Alberta - WOW!

Not so long ago, I found out that  my father, Romeo Girard, was indeed a Romeo. I have a brother I didn't know about and he lives in Alberta. That was the first WOW!  

I had never been to western Canada, but I had always wanted to visit it. Now, I had a great reason to go there, but I needed a companion because I'm not as able bodied as I once was.  My daughter, Nancy, will soon celebrate a milestone birthday so I asked her if she would like to go. She said yes. Hooray!  I began to plan our trip.

My brother is much younger than me and still works full-time so we arranged to meet on a weekend. I did not want to fly on a weekend and I needed to book the days away that would suit my daughter's work schedule so; we flew out to Calgary via West Jet on a Thursday and returned on the following Thursday. We had a rental car and our hotel was near the airport. It turns out that my brother, Lorne, is a man with a warm heart  who gives great hugs and does have some of my father's facial features. There is a lot of history to share as we learn about each other and our families.

While I was planning the trip, I had contacted three fellow writers, two of them were folks I only knew through  my years of posting on Facebook.  The response from all three was amazing. Another WOW! 

My dear friend, Lori Hahnel, offered to drive us to and from Banff, and did. She also joined us for lunch three times. I am very thankful for her friendship, she went not just the extra mile, but many extra miles for us,  and we always had more to say. Her latest novel,  Flicker, is available from University of Calgary Press. It's excellent.

 Lori Roadhouse Haney, who is a poet and educator,  and Ted Haney invited us for supper at their home and delighted Nancy with three Alberta beef choices. They have travelled the world and we especially enjoyed hearing about their years in Burma. Not only did they feed us,  but also,  thanks to Ted's membership in a Scots whisky club, I sampled a lovely smokey one.

Lee Kvern and Paul Rasporich invited us to visit them after our lunch in Okotoks and they offered us fresh pastries from the local French bakery.  Their home is filled with their art it is fascinating to see the contrast in their styles. Both of them are painters, and both write, too. We were given prints of Lee and Paul's work to take home. Lee has another book coming out in 2025. Paul and Lee had a joint art exhibition recently. Paul has a series of how-to-draw videos on YouTube and they are terrific. Look for Art with Raspo    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTZL9k8yKxs   WOW!

One of the highlights of the trip was seeing the mountains in Banff National Park. There were clouds but they simply added to the majesty of the Rockies and made their height and grandeur more evident. While we were there we had lunch in the Vermillion room of the Banff Springs Hotel. If you ever go there, be prepared to spend spend spend, but I would do it again if I could. WOW!

Calgary sprawls over miles and miles - and the road directions can be confusing - Crowfoot Trail South East, North made no sense to us at first but GPS saved us even if we had to loop the loop to find our way, but hey! it's the west and it's a go- big place. I have pictures.

Until next time.

Father's Day Thoughts

 Father's Day Thoughts

My maternal grandfather became my father figure when I was about six years old and he was a wholly admirable substitute. On the other hand, my 'real' father vanished shortly after we, my mother my brother and I, moved in with my mother's parents.  At the time it was a great mystery to me. Why did we have to move and where did he go?  I have a few vivid memories of our life before he left us. 

He had charmed my mother into marrying him. The problem, or at least one of the problems, was that he charmed other young women too. He also enjoyed alcohol and betting on the horses. Unfortunately that meant there was almost no money left over for supporting his wife and two children.  Before long, my grandparents discovered that our living situation was disastrous. Soon after that we moved in with them. 

In the beginning, I believe my mother hoped it would be a short-term situation. She went to work full time. She had graduated from high school but in the late 1940's her low wages didn't enable her to rent a place for herself and her two children.  My brother and I had bedrooms in the basement of my grandparents home. The basement flooded every spring and sometimes in the fall, too.  My mother updated her education and learned bookkeeping skills and we all continued to live with her parents. 

I'm sure it was not a friction-less time for my mother or for my grandparents; but any disagreements took place very quietly.  Truly, my grandfather was a quiet man. I can't recall him ever raising his voice but he never needed to. He could make me feel guilty with a look.  My brother and I were told often not to raise our voices and to respect him. He had served in France in World War One and experienced its horrors,  He was not a church-going man, but if I was singing a solo  or performing in a play at the church he would be there. In his quiet way, he was supportive of anything I tried for.   He also taught us, my brother and me how to shoot a rifle. There was a target range in Woodslee and he took us there to practice. He had learned to shoot as a boy because he grew up in a village in rural Ontario and there was a rifle club. He was an excellent shot and had to use that skill during the war but he never mentioned it, or anything else about his war service.

He had a heart attack and died when I was twenty and still living at home. He loved us as a father should. I honour him and I miss him still.

A Tale of Two Symphonies

The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony was founded in 1944  and The Windsor Symphony began in 1947. It was a time of optimism and beginnings in both cities. It's worth noting that both cities were primarily focused on industry and most inhabitants were working class. Windsor was producing cars for Ford Chrysler and General Motors while Kitchener had a mix of manufacturers. 

Both symphonies had crises at different times. The Windsor Symphony faced a financial crunch from 1987 to 1990, the musician's pay was cut and they went on strike. However;  the orchestra managed to survive. The solo artists it highlights are Canadian and it commissions new works by Canadian composers.

Back in 2006, the board of Kitchener Waterloo Symphony said it would be forced to declare the organization bankrupt; but a successful fundraising campaign generated 2.5 million and saved it temporarily. Unfortunately and inexplicably, the K-W Symphony was declared bankrupt in late September 2023. Orchestra members were given only twenty-four hours notice  that the season was cancelled. The entire symphony board resigned.  Former orchestra members continue to work on fund raising.

I am still gobsmacked at how this could have happened. How has Windsor managed to continue to support its symphony even though the Detroit Symphony, a major U.S. symphony, is only a mile away across the river; but the Kitchener-Waterloo region which is a tech hub and has many wealthy people has allowed the K-W symphony to die? Yes the pandemic had an effect but it had an effect everywhere.

 Perhaps eventually more will be revealed. In the mean time, the campaign by the musicians continues. You can donate here if you wish.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-your-kwsymphony-musicians

My Life is Like a Matinee

These days, getting ready for almost any activity involves some time-consuming preparation at night, and in the morning.  That leaves me with only the afternoon and a little of the early evening to get into any mischief, or to do any necessary but boring chores.  

I'm in my eighth decade now and am still learning to cope with my new status. It's not easy because there are hardly any precedents in my family. No role models, unless I count my former husband but he's English and from the carry-on-come-what may generation. I can't count him and besides that, I relate more to the carry-on while complaining generation.  

Preparing for sleep includes several more steps that it did when I was a sprightly young thing.  I need to set up the coffee maker and make sure there is both water and ground coffee in the appliance. Hot water in the morning just doesn't have the same nearly gonzo effect as coffee. And if I forget to add the water the smell of hot metal on glass isn't delightful. 

All the things I might need in the night have to sit on top of the dresser by my bed. Did I mention drugs? Well, aspirin and acetaminophen have a home there. My cell phone goes up there too just in case, along with water in a sippy cup I try not to knock over. Most importantly, whatever book or magazine I'm reading must be handy and my heating pad needs to warm up the spot where my always-cold feet go. Yes, even if it is ninety degrees Fahrenheit, my nest must be warm. I read until my eyes begin to close. At that point I get up and visit the bathroom once more; then I return to bed and turn the bedside light out.

Naturally, I begin to worry about the state of the world and whether I turned the computer off and what I need to do the next day. After all what is the dark for, except thinking of what one puts off thinking about during the day. Never mind though,  the morning will arrive soon enough. Sometimes it arrives at three a.m. 

Normally, I wake between six and seven a.m.,  partly because I have to pee and partly because various parts of my body have decided to complain. I  sit on the side of the bed and slowly retrieve my slippers and put them on. Yes,  even if it is ninety degrees Fahrenheit, I need them.. The kitchen floor is non-slip but can be cold. I take no chances. I turn on the coffee machine and proceed to the living room to open the curtains and turn on the computer. 

 I fetch my mug of coffee and begin my day by checking my email. Then I check the news sites, my local TV station news, the CBC news and then the Guardian news. after that, I look on Facebook to see if any of my friends have posted there.  I now know that the world continues to be in an unholy mess. It's therefore time for me to do The Guardian crossword and the Globe and Mail crossword. That reassures me that some parts of me, and the world still function. I do some more internet browsing.

Suddenly, it's 10:30 a.m. and I'm still in my pyjamas. If I'm going to get anything done, I need to shower and dress. Showering means having my walker on hand and being extremely careful entering and exiting the tub. Unfortunately my bones are older than the rest of me. They aged without my permission, and I am not best pleased.  My skin didn't ask my permission to get as dry as the Sahara dessert either. So, my next task involves slathering it with a vitamin E cream. I have no idea if it is helping but it does increase the amount of laundry I have. Once I'm dressed I check my email accounts again and respond to any that need answers, then it's time for lunch.

After that, it's prime time for me - between one p.m. and four p.m. I might be at my peak performance time. I could work on my current project, or I could do some cleaning, or I could contact friends, or I could continue reading.  But, oh the couch looks alluring and it may be time for a nap before supper. Not every day needs a matinee performance.

Til the next adventure.

 Aging Gratefully During a Pandemic

 

I do not age gracefully. Even as a youngster I wasn’t physically graceful. I am; however, grateful for some of my circumstances during the COVID 19 pandemic.  I live alone so I’m accustomed to enjoying my own company, although sometimes do I get on my own nerves. When I was tired after my third COVID 19 vaccination, I went to bed without setting up my coffee maker. The next morning, after I managed to make coffee while in my pre-caffeinated state, I decided to be thankful that the machine is only moderately difficult to fill and only a few grains of coffee landed on the kitchen floor.

            Eating is one of my favourite occupations. I miss dining in restaurants with friends, even though we didn’t meet very often. I’ve become best buddies with my refrigerator and its small freezer compartment. Sometimes, I just open the door to see if by some miracle there’s anything new inside. At last, I understand why my grandsons would open the family’s fridge door and stand gazing at its contents. I’m truly grateful form my fridge and for enough money to fill it.

I’m thankful also for refrigerated grocery delivery trucks.  These days, I order my food stuffs online and have them delivered. Of course, that requires making a list ahead of time. It also requires knowing where I put the list, or failing that, starting a second list.  I can get some non-grocery items from the same source and that helps too, if I remember what I need.

Going out to a real store is a major adventure and I don’t do it often. In fact, by the time all this is over, entire neighbourhoods may have changed before I see them again. And, I have no idea what has happened at the local shopping malls. I haven’t been to one in two years. There may be new stores, or fewer stores, or zombies might be roaming the corridors. I’d be grateful not to see them.

Staying inside so much has led me to modified voyeurism. From my windows, I see the corner where the school bus stops to pick up local children. I notice how many of them are waiting in the morning. One day, the youngest one with the pink boots is missing. I wonder if the child is okay. When she appears the next day, I’m happy to see her grubbing in the snow bank.

Because I am inside so much, I’m often online, probably too often. On the one hand, I’ve learned more about many frivolous things.  For example, I now know what women wore under their dresses in the Victorian era. On the other hand, I’ve learned a bit more about Canadian and world history. That’s a bonus, I think.

When I’m free to wander places at will, I’m not sure how far I’ll go. Due to the pandemic, I’ve come to truly appreciate my home as my haven and I’m grateful to be in it.  I hope all your homes are safe places.

The Making of Waves - Stories from the Magic Filing Cabinet.

Many writers save all the versions of their work and the feedback on it that they receive from various sources such as critique groups, writers in residence, friends, and sometimes beta readers. I store printed copies of some  work in a small filing cabinet next to my desktop computer. In there, it's out of sight but perhaps not out of my mind. 

When the pandemic continued and we headed toward the second year of staying put, life  slowed down for me. I still miss my Viking and my involvement with the Rockway Entertainers chorus but  there was time to do more than to write the occasional haiku and On-The-Buses note for my Facebook page.  If I could find the energy, the objectivity and the stamina I might be able to put some of my short stories together as a collection. I chose eleven from my filing cabinet stash.

 I hadn't reread the stories in a long time. I had always found it difficult to accept criticism of my writing, especially when it was blunt. However, when I began to rewrite them, I was less hampered by previous impressions and critiques, and more able to refine them.  Two dear friends, Lori Hahnel and Dee Miller helped me with editing and proofreading.

I chose to self-publish the stories partly because of the time factor. Small presses can take eons to decide on whether to publish a writer's work. They have a hard time surviving in these Amazon dominant days. 

After some research I chose  www.volumesdirect.com the publishing division of M & T Printing, a local company. You can find Waves in the fiction section.

 

                                                     Blog Revival Time

It's been an age since I posted here. Of course lots has happened to all of us. The only writing I did was posting comments, On the Bus pieces, musings and haikus on Facebook. However, this autumn, the short stories that lived in my filing cabinet finally shouted loud enough that I had to take them out, and rework them.

Thanks to the help of friends they will be ready to publish early in the new year. I will write more about the collection when the launch is closer. In the meantime, I hope everyone stays safe and well.