its 15th season and taking place in the evening in various venues. 

I went to one in 2015 and heard about spooky and sometimes unsettling events from the past, such as the location of Gallows Hill where hangings once took place.

I attended another at Riverside Cemetery in Hantsport, and learned that buried there in 1888 are more than 30 people, the cause of death believed to be "black fish cholera" resulting from beached pilot whales that were used to fertilize fields. 

Nova Scotia has a powerful association with ghosts and spooky phenomena. Being on the Atlantic coast, it has seen its share of maritime disasters. A graveyard in Halifax holds most of the bodies recovered from the sinking of the Titanic. The Halifax Explosion killed 2000 and flattened the north end of the city. There are shipwrecks on every coast, and attacks by by pirates and privateers have fed superstitions about hauntings and forerunners, as recorded by Helen Creighton in Bluenose Ghosts and Bluenose Magic. Even ghost ships have been spotted.

2022 

The theme for this year's Pumpkin People is the Animal Kingdom.



 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pumpkin People were featured in a charming children's book by Sandra and Ron Lightburn, published by Nimbus in 2008. It's 32 pages long. 


 

 

 

 

 

Finally, my own attempt at celebrating Hallowe'en.



Saturday, October 15, 2022

Yellowknife Reviews in Good Reads

Some nice comments about the book at Good Reads



Tuesday, August 23, 2022

The Radium Girls

When it was discovered that radium could be used to treat cancerous tumours, entrepreneurs quickly seized the opportunity to promote it in a wide range of products: soap, pills, dressings, suppositories, toothpaste, cosmetics, jockstraps.

One of the most widespread uses of radium was in luminous dials for watches. Dial-painting was performed by women, often teenagers as young as 14. They used a technique called lip-pointing, which involved shaping the tip of a paintbrush with their mouths. They also prepared the radium-infused paint they used by mixing a powder with water. The powder was very fine and was got everywhere. On their clothes, in their hair. Their employer, Radium Dial, assured them the paint was perfectly harmless. It even claimed radium was good for them.

Radium poisoning can take years to manifest. With the dial painters one of the first symptoms was often teeth that became loose and fell out. The wounds they left refused to heal and oozed pus. Sometimes a jawbone crumbled. Dentists were perplexed.

Other dial-painters developed sarcomas. One woman's head swelled to twice its size. Another had a leg that became four inches shorter than the other. A third fainted from fright when she woke up in the middle of the night and saw herself in the mirror. She had not turned on the lights. Her face was glowing.

Radium Dial steadfastly maintained that the problems were not work-related, but knew the truth as early as 1925 and did everything in its power to cover up and evade blame. This mainly involved lying, but sometimes included dirty tricks. When the company agreed to have an autopsy performed on a recently deceased woman, her family asked that their own doctor be present. The company agreed, but arranged to have the autopsy performed before the doctor arrived. Diphtheria was given as the cause of death.

Many doctors happily allowed their patients to rack up enormous bills. Some were merely incompetent, others in the employ of the company were downright crooked. Part of the problem was that the dangers of radium poisoning were not well-known. That changed when a wealthy playboy named Eben Myers died in 1932 after drinking several thousand bottle of "radium water." A newspaper headline said, "The Radium Water Worked Fine Until His Jaw Came Off."

The afflicted women finally found a lawyer who agreed to take their case to court. Leonard Grossman was recommended by Clarence Darrow, and had a soft spot for the working class. For him, the cause was more important than the fee. He won the case, but the decision was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court. The company involved used the statute of limitations to fight off paying financial damages..

The bulk of the book is taken up with the personal stories of the dial-painters and the terrible suffering they endured. It's a heart-rending account, one you will not easily forget.

Monday, April 11, 2022

Sunday, January 30, 2022

NOVEL SCOTIA

Available on Amazon as a trade paperback (CAN $20) and Kindle e-book (CAN $5).  419 pages including 14 pages of notes.

 
The following photos are intended to illustrate some of the locations visited by the characters. In the book only three gray-scale illustrations are present, one in each Tier.
 
 
THE VALLEY
 
 
The river had subsided by several feet and was now flowing in the opposite direction. How could it be so indifferent to the laws of nature?

The road dropped down to a tiny cove where a few fishing boats huddled.

Aside from a fantastic section carved away by the elements, the beach was smooth and level.

 They looked like knobby heaps separated by winding channels of gravel, some wide as a sidewalk, others narrow and twisty.

“They’re hard to paddle because they’re not streamlined. Whipple’s trying to grow one that’s a little easier to manage, one with a keel.”

Each 18-bushel bin contained about 2250 apples. The man with the sweet smile averaged seven or eight bins a day, more when the picking was good, thus earning him the nickname Mr. Pickquick.

Nina fell back with a gasp as it sailed over the fence and landed on the asphalt in a clatter of steel-shod hooves and a spray of sparks. It cantered a short way down the road, then stopped and looked around uncertainly.

Each pair was linked by a carved wooden yoke and moved into position at a stately pace like royalty, accompanied by the solemn jingle of bells attached to neck straps.

  

THE CITY
 
 

 The skeletal orange beasts of a container terminal, gantry cranes with their booms raised as though saluting or trumpeting.  
 
 

 
Flashing lights and jaunty tunes filled the air as people strolled about holding glasses of colourful liquids or sat on stools before flashy vending machines with names like Julius Cashier, Eel of Fortune, and You Bet Your Ass
 
 

He gazed up at its underbelly reticulated with girders, at the two green towers that shouldered the load of the deck, and at the graceful orange cables that swooped down and plunged into  concrete abutments, as though they were not holding up the bridge but keeping it from floating away.

He set off on a tour called Hanging Out in Halifax. It took him to the Grand Parade, the Wanderers Grounds, the Public Gardens, and a few other places where in times gone by people had danced the hempen jig.
 
 

...another battery appeared, but in much better repair. The gun emplacements were intact, and three men staggered around drunkenly on a raised proscenium, cursing and quarrelling in loud voices. Seated before them on folding chairs was a respectful audience. 

    “Thou deboshed fish.”

    “Bite him to death, I prithee.”

    “Knock a nail into his head.”

    “I will supplant some of your teeth.”

“Shakespeare-by-the-Sea,” Maps said as he and Avon backed away.

 

Trailer Park Boys was no longer being shot in HRM, but tourists were so interested in seeing the locations that Maps had developed a sheet on the subject. It included the sites of several noteworthy scenes, such as the bank that the boys tried to stick up, and where one of the characters, Mr. Lahey, somehow ended up on the roof in his underpants.


...a triumphal arch inscribed with the word Sebastopol in honour of two Nova Scotians who died in the Crimean War. Atop it was a stone lion. “That was once a well-hung cat,” Maps said, and addressed it with a ditty of his own composition.

O King of Beasts upon a throne

What happened to thy balls of stone?

Didst thou roar when nipped so cruelly

To reflect the times more truly?

To Avon, he added that it had been neutered to avoid disturbing Victorian sensibilities.



There was a dank smell in the air, and their footsteps echoed with a hollow sound accompanied by the faint rumble of traffic overhead. Soon they were wading through several inches of water and ducking to avoid pipes that hung from metal strapping. Presently a light appeared in the passage ahead and voices became audible.


FURTHER READING:

OTHER NOVELS SET IN NOVA SCOTIA

Bruce, Charles. 1954. The Channel Shore

Ibid. 1959. The Township of Time

Buckler, Ernest. 1952. The Mountain and the Valley

Choyce, Leslie. 1994. Republic of Nothing

Clarke, George Elliott. 1990. Whylah Falls

Day, Frank Parker. 1928. Rockbound

Holmes, Jeffrey. 1974. Farewell to Nova Scotia

MacLennan, Hugh. 1941. Barometer Rising

Norman, Howard. 1998. The Museum Guard

Raddall, Thomas. 1992. Hangman's Beach