Not So Sweet

I couldn’t bring myself to start painting in the heat yesterday, so I cleaned some of the dust from the house and defrosted the freezer. Feeling that I had at least accomplished something I headed over to the provincial park to watching them catch herring.

This is a much bigger operation than the one in my little cove and it’s a very successful year. There has been, and continues to be, a huge number of fish this season. They had already caught 53 tons by the time I arrived at 4:00. The work continued all night and when I went back this morning they were still at it.

The tourists have a front row seat to the spectacle – it was suggested that I’d find some good photo subjects on the beach. I said that’s not the kind of pictures I take. 🙂

I met a really interesting woman staying in the Park. She’s a psycho-therapist whose husband has retired from the military. We had a long talk about the Island and retirement options.

Then something odd happened for the first time since I arrived here.

The two of us were talking in a group which included some of those older fishermen who like to watch and heckle the young guys. I don’t know how it happened, but suddenly one of these men started lecturing the two of us about abortion and Planned Parenthood. He freely claimed Faux News as his source for all his “facts”.

I’m not going to use the term I want to use. Let’s just say that “explaining” women’s health issues to two older, experienced, fairly intelligent women is not a great idea if  you don’t wish to be challenged – loudly and forcefully.

I realized it’s the first time I’ve lost my temper since I moved to this part of the world. He walked away for a while (note that we did have more brief, normal conversations later) – the rest of the gentlemen seemed more amused than anything else.

The idea that I might be shy was proven false within days of my arrival.  I think if I’d been hoping to cultivate a reputation as unassuming and sweet that is now also a lost cause. Ah well. 🙂

Fishermen and ocean dwelling creatures are not the only thing I met this morning. I saw this little guy when I went back to the car and let him finish his breakfast before leaving.