E. Jean Simpson's Blog: A & J PEI Treasures/E Jean Simpson, BEd, BA, MA, page 11

Of Mice, Rats and Politics - Strange Bedfellows?

E. Jean Simpson

Hi and Welcome to the A & J PEI Treasures E Jean Simpson Author Blog Post and Podcast. I’m your host, Jean coming to you from the lovely Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada!! The blog post and podcast is an opinion piece and only reflects this author’s opinion and not that of any other entity. Today’s blog post and podcast will focus on stream of consciousness with regard to several things going on at the A & J PEI Treasures homestead. If you want to find out more, then stay tuned…

It’s definitely into the fall here. We have started our running battle with the critters that seek housing every autumn. Rats and mice mostly. The spiders and insects are easier to rehome as they will settle in a place outdoors to hibernate once you remove them from inside the house. The mice and rats on the other hand are much like politics….you can’t seem to get rid of them and they keep trying to sneak in. It’s rather insidious how all three try to work their way in. They find a weakness and try to find any entry and many times they dig their way under. As far as I can figure politics works similarly. Just so we don’t have a misunderstanding, politics and politicians have their place, as do our nocturnal visitors but I’m not that interested in entertaining either.

Anyway, onto the running battle with the critters. First day, we got traps out diligently filled in holes and put tasty treats in and around the traps. They, just as diligently, dug up the greenhouse cleaned out what they could and moved out again. Last night we did the same. They dug around the place. I would have sworn it was our dog who did the digging (we’re certain he didn’t as he sleeps in the front room). This makes me suspect rats. Of course, last night after digging up our work again, they decided to move on to the house. They found an entry. We literally can hear them digging and chewing at something. So…if you want something spooky, try a 5AM wake up to the sound of something chewing at your home. We found that hole too. More traps. A previous year, we never did catch the rat with a trap…officially. It ended up in a vent and we boxed it in and took it for a ride to an uninhabited area where it could have a safe den in the wild. I believe it took it two years to return and now sits laughing at the destruction it wreaks. Now, if you think about it, this does mimic the political system…where there is always someone running about keeping the rat race going.

As Tom Wilson said, "I wouldn't mind the rat race - if the rats would lose once in a while." So far the rats are winning this race. I hope that I found the hole. I lack enjoyment of the early wake up, the cat and dog going around trying to find things in the vents but mostly, I hate the gnawing in the middle of the night. None of which seems to wake the dog nor the cat unless it wakes us. It will invariably wake my spouse like one of the pets is coughing up something on the floor wakes me. I tried hitting the wall and that silenced it for about half a parsec. Then it went back to it.

Though, as Carlos Castaneda said, “To achieve the mood of a warrior is not a simple matter. It is a revolution. To regard the lion and the water rats and our fellow men as equals is a magnificent act of a warrior's spirit. It takes power to do that.” Now, I kind of wish I had that kind of power, but unfortunately, the damage to the house is not something that we can continue to allow. Like the damage created by political ramblings which just harms discriminately, the rats are selective and only damage to get into a place. They just want to be where they can find a place to eat and sleep for the winter. This could bring me back to politics, but I will dispense with this line of argument for the benefit of everyone involved. I’m not that interested in pursuing political stuff.

To be honest, I don’t like the idea of harming the creatures. Unfortunately, we can’t have them in. There is the problem of potential illness and such as well as structural damage. Realistically, our one success in removing them from the house was because we created a boxing it in situation. Then it had a nice drive. I’m afraid that this time we might not have that luxury. I was amazed with all the foxes, raccoons, eagles and cats around there are still mice and rats left. That does give credit to the intelligence of rats and mice. Apparently they recognize traps and show little interest in pursuing this…It kind of brings us to the area being able to sidestep the negative potentials….which brings us back to politics. I’ll leave that to others to interpret how they will.

As, Wendell Berry suggest, “Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.” So, there is no real easy solution to our problems with rodents nor with politics. I think we’ll be having this battle over the long term (with the rodents, I mean). Hopefully at some point, there is a win/win (could apply to either). We could use more than one happy ending. Though that will be hard to determine. Lots of areas in our back yard if the rats go out they can still dig a nice den. Unfortunately, politics will be around for a very long time, so we just have to do our part and vote so that we can have the unalienable right to complain about all the things that we don’t agree with. At least, I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion and much like having a back end, everyone will have one.

When it comes to politics and rats, I become confused and frustrated how seemingly logical things like general health can become something political. It seem simple enough. Do what will keep you from being sick and making others sick. But then you get the conspiracy theorists. They make me wonder if sometimes I should start evaluating Engineering projects. I mean, I have the same kind of training for that as the rest of the world has to evaluate scientific data. Though I often find that many just follow leads that agree with the thing they think is right whether or not data supports it. I’m sure there is an equal amount of misinformation about engineering projects. However, I suspect that the Engineers would shoot me out of the water in short order. It would not be in the form of a political statement meant to just sidestep the question. I think it would be a concrete response to the lack of knowledge I hold in the area. Though when it comes to medical science, apparently everyone is qualified to go through and thoroughly understand all the data and the pitfalls. Though I think that one could follow the science, however one would have to “Beware prejudices. They are like rats, and men's minds are like traps; prejudices get in easily, but it is doubtful if they ever get out.” As Francis Jeffrey postulated. I wonder if Francis Jeffrey every met a rat…they just tend to avoid getting into traps entirely. Trying to sort through the science is not the easy route to take. If one is insistent on doing it, then they have to understand the pitfalls and the false leads and how information is put forth in the scientific community. They also need to be able to test both sides of the answers they find. It’s sad that people get fixated on one particular answer and then they follow that. Much like the rats, their trail into the house and the greenhouse are easily visible. There is a logical path to follow or is there? If you can get the right routes sealed off or fixed, there is a chance to win. It is much harder with politics and politically driven statements and following the trail of scientific information is not clear cut and as limited as it is with our rats and mice. It is multidimensional and contains so many avenues that it would be impossible to keep track of all the variables and determine their veracity. One of the reasons we have science and scientist is that they know the scientific method and if something is inaccurate, they will be the first to point it out. Scientists are fallible, though, as are all living organisms, so ask questions…ask why they think that ‘a’ or ‘b’ is wrong or right. But understand that if science is saying something, it is often profitable to see what it is that they found to make them put out a statement saying something that first seemed promising is not. Hope is human and when there seems hope, even the scientists tend to lose objectivity. When it is examined more closely, they find it was not as hopeful as once thought. When it comes to science and evidence, “sometimes a cigar is just a cigar”. This might or might not have been said by Freud depending on where you look. Though there is no written evidence of it, I kind of like to think he might have said that. Be ready that sometimes the miracle cure is and sometimes the miracle cure is a dud and they have to fall back on what is accurate and works. This can all happen quickly. Sometimes you have the luxury to wait and sometimes the wait is deadly.

Thanks for listening to my stream of consciousness podcast and/or reading my blog post and thanks for your interest in A & J PEI Treasures!

Just one more thing. I have one of my children’s e-books up for a 2021 TCK award Category is General Non-Fiction https://www.tckpublishing.com/2021-re.... The Big Kids Magical Path to Colours in Nature (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093K2FN4M/...). If you have a moment, we could use some votes. The contest ends November 13.

I have finally gotten out my latest e-book which is The Big Kid’s Magical Path to Insects in Nature. It is available via Smashwords and I’m affiliate there (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...) in a variety of formats and through Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KKWT9ZD)!

Our Blog Posts are available on
WordPress: https://wordpress.com/sites/aandjpeit... and
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Podcast are available on Anchor FM in a variety of formats: https://anchor.fm/a--j-pei-treasures iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-e-...
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/e-...
Amazon: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/879a...

All my e-books can be found on:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/E.-Jean-Simpso...

Keep watching for more e-books and more formats! Currently working on updating e-books and toward getting my e-books up on Smashwords and will be an affiliate when I do! We’re always working on something!

You can find the podcast to this blog post at: https://anchor.fm/a--j-pei-treasures/...

The Big Kid's Magical Path to Insects in Nature

“Reality, What a Concept”* - *Quoting Robin Williams

The Big Kid's Magical Path to Insects in Nature E. Jean Simpson
Hi and Welcome to the A & J PEI Treasures E Jean Simpson Author Blog Post and Podcast. I’m your host, Jean coming to you from the lovely Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada!! The blog post and podcast is an opinion piece and only reflects this author’s opinion and not that of any other entity. Today’s blog post and podcast will focus on the concept of reality. In the immortal words of Robin Williams, “Reality, what a concept!" If you want to find out more, then stay tuned…

I actually remember my brother getting the Robin Williams record. It somehow materialized in the house. We thought it was hugely funny. I can still hear some of it in my head. I remember him doing Shakespeare…and it including something indecipherable that kind of sounded like, ‘arb d r r’. For some reason that mixed in other parts of the monologue stuck some of which I can’t publish in a clean blog and podcast. It may have been the record that came out in 1979. It was a time of a different reality than we see today. Aids was barely on the radar, we listened to rock and roll including KISS and Bay City Rollers and we stood aside to let grownups pass. Swearing was frowned upon. If you did something to get in trouble at school, you were in trouble at home. As you can see, our reality was quite different from the general reality that people see now.

Reality has been argued by philosophers as long ago as Aristotle and Plato and likely long before written record. I have long understood that you can talk to two or more different people about the same event and you will get different ideas of the same thing. For example, 5 different people could attend the same show. You will find some of them will see it as good, some of them will see it as bad and some of them will see it as average. Doesn’t really matter the show, what matters is the personal tastes of the viewers. The same for books. One person can read a book and love it, another can read the book and hate it. Some just don’t want to read it at all. So, which is reality? Perhaps it lies somewhere in the middle. So, then, is reality the amalgamation of all the experiences and if we did an average of all the impressions from all the people of the same thing, would reality be the middle answer? Though, as George Orwell states, is it a case where, “Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else”. So there are some that postulate that reality is really just “all in our heads”.

Of course one might argue that, as Tom Clancy stated, “The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.” There is some truth to that. In fiction, the bad guy has a clear agenda. The negative events have a reason for happening. Sometimes the ending is poetic justice or something tangible happens and it all makes sense. In real life, we sometimes get actions that don’t seem to make sense and worse seem not to have logical reason for happening at all. We try to make sense of some events. Sometimes it boils down to hate or anger or just accident. So, reality has different results than one might expect in a good fictional account. Even my memories of my childhood experience. I remember talking about something with one of my cousins once and she was totally traumatized by an incident that I barely remembered. So, her reality wasn’t less real than my reality and vice versa. We just saw the reality differently. So, because your reality differs somewhat from someone else’s reality, it doesn’t mean that you are entirely wrong….nor does it mean you’re entirely right. So, perhaps as Bryan Singer postulated, “We don't live in the world of reality, we live in the world of how we perceive reality.”

But, then how do we survive with no ‘real’ reality. Well, there seems to be some ‘realities’ that people accept. These take the form of rules for society, rules of behavior and cultural norms. So, within the ever changing face of reality, we have the comforting ability to form different norms and things that are acceptable. Those too, change over time. For example, having a bathroom in your house is mostly considered the norm now. Even in the 1900’s, you could find outhouses that were in actual use. I remember having indoor plumbing being added to both Grandmother’s houses during my childhood. Before that they used outhouses and special pots that were kept under the bed at night and dumped in the morning. My parent’s grew up using outhouses. That was the reality then. It is now barely remembered and unknown by a majority of today’s youth…with perhaps the exception of vacationing in a park and even those facilities have come a long way. So, reality can change in various cultures over time. It is not something that is static. It changes with new discoveries, new science. Another example is what I’m sitting doing my blog post and podcasts on. When I was a child, there were no computers for personal use. I did my first degree hand writing essays. Yes, seriously, I hand wrote my essays. Later on, I could use a typewriter. It wasn’t until my 2nd degree or was it my MA that I started to use computers. The computer science people actually used cards…punch cards. So, now with a computer, cell, tablet or laptop in a lot of homes, we have a whole different reality. This reality didn’t exist even 50 years ago.

Then we look at reality as being the real. The computer you are working on or the cell phone you use is real…as real as reality can get. You see it as an important part of your lifestyle. Some see it as a tool and some see it as a hindrance. Does this make it less real? Not exactly, but some would describe it differently but it wouldn’t make it exist less in the way you see it. Whether you consider it a tool, an important part of your life that you could not live without, a lifeline or just something that is there, it is your reality that you impose upon it. If you look at it objectively, it is just an object that you use to interact with a world that you presume is real, though some interact more honestly than others, it is still a form you use for communications of various sorts. You can use it to read, to find out the news, and for a variety of reasons. It shapes your reality and you seek that which confirms your reality. Therein lies a problem. What if your reality isn’t real?

Jean Piaget pointed out that “The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.” So we build reality, we live in reality, we create reality but is it real? In all this, reality is determined by the individual. Given this idea, “Mastering our thoughts can only be achieved after we truly understand what reality is. Thus, it is time to shatter your pre-conceived concept of reality. First, the majority of what you perceive as reality exists only in your mind, and, chances are, you spend most hours of your life in this illusion.” Alaric Hutchinson. So, if we actually have our own reality and there is shared components, are we all just living some illusion? Are we something that someone is dreaming? These are not new questions, it’s been pondered by many the philosophy student and philosopher over time.

Of course, this doesn’t deny reality or your reality or anyone’s reality, just understand that you may not always have the same reality as others. Also understand that the search for fact and science is part of the attempt to be objective and find a reality that is testable, true, and gives a view of what we need to do. Science has given us a lot more than just a way to test hypothesis. It has given us a route to improve our lives. It too can change as information comes to us and changes the reality around us. If not for scientific method and science in general, we would still be using outhouses or the nearest bush for plumbing facilities. We wouldn’t have computers, treatment for medical conditions or a lot of today’s conveniences. The quest for reality is also a quest for truth, for a better and easier life for everyone. It is a quest that is still being followed in order to change reality for the better. It is how humans attempt to make sense of the world and make the world make sense. It is the accumulation of the knowledge and wisdom available which has changed from one generation to another. As Robin Williams proclaimed, “Reality, what a concept!”

Thanks for listening to my podcast and/or reading my blog post and thanks for your interest in A & J PEI Treasures! Wishing one and all a Safe and Happy Halloween!

Just one more thing. I have one of my children’s e-books up for a 2021 TCK award Category is General Non-Fiction https://www.tckpublishing.com/2021-re.... The Big Kids Magical Path to Colours in Nature (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093K2FN4M/...). If you have a moment, we could use some votes.

I have finally gotten out my latest e-book which is The Big Kid’s Magical Path to Insects in Nature. It is available via Smashwords and I’m affiliate there (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...) in a variety of formats and through Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KKWT9ZD)!

Our Blog Posts are available on
WordPress: https://wordpress.com/sites/aandjpeit... and
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Podcast are available on Anchor FM in a variety of formats: https://anchor.fm/a--j-pei-treasures iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-e-...
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/e-...
Amazon: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/879a...

All my e-books can be found on:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/E.-Jean-Simpso...

Keep watching for more e-books and more formats! Currently working on a new project and toward getting my e-books up on Smashwords and will be an affiliate when I do! We’re always working on something!

Patterns of Patterns Makes the World go Round

E. Jean Simpson

Hi and Welcome to the A & J PEI Treasures E Jean Simpson Author Blog Post and Podcast. I’m your host, Jean coming to you from the lovely Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada!! The blog post and podcast is an opinion piece and only reflects this author’s opinion and not that of any other entity. Today’s podcast and blog post talks about the usefulness of understanding patterns in the world around you. Also how people can use patterns to their fullest in life and in art. If you want to find out more, then stay tuned…

People often don’t consider the utility of recognizing patterns around you and in the world in general. Or we don’t talk about it or acknowledge it much. I got thinking about it more in the past few weeks. I’ve noticed the summer turn into fall and the leaves changing. Pumpkin season. It’s always good to have knowledge of the fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season in your area. It’s especially useful to know this if you are trying to maintain a budget, this information is extremely useful. Like anything else, the seasons follow a pattern that is easy to recognize. Everyone can name the four seasons, spring, summer, fall, winter. So, we can also recognized that generally in season fruits and vegetables are fresher and in better price ranges at certain times of the year.

The fall is usually busy time of year at A & J PEI Treasures. In the fall we tend to do a lot of our year’s baking. When apples are fresher, we buy them and pie crusts. We try to get enough pie crusts for all our pie baking for the year. I’m not particularly talented in making pie crusts. I’ve know that since my early teens when my younger brother wanted to use one of my crusts as first base for a game of baseball. Fillings were fine. He was not wrong about the assessment of my crust making skills though. So, we buy them. Gluten free pies are rather expensive in the stores, but with fresh ingredients and store bought crusts, it’s still a savings. Since moving to the Island, we have discovered that I’m able to make pumpkin pie filling from fresh pumpkins which is a lot more work than from cans, but we do know what is in them. It’s not so much that it is hard as it is time consuming. It’s budget friendly and pretty tasty even if I do say so myself. Would be more so if you couldn’t use my own crusts as a weight. It is also farm friendly as we have to buy the pumpkin(s). This year, I was able to make 7 pumpkin pies from 2 pie pumpkins. They are slightly smaller than Halloween pumpkins but contain more flesh and less string. The seeds can be baked. So, extra benefit. But, for me to be able to plan things to work out, I have to recognize the time of year, the pattern of the seasons and know to watch for the pumpkins to start getting out.

I notice around April give or take, it starts getting nicer out. We are able to go on longer walks and I can take more photographs as the buds start to appear and the sun starts to go down later and later each day. This is when the most spectacular of our sunsets occur in the warming days of spring/summer. It is when the leaves start to sprout and flowers start to blossom. The world seems fresh and new again after the snow leaves. It is a fresh new start to a new season. It has many adventures and many days ahead to capture all the beauty nature holds.

Diana Gabaldon stated, “What underlies great science is what underlies great art, whether it is visual or written, and that is the ability to distinguish patterns out of chaos.” This is a fundamental process that is applicable to all art and life. We learn to recognize patterns and to respond to them. It is the first thing we do as children. We learn what behaviours are acceptable or unacceptable from watching whether we obtain approval for our action or not. Things that receive approval in some way are repeated. The earliest such interaction of patterns is when the baby first smiles and gurgles and the parents are excited and happy to see this. The child will interact happily and smile and gurgle. Sometimes, however, a pattern can be confusing to a young child. For example, when I was a toddler, I repeated a word that an Uncle said. It got a great reaction and laughter from my Uncle….not so much from my Mother. This learning lasted only so long as the visit. It was not rewarded thereafter. I won’t go into details, but you can see how sometimes patterns can be misjudged. It also explains how patterns need to be somewhat stable for children so that they understand specific patterns.

Though patterns are important, there are times when one needs to separate from the patterns…to see outside the patterns or to practice things outside of acceptable patterns. It is what makes the mystery or the thriller stand out. It is that which can capture the imagination and send one soaring to the heights of imaginary worlds. So, though patterns are essential, for the artist, it is just as essential to be able to move outside the accepted patterns. But how do you ensure that you are breaking out of patterns? Yes, by knowing what the accepted patterns are. Yet, as Thomas M. Disch observed, “Creativeness is finding patterns where none exist.” So, patterns are both imperative and something that, like rules are made to be broken at least from different perspectives.

There are also patterns which can create disharmony within a person or a group. The easiest example to understand this viewpoint is that they had found that more pervasive negative thinking is often common with people who suffer from depression. This does not suggest that it is entirely bad or good to have the odd negative thought. It is only bad when it affects one’s life to a greater negative degree. Everyone has negative thoughts from time to time but it is only a problem when it has a large effect on people’s lives. What it does show is that, when it becomes a salient pattern of acting on the world, it can cause disharmony within the person. One part of treatment for depression can be breaking this pattern. This can be part of the person’s healing. It is part of letting go of old patterns that allows a person to heal. This can also be part of treatment for addictions. It becomes evident that patterns are not all good nor are they all bad. Recognizing the patterns and realizing the ones that are adaptive and those that are not has the potential to be life changing.

As William Shakespeare (Hamlet) determined, “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” William Shakespeare saw the patterns and knew which patterns to break with and which to keep. He made the patterns the fabric of his plays. Many people operate on patterns. Sometimes the patterns are good for them, sometimes bad. For some people similar patterns can be adaptive and for others disastrous. It depends on the individual and the patterns and how they are manifested. It isn’t really a matter of patterns being good or bad, but more what we do with the patterns and if we use the patterns to their best effect. The art is in the discovery of whether we are using the pattern in an adaptive way or not. Deciding which patterns to keep and which to give up is necessary. Recognizing patterns is imperative to being able to decide whether it is a helpful pattern or not. Without recognizing patterns, we just float in an abys with nothing to steer our lives. Knowledge of patterns gives us a rudder so that we may sail the murky seas of everyday life and create art within our daily lives. Life is art and art is life. Living life is an art that we don’t have the luxury of ignoring.

Thanks for listening to my podcast and/or reading my blog post and thanks for your interest in A & J PEI Treasures!

Just one more thing. I have one of my children’s e-books up for a 2021 TCK award Category is General Non-Fiction https://www.tckpublishing.com/2021-re.... The Big Kids Magical Path to Colours in Nature (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093K2FN4M/...). If you have a moment, we could use some votes.

Our Blog Posts are available on
WordPress: https://wordpress.com/sites/aandjpeit... and
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Podcast are available on Anchor FM in a variety of formats: https://anchor.fm/a--j-pei-treasures iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-e-...
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/e-...
Amazon: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/879a...

My e-books can be found on:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/E.-Jean-Simpso...

Keep watching for more e-books and more formats! Currently working on a new project and toward getting my e-books up on Smashwords and will be an affiliate when I do! We’re always working on something!

The Big Kids Magical Path to Colours in Nature

Thoughts on Interconnectedness

Hi and Welcome to the A & J PEI Treasures E Jean Simpson Author Blog Post and Podcast. I’m your host, Jean coming to you from the lovely Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada!! The blog post and podcast is an opinion piece and only reflects this author’s opinion and not that of any other entity. Today’s podcast and blog post talks about the interconnectedness of everything and how it can be humbling and really get you thinking about how everyone has their own part to play. No one person or job is better than another, each has an important part to play in your life. If you want to find out more, then stay tuned…

This year, we were again being asked to stay on the Island due to COVID being high again. A fourth wave they say. So, I was thinking of thankfulness in general and how there are so many things that were interconnected and we don’t appreciate half of the interconnectedness of life and of the world in general. This may be half the problem when it comes to lacking in respect. I thought about how we often don’t think of how things have been connected in ways that we don’t even understand. I was thinking of how everyone was important to the process and we forget just how many people can be affected by one thing. I started to think about how could I show it more simply. That’s when I thought it would be a good time to make some of those connections of nature and the world in general with our everyday life and where best to start it. It was all so simple and yet so complicated and so perfect. Then it came to me. The place that starts everything and is connected to everything. How everything is brought together through one thing…

In this age of COVID, vaccination/anti-vax, lockdowns/protests etc., you might be wondering what there is to be thankful for. If you are looking for someone to be thankful for this year, try strangers that you may never meet, but to whom you owe a debt of gratitude. Who could this be you say? There are lots of people who fit in this category, some may be family or friends, but generally there are a lot of people included in this category and some might surprise you. Often we seem to forget that the food that you put on the table for Thanksgiving and other holidays and every day have to come from somewhere. So, let’s look at this in a little more detail. The first amongst these people are the farmers that work day after day getting the crops planted, cared for and harvested and keep their land fertile. They may have helpers on the farm. They are part of this huge interconnected movement that is involved in getting your food from the beginning and to your table. There are a variety of people on the farm and depending on the size of the farm may be the farmer and their family. There are the people who muck the stables…you don’t think the cows, chickens, pigs and other animals clean their own place? They keep the stables clean so that you have clean produce (eggs, milk, etc.). Of course someone also has to clean the product and milk the cows, etc. Then there are the people helping with the harvesting. From there, there are the processors…chickens don’t get ready for the table by themselves and nor does the rest of your food. Root vegetables need cleaning, cleanliness is imperative because we all have heard of disease and food recalls. Of course, after that there are the truckers, the grocery stores, the processors in the grocery stores, the clerks and in later stages waste management just to name a few.

As you can see, there is a large group of people involved so that you can have your thanksgiving meal…in fact all your meals and it starts with someone somewhere having a farm and doing all they can to make it work. It is tireless work and often thankless. People don’t seem to consider all the people who are part of the farming endeavours. Then there is equipment that they have to have to run the farm. This helps another group (equipment Salespeople). Then there are also the veterinarians who work with the famer to make sure that they have healthy animals. There are so many people that are involved. I likely have missed some people (my apologies to them as the list is pretty endless). When you look at the sheer numbers of people who are needed and employed and the development of studies for farming that teach different techniques and such it is astounding. One area people often miss thinking about is that farmers also support educational institutions. They study the way to keep their crops at their best. They watch weather and wind. They learn all they can about keeping the best crops, how to make the most of the farm. Education takes every form from College, University to self-education on their area of work.

Of course, general public buy their products. So, as you can see there is an interconnectedness that winds its way across every type of occupation and lifestyle which all starts with someone who decides to do farming for their life and this is just one example, the most salient and the easiest to point out. It is impossible to not have your life affected by a farmer and their farm. No one is exempt from eating. Everyone from actor, author and rock star to zookeeper needs to eat. Therefore no one is unaffected by farmers. Isn’t it interesting that you can trace back to the origins something that seems so humble and yet is imperative to society and to human life. When you think of this, you realize how everyone is interconnected and each person and each job is important for their part in a delicate eco-system that is human life. Those directly in the farming industry also need clothing, safety devices, communications, etc. So, all industries are affected. There isn’t an industry that is not either directly or indirectly affected by farms.

Of course the same goes of things like the seafood industry. You have fishermen that go out and catch the seafood, it gets processed and trucked out, put on shelves or in seafood cases. Again, they are all people that some might be your friends or family, yet again, you might never meet anyone who does this. It is still how you get your food on the table and it still affects all different industries in ways that people often do not think of. Everything from wedding receptions to breakfast has someone getting your food ready for you. You can grow some of your own, but generally, someone somewhere is working to make sure you can live.

So, if you are looking for something to be thankful for I can suggest you can start with the farmer somewhere who is doing all the work on their farms so you can have a variety of foods on your table. There are the people involved in the fisheries so you can have seafood. Choose any from the long list of interconnected jobs. We are all interconnected. It is humbling to think of all the ways that humans are interconnected. You can’t separate yourself from the interconnectedness of human lifecycles. You are part of the bigger picture. Each and every person has their part in it. Each job is important and if nothing else, that humbling thought can help you to see that no one is more important than another except that society creates these distinctions. We are all part of this ever moving, ever active human life cycle. It is art at its finest that we can see the beauty of all the parts of society and that we are all the same under the skin. Having respect for all parts of society is what is necessary for all of us to move forward.

According to Bryant H. McGill, “There is a deep interconnectedness of all life on earth, from the tiniest organisms, to the largest ecosystems, and absolutely between each person.” So, whether you are vegan or vegetarian or carnivore, the farmer, fisheries and the whole system of growing and food from farm and water to the table are all interconnected. We cannot separate one from the other or dismiss the utility of any one sector over another. This is the world that I see around me. I hope this will be the world that you find around you too.

Thanks for listening to my podcast and/or reading my blog post and thanks for your interest in A & J PEI Treasures!

Just one more thing. I have one of my children’s e-books up for a 2021 TCK award Category is General Non-Fiction https://www.tckpublishing.com/2021-re.... The Big Kids Magical Path to Colours in Nature (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093K2FN4M/...). If you have a moment, we could use some votes.

Our Blog Posts are available on
WordPress: https://wordpress.com/sites/aandjpeit... and
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Podcast are available on Anchor FM in a variety of formats: https://anchor.fm/a--j-pei-treasures iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-e-...
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/e-...
Amazon: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/879a...

My e-books can be found on:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/E.-Jean-Simpso...

Keep watching for more e-books and more formats! Currently working a new project and toward getting my e-books up on Smashwords and will be an affiliate when I do! We’re always working on something!

The Big Kids Magical Path to Colours in Nature
E. Jean Simpson

Inspiration can be Everywhere!

Hi and Welcome to the A & J PEI Treasures E Jean Simpson Author Blog Post and Podcast. I’m your host, Jean coming to you from the lovely Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada!! The blog post and podcast is an opinion piece and only reflects this author’s opinion and not that of any other entity. Today’s podcast and blog post centers around places I can find inspiration for my various art. If you want to find out more, then stay tuned…

One doesn’t always find inspiration for their work. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. There are a variety of things to look for to get inspired. I find that I am most inspired by spring, summer and fall. I love the beauty and changing weather patterns that you find. I love taking pictures of flowers, trees in bloom, birds, insects of all sorts, sunsets, water and animals that I come across in the spring and summer. In the fall, the trees with their mixed colours of foliage are beautiful to behold. As far as photography goes, it is a cornucopia of delights including beach life, water views and sunsets. I know there are people who are inspired by winter. Unfortunately I’m not one of them. Though I can see the beauty of a newly fallen snow and enjoy it, after a few months it does tend to wear some. This inspiration from nature comes naturally to me and I can spend all my walks with my camera capturing the world around me.

When it comes to blog posts and podcasts, there is a different type of approach. I can see some inspiration in nature. I find often, there are life lessons that can be more easily discussed using nature as a starting point as it can help people suspend their underlying conceptions about things like physical differences and such. I can use art for the same purposes. People often find it easier to think about artistic topics than to deal with the bigger issues of prejudice, racism and other things. Yet, they appreciate the beauty of nature and you can gently point toward the bigger picture using the microcosm of art and nature to make the same points without people feeling as threatened. So, there is a lot of scope for the writing imagination in nature and art.

One can also find inspiration for blog posts and podcasts in the daily news. There are times when I have read something and it has bothered me to the point that I have been able to construct whole blog posts and podcasts around a news event. So, everyday life can give one the inspiration to pursue a topic that you think is worth talking about to make others think. It gives a chance to put another viewpoint across for people. Your view point might be a different angle for someone to follow or may inspire someone else to see things in yet a different way.

There are some days that, despite your best intentions, inspiration just doesn’t hit. Sometimes it is a good time to take a break. Sometimes I practice my fabric arts where I get inspired by the boho styles out there or a particular medium that I use…like an especially soft yarn. I find that there are times that I don’t feel like writing or coming up with a blog and so I practice some other crafts for a few days and then tackle the writing. When it comes crunch time, those are times when it can help to look at what things people are talking about on other blogs and of course, there are listings of blog topics. You may be able to give a different angle on things or you might find that you can think of it differently. For example, there are a lot of advice blogs out there. They tend to center around what is suggested to be good way to do something or use something.

There are a lot of things, due to my age, I do not see the same way as the younger people. That is one of the benefits of being an older blogger, podcaster, author and photographer. It is both a benefit and a detriment. It is so because I can think of things differently, but at the same time, I do not see the same things as the younger generation. For example, when I use work in my blog posts and podcasts, I tend to add the links in the blog post and the write up for the podcast. I just see it as being like a bibliography in which you give credit to the author that you got the idea from. Imagine my surprise that there is a whole thing behind the scenes that some people increase traffic and/or make money from these. For example, blogger Pooja https://lifesfinewhine.ca/2020/07/01/... has a different way to use these to increase traffic which is very interesting. I’m not sure how that works and you’d be better off to ask her as she seems to have that figured out. I think one has to have paid accounts for that to work. This is where having $0 budget for my work has its biggest downside. There are a lot of bells and whistles that I don’t qualify for.

The one thing I would suggest is try to have some fresh perspective on things. You can find topics out there…see a few of the articles written on a particular topic. Then see if you can find something new and different or a different way of seeing it. I found that I had more fun writing what I think of when looking whether to follow someone on Twitter or not than trying to tell everyone what is good to do on Twitter or not good because there are people who already did that. I found a different angle to talk about. I don’t want to copy what others have done. Part of my inspiration is that I want to talk about what I haven’t seen. It’s not always possible to find some different perspective on stuff, but it is always something you can try to do.

The one thing that I don’t try to be is the authority. I just talk about what works for me and what doesn’t. The only person I’m an authority on is me but it might help others come up with different ideas. I do the blog post and podcast because it is something that lets me tell people that the world isn’t perfect, but it can be closer to perfect. I like to point out the world of nature and how we can improve as people by learning from nature. Things in nature are not always perfect. The flower missing petals, the butterfly with the slightly asymmetrical wings and yet they are happy and at home in nature. They live just as well as the perfect flowers and the perfect butterflies. They are just as worthy of photographs. They are worthy of as normal a life as they can live.

Sometimes I am inspired to throw a wrench into the works and point out that the Emperor has no clothing. That’s old people talk for like to make people think about something and point out logical flaws. I like to do it gently when possible. People need to understand that no one is perfect and that we are still a pretty superficial lot in humanity. We are working toward being less closed minded and more open minded. We need to stop hiding imperfections. We still use Photoshop on pictures of models. We talk about the need to accept ourselves as we are, while we get plastic surgery to look younger. We talk about the need to be more inclusive while we hide things that are different. Sometimes I like to gently point out this dichotomy to make people see it better. These are things that inspire and motivate me to continue writing and doing blog post and podcasts.

My inspiration for my e-books comes from nature and the world around me. I love to show people the beauty of the world as it is. It is the reason I don’t do a lot of editing of pictures. I believe that nature and the world can be perfect as it is. I love showing the beautiful area that we come from to the world. I’ve also had the pleasure of living in other areas, so have been able to show various areas in my e-books.

As Wayne W Dyer said, “Inspiration responds to our attentiveness in various and sometimes unexpected ways.” So, sometimes finding inspiration depend on finding something that we feel deeply about or finding something that we think we have to offer others. It is both all around us and sometimes can be elusive. No matter what, you cannot be inspired if you don’t stay open to what is around us. The important part of inspiration is to keep an open mind and be willing to explore things and part of your psyche that you don’t usually look at. Look deep into the world and see what you can come up with. Thanks for listening to my podcast and/or reading my blog post and thanks for your interest in A & J PEI Treasures!

Just one more thing. I have one of my children’s e-books up for a 2021 TCK award Category is General Non-Fiction https://www.tckpublishing.com/2021-re.... The Big Kids Magical Path to Colours in Nature (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093K2FN4M/...). If you have a moment, we could use some votes.

You can catch this podcast now on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/a--j-pei-treasures/...

Our Blog Posts are available on
WordPress: https://wordpress.com/sites/aandjpeit... and
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Podcast are available on Anchor FM in a variety of formats: https://anchor.fm/a--j-pei-treasures iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-e-...
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/e-...
Amazon: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/879a...

My e-books can be found on:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/E.-Jean-Simpso...

Keep watching for more e-books and more formats! Currently working toward getting my e-books up on Smashwords and will be an affiliate when I do! We’re always working on something!

E. Jean Simpson
The Big Kids Magical Path to Colours in Nature

Art can be Important for Everyone!

The Big Kids Magical Path to Colours in Nature
Hi and Welcome to the A & J PEI Treasures E Jean Simpson Author Blog Post and Podcast. I’m your host, Jean coming to you from the lovely Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada!! The blog post and podcast is an opinion piece and only reflects this author’s opinion and not that of any other entity. Today’s podcast and blog post centers on the importance of art and how it is for anyone who has the desire and motivation to learn or work on. If you want to find out more, then stay tuned… or you can catch the podcast: https://anchor.fm/a--j-pei-treasures/...

I had noticed some people with some pretty serious mobility issues including missing limbs. Sometimes it happens in an accident, some are born missing limbs. Either way, they should not be just left with nothing to do. My life knowledge tells me that it is the recipe for a lot of unhappiness and a lot of getting into trouble or shutting down and losing interest in everything. This is neither healthy nor acceptable. Not in this day and age with today’s modern conveniences and/or good old fashioned art, everyone could stand a chance at developing a better life. Not only is there proof that art can be used as a therapy (https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_ben...), but there is also the ability to sharpen one’s skills and build new ones. It can also include lifelong learning for those who choose to continue to experience pleasure in their art.

So, with that in mind, I decided to explore the idea of art and disabilities further. My background was originally in learning and learning disabilities, so I had not known a lot about physical disabilities. Not everyone can become Stevie Wonder (famous blind singer/songwriter) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevie_... or Beethoven (deaf composer) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_... or even Arnulf Erich Stegmann (artist lost use of his arms due to polio and first president of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists around the World) https://second.wiki/wiki/arnulf_erich... Note also that two of the three were not born with the disability. In all cases, they had a talent and they used it.

When it comes closer to the Maritimes, there was Maud Lewis who started doing art in childhood. She had physical differences and had severe arthritis which progressively worsened, but she could paint https://www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca.... In the case of Lisa Bufano http://ava.ac/bufano.html she developed her art in early adult life. She was not born with a disability. So, it doesn’t make a difference whether the disability came when someone was born or develops later in life. If someone has the desire they can develop some artistic life.

Disabilities are not something new to society. As far back as ancient times, people like Julius Caesar was known to have suffered from a seizure disorder yet was a great leader https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disabil.... However, he may have been an exception rather than the rule at that time. There were some notable exceptions. In ancient Rome, some disabilities were seen as more acceptable than others. Sadly, and not that very long ago, people with disabilities were hidden away or kept at home. We, I hope, no longer do this and help everyone to build themselves into the best version of themselves. Age is no deterrent either.

The whole point is that art can be for everyone. There have been blind authors (John Milton who was blind when he wrote most of his best works)https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org.... There have been artists, sculptors, musicians and artisans of all sorts who have had disabilities. They have found a rewarding life as an author, artist, sculptor, etc. The sky is the limit when it comes to what people can do. More modern technology has added other things to the arts. This makes it possible for even more people to experience the joy of art. Even now, if someone wants to be an author with complete lack of limbs, there are modern technological advances that can work to help them and everyone to be productive as they wish. Cell phones can now capture your voice and you can do blog posts, podcasts, books, e-books, paintings, 3D carvings. It is only limited by your interest and motivation to learn the chosen field.

The other great thing about any types of artist endeavours is that they can be a form of therapy that allows you to get out your frustrations on canvas, paper, electronic recording and distribution of thoughts. There are different forms of art and if one had an interest in something before becoming disabled or were born disabled and form an interest in something particular, then follow up on it. There is nothing to lose in doing so especially online with the variety of options one can have to get online. If nowhere else, the library often has computer access. Many avenues can be explored for very little input of money. For another example, if you just wanted to see if painting would work, liquidation stores, dollar stores, and even your handy big box store has a range of reasonable priced supplies. All you have to lose is a lot of frustrations and use some pent up energy. If you hate it, well, at least you tried something new. Keep looking what you really want out of life might be right around the corner.

Disability is not inability. We are, hopefully, long past the days of hiding people away just for having a disability. People need to revel in who they are. Remember, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone but yourself. If one is determined to succeed, then they are already half way there. They have found the important ingredient of motivation and of determination. No one is incapable of doing anything. Everyone is capable of doing something. So, if the first time is hard, don’t give up, give it a fair try. The only thing you have to lose is boredom.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (President of the USA and suffered the effects of polio who had to be in a wheel chair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankli...) was quoted as saying, “Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” So, we see that disability does not mean inability and that everyone has some kind of talent or ability and everyone should be given the opportunity to try to develop it. I see there are jewelry makers that have partial limb loss, sculptors who use their feet. If you want a more comprehensive listing, there is an article by Bored Panda that gives a larger listing. https://www.boredpanda.com/inspiring-.... Not only is art for everyone, but for some it can become a livelihood! For someone who has a disability, I would suggest finding something they loved or is interesting to them, if it is drawing, you can find a way to do it. If it is painting, you can find a way to do it. If it is writing, you can find a way to do it. The most important thing to remember is that you need to do it. This applies to anyone and everyone. Often the fear of failing at something will stop people from trying. You can’t fail if you don’t try, but you also cannot succeed.

According to Alexander the Great, “There is nothing impossible to him who will try”. Alexander the Great didn’t have a disability, however, his brother is purported to have a mental disability. I like to think that is what taught Alexander the Great the importance of persistence (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_...). It is only the family of someone who has a serious disability who understands the amount of persistence and motivation that a person with a serious disability has to have. No matter what type of disability someone may have, there is always something that a person can do. Don’t underestimate anyone’s ability. Disability never means inability!

Thanks for listening to my podcast and/or reading my blog post and thanks for your interest in A & J PEI Treasures!

Just one more thing. I have one of my children’s e-books up for a 2021 TCK award Category is General Non-Fiction. https://www.tckpublishing.com/2021-re... The Big Kids Magical Path to Colours in Nature (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093K2FN4M/...). If you have a moment, we could use some votes.

Our Blog Posts are available on
WordPress: https://wordpress.com/sites/aandjpeit... and
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Podcast are available on Anchor FM in a variety of formats: https://anchor.fm/a--j-pei-treasures iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-e-...
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/e-...
Amazon: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/879a...
My e-books can be found on:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/E.-Jean-Simpso...
Keep watching for more e-books and more formats! Currently working toward getting my e-books up on Smashwords and will be an affiliate when I do! We’re always working on something! My Podcast for this one can be located at: https://anchor.fm/a--j-pei-treasures/...
E. Jean Simpson

Photography and E-Books: The Art of Reality

Hi and Welcome to the A & J PEI Treasures E Jean Simpson Author Blog Post and Podcast. I’m your host, Jean coming to you from the beautiful Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada!! The blog post and podcast is an opinion piece and only reflects this author’s opinion and not that of any other entity. Today’s podcast and blog post centers around why I love photography as part of my writing and how it can also be frustrating. If you want to find out more, then stay tuned…

On one of our walks, it looked like it would rain. It had earlier and did after we got home. So, as a result, I didn’t bring my camera. It’s a good camera and I don’t think I could ever replace it. So, when it is going to rain, rather than endanger my source of photographic bliss with my Canon EOS Rebel…such a good name for a camera Rebel, I leave my little Rebel at home. Of course, every time I do, I miss a fantastic picture. For example, today I got out the door and halfway down the driveway and what do I see but a lovely waxwing sitting on the branch staring at me. Long enough to get an amazing picture. Alas Rebel was sitting on the computer desk at home. I’ve seen woodpeckers at a good distance for photos, missed other amazing pictures. But, of course, when I am out with my camera 90% or more of the time, I do get some pictures of lovely animals, plants and insects of the area. There are always things worth taking pictures of. Of course, with my e-books, it gives me a chance to showcase the area and show everyone the beauty of rural Prince Edward Island life.

Sometimes even with a camera, one misses some great shots. I’ve missed some wonderful shots of herons because I couldn’t get the camera set up quickly enough. I’ve lost pictures of butterflies and birds for the same reason. The problem is one has to get it focused and most wildlife don’t seem to have the dedication to being photographed that I have to taking their pictures. It’s not productive to leave a camera set on during walks as one doesn’t always see something they want to take pictures of. This draws me to another topic which is the importance of choosing what to take pictures of. I find my picture focus in my e-books results in me looking to take pictures that will bring the photographic subject to life. I focus on finding pictures that show nature as it is. With nature, it is not always easy and not always perfect. They don’t always pose nicely. You can’t always get it to look the way you would envision. So, with nature photography of any sort, you are not the master of the situation, rather just a recorder of the reality around you.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are the shots of sunsets and landscapes that you can take a little more time and focus in and get the area you want. It is an easier thing to do. You are still not the manager of the area or of the situation. You are just a spectator and the one who records the momentous events. Every sunset, every landscape is beautiful and enduring yet always changing. The picture you took today may not be the same picture that will exist in 100 years or even tomorrow. You record what is there. It is dependent on angles of photograph and the focus and distance variables that you can manipulate. This makes photography in e-books rather a magical proposition as you get to use a new event art form with another somewhat younger one. It is different from artist drawn books where the topic, the visual representation is controlled by the artist. In photography the artist is generally the one who captures what is real and what is there. We cannot put our own spin on it unless you count editing. Editing the photos is something I don’t use much of. I tend to either remove parts that aren’t what I want in it or keep trying to capture how I want it. Some of my children’s e-books, I edit to change number of items as in The Big Kid’s Magical Path to Numbers. Otherwise, I find editing just destroys the picture more often than not.

Photography is, as author Walker Evans says, “Leaving aside the mysteries and the inequities of human talent, brains, taste, and reputations, the matter of art in photography may come down to this: it is the capture and projection of the delights of seeing; it is the defining of observation full and felt.” I believe that this defines what photography can be and that it has its place in e-books and in books in general. It is reality, it is true and it is natural. Yes, one can change a photograph with various editing programs. They do it all the time when it comes to fashion, but when we actually show nature or anything in its full and regal natural beauty, then we do justice to the art form. For me, the photographer is an artist who records what is real and true in life. It gives reality as it is and not as how we want to see it. To edit it into oblivion is not making it more an art. The real art is in seeing what is actually and really there and taking it and putting it out for the world to see. It is giving people the ability to appreciate a reality that is beautiful and fragile and not shy away from the reality, but revel in it. Each photographer has their own preference for subjects which is great because it opens up various and different areas for people to see. Some photograph people, some places, some nature, etc. It is an ever changing landscape for those who are interested in photography as an art form.

For me, adding my work of photography into e-books and children’s e-books opens up, to a whole generation the real art of photography being natural and beautiful. It is something to help children get their feet firmly planted on the earth and see it as it is. Showing the world as it is. Insects, butterflies, flowers, water, birds and all of life as it is. My flowers are not always perfect flowers, some have misshapes and some don’t have all the petals. Yet, they are beautiful. Some of the flowers are perfectly shaped. But they are shown as they appear in nature without editing out their imperfections. I think, as far as photography work, we could learn a lot from nature photography when it is dedicated to capturing what is there and how the animal, plant, or insect etc is and not change it to fit some idealized version of itself. They are all lovely. I don’t hide the insects, slugs or any creature. They all have their place in nature and thus also show up in my art and my e-books in which I share my art.

The only control the Photographer has is the subjects they choose. In photography, one can find out about a person from what they choose to photograph and how they do it. It is not meant to replace art forms such as painting or drawing, it is a separate and viable art form of its own. As Author Ansel Adams said, “A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense and is thereby a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety.” So, someone choosing nature shots and views of water and sunsets likely has a love of these things or some interest in them. They want to capture them and share them with the world. Many don’t think to put their work in the form of e-books. This seems to take two separate art forms and makes them into one. To me, this is the essence of what I do. I take two different art forms and make them one. I bring people the beautiful realities of rural Prince Edward Island life. I show people the beauty that surrounds us. I bring the animals, birds, views and insects into the world view as they are. No corrections, no alterations. They are created as they are and perfect as they are. All life is created and there is no need to hide them. I keep it to the more positive light. Though I have saved some of the more negative for a more adult e-book I am still working on. There is one that is going to be a longer term project. It is unlikely to be available for at least a year or more. But, don’t worry, I’m working on projects that will come out much sooner than that. I just have to get the e-books sorted and corrected that are now up. I have to change my author information and update. One of the downsides to being an author. When you change your pages, you have to change your information to reflect the changes. So, here’s hoping I can get my work caught up again so that I can get my next project out. Fingers crossed to have it ready by Halloween!

Thanks for listening to my podcast and/or reading my blog post and thanks for your interest in A & J PEI Treasures!

Just one more thing. I have one of my children’s e-books up for a 2021 TCK award Category is General Non-Fiction. https://www.tckpublishing.com/2021-re... The Big Kids Magical Path to Colours in Nature (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093K2FN4M/...). If you have a moment, we could use some votes.

Our Blog Posts are available on
WordPress: https://wordpress.com/sites/aandjpeit... and
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Podcast are available on Anchor FM in a variety of formats: https://anchor.fm/a--j-pei-treasures iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-e-...
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/e-...
Amazon: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/879a...

My e-books can be found on:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/E.-Jean-Simpso...

Keep watching for more e-books and more formats! Currently working toward getting my e-books up on Smashwords and will be an affiliate when I do! We’re always working on something!

The Big Kids Magical Path to Colours in Nature
E. Jean Simpson

On Break!

Sorry, our internet is down and communications are slow with connecting services. Our service has been troubleshooting but to no avail so our blog post and podcast are delayed until issues are resolved one way or another. Thanks for understanding!


Update: Our internet finally came back on Sunday 9/19/2021. Our blog post and podcast will be moved to next week at its usual time! Sorry, it was an unscheduled break. Thanks for understanding!

Why our Corner of the World is Magical

E. Jean Simpson Hi and Welcome to the A & J PEI Treasures E Jean Simpson Author Blog Post and Podcast. I’m your host, Jean coming to you from the beautiful Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada!! The blog post and podcast is an opinion piece and only reflects this author’s opinion and not that of any other entity. Today’s podcast and blog post centers around the many hats worn by this author, photographer, blogger and podcaster and why I choose to do all this. If you want to find out more, then stay tuned…

I have found myself taking on different roles for A & J PEI Treasures. I didn’t start out thinking about doing anything other than e-books and Facebook and YouTube. Facebook was to showcase our work, YouTube was to showcase projects. Of course as an author, you have to have your author pages. Then things didn’t work with Facebook and I switched to Twitter. This has been a good change for me and for A & J PEI Treasures. I seem to have more interest in A & J PEI Treasures from Twitter, but I have to be more careful responding to things because I have only the one account. On Facebook I had a personal one as well as the business one because I had family on. It was easier to keep them separated. Then I found a lot of authors were going on YouTube to provide their fans with something more. It seemed like a good idea, however this didn’t feel like me or appropriate for me. I’m happier being anonymous so my photographic work can get done. I’m not a public type person. I am happier working behind the scenes. As an aside, I think the only people in town who know I’m with A & J PEI Treasures is the lady who gave me my vaccine shot as I mentioned putting it up on our site. Anyway, I wanted something auditory to offer my followers and that’s when podcasts came into my life. I’m content with the new avenues and find that, as Andrea Davis Pinkney said, “One of the challenges of wearing so many hats, is that I love each and every one of them!” I found an outlet to give people a look into the mind of this author in both written form and in spoken form. It was a good fit for me and I am pleased to continue to give multimedia exposure.

Though on the other hand, as Matthew Brannon said, “I’ve often been given the career advice to not wear too many hats, which, of course, has just encouraged me to wear other hats, such as being a writer, being a curator, or just doing anything outside of the definition of an artist.” I have always been interested in a variety of things. So having more than one avenue and one type of art is a good match for me; though I don’t read everyone else’s blogs or podcasts. Sorry, I’m not being a jerk, I just have so much I want to do in a day, it doesn’t leave a lot of time for extras. I do sew some of my own clothing. I tend to like boho style and can indulge this. Of course, to keep with my interest in being somewhat eco-friendly, I have gotten a lot of my materials at thrift stores and yard sales. My clothing tends to differ depending on the weather. In warmer weather, I prefer skirts and dresses more. In winter whatever is warmer.

Then there are the various renovation projects that we have done over the years. We bought the place on the Island and had to renovate quite a bit. It is now mostly complete, though still some to go. I have always believed in learning new things and experiencing new places and things. So, this gives me the opportunity to give people a view of our adventures and to continue having them. As of yet, our YouTube channel is not monetized. In time, we may obtain enough followers to do so, but Canada seems to be somewhat different from the US when it comes to video watching and monetization. There seems to be less interest in watching or following. I’ve noted most of the US ones seem to obtain followers much more easily.

The one challenge that we have found is that there is not fast internet in the country. It sometimes can take as much as an hour to get our ten minute or so video up. This is a factor in keeping most of the videos under ten minutes. It takes a longer time to do anything online, I would expect. This is something that is normal to the area. Most towns and cities have faster internet. We manage with what we have. It is simply one of the things we have to deal with. Otherwise this is a perfect area for imagination and beautiful inspiration for my writing and for working on A & J PEI Treasures.

So, A & J PEI Treasures is a multimedia experience and one can experience any one or all of the components. The e-books are the only for sale items and the main focus on my work and I generally have one or two or more on the agenda. The other projects fill in between and keeping busy is always a good thing. At least I am happy to stay busy. There are some general goals and there are some yearly things. For instance, every year, I do some baking to put into the freezer. This is mostly seasonal baking dependent on fruit in season. Usually in the form of pumpkin and apple pies. I also use the peels to make apple core jelly. I’ve determined that if the seeds are removed, I can also add apple mash to the smoothies. I like the idea of very little waste involved in our projects.

I can sit and watch Sam nap contentedly on the floor, write about our multimedia world or watch Ramses the great run around the house. I can sit and sew or write or create. I have choices and that is something that fits my temperament when it comes to artistic lifestyle. I can try new things. When it rains, I can work or read or sew or do whatever I wish. I can work on e-books, blog posts and podcasts. I can plan and dream. I can show the world as I see it with all the beauty. When it rains, I can go during a lull in the rain and rescue worms from the road so they won’t be crushed by cars.

Some people see someone constantly doing something and not sitting still for long. I see an opportunity to be creative and to continue to create things and experiences. I see living in a postcard like area and sharing it with anyone in the world that wants to see it. It sets me free of limits that no one thinks of. I am not limited to where I am, I am not limited to what is around me. It opens up whole areas that even short years ago, I would never have thought existed. So, I see freedom. If I continue, I think that the money part will come. I will eventually reach the level of professionalism that I seek. This is why I continue and because I love what I do, it isn’t like working. Ralph Waldo Emerson is quoted as saying, “Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without it nothing great was ever achieved.” So, if nothing else, I love what I am doing, I believe in the message that we are sharing and I believe that it is an always forward moving entity and deserves to continue to have a chance to succeed.

Thanks for listening to my podcast and/or reading my blog post and thanks for your interest in A & J PEI Treasures!

Just one more thing. I have one of my children’s e-books up for a 2021 TCK award Category is General Non-Fiction. https://www.tckpublishing.com/2021-re... The Big Kids Magical Path to Colours in Nature (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093K2FN4M/...). If you have a moment, we could use some votes.

Our Blog Posts are available on
WordPress: https://wordpress.com/sites/aandjpeit... and
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Podcast are available on Anchor FM in a variety of formats: https://anchor.fm/a--j-pei-treasures iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-e-...
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/e-...
Amazon: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/879a...

My e-books can be found on:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/E.-Jean-Simpso...

Keep watching for more e-books and more formats! Currently working toward getting my e-books up on Smashwords and will be an affiliate when I do! We’re always working on something!
The Big Kids Magical Path to Colours in Nature

Method Behind the Madness

Hi and Welcome to the A & J PEI Treasures E Jean Simpson Author Blog Post and Podcast. I’m your host, Jean coming to you from the beautiful Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada!! The blog post and podcast is an opinion piece and only reflects this author’s opinion and not that of any other entity. Today’s podcast and blog post centers around why I chose multimedia in my case this means photography and written word for my contribution to the world of e-books. It combines several things that I really think are worth sharing. If you want to find out more, stay tuned…

I have first, chosen to write e-books not because it is the easiest nor the safest method, but because as I have stated in other blogs, it is the most eco-friendly. It doesn’t kill trees, it can be easily accessed and with the smaller home lifestyle, it’s easy to access and doesn’t take up a lot of room. It will help reduce my carbon footprint. As I’ve also stated in earlier blogs, I have chosen it because I believe in the particular medium as being an art form in itself. Sadly, it can be and has been abused by those looking to make a quick buck. However, that is unlikely to last forever, for the very simple reason that often e-books are much cheaper than written books. I feel it is an art form that has to be respected and it is up to all e-book authors to make sure that we do treat it with respect. It is a form that allows small to no budget authors to get their ideas out in the world. Sadly, it is not afforded the same respect as other forms. We cannot allow for scammers to drive our work into oblivion. We need to insist on being respected as an art form. I find that often there are contests, etc. that do not even encourage e-book authors to compete. For low budget authors, the entry fees often weed us out. It doesn’t matter whether our e-books are good or not, we are not even given the opportunity to be included. If we want to move forward as an art form, we need to encourage inclusion by taking the forum seriously ourselves. I’ve spent blog posts on this idea alone.

On to why do I chose multi-media and by that, I mean photography and written word e-books. First, this allows me to pair up two different things that I enjoy doing. One is photography and the other is writing. I can tell a multi-layer story. The pictures tell one part and the words tell more. It is a way to put my thoughts and my love of beauty out in the word for others to enjoy. I can also use this method to share knowledge such as my children’s e-books. I can introduce them to the beauty of nature and the lovely world around them. Too much attention goes to video games and their peers and the internet and not much goes into realizing that there is a real world around them that has so many different things that they can look at, appreciate and experience. They can learn from the world around them as well as from others and internet. They can see and read about it. They can enjoy finding colours, shapes and various other things in nature. Perhaps it will give them the impetus to explore the outdoors. Many kids don’t get to see much except concrete jungles. They go to school in concrete buildings, they may have a little green space, but there is more to life than just that. This is where my children’s e-books can open whole areas of life up to them.

I also have somewhat more adult e-books that can help people experience flowers, nature, places, and other ideas that they might not think of. Often kids don’t like spending a lot of time in museums or in other places, this gives them a quick look and the adults can enjoy the beauty of the area without being rushed through. It can give people ideas of things they would like to do or places to see and things that might be of interest. It was especially important for me to do this during COVID because there was a lack of ability to go to places or do things. Even now, people with weakened immune systems may need something to read. My more adult form e-books can also be used by people who have memory deficits as they aren’t really stuck on one thing, but may trigger memories of places they have been or things they have done. I like to think that the work I do isn’t a one size fits all, but rather anyone could find something to enjoy about them.


I also use my art form to bring interest to our area. I write some e-books that contain places from the area. I also use Twitter to bring our little area of PEI (SW Lot 16) to the greater world so that people can see the beauty that we have to share. Some places in the area, I feel like I am walking in a postcard. For instances one of the properties has lovely little decorated garden that makes me think of beautiful fairies flitting and flying by at night. There are little lights that shine after it gets dark so that you really think it is a fairy garden. The beach down the way from where we live has all sorts of water life and is very scenic. The other direction, there are cows toward the water giving a lovely pastoral view of the area. There are fields of crops. It is a virtual wonderland for any family who wants to travel around and see different aspects of Island life. There are birds, animals, insects, flowers, trees, water and all its teeming life.

So, writing in the form of blogs and e-books and speaking in the form of podcasts helps me get the ideas out and gives me more practice writing and speaking in the media. The photography, shows life with all its amazing facets. The e-books are there for those who want to read and enjoy the photography that brings the places to life. It is relaxing reading, educational reading and gives a taste of all the beauty of our Island Home.

I feel it is important that we respect the arts and find ways to develop the art form so that it becomes respected. I do write for myself, but also for others and hope that I can add value to the areas. I hope, at some point, that the art form will obtain the respect that it should. When the first presses came out, there was an increase in the amount of knowledge that was available and it put one group out of business. I think the new forum of e-books are a great addition because we can bring information more easily to the general population, but they are not a primary form yet. Right now they are treated as a secondary form. I expect that this was true when the first printing presses came out. No one thought it would entirely change the world.

So, please, when you do e-books, make sure to edit and process them every bit as seriously as you would a book that you send through a publisher. Try to eliminate spelling and grammatical errors. Don’t publish fake e-books, don’t publish someone else’s work as your own. All these things have caused the lack of respect for this format. If you are doing it to become rich, well, at least I won’t have your competition for long. Do it because you have a passion for getting your work out. Do it because you love what you do. If you are doing this, also, read some of the free e-books out there. Leave feedback for them. They are working toward improving upon the art out there. As David Morrell said, “You have to follow your own voice. You have to be yourself when you write. In effect, you have to announce, ‘This is me, this is what I stand for, this is what you get when you read me. I’m doing the best I can—buy me or not—but this is who I am as a writer.”

Thanks for listening to my podcast and/or reading my blog post and thanks for your interest in A & J PEI Treasures!

Just one more thing. I have one of my children’s e-books up for a 2021 TCK award Category is General Non-Fiction. https://www.tckpublishing.com/2021-re... The Big Kids Magical Path to Colours in Nature (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093K2FN4M/...). If you have a moment, we could use some votes.

Our Blog Posts are available on
WordPress: https://wordpress.com/sites/aandjpeit... and
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Podcast are available on Anchor FM in a variety of formats: https://anchor.fm/a--j-pei-treasures iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-e-...
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/e-...
Amazon: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/879a...

My e-books can be found on:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/E.-Jean-Simpso...
Keep watching for more e-books and more formats! Currently working toward getting my e-books up on Smashwords and will be an affiliate when I do! We’re always working on something!
E. Jean Simpson