Commercial Street Saturday

I love Commercial street for the sights. Madigan loves it for the smells.  Lots of people and dogs from all walks and all breeds.  `I’m having a cafe late and grilled cheese sandwich. It’s an open weekend.  I walked Madigan ,meditated this morning then attended a on line professional recovery meeting. We talked of tribe and family and belonging.  Now I’ve just come from seeing Dr. Ready, my chiropractor and my back and neck feel better. 

This grilled cheese sandwich is delicious. A young woman with spectacular breasts just walked by.  They were prominent but the attraction was the firm ‘jiggle’.  If I guessed it was the breasts and not the bra. An early dissappointment as a pre teen boy was the promise of x ray glasses that would see through clothing.  It seemed they were advertised in every action comic book and one of my friends insisted they were a scam.  Besides we weren’t interested in skeletons. More soft tissues affiondos from afar.  We’d first been excited by Sears Catalogues, then black and white true detectives and finally the Playboys of an older brother brought out from his under mattress stash to be shared about for a glimpse.  These pictures were so very different from the girls in our class who were only just blossoming.  We were riding bikes and talking more about fishing

Now I’m on Davie Street still looking at women as exotic birds.  I’m interested in fashion too, the plumage, and the projection. What is she trying to say with her choice of colour, jewelry, bag.  Commercial street is popular with lesbians. Is she a lesbian? Is she a spy?  Is she an actress, drug addict, doctor or lawyer?  I like the variations.  Used to enjoy people watching with lovers and the Paul Simon song, off to search for America.  

The story teller in me makes up scenarios.  I’m geriatric so I’m not the object of romance in the comedy. I laugh at my writer friends who are in their 70’s and 80’s yet write love stories of robust 20 year old. Our memories or dreams or wishes.  I chuckle at the stereotypes that run through my mind, flotsam from a varied past.

My fiend walking dogs with me tells me he met a neighbour who asked where his wife was and he told him ‘his husband was at home.”  “He’s not talked to me since”. I laughed annoyed at the predjudice but then thinking how I objected to hearing from my Parisian friend that Hijab wearing women had assaulted the French girls in bikinis on the beach, I am so disappointed by the pro Palestinian college LGBT and feminists.  Israel is the bright light of liberty in the Middle East but the university political departments are hundreds of years out of date mired in the Marxists fantasy world. Canadian media is offensive. I’ve just read a few books of history, the latest and up today and even on on climate change by a leading geologist.  Books are so much more informative than censored social media .  

It’s a sunny day. I’m loving the views. A woman with a name tag on her purse asked if she could take Madigan’s picture. I said yes but he didn’t wish to sit still. Now I’ve finished the grilled cheese he wants to walk and piddle and sniff.

I dropped off my laundry in New West before coming here.  They say it will be ready Tuesday.  I do my own laundry but after the cleaning ladies changed the sheets a couple of weeks and some towels gathered up I didn’t feel like doing a laundry since I’ve not a lot of room for drying.  

I actually had this weekend figured for doing a medical legal report I spent all day doing yesterday and completed.  It just needs an edit for typos and page numbers which I ‘ve asked the staff to do.  That’s given me two ‘free’ days. I’m committed to reading and doing the homework for my Oxford Ritual and Religion course. I believe the secular religion of addiction is tied to ritual and enjoying this course as thought provoking.  It appears religion increased the cohesiveness and survival of groups.  That’s cerntaly consistent with the failure of communism, the main religion of aetheism, very good at destruction but poor at creation.

It’s Mother’s Day. I should get gifts for the main girls I know who also happen to be mothers and grandmothers.  Amazon is good for that.  I do miss my mom.  She was amazing and the older I get the more I wish that I just made the space to spend time with her. I could have taken her for lunch more. I remember she loved when I did that.  She loved going out for dinner with Dad and anyone else in the family. I appreciate that now, her joy in the family and being part of creation.  I am a loner I admit but do appreciate those experiences of togetherness. We’re born along and die alone though we are not alone given the spiritual yet it’s the connections that count. I miss those who I became close to who have died. I miss George a lot, and there are others. They come into my mind and I remember that grief is like a passing cloud. It helps me appreciate the sunny days more,

Today is a sunny day.  I like when I can sit on a street like Commerival and watch interesting people passing. I loved Ireland for this.  My joy in travelling is really about experience the place and writing about it.  I remember in Gr 3 studying geography and having the task of writing letters home to our parents.  

Adell, my sister in law, is sorting and cleaning up in anticipation for a move to a smaller space. She’s been going through my aunts slides which apparently havent’ weather time too. well. I loved that my aunt travelled and sent gifts from far reaching places , like the camel from Cairo.  She used to take slides and show them to her church friends on her return .  A night of Aunt Sally’s slides.  I remember Dad’s super 8 movie nights of family vacations.  I am truly blessed to have had my family and the child hood I did with such loveing incredible people.  

Laura texts me her walks with her sisters Australian sheep dog Molly.  Molly bolts after squirrels and pulls Laura after her sometimes airborn sometimes dragged along behind her.  She told me she preferred Madigan because he’s smaller.  He can be stubborn too but there’s only 20 lb of him and Laura can match him in the weight and muscle class. He mostly dominated us with attitude.

New week I’m hear and rabbit hunting. I dropped off Steaks for the camp fire with Anna so she could figure what she’d want for the kids.  

Some young guy is styling with a hat I’ve only seen on Afghan elders.  It’s a young street, this Davie.  That’s a lot of the attraction.  All age but more young adults than old adults. I’m at an age where my cohort is dying off.  I ‘m looking forward to returning to Europe and seeing the older folk those who fought off the fascists.  There’s a pragmatism in those I meet there that’s no as present in the easily swayed urban intellectuals here.  Maybe it’s just young all over. Churchill saying, if you’re not a socialist at 20 you have not heart but if you are not a capitalist at 40 you have no brains.  I’m thinking there’s a need for the soulless like Trudeau who is pushing euthanasia under the euphemis MAID for the elderly.  When the old have only cockroaches infested basement suites food banks and waitlists for health care Trudeau’s ignorance and arroaganc wand mismanagement of the economy makes MAID seem okay for the old.  I’m at times troubled by the future he promotes but am hopeful as Canada before this attempt to turn it into the third world has a history of care for the old unlike the utilitarian communist who use prisons to collect body parts for their elites. We’re still pretty good in Canada and elections may still work.  

An obese woman has fallen and several folk have come to assiste her.  She’s not old but does represent the issues of our society where the problems are those of excess.  Drugs is the issue here.  Wealth for excess.  Yet homelessness and problems of isolation and joblessesnes with loss of purpose.

I’m blessed it’s family friends, a dog, and today time to observe.  

In a couple of week I’m taking Laura to Harrison Hot Springs. I’ve done this dozens of times over many years and we’ve always enjoyed the mini vacations in the hot springs, great dinners and rustic walks along the lake with the dogs.  

Life is good.  I’m thankful.  God children. Nephews. Colleagues.  I was at church last week and most likely will be at St. Barnabus tomorrow. I’ll be going to the symphony again in time.  

Thank you.

Another day

It’s another day.  Not just another day. But another day. I’m grateful to wake. Usually Madigan is staring at me or jumps on my chest. Today he jumped on my chest.

It’s been a good week.

I’ve begun my course on Ritual and Religion through the Oxford on line university. They’ve done a superb job of course organization. I am enjoying this though it’s 10 hours a week I didn’t previously have.

I’m still working.  A couple of half days a week in clinic and the rest Virtual.  4 days a week. I’ve too many reports and a couple of court cases which I don’t particularly care for any more. I used to have an office with a couple of assistants and all manner of research material and my records were paper files. I saw more individuals more frequently and knew them more. I didn’t do indendent assessment work just these medical legal reports for patients I’d seen.  Court appearances and the potential for riches might appeal but I didn’t like the adversary dichotomy. In the clinic I wrestle with God and Nature.  It’s not speculative. If I do the wrong thing the patient dies.  The court is all about money and while I appreciate that it’s not health.  I made life decisions specific to health and God. Countless times I was blessed with the opportunity to choose wealth but rather chose truth and curiosity and freedom and God.  I’m not sure it was right looking back.  I admire my lawyer friends and the accountant, all those who made different decisions while I muddled along healing. Ironically real money is at a distance from people and ill health. The worried well have the money too so there’’s real wealth in treating the rich than the poor who have been so often devastated by their diseases. I supposed being raised Christian and taught to admire charity and altruism had a lot to do with it.  I meet folk who think they are clever financially and that winning is having the most.  I don’t mix well with them. They think I’m a fool.  They treat me like a useful pet.  I’m happier alone.

Now I’m up another day as I work more and more at one day at a time, trying to focus on the day and on God.  I want a spiritual path but don’t see that as stoicism but rather as awareness and presence.

I enjoyed work last week. I actually mostly do enjoy work. It gives me purpose and meaning and organization to my day as well as allowing me to have the occasional luxury.

The latest luxury was the Black Creek Siberian Semi Automatic Rifle.  Wacko Trudeau outlawed my semi auto rifle.  I bought a bolt action replacement but didn’t really like it that much.  I love my bolt action Ruger 3006 I’ve shot all the moose and deer and bear with. The semi auto Ruger Mini 14 I’d had was my rabbit rife.  I didn’t shoot a rabbit last year despite seeing them in the distance.  The semi auto Mini had been able to get them at the distance and I’d have a second shot if needed if they were running.  A semi autho 22 works fine when walking but they bolt when they hear the quad I’m riding on. I like riding about on the quad. It’s hurts me to walk especially on uneven surfaces.  Grouse and rabbits feed along the roads.  After last year when I had the accident with my quad feeling more the limitations of age I ‘ve made a decision to know someone in the area where I’m hunting in case I shoot big game where I can’t get it out of the woods.  I worry about slipping and breaking a hip or twisting an ankle. I can hope a deer will walk across the road but rabbit and grouse are fun and Madigan and I like cursing slowly about he back woods. I take my telephoto camera as well for birding.  

Kevin has been singing the praise of the International Shooting Supply store in his area.  If it hadn’t been for that I might have gone to Reliable where I’d bought my last rifle , the Winchester Model 70 300 win mag short called the Coyote.  I also might have stopped at Cabelas for convenience as we drive by there to go hunting and have bought lots of clothing and supplies there.  Recently their ammunition stock has been depleted and the staff have been a bit surly and disinterested.  I didn’t like the factory feel and wondered if they’d be introducing self check out any time soon. I really prefer the personal touch with firearms and stores like Italian and Relaiable are old time family businesses.  Kevin says International is such. He’s cone to know Scott who I guess is manager or owner.  He sings his praises.  

I certainly was impressed because though I’d researched the Kodiak I didn’t even know of the Siberian from another Canadian arms producer and dealer.  It turned out the Siberian was what I wanted because it was sturdier and more reliable than the Kodiak though a couple of hundred more.  I like it. I’m tough on my rifles on the quad and in the back woods so I really appreciate sturdy and reliable.  Certainly my Ruger’s have been that.  Now I’m the proud owner of a Siberian that is one tough rifle. It’s actually the most military appearing rifle I’ve had. I wanted Canadian made and it’s Canadian made.  Trudeau our prime minster who has turned out to be a corrupt lying traitor with really erratic attitudes playing to the effete cafe society of Montreal and Toronto while screwing everyone else.  He attacked the Freedom convoy of truckers and celebrated terrorists and illegal immigrtant and BLM Marxist millionaires doing damage to the city.  His father was a card carrying communist intent on destroying English Canada and now his son is a living nightmare of stupidity and petty meanness. He’s a well known coward and everyone in the country , farmers and working folk, figure they need to paint their shot guns pink or he’ll think they’re an assault rifle.  Fortunately he’s bullied the American gun industry but been less offensive with the Canadian gun industry.  So I figured missing my semi auto for rabbit hunting this year I’d get a Canadian made one.  So now I have this rifle that might well be used by armies these Canadian gun producers supply to.  Canada however has taken a Colt and makes it here for it’s troops.  

Victor a vet I am blessed to know given his fortitude and resilience in face of adversity , an inspirational man who hunts as well, was kind enough to guest me to the Chilliwack Rifle Range I’d last belonged to 20 years ago.  

The first shot I took didn’t hit paper at 25 yards.  Victor had his spotting scope on the target and kindly spun the elevation dial and brought my shot up to where it was hitting in the paper.  I just kept plunking and he kept adjusting till I began getting groups in the bullseye.  He then took out his pistol and began plunking bulls eyes at the target beside mine.  I was laughing at that .  He was more acuragte free standing with a pistol than I was with a rifle. I didn’t do so good at 100 yards but brought out my Winchester 300 and did hit in the bullseye though I was tending to pull to the left a bit.  

There were a couple of other guys at the range and we were all responsible with the lights , no one outside the shooting areal when the red light was on.  I collected the targets when we agreed to have a green light break.  Sunny day.

We gathered up out gear after Victor’s wife called to say that Madigan, my dog, we’d left in his garage was wailing and crying.  He suffers separation anxiety.  It was a good day and frankly I was tired.

“A nice way to have a quiet afternoon,” Victor said as we drove back in his Ram truck. Madigan was glad to see me. I was thankful my new rifle worked just fine. It had been a great day and I thanked Victor.  He’s still working on his harley trike trying to outfit it for mounting and riding since his latest leg surgery.  Despite a major accident years ago he just keeps on soldiering through pain and tough times. He uses a cane now so thanked me for putting up the targets because he finds that trekking back and forth on the range burdensome.

He waved as I headed home. Madigan and I in our truck with a new rifle that was sighted in and definitely good for the 25 to 50 yard range. Thankfully that’s where the rabbits are found though possibly I’ll be able to become more atccurate at 100 yards though I can’t see myself needing that.  

Today I’m off to a meeting but letting the day unfold. 

Victor is a Canadian Vet I know who knows a lot about guns