Summer Checkpoint

Remember Act Quickly Summer is Almost Over? 

(Could that really have been 11 years ago?)

I’ve been trying to cultivate a different attitude about summer of late, more “be present, and enjoy the summer” than “ACT QUICKLY!” Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Lisa marks her birthday as the halfway point of summer, and as her birthday was this week, it seems like a good time to reflect on the presence or lack thereof.

The Gathering of the Rukavinas

The Gathering of the Rukavinas has come to an end for 2025: my little brothers brought their families to the Island, the first time we’d all been in the same place since forever. We were 17 at Peak Rukavina, and while I would have liked more time with everyone, I consider it a success that we managed to wrangle all 17 of us into Salt & Sol for supper (great service and great food; I’d take a large group there any time!).

Home Exchange

We’ve decamped to the shore for much of the summer, which lets us host home exchange guests downtown (we have had a few days open up in August if you’re looking). The shore (Lisa prefers “the beach”) is quieter, involves more swimming, a much smaller space, and considerably more languid afternoons. We are privileged.

Lunch with Thelma and Steven

We had lunch with Thelma and Steven at The Cork & Cast. They rode the bus in from Foxley River for the day! It was a delight. 

(Thelma wrote a beautiful tribute to her late mother; please go and read it.)

Golf Caddy

Lisa’s parents gifted her an afternoon of golf at Red Sands, and I came along to drive the golf cart. It was my first time on a golf course in about 20 years. I sunk a few off-the-books putts, and learned a lot about the game from Lisa’s father Hoss. I’m not turned, but I am sympathetic.

The Dice Game

We were hosted by our shore-friends (“beach-friends”) Alison and Walt, and were taught a complicated after-supper game called simply “The Dice Game” that involves a heavy emphasis on ones and fives. For the first 30 minutes I was dumbfounded, but I caught on.

Back to Owl’s Hollow

I was pulled into Owl’s Hollow for the first time in forever by the promise of “tasty ices lattes” on their outdoor sign. The ices lattes, I can confirm, are indeed tasty. And the store has never looked better. Somehow, despite there being 8 foot high letters painted on the side of the building that spell out TOYS & GAMES, I was somehow surprised to find they sell games. I bought two: That’s Not a Hat, and Really Loud Librarians. So far my latte-to-game purchase ratio is 1:1.

Neurolens Eyeglasses

The biggest transformation in my life—I’m burying the lede here—is that, after months of dithering and scheming, I have a new pair of eyeglasses, with Neurolens lenses in them. 

I’ve been dealing with a basket of symptoms for more than a decade—vertigo, dizziness, fatigue, neck pain, general ennui—that seemed eye-misalignment-related. I’ve talked to my doctor, my physiotherapist, my osteopath, a concussion specialist; nobody was able to help.

Last fall my optometrist, suggested I might look into Neurolens as an enhancement to the standard-issue prism correct she’s been putting in my prescription for many years. I was skeptical, afraid it wouldn’t work and the setback would be a blow I didn’t need, and put off by the cost (about $1500, all-in, all out-of-pocket, as we’ve no insurance). But, with Lisa’s nudging, I made a last-minute appointment at a Halifax optometrist that has the Neurolens diagnostic machine, got a prescription, and then returned last month to order frames and lenses.

The Halifax optometrist recommended that, in addition to the lenses, I get a clip-on blue light filter, to help me address possibly-related issues with fluorescent lights (Sobeys has always been my number one symptom trigger). This clip-on requirement significantly reduced the choice of their frames I could choose from, and this paucity of choice led me to throw caution to the wind and choose a pair of bold red frames:

I’ve been wearing the lenses for almost two weeks now. My first note, after a day, was “I find it very difficult to focus on the text on my cell phone. It’s not blurry, but it does feel like my eyes are misaligned.” and I’ve had a variety of “acclimation” challenges since, all of them, I’m told, to be expected.

What I haven’t had are any of the symptoms I sought out to address: no vertigo, no dizziness, no fatigue, no neck pain, no general ennui. This despite a lot of triggering situations this week: shopping, dinner parties, night driving, computer use.

I’m not ready to proclaim victory yet, but signs are very positive that these new lenses are going to make a very real and dramatic improvement in my day to day life.

Instructions for Myself

In May, when I read James A. Reeves’ post Instructions for Myself, I felt called to turn it into a chapbook. James kindly agreed, and over the course of several early-summer weeks I set and printed the pages, bound a small edition, and shipped it off to James.

James replied with a very kind thank you post.

I love everything about this.

Keith Milligan’s Beech

One of Charlottetown’s hidden gems is Premiers’ Grove, on the Experimental Farm, about here, where a tree has been planted in honour of all premiers of Prince Edward Island since Walter Shaw.

Wade MacLauchlan’s tree is the most recent,  a red oak planted in 2016. 

The grove includes a beech tree for Keith Milligan, who was Premier for just 50 days, back in 1996. It’s my favourite.

The Queen Square Press Shop

Lisa and I are having a lot of fun expanding our printing and printmaking skills. Sometimes we put what we make up in our little online store. Often we forget to announce that. Here are some of my favourite things we have for sale:

• Nanny’s Vase, a reduction lino print that Lisa carved and printed for Sally Caston’s print exchange.
• Shipping Tag Letters. Perhaps a product I’m the best customer for (isn’t that the best kind of product?). A to Z, plus &. $2.50 each.
• Furiously Curious. Lisa framed this in a bold red frame and hung it on the wall in our stairway, and seeing it every day has transformed my relationship with this broadside. It might be my favourite of all the things I’ve printed.
• Chicken Rocket. It’s all in the name.
• Terms of Union Flash Cards. I printed these a decade ago. I’ve gifted them to every new Premier as a handy reference. They may be a product of no interest to anyone but the most esoteric constitutional/letterpress wonk. But I love them.

Cat Camp

Lisa is off to Montreal for a week to catch up with old friends. L. is off to the Valley for a week to meet new friends, at summer camp. 

Meanwhile, I’m moving from the shore (beach) back into town for 10 days to look after Mike and Karen’s cats, and to support my mother. I will miss the swimming; I’m looking forward to spending time with Mom; I’m daunted by the cats. 

Wish me luck.