William Hay, Writer: Springtime in Burnaby

It doesn’t get much better than this. I’m out in the back yard with my iPad Pro and keyboard sitting at the picnic table. This is the first time I’ve been able to sit outside and type in Canada in at least 5 months. I know in Doctor Zhivago, he’s writing in the cold with fingerless gloves. He’s writing poetry. Poets’ are crazy enough to write in those conditions. As a blogger in Canada I just moved in side.

I’ve walked outside this winter, in my bathing suit, something you didn’t see Dr. Zhivago do. I’ve a pool and hot tub a couple of hundreds yards away. That hot tub really helped me through the winter.

Now the Cherry Blossom trees are in bud. Flowers are coming up from bulbs. Daffodils and the first of the tulips. Soon it will be Tulip Season full on. I love to go to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival just across the border. It’s vast and a true psychedelic explosion of colour. I feel it wakes my brain up so I better see the good things in life. After the rainy Vancouver winter and the sun delinquent, , hemmed in by normally beautiful snow capped mountains, I feel a tad trapped. I need a chiropractic twist to see God’s love everywhere.

Even the Bloom , the smaller Abbotsford Tulip Festival nudges a soul in the right direction. Last year we walked around the Bloom with the god kids and Gilbert. They’re so funny and alive together. It was a day of colour and wonder. We’d all been to church before that to sing God’s praise.

Coming home from work today I heard Matt Maher’s Glory, Let There Be Peace song on Praise 106.5. We loved Matt Maher when he accompanied Third Day as their opening act when then came to Abbotsford.

The birds are returning. I saw a Blue and Black Stellar’s Jay. I heard The Great Herons are nesting again in Stanley Park. I hope the great heron and eagle that nest near here return. I always look forward to the king fishers. I’ve seen the Stanley Park Great Heron’s nexts I usually drop by when I drive the motorcycle around the park and head out to the university passing the beaches to Point Grey. Doing that circuit of the park always reminds me of the early days on the Ruckus or when Laura and I would ride the Buell 600 around that route. Spring in the Pacific Northwest is something to behold.

The Canadian Author Association Can Write 2019 is at UBC this year. I’m signed up for it. So much to learn. So much fun. The best of authors and poets and writers and the enthusiasm of all those along the path from beginner to accomplished.

I just rode my KTM690 motorcyle over to the post office to send a box to my eastern family. We’re all waiting expectantly with a growing new mother. I love the babies and puppies on my Facebook pages. I like the cranes too above the city showing all the investment in new buildings, the construction. Life. It would be easier to believe the hoaxes,fear mongers and doom sayers were the elite to stop building new high rises on the coast. I don’t know where they would do their money laundering though.

Here I am in paradise with light clouds and blue sky above. The hemlock hedge beside me is lush green. Gilbert’s yellow tennis balls and sticks are scattered about on the lawn. I’m longing again to be camping in the new Adventure camper. Laura had her cousins over this week. We’re attending David Berner’s Story Telling evening tomorrow. We even hope to get to St. Barnabus and let Emily see us before the summer comes. I’m a ‘winter Christian’. Summer and fall I start camping, hunting and fishing whenever I can. There’s motorcycling too. Church attendance falls off.

It’s not like Anglican’s have a high bar. I can wear women’s underwear. Men can sleep with men. Women can sleep with women. We’re not much concerned with what goes on under the sheets. Battering women, punching folk, screaming obscenities in church, shooting up in the pews, making false promises in business, stealing from the poor, lying as a politician, hurting children, poverty, all of these are cause for concern. It would be very much frowned on if I peed in the pews. Having sex with animals in church is also probably taboo since the whole matter of consent would be suspect despite what Australians might say.

I don’t feel it’s a test when I go to church. I like to dress up, especially the underwear. My mom was a big fan of clean underwear. She seemed very concerned that we’d be in a traffic accident or die and we’d not have clean underwear. We wore clean clothes to church.

Working as an Emergency Doctor I saw most people piss or shit themselves in major accidents. Just for those concerned about such things, doctors and nurses don’t check if it’s old or new. We also don’t care if the men are wearing panties and the women are wearing Stanfields. The hospital, like our church, has more important concerns today.

I loved what Father Mathew, of the St. Jame’s Outreach Initiative said to me when I apologized for being late one morning. “Don’t worry. Think of the church as your parent’s home. Your mother wouldn’t care if you were late for dinner. She’d rather you’d drop in if only for a few minutes than not come at all because you were worried about being late or anything else.” Father Mathews’ a deeply loving and considerate man who touched my heart with his wisdom and compassion.

Last Sunday, I’d come late St. Barnabus so took in the Shilo 5th Avenue Service that follows the Anglican service. I had a moment of ‘guilt’ thinking that Rev. Emilie the Anglican priest would think I was being a traitor to the Anglican’s attending to her United Church friend Rev. Shannon’s service. Well, God has a sense a humor. Rev. Shannon was away and Rev. Emilie helping fill her place.

“I’m sorry I missed your service. I slept in. ” I said as I was leaving. She shook her head, laughing, “It doesn’t matter. Don’t worry, it’s just good to see you in church.”

I thought of my mom then. She always liked when I was somewhere I wasn’t likely to get in trouble. If she heard I was in at bar, climbing a mountain, crossing the tundra on snowmobile, sailing across an ocean or biking with gangsters she was concerned. She said she rested easy when she knew I was in church.

Spring feeling is like church feeling.

It’s nice that Christmas lands in the middle of winter. The old Christians usurped the ancient ‘mid winter’ celebration. It was an orgy and wild by all reports. A truly Baccanalian event to break the monotony and horrors of ancient winters. The carbon tax will bring that back in the north. Working as a family physician in Canada I remember seeing the sick and elderly unable to afford the heat. They’d save money by not turning on the furnace or not buying buying wood. I’d do home visits finding them bundled in layers and layers of clothing. You could see your breath in the living rooms. Now our deeply callous elite communist government is dictating a return to those times. More Canadians will opt for the new Health Care Plan, MAID. I expect a spike in the service in fall as the carbon taxes increase.

I couldn’t believe the cost of gas at the pump today, thankful to be riding my motorcycle. I see so many people afraid to go out. “I don’t spend money if I stay in bed,” a woman told me sadly today. She’s on a disability pension. It hardly pays the rent. She hasn’t money for the electric heat but she was able to get food at the church food bank earlier this week. I thought she was young for a ‘tea and toast’ lady. Here we are in the lap of luxury with unbelievable resources. All of while they are being squandered by this government’s corruption and waste.

I went to Costco this week. I stocked up on their their incredible Marie Collander’s frozen chicken pot pies. Costco has incredible savings but I’ll be eating potato salad for a couple more days. Thank God for refrigeration. I don’t know how the young people can eat out so much. Dining out is a wonderful way for socialization. I don’t think many people know how to cook. So many of the arrogant youth who are so politically active lack any real practical skills.

I miss the dinner parties we hosted during the university and medical residency years. Cooking and hosting was such a matter of pride and the dinner time discussions were so enriching. The brilliant young women, like my ex wife, were all so beautiful too.

I loved later the great game feasts I’d host on after shooting a moose. Given I’ve shot 7 or 8 of them I’ve hosted a lot of great barbecues. My old hunting buddy Bill Mewhort, the greatest hunter I’ve ever known, always had game. Now Victor appears when I’ve had a poor year. Like Bill, Victor always gets a moose or deer. . They both live in the country. I’ve got a lot further to go to hunt and this medical practice to maintain. Bill’s son, Bill Mewhort has followed in his dad’s footsteps. I wanted to introduce him to Derek, my hunting friend. In Langley whose already planning a bear hunt this spring.

Willie Gutowski, the great Christian psychiatrist, told me he’d hunted when he was young but gave it up, like my Dad did, when he got older. Last year I got out a few times but I only watched the sun come up once despite driving all the way to the back woods. I preferred sleeping in and then riding around the back woods on my KTM690 Enduro, scaring the game away so I don’t have to clean and haul it. I still had a great time and have enjoyed cooking up the grouse I shot. I still have a rabbit to barbecue. Now Derek is talking about spring bear hunting. I may have to bring my rifle with me the next time Laura, Gilbert and I head out with the Ford F-350 truck and the Adventure Camper.

Rev. Vivian has been hosting meetings for the Urban Aboriginal Society. I’ve been on the board and passed on bear, moose and venison for their gatherings. Now Michel, the genius west coast French Canadian computer programmer has completed her website.

I was glad last month to go to Ethiopia, visitting the Rock Hewn churches of Lalibela, chatting over Ethiopian coffee with the Anglican jazz musician and talking to his friend the Adis Ababa Professor of Religion who speaks Hebrew, Ethiopian, English and a few more languages, a deeply spiritual, brilliant raconteur. I loved seeing the hippos, the Fish Eagles and giant white pelicans in Lake Tana.. It was truly a blessing to meet a humble holy monk. He was radiant as such men are, his smilechildlike, his statements and questions profound.

I was blessed to be with my nephews, their loved ones, my sister in law, Adell and her family and share a fabulous Christmas turkey dinner that reminded me of all the Christmas turkey dinners my mother made. Priorities shift as we age. Some things we appreciated young but now find so special because of tradition.

I fear the winter. It wasn’t so bad when I was skiing or even sailing. Now my joints are sore in winter, so many aches of aging. I don’t exercise enough. I swim several times a week, love the hot tub, and walk the dog. But the refridgerator and the couch have so much more appeal. I love watching NCIS and reading westerns. At the end of the day especially after seeing so many unknown patients it’s often all I can do to pop a Marie Collander’s Chicken pie in the microwave.

I’ve enjoyed the evening meetings. Despite my complaining about being out late at theatre, ballet and concerts, as if I’m being unfaithful to my couch and tv, these cultural shakes ups have been a god send for my spirit. Jesus Freak last weekend at Pacific Theatre was extraordinarily moving. Sarah Brightman was rejuvenating. I’m looking forward to the SFU Pipe Band Concert and later Carrie Underwood.

I feel this spring is conspiring with God to revive my soul. I rejoice in being alive. I am so blessed and thankful , at least this minute. Here outside, smelling the clean air, liking the light breeze. I’ve got fresh buns from Cobb’s Bakery and some duck pate. Gilbert would like a little walk before the sun sets. He’s been enjoying the neighbour’s fast growing “puppy” Thor. He has his regular friends we meet as we walk the neighborhood, his little tail going a mile a minute especially when he sees friend Emory.

God is good. All of the time. Thank you Jesus!!! I love the flowers of spring.