Stories, Excerpts, Backroads
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Things ain’t all bad. It’s easy to forget we are lucky. Busier than a one-armed-paper-hanger-with-a-seven-year-itch. That’s what my Dad used to say.
Going to one job than another without properly sewing up the previous job. That’s how it feels. That’s when we forget things. Getting older doesn’t help.
***
The birds have been singing like they are getting serious. Moving among the trees, putting branches between them and the sky. Plenty of cold weather coming. It’s only mid Feb after all.
***
The northern lights came out last night. Green and red shooting straight up in the east. The big and little dipper, along with Polaris seemed unfazed.
***
The snow crunches when walked on. The long legged dog breaks through. The small hounds run on top. A herd, about eight, Whitetail Deer, rustled, and run. Hooves scarring the frozen earth with fresh tracks. The dogs, perk, but stay close. Thank Christ! I’m too old to chase after 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.
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.
***
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.
Watched the moon, still a crescent, go down with Jupiter. At one time, and for most of human history, the position of the stars and phase of the moon was of great importance, allowing us to plant and find our way.
It took a lot of common knowledge to get this far. Now humankind seems to care more about how we differ.
What was once a commonality, something to steer the ship, has been washed out and polluted with our own false sense of superiority.
***
When our girls were growing up, Lisa and I emphasized that they had to keep themselves safe. We told them everything from, don’t leave your drink, to stay with groups, and always trust your gut, among other things.
We tried to do it without scaring them. But the truth is the world is a tough place, especially for women.
***
I worked with a man who hated women. Every relationship he was in ended badly. He married and had kids and physically and emotionally abused them. He could be cheerful, even charming, but it would never last. He would be put off with a perceived slight or someone unresponsive to his advances.
Our girls were teenagers at the time. I remember thinking, this man was a predator looking for an opportunity. He may never have an opportunity and always stay on the side of the law, content on making the lives of the people closest to him hell, but given the opportunity he could wreak havoc on anyone unsuspecting.
He had a big influence on what we tried to impart on our two young daughters and keeping themselves safe.
***
The world is small that way. The dangers and beauty are always both right there.
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.
Palliser Pass 