Tag: journal

Early Summer

A Blue Heron considers eating a Striped Turtle. The turtle says, not today or tomorrow.

When we were kids, the long weekend in May was the earliest you would even consider being in the lake.

Mom used to say get burned in May and it will turn into tan for the rest of summer.

The sun felt good back then. So did the lake. One would ease the other.

The sun made me sleepy back then. It was like being a garter snake coming out from the clay banks and laying on railway ties. Like everything was okay.

***

Busier than shit these last few days. It’s close to 100° out there and someone told me the pool was too cold. It’s 78°.

I told them the hot tubs are hotter and the river is colder.

***

The wasps are building their hives. I was called to take one down. I didn’t feel bad as it was over a doorway. It was a poor choice for the queen. She flew away and I hope she finds a spot underground where it is cool and nobody complains.

***

There are thousands of tiny grasshoppers out there. They are going to love the coming hot weather.

***

Lisa says we should get our firewood before they close the bush down. I agree it could be a hotter than hell summer.

Smoke

Smoke on the mountain.

The smoke has started. It could be a long summer. The smoke is from Alberta and Northern BC. Our forest fire season usually gets going in July. It could be a bad one judging from the heat we are experiencing.

Cinnamon Black Bear and black cub.

Willow and I headed for the bush. I was looking for Yarrow to make a hot compress for my knee that is giving me grief. On the way we saw a female Black Bear and cub.

The Yarrow was up and I mixed it with some of last years dried flowers.

Yarrow sprouts.

The Yarrow was boiled until soft, drained through cloth with the remaining leaves and flowers rolled in the cloth. Once cooled a bit it was put on my knee. It felt good. Hopefully it will do the trick.

Monday

The rain will remove the snow.

Rain today and we needed it. Work was a missed mash of issues. Most got the better of me. Lisa has a small white board where I get dressed that says, ‘Make good choices’. She knows I don’t always, but I’m getting better from my younger days where it didn’t take much for me to fly off the handle.

The birds enjoyed the rain, they chirped and sang and were grateful for the worms that came to the surface, making eating easy.

You could almost watch the grass grow. I fear a hot dry summer. We have been lucky the last couple of years. The tourists are coming, no longer slowed by Covid, and each will have a pack of matches and a few fireworks, not content with turning off the lights and watching the much more magnificent Milky Way.

Anger still bubbles in me. Deep down. Watching the destruction. The waste, pollution and noise. Nothing changes fast, I remind myself. It takes time they say. In the meantime I try to make good choices.

Morning Walk

Lisa shows the kids what to look for.

A very nice walk this morning with Kelsie, Cooper and Scarlett. Lisa and I are lucky to have them along. Willow and Lola ran through the creek and fetched rocks and sticks. Lisa and Scarlett brought back pussy willows.

Scarlett decides to cross the creek on her bum. A good choice when unsure.

Pray

Wind and rain signalling winter is officially over and spring is here. I feel colder in this weather than I do when it is minus thirty.

It will green things up. Some of the kids at work are wearing shorts while I still have on my long underwear.

Lisa asked today, do I wish we prayed. It is a good question.

Easter

There is plenty of reason for the way things work out. For instance, we’re told, a person works hard and they prosper. However, the biggest reason that things work out is random. The universe is chaos. It doesn’t consider us or our feelings. It isn’t Jesus or Santa Claus or cares if we have been naughty or nice. If it was most people would live forever and a few would pay for the shit they caused.

Bad things happen to good people. Bad people prosper. Not always, like I said, it’s random.

My brother smoked and drank from the time he was 12. Instead of liver or lung cancer he died of a rare blood disease. He thought it was funny. It also killed his fear of dying. So many doing everything right and dying. He was lucky.

We’re all lucky in the end.

The stars keep time. They swarm over the mountains. Turn south and back. It takes more than a lifetime to know them, to become an expert.

Spring

Every season has its colours. The sky in spring is always interesting, where it can be minus twelve in the morning and plus twelve in the afternoon. That does things to the sky.

A brilliant full moon cutting through the clouds here and there. Big puffy orange clouds in the longer evenings.

This morning the moon went down later, a little more light, so I didn’t have to take the picture in the dark. The purple colour on the horizon drives me crazy with joy. Only in Spring.

Weekend

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.

Black-Capped Chickadee

The birds have been chattering. Going this way and that. It is nice to see.

Put in a good days work. Hoping for clear skies to see the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus on Wednesday.

DOI By-Election

Tonight’s, District of Invermere All Candidates By-Election Forum was well attended. The forum was hosted by the Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce and held at the Lion’s Hall. Most of the chairs were full with citizens over the age of fifty, in other words voters.

The candidates are vying for one councillor position. The general election was held in October, the Mayor and Councillors were acclaimed, so we had no forums and didn’t have to cast a ballot. After the election one of the newly acclaimed councillors stepped down before being sworn in, setting up this by-election.

Now four months later five candidates have thrown their hats in the ring. The first question at the forum was why didn’t they run in the general election. 

This is not a post about where each candidate stands, or to dissect the question or answers posed and answered, but to give a feeling of the room and how each candidate faired.

I know three of the five candidates. I was happy to get a chance the forum allowed, to get to know the two other candidates.

Grant Kelly is a semi-retired businessman. I have had dealings with him over the years. All of our relations have been good. He has also volunteered for many boards and positions. I once saw him take bids at a fundraiser to shave his hair to raise money for a disabled citizen.

His answers were unconventional, asserting decisions are often made by consensus instead of how we may feel personally about a subject. When asked about the DOI supporting the Historical Museum, there was almost an audible gasp by the grey headed audience when he suggested the Museum should expand their hours and spruce things up to attract more visitors. Kelly is a realist who spoke truthfully during his answers. 

Grey Bradatsch is a co-owner of a downtown art gallery. I dealt with him when I owned our print and newspaper businesses.

Bradatsch came across as decisive. He prefaced his answer to each question, ‘I am going to talk fast because I have a lot to say,’ and closed with, ‘if you like what you hear, tell your friends’. In between those two sayings wasn’t much other than him blowing his own horn. However, as previous elections have shown, there are many who like this style of politician.

Stephanie Stevens has lived her life in the valley. She has had many jobs. I know her best as a journalist for the now defunct newspaper, The Valley Echo, where she wrote passionately about many subjects, always taking the side of the underdog. A very fine writer.

If there was a winner, it was her, however that doesn’t mean much at these forums. Stevens spoke passionately throughout the forum, especially in her last two minutes, about having grown up, bringing her kids up and now grandkids in Invermere. She spoke about change she has seen. Unfortunately, if anything, being a long time local will not resonate and may even prove a detriment with the majority of residents who have come here within the past 10 years.

David Goldsmith, I did not know previous to this forum. He was measured in his response to the questions, citing fiscal responsibility and his history of doing so. He seemed nervous at first but gained steam throughout the forum. 

He talked about his connection to the area, but at the end I wondered if he actually lived in Invermere. He did sound like a decent and qualified man for Councillor and one that may bring experience to Council. He was well liked by the over 50 crowd.

Juanita Violini I did not know, and still don’t. All of her answers were rehearsed, written and scripted. When stumbling she would go back to her main talking points. She introduced herself as a writer. That’s difficult, because writing and conversing are two totally different things, you can be bad at one or the other and still communicate. She wasn’t in her comfort zone and relied on writing that was good, but seemed out of place at times.

Dee Conklin, past Mayor of Radium Hot Springs and Chamber President did a great job of moderating the forum, giving the candidates extra time to think while injecting humour into the event.

The Chamber and Candidates should be commended for making themselves available and putting on an informative event.