Stories, Excerpts, Backroads
Jimmy knocked himself out today. He struggled with a post of angle iron in the frozen ground. Finally it broke off and hit him in the head. He hit the ground, his radio on squelch. That’s Jimmy. If he does something he makes sure everyone notices.
Of course, once he came to, he wanted to keep working. He is small of stature, but strong as an army. That’s Jimmy.
A good week, plenty of work completed, including starting on some upcoming projects and I was able to get out a few morning to take pictures. The new camera is still proving a challenge and will take more practice to get used to it.
***
The picture above is of a man who sets up off the highway on the Radium Hill. You have to admire his commitment as he has been there for about two months. He sets up each morning and takes down at night.
I’m not sure of his cause. Probably Covid and the vaccines, presenting his own demonstration, having missed the trucker debacle in Ottawa.
He has six large Canadian flags on both sides of the highway, all flying upside down, signifying distress.
I like to think someone does a wellness check on him once and awhile to make sure he isn’t getting the urge to hang grandpa’s 30-06 out the window.
The Fuck Trudeau flags are nothing new. We live beside Alberta, so we get our share of that hyperbole shoved in our faces from the most well-off, privileged, people in Canada.
My friend has a daughter entrenched in conspiracy theories. She believes them all. Especially about the government, forcing deadly vaccines on us for a made up pandemic, among many other theories, deep state, lizard people, you name it. It is a great sadness for my friend, because his daughter isolates herself and her kids, hiding behind walls, not visiting, as long as it has an internet connection.
But this is what I don’t understand; his daughter is on every kind of government assistance that is offered. If you hated the government wouldn’t you refuse the money? Don’t get me wrong, it is good they have help, but it must go against her strong convictions. Would it not be a red flag to question those convictions?
Which gets me back to the guy on the Radium Hill. He has been there for months now. He is either independently wealthy, or like my friends daughter, taking money from the very government he is protesting.
He is not hurting anybody flying his flags, but I can’t help but feel sorry for him.
***
On a lighter note. I bought Willow a new toy. It looked indestructible.
Eight minute later.
The District of Invermere bi-election is in the books. The results:
Took a couple good walks behind Swansea. Plenty of birds calling. Still they kept themselves hidden. They are wild after all. My camera could be a bazooka. The older I get the smarter I figure the animals are and the dumber the humans, mostly me, are.
A bit of sickness about. Scarlett, Cooper and Lisa are under the weather.
Lola joined Willow and I on our walks. She is a big puppy and minds Willow when she gets too close and gets the snarl.
Checked on the good neighbour. He is still hurting from the Polar Plunge. Drank too much, then cold and hot. It’s been two weeks. The older you get the longer it takes to recover. He perked up when he said, his body is probably protesting the lack of beer.
Got about four books on the go. Larry from
https://larrymuffinathome.wordpress.com
suggested Cicero’s, How to Grow Old. Dave picked it up for me, recently, in the City.
It is a good book. Not as long as it looks, because the left hand pages are in latin.
It suggests to accept diminished strength with grace and help youth whenever you can. I am only 70 pages in. Perhaps there will be a twist at the end.
To be on this earth comes down to luck. To live, watch birds, make love and scrub a dogs head is a gift.
A busy week leading up to the first long weekend of the year. We have been fortunate not to have had to clear snow.
***
Our son-in-law, Tom, broke his ankle. Lisa and I have been looking after Scarlett and Cooper while Tom and Kelsie waited in the city for surgery. After three days of waiting from 2pm to 10pm in the hospital, all gowned, prepped, fasting, no pain killers, not able to drink, spending the nights in a motel, Tom was called and had his surgery to pin his ankle back together. He is home resting.
Everyone says that’s the way our healthcare system works now. Wait and hope. Still better than most of the world.
I think we could do better. What Tom went through is bullshit. Because it is ‘the way it is now’ doesn’t make it better. Six days after it was broken he had it fixed. It is lucky they didn’t have to rebreak it.
***
The kids have been great. It’s been a long time since we have had to get kids ready and get them off to school. It takes energy and time. My boss has been very understanding considering it is busy.
One of the things I like about being just a regular employee is management doesn’t expect you to be as committed to the ‘job’ as, they have to be.
***
Coming home after work. I was cut off by one of our neighbours/tourists from the next province, narrowly avoiding an accident. Later, I was tailgated by another, before they blew by me, a Mercedes SUV, one license plate, in a hurry to have fun.
It is the first long weekend of the year and I’m already sick of them.
A wonderful weekend so far. Lisa and I went to school with Scarlett to hear her read. We were proud. The kids came over for supper. Willow barked and let on. Vocal she is.
Dave came over with a $100 bottle of wine to accompany us watching the sun go down. We drank it out of mason jars. I rustled up some cheese, meat and bread. We were like a couple of high breds.
Lisa and I drove the loop around Lake Windermere, spotting Eagles and Deer.
Willow barked and let on.
So far so good.
A spectacular day, after so many with cloud cover. Lisa and I headed beyond the ruck to skate beyond Windermere.
Each year we get older and loose a little balance. Thats the way it works. We try harder to compensate, but are mindful not to bump our head.
Snow day. I shovelled here and there, not as fast as I used to. My stock is going down.
I envy folks that reinvent themselves. One day throwing fertilizer out a hopper, the next, an IT specialist or an acupunturist.
That’s not me. I shovel snow and will always shovel snow.
***
The birds have disappeared. It was a good cone year and they should be out in force. I hear them. Not many. It worries me.
***
It is the same thing with birds as it is with the river, we aren’t here long enough to become an expert.
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All the good things are the same. Take the sky for instance. The clouds and stars offer a pass.
***
Still old, still part of the earth. No quarter asked or given.
A fine week behind us. The skies finally cleared and it was nice to get to see some blue skies. Lisa and I had some nice fires in the fireplace and went on a couple nice walks. Weekends are always the highlight.
The weekdays are good, I look for anything to make me laugh. Luckily I work with people that feel the same. It passes the time and makes some of the more difficult or trying work easier.
***
Last Tuesday, on the way to work, I thought I would go through the drive through at Tim Hortons and get a coffee. Early in the morning, off season, it shouldn’t be much of a wait. There was only one car ahead of me. I was in luck, I thought. Usually the line can be out of the parking lot.
He took awhile to order. When he was done I pulled up and saw he had ordered $101.64 worth of stuff! Of course, he was even longer at the pick-up window. The line up behind me was out of the parking lot. There was only one person in the car ahead. They had BC plates. Usually it’s the red and white ones causing grief. I was late for work when I am usually 15 minutes early. Tim Horton’s staff got him through and apologized for his actions, saying, with such a big order he should go in the front. I paid my $2.15 for my dark roast, black. I envisioned a School Board Employee, someone in management, buying a round of coffee, bacon and egger sandwiches and doughnuts for the early morning meeting, thinking everyone else in the world is on their lazy ass schedule.
What can you do, but laugh.
***
The mountains have light around them. The colours are gray with blues, days getting longer, not in the morning yet, but in the evening. In January you take what you can get.
Tomorrow is Monday, I’ll get up and do it again. And if I don’t feel like it, I’ll remember how many times I didn’t feel like it, but did it anyway.
The souls came out and flew sideways, flattening out, then through me. They are hard to avoid. My Mother always said, don’t be afraid of them.
Here I am in the bush dodging souls, flying fast, like bats coming out of the night, when I can’t even see my hand in front of my face.
Willow says, hang in there.
They take my breath with them. Someday I’ll ask for it back.
It felt like spring today. The only thing cold was my feet from being damp. Cut and split firewood. Nothing makes a body feel better. Willow and Lola ran hither and yon. They both got wet and muddy.
The snow melted, got heavy and fell off the trees. For the first time in months, Lisa and I could see deep into the bush, past thousand branch trickery and white out simplicity. No sense, walking off trail, it’s still deep, the warmth making the going heavy. It wouldn’t be long my old legs would be stuck like a long legged moose after a week long mountain blizzard. My only advantage is there is no hungry wolves following close. Perhaps I’m just too blind to know. Regardless, at this stage of the game it’s best to stay on the beaten path.
That doesn’t mean you can’t be cantankerous, obstinate, disagreeable and ornery. The only rule: as long as it’s not towards the ones you love.
Palliser Pass 