Winter Day in Nova Scotia

[8ch(pl)]

All the snow in this picture fell in about a 24 hour period from 9 pm Wednesday until last night. #Total accumulation was abour 37 inches - 90 sm - and this is a record single snowfall for Nova Scotia. #http://www.accesswave.ca/~gsimpson/glen%20with%20mandolin%20in%20snow2.jpg

[Strathspey]

I'm over on PEI . . . it is a beautiful day . . . State of Emergency still on. This isn't as bad as '82, we had no school for 2 weeks and 2 days. This once has been a doozy!

Matt

[J. Mark Lane]

Wow! And I thought we had it bad here in NY. The only thing one can do in these terrible circumstances is... go inside and play the mandolin.

Mark

[mad dawg]

Did your forget to pull your mandolin into the garage and had to dig it out again? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[pathfinder]

I'm in Ontario. #If you're finding it necessary to use instruments to shovel snow, I'll ship you a banjo if you agree to send me that sweet little Mid Missouri (?) you're holding! #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[8ch(pl)]

Sorry, my M-4 is my baby. I was born and raised in Wallaceburg Ontario, never saw this kind of snow there. Had snow this deep last winter but it was an accumulation from before Christmas to February. There was only a few inches of old stuff down, first time state of emergency for snow, metro halifax got the worst, but it is pretty bad in PEI as well.

[pathfinder]

Hey, the rosewood M-4! #Same model as mine! #No wonder it looked familiar. #Well, you may as well settle in and play until they dig you out. #

It's hard to imagine 36 inches of snow in 24 hours. #All sorts of logistical problems, such as where the plows will put it all, whether or not to shovel the roof of the house and garage to remove all the extra weight, etc. #Good luck.

[nar]

Sure glad I live in Victoria B.C. I picked a bunch of daffodils from my garden yesterday.
Neil

[8ch(pl)]

There is also a curfew of 11 pm. Unheard of. The plow just came down and deposited about 5 feet in the threashold of my driveway. That's the first weve seen the equipment. I was about 4 hours removing the snow before he came. I know what I'll be doing in the morning.

[BBarton]

Halifax reporting (actually, Middle Sackville) -- about 95 cm here so spent about 8 h digging out yesterday (and some more last night). #My muscles ache too much to even play mando today! #But I didn't use mine to shovel with . . . #(8ch(pl) -- are you in Halifax area?)

[8ch(pl)]

Yes, I'm in Cole Harbour, I'm in the metro phone book as G. Glen Simpson.

I shovelled for about the same. 6 more inches coming.

I resd in the paper yesterday that the average February snowfall here is 40 cm (16 inches). 95 in 24 hours...

[Mike Crocker]

Wow! I've been watching that storm on the TV news and weather channels. Our winter (I'm in southern Ontario) has been bad, constant road closures and the kids have missed several days of school, and my music business suffers from folks not getting to lessons. Not as bad as yours though! This stuff reminds us of our mortality.

I had a couple of weeks touring about PEI and Cape Breton last summer. Loved it! The weather was incredible and we started dreaming of living there.

Don't wear out your shovel, Canadian Tire might be sold out.

Peace, Mooh.

[BBarton]

Mooh -- keep dreamin' It's still a wonderful area in spite of this big snowstorm, and no power at home for 18 hours! I'm also originally from central Ont. but love it here after 5 months -- and lots of great music (but need to find some fellow players -- Glen, maybe we should share some tunes sometime).

[pathfinder]

I hear Halifax has extended the 11:00 PM curfew for a second or third night. #Based on the experience of the New York City blackout of 1965, and the Ottawa Valley Ice Storm of 1998, I predict a 'baby boom' about nine months from now! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[8ch(pl)]

Not tonight, I'm too tired from shovelling snow!!! Besides, I'm 55.

[Mike Crocker]

I think I'll wait until summer for my next trip! I gotta say that we were very impressed with PEI, the College of Piping, the National Park, the Bridge, and the quietest campground anywhere. It's hard to imagine it with snow.

We saw Cynthia MacLeod and Gordon Belsher in Charlottetown after seeing them in Ontario. Nice surprise!

Peace, Mooh.

[BBarton]

Yes, curfew extended in Halifax for third night -- tonight for 10 PM so the crews can clean up . . . and it's still snowing!!

[8ch(pl)]

Hey fiddlernelson,

My folk group (Harbour Folk Society) has a song circle every Wednesday evening from 7 to 10 at the food court in the Dartmouth Ferry terminal. Drop by, it's free and plenty of parking. I'l be there this week God willing, but not the following 2.

[levin4now]

The Canadian maritimes are truly a great place to visit (and perhaps live!) My father immigrated from Holland to Truro NS. I've visited a few times to friends on PEI (Red Oyster Bridge?), NS (New Glasgow) and NB (Lower Hainesville, Fredericton).

Reminds me of a song my friends used to play in their band...."Farewell to Nova Scotia"

The sun was setting in the west
The birds were singing on every tree
All nature seemed inclined to rest
But still there was no rest for me

Chorus:
Farewell to Nova Scotia, the sea-bound coast
Let your mountains, dark and dreary, be
And when I am far away on the briny oceans tossed
Will you ever heave a sigh and a wish for me?

I grieve to leave my native land
I grieve to leave my comrades all
And my parents, whom I've held so dear
And the bonnie, bonnie lass that I do adore....

[8ch(pl)]

The song "Farewell to Nova Scotia" was collected in the 1930's by Helen Creighton, a reknown folklorist and author from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. #She found the tune in either West Petpeswick or East Petpeswick, which are small fishing comunities abut 20 miles east of Dartmouth. #Nobody knows who wrote the song, but it has been recorded several times and is often heard in folk music gatherings. #Catherine MacKinnon has probably the best recording of it, she is married to Don Herron (Charlie Farquarson on Hee Haw).

It is a great song, representative of my adopted province and people don't seem to #get tired of hearing it.

[Mike Crocker]

Verses 3 and 4 of Farewell To Nova Scotia as I know them from the Penguin Book of Canadian Folk Songs (NOT the Canadian Book of Penguin Folk Songs...we have no penguins.) Been singing this one for many years and I'm from Ontario!

The drums they do beat and the wars do alarm,
The captain calls, we must obey,
So farewell, farewell to Nova Scotia's charms,
For it's early in the morning I am far, far away.

I have 3 brothers and they are at rest,
Their arms are folded on their breast,
But a poor and simple sailor just like me
Must be tossed and driven on the dark blue sea.

Peace, Mooh.

[BBarton]

Yes, I've heard Catherine MacKinnon do that one, but always kind of liked Ian & Sylvia's version (that's the one I learned it from).
Glen - probably can't make circle this week (getting ready to attend conference in - do I dare say it - Hawaii), but definitely will in future weeks. #It'd be good to meet some fellow pickers/folkies here. #Thanks, Bruce

[Willie Poole]

All the snow in this picture fell in about a 24 hour period from 9 pm Wednesday until last night. #Total accumulation was abour 37 inches - 90 sm - and this is a record single snowfall for Nova Scotia. #http://www.accesswave.ca/~gsimpson/glen%20with%20mandolin%20in%20snow2.jpg
Glenn...I met and played some gigs down here in Florida with a dobro player from Nova Scotia, seems he knows everyone from up north, do you know Phil Harris? He is a fine picker and a nice guy, it`s a shame he has to head back home this weekend...I hope to meet up and pick some more with him this summer...`til later...Willie

[MOP]

Unbelievable for me.When we have 2 cms of snow,it's for us the end of the world... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[jasona]

I do field work near Hantsport, and I dearly love Nova Scotia.

The only copy of "Farewell to Nova Scotia" I have is identified as by "Newfoundland Kitchen Party". Sounds like some of Great Big Sea is involved from the vocals...

[8ch(pl)]

Willie I haven't met Phil. Nova Scotians are known for their friendliness. I have been looking at fishing gear in the local store and had strangers come up and say hi, talk to you like they've known you all their life, tell you some good spots,swap lies... the whole thing. People in Ontario , where I was born are slightly more reserved and I am not knocking them. I have met some great people since I joined the folk group here 3 years ago.

There is a story in the paper about a group of people in Sackville, 30 or so neighbours, hand shovelling a street clear during this storm because there was a child there who was in a risky medical condition.

The streets and sidewalks are all pretty clear, they have taken a lot of the snow and dumped it in the harbour. Driving visibility was severly limited. Most important was that I got to my music venue Wednesday night. Things are pretty well back to normal and the lakes are going to be high this spring! Maybe I'll get in some fishing.