BUZZon.com - Nina Linton

It’s 5:15 am. Garnet Schellen’s hand fumbles into the murky darkness, silencing the alarm clock’s shrills with a slap. He slides out of bed and into his work clothes—a well-worn set of navy coveralls—before easing out the back door and down a path carved by decades of hurried footsteps.

All’s quiet except for a faint wind w

March 2013
The Clark Farm

The Story of Your Food

by Nina Linton

Donna Clark is on call 24/7. Some nights she gets no sleep, working around the clock helping mothers deliver healthy little ones. She lingers by their sides for as long as it takes—some minutes, others hours—ready to jump in and help during the most difficult and intense births.

With two grown children of her own, Clark’s mothering instinct remains strong. She’s d

June 2011
Rose Viaene

A driving force behind community shared agriculture (CSA)

Difference Engines
by Nina Linton

Rose Viaene hugs a wooden basket as she sorts through freshly-harvested vegetables. Brimming with leafy greens, the bushel basket gets a hefty helping of additional produce as Viaene tucks smooth-skinned tomatoes, oblong eggplants, and tufted corn ears inside.

Delivering these overstuffed containers to her customers’

May 2011
Jack Arsenault

Difference Engines
by Nina Linton

When Jack Arsenault steps out onto one of the busiest thoroughfares in Charlottetown, he not only ensures he gets across the road safely but that dozens of Parkdale Elementary School students under his guard make it to class unscathed.

Spending 13 hours a week at the corner of St. Peter’s Road and St. Pius X Avenue, Jack raises his handheld stop sign to countless streams o

April 2011
Stay Tuned

Lester Stubbert refurbishes guitars for use in Montague schools

Difference Engines
by Nina Linton

It’s been a while but Lester Stubbert still remembers the feeling. Without an instrument himself, the musically-inclined child fashioned an impromptu guitar from one of his father’s lobster traps and a Popsicle stick; his aspiring three-year-old fingers plucking the interlaced strings, a resonant warble eme

March 2011
Helping Hands

Difference Engines
by Nina Linton

Tom Stewart leads photography group at North River 4-H Club

When Tom Stewart dropped his young daughter off for her first 4-H meeting he had no idea that eleven years later he would remain the one involved, sharing his skills with youth while enriching the local community.

Initially jotting his name down next to hers, Stewart enlisted as a volunteer leader at their

February 2011
The Curling Life

Nancy Cameron plays Abig volunteer role in the Scotties on PEI

Difference Engines
by Nina Linton

For every rock that will be cast down the ice at this year’s national women’s curling championship, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Charlottetown resident Nancy Cameron will have invested countless hours in the event’s success.

An elite level curler who in past has competed in eight Scotties tournaments,

December 2010
Holiday Hosts

Taking part in the PEI Association for Newcomers program

Difference Engines
by Nina Linton

At a time of the year when many families flock together to celebrate the holidays, those whose loved ones are across the miles can find the much touted Christmas season to be disheartening. But for one Island couple who opened their home up to strangers during the season of familiar faces, their definition of

October 2010
Breakfast is Ready

Ruby Doucette volunteers with Breakfast for Learning PEI

Difference Engines
by Nina Linton

Separating the halves of a bagel, Ruby Doucette drops them in an industrial toaster as two crispy pieces slide out the other end. She collects the done dough and adds it to a mound of other toasted O’s in a tray, as she prepares for the arrival of her hungry regulars.

Two mornings a week Ruby Doucette is up and

August 2010
Witty and Delightful

Pygmalion

by Nina Linton

Reviving old classics is nothing new for The Montgomery Theatre but in their recent offering, Pygmalion, the company sets the bar high with outstanding cast performances in a comical collision of socioeconomic classes.

Returning this year in their newly acquired North Rustico venue, the Montgomery Theatre players, under artistic director Duncan McIntosh, with previous positions

August 2010
Speed the Plough

Founder of Eastern Antique Tractor and Equipment Club

Difference Engines
Nina Linton

For Heber Ross there is not a more comfortable spot than the rigid, conformed metal seat of his restored 1952 tractor.

A long time antique machinery enthusiast, Ross remembers the days when this elder equipment worked the land of Prince Edward Island, providing farmers with horsepower to harvest their crops.

Although

July 2010
Small is Beautiful

Mary Gallant’s M&M Lucky Hooves are welcomed visitors

Difference Engines
by Nina Linton

Sometimes it is a glimmer in an eye, other times it is a wavering hand outstretched with purpose, but whatever the cues Mary Gallant knows she is making a positive difference in people’s lives. As founder of the Bloomfield-based non-profit organization, M & M Lucky Hooves, Gallant treks across the province w