FRIDAY...
— First 12 hour day. I get up with not much trouble this morning and it’s busy enough that I’ve had 8 hour days in the past that felt more dragged out than this 12 hour one. So not too bad overall.
— Go to Paddy’s Pub for a drink after work and grab a sub sandwich for supper on the way home.
SATURDAY...
— Get through the second 12 hour day. I sort of run out of gas by about hour ten... but make it none-the-less.
— Little nap around 7:00 but I’m ready for bed by 11:30. Needing to try to get ready for the night shift tomorrow, I do a little dosing but push myself to stay up. Rain delayed, late night baseball is at least something to keep me up.
SUNDAY...
— Busy day... pick up Sylvia at the airport and go to lunch with her in the Market.
— Drop her at her hotel and head home for a nap.
— Softball at 5:00. We lose bad but I do have some fun in the field so it’s not horrible... not good all the same, I’m not a fan of the losses.
— Straight to work after ball. It’s night shift. I get through it without being too tired and am home by 6:30 Monday morning.
MONDAY...
— Sleep until 11:45. Hope that will get me through tonight... I guess we’ll see, maybe a nap at 2:00 will happen again.
— Had the nap and it did help although I’m still pretty tired by 6:00 AM Tuesday.
TUESDAY...
— Around the house. I sleep until just before noon and then watch the weather get worse. Snow by the evening and it’s just too depressing.
WEDNESDAY...
— Up around 9:00 and pretty much back on regular sleep mode. It’s still white and grey outside... not nice... cold and windy. Laundry and movies today sound like the best way to go.
THURSDAY...
— Meet Kiyomi for lunch today. First time in a while we’ve done that. Then I check out the location of a condo for sale... interesting spot.
— Out with Sylvia for the evening. It’s a pain getting downtown in the early evening. Between traffic and construction I end up taking an hour to get there... about 30 km from home. Blah!
— We do supper and the Imax movies. The Grand Canyon movie is really good.
FRIDAY...
— Condo looking in the morning. See a really good one in the downtown area that’s not too small. May be too good to pass up.
— Pick up Sylvia and go back to Orleans in the afternoon. We have burgers at The Works and I drive her to the airport. So it’s a busy day driving all over the place.
Traveling Through Time and Space
A work cycle is now over. I was off for a while... did the twelve hour days, forty-eight hours in four days, and had the four days off afterwards. Tomorrow I begin all over again and it seems pretty good but very bizarre.
By the end of my previous shift, my internal clock was totally out of wack. Going to work Monday evening... going home Tuesday morning... sleeping the morning away and waking up, ready to start a new day at noon on the day you got home from work... all very mind blowing.
More than once last week I’d tell someone that “yesterday I did this...” when yesterday was actually the morning of the same day. Or to talk to people at shift change at 6:00 AM and talk about “the storm will come tomorrow afternoon” when the afternoon in question is actually this afternoon.
I have felt like I traveled to Australia. Taking off on Tuesday morning and arriving Wednesday afternoon the week before! Perhaps it isn’t quite like that... but there is a time travel feel about it all.
So that’s the new work schedule. Where today is Friday but it feels like Sunday since tomorrow will be my Monday. And Wednesday morning will become my Friday evening leading into a four day long weekend. It takes much getting used to but is kind of fun as well. As long as I sleep enough time before working a twelve hour stretch, it’s all good.
The time off has been excellent. Each “weekend”... I say “weekend” instead of weekend because of the fact that I’m just as likely to be off Tuesday to Friday as I am Friday to Monday. So the actual weekend has little to do with it. But my “weekends” are now like an Easter long weekend every time. Yes, the first day off is like a day of jet lag after a long trip. You’re not really functioning until the afternoon. But even still, it’s a good three and a half days off every four days. Not half bad.
So time has been crazy this past eight days. Another thing that’s crazy... space. More specifically, the space in which I’ve been driving. My aunt, Sylvia, has been in town this past week. She’s stayed in a nice enough hotel right downtown. The problem with that is it’s in the middle of one way streets with virtually no parking and lots of local construction.
Thursday my plan was to meet her between 4:30 and 5:00. I left home at 4:10, figuring I’d get there with no problems. Thirty kilometres in thirty minutes isn’t unreasonable. Except in Ottawa.
Traffic caused detours. Sitting on the highway for twenty minutes, only moving two kilometres in that twenty minutes, seems unreasonable. Then, when I finally got the right route, I run in to construction. I figure I can make my left hand turn a few blocks after I’d like to. That’s no big deal. I soon realize that this is not the case... as I’m driving into Quebec! So through Gatineau I have to go and turn about back onto another bridge. In the end, it takes me almost an hour and a half to go those thirty kilometres and actually meet Sylvia.
Even today, when I go back to pick her up... I drive by the hotel, with noplace to stop the car. It takes me a half an hour to reach her even though I’m already there! If only I could stop the car in the middle of the street, and leave it there for ten minutes.
But alas, that is not to be. And in the end, my week was full of days where it felt like I was time traveling... along with days where it felt like I’d never get to where I was trying to go.
A crazy eight days... and now tomorrow... Saturday... it begins... Again.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Making It Up As I Go Along #343
A much shorter weekly portion this time, due to the work schedule and all. The next writing, after today, will be in 8 days... Halloween.
MONDAY...
— Quiet house day. I’m off this week until Friday, when the new shift starts. Today I do a little walk of the pond and watch some movies... not much else.
TUESDAY...
— Rainy day. I clean out my closet... ditching some old clothes. Also go to the movies. See the latest Batman movie finally. Great movie. It makes you miss Heath Ledger to know that he can’t make anymore movies. It was an amazing final performance.
WEDNESDAY...
— Laundry day. And did three laps of the pond as well. A couple of dozen Canada Geese were hanging around the pond. And a bit more clothes ready to be ditched.
— Some hockey and baseball in the evening.
Time Off
Last day off. Six days away from work with no travel plans and no visitors. I think it’s the first time I’ve just been in Ottawa. That is to say, to just be.
I could get used to it. I rarely get bored with my free time. A few walks, going to a movie alone at the Mayfair, some house cleaning, movies on TV and a little reading.
And I have done it differently than usual. Usually, I’d stay up until the wee hours and sleep in until 10:00 or so each morning. Today was the latest I slept and I was out of bed by about ten to nine. Bed around midnight or one each night and up before nine... it’s been nice.
Last days off are always a little unsettling. You feel the coming schedule of life. The structure is on the horizon. Alarm clocks must be set... meals prepared the night before... bedtime must be followed as the morning will come all too soon.
Tomorrow I begin the first day of my new shift. My first twelve hour day. I’m sure it’ll feel long and I still don’t know a whole lot in the job, so I’ll probably be ready for bed pretty early tomorrow.
Ah tomorrow. Me the single guy still and rather than going out on a Friday night, looking for someone, I’ll be aiming for bed by ten o’clock. The plan is for a drop by a bar after work... to wish Nick a happy birthday and all... but when they all run off to a hockey game, I’ll be heading home preparing for another early wake up on Saturday.
Traffic will at least not be a big issue on this new shift. Being to work for 6:00 will mean a fairly quiet drive in.
So what have I seen over the last six days?
— Canada Geese make my pond a fall home. Two dozen of them just quietly bobbed about the pond yesterday. They are the kings of the pond on their arrival. The remaining ducks shoot off into the reeds and hang by the shore.
— Heath Ledger had so much more to offer. His role as Joker, in the last Batman movie, was amazing. He just drew all your attention when he was on screen.
— I miss the old style goalie masks. See the next subject below for a taste of some of my favourite masks and why I’ve been thinking about them lately. But here is the mask that brought me to hockey...
Richard Sevigny
MONDAY...
— Quiet house day. I’m off this week until Friday, when the new shift starts. Today I do a little walk of the pond and watch some movies... not much else.
TUESDAY...
— Rainy day. I clean out my closet... ditching some old clothes. Also go to the movies. See the latest Batman movie finally. Great movie. It makes you miss Heath Ledger to know that he can’t make anymore movies. It was an amazing final performance.
WEDNESDAY...
— Laundry day. And did three laps of the pond as well. A couple of dozen Canada Geese were hanging around the pond. And a bit more clothes ready to be ditched.
— Some hockey and baseball in the evening.
Time Off
Last day off. Six days away from work with no travel plans and no visitors. I think it’s the first time I’ve just been in Ottawa. That is to say, to just be.
I could get used to it. I rarely get bored with my free time. A few walks, going to a movie alone at the Mayfair, some house cleaning, movies on TV and a little reading.
And I have done it differently than usual. Usually, I’d stay up until the wee hours and sleep in until 10:00 or so each morning. Today was the latest I slept and I was out of bed by about ten to nine. Bed around midnight or one each night and up before nine... it’s been nice.
Last days off are always a little unsettling. You feel the coming schedule of life. The structure is on the horizon. Alarm clocks must be set... meals prepared the night before... bedtime must be followed as the morning will come all too soon.
Tomorrow I begin the first day of my new shift. My first twelve hour day. I’m sure it’ll feel long and I still don’t know a whole lot in the job, so I’ll probably be ready for bed pretty early tomorrow.
Ah tomorrow. Me the single guy still and rather than going out on a Friday night, looking for someone, I’ll be aiming for bed by ten o’clock. The plan is for a drop by a bar after work... to wish Nick a happy birthday and all... but when they all run off to a hockey game, I’ll be heading home preparing for another early wake up on Saturday.
Traffic will at least not be a big issue on this new shift. Being to work for 6:00 will mean a fairly quiet drive in.
So what have I seen over the last six days?
— Canada Geese make my pond a fall home. Two dozen of them just quietly bobbed about the pond yesterday. They are the kings of the pond on their arrival. The remaining ducks shoot off into the reeds and hang by the shore.
— Heath Ledger had so much more to offer. His role as Joker, in the last Batman movie, was amazing. He just drew all your attention when he was on screen.
— I miss the old style goalie masks. See the next subject below for a taste of some of my favourite masks and why I’ve been thinking about them lately. But here is the mask that brought me to hockey...
Richard SevignyRemembering the goalie mask
I miss the old style goalie masks. Looking through my Hockey News issue that focused entirely on the masks brought back lots of childhood memories. There’s something magical about seeing a goalie playing with the old style masks... with the eye holes instead of a cage... the simple painted designs... the placement of air holes. The shape. Seeing Gerry Cheevers’ stitch mask... Roggie Vachon’s smiling mask... Ken Dryden’s red and blue bullseye mask. And the masks of Michelle Dion, Mike Palmateer, Tony Esposito, Gary Bromley, Murray Bannerman and Grant Fuhr. I wish a modern day goalie went back to those old masks.
More to write in eight days.
And now... bring on the masks...
Gerry Cheevers
Murray Bannerman
Gary Bromley
Mike Palmateer
Ken DrydenSunday, October 19, 2008
Making It Up As I Go Along #342
Well this is the last Sunday update. That is to say, updates will not be set aside to be done simply on a Sunday. Starting this coming Friday, I begin a new shift at work where I do twelve hour days followed by twelve hour nights, followed by four days off. I may be just as likely to work on a Sunday afternoon as I am a Tuesday night. For instance, for Sunday, October 26, I’ll be working a twelve hour night shift after having already done two twelve hour days. I doubt I’ll have the energy or desire to try to create something to write down on that day.
So here is how it will now be. I am going to write something within every eight day stretch. My plan right now is to do my writing on the fourth of my four days off. But if I feel the desire to do it on my first day off instead, it’ll be done then. So if you’re interested in seeing if there’s writing on the blog, know that something will be there within eight days. The current plan after today is to have something posted on Thursday, the 23rd. After that, I’ll be into the new shift so the next posting would be for Friday, the 31st (my last of four days off).
MONDAY...
— Mom and dad’s last day in town. This feels like the quickest trip they’ve had here... it just flew by.
— We hang around the house in the morning with mom working on some food for me (soup and turkey for the freezer). We walk the pond and have some lunch.
— Later, we drive to Paula and Eddie’s for a little visit and I drop them at the airport on the way home. Drive home on the country roads. It’s more relaxing and shorter milage but probably a little longer time wise.
— I walk the pond again at dusk. Don’t see the beaver but catch a few muskrats and am there to see about 25 Canada Geese land on the water some 30 feet in front of me. I’m really growing to like this pond... it gets more and more a piece of nature.
TUESDAY...
— I’m pretty foggy at work today. Just one of those times when you feel like nothing is clear in your head. But I get through.
— Vote after work. Do two laps of the pond and see two neat things there... the biggest moon I’ve ever seen... and about 50 geese landing in the dusk.
WEDNESDAY...
— Work is pretty hectic and I make it through. Could have been smoother but I got through.
— After work walk and some laundry.
THURSDAY...
— Long and busy day... and I’m under the weather for it. Sinuses are a bit blocked and I’m pretty dazed... a bit of a morning cough too.
— Lunch at A&W with Janice, Devin and Bill.
— To Atlas and Karen’s after work to go over some work stuff and visit some.
— Stuck at the airport for an hour or so. Supposed to pick up Christie for her visit/wedding... but her flight is canceled on her end (although shows as being there on my end). Whatever the story, she’s not in town and I’m hanging at the airport for nothing. She left a message at home but I didn’t check there... I need a cell phone!
— Almost hit three deer on the drive home from the airport. The disadvantage of the country road route. All three were there together and I had to break fairly hard to avoid them. Kind of neat.
FRIDAY...
— 2 hour day at work thanks to feeling crumby. I pack it in shortly after 9:00 and get home with an orange juice and NeoCitran stop along the way.
SATURDAY...
— Quiet day around the house. Still feeling under the weather. I watch some hockey and a couple of movies and go for one lap of the pond. I actually don’t feel energetic enough for it but thought I could use some fresh air, so I go for the lap. See the beaver out there this evening. He swam up near his lodge and dove down ten feet away from it, not to come back to the surface. I assume he went in the lodge.
— Part of the shoreline of the pond has been dug up by developers. Not sure what they’re planning on putting there and I’m not too pleased by the intrusion.
— Spam e-mails are dying down more and more after those weeks of 200 a day. Today it’s down to 34... who knows what the difference is.
Here Comes Santa Claus, Here Comes Santa Claus, Right Through the Windshield
Driving home from the airport along the country roads is a pretty relaxing thing. It’s no faster than taking the highways but there are many fewer lights and virtually no traffic to deal with. Just a bit more winding and a bit darker when doing the drive in the evening.
This week, I took the drive in the darkness and it was, as the time before, relaxing. Anything to keep the torments of city traffic down is good by me.
One thing that happened caught me a bit off guard though. Something that wouldn’t be an issue on the city streets and highways. I almost hit some deer.
Now to say I almost hit deer doesn’t mean I screeched the tires and drove into a ditch. No rubber was left on the road behind me and I stopped a good thirty feet away from the living speed bump that is three deer walking single file across a road.
But it did get me thinking as I watched them continue on in single file, the last one taking a little stuttering hop as if he was embarrassed to be left there alone on the asphalt. What if I did hit them? Me without a cell phone and deer carnage all over the road in front of me. And then I thought even further. What if this wasn’t any simple line of deer? What if this was closer to Christmas and this was Santa himself with his sleigh of reindeer?
The fact that Christmas would not come that night would be obvious. It’s hard enough to comprehend the idea of one man, a sleigh, and eight reindeer delivering toys to every child across the world. To do that in a year seems incredible. To do it overnight is a miracle. Santa’s miracle is equal to any water for wine or sea parting that you may hear tell of. It’s awfully impressive.
So imagine the guilt one would feel if you put an end to such a miracle by simply wiping out the whole shebang of reindeer over the hood of a Mazda. Cell phone or no cell phone... either way you’re screwed.
There would be the heartbreak of children everywhere. The lack of gifts are one thing. They’d freak out over the lack of gifts. But the reindeer. Well, I don’t want to have Rudolph blood on my hands. I don’t want to attend the funeral of Dancer, with millions watch on TV and the cameras focusing in on my face... with the caption reading how I was the one responsible. And poor Dasher may survive, but I’m afraid his dashing days will be far behind him with an artificial reindeer hip in place.
So there’s the gifts and the reindeer guilt I’d have to deal with. But there would also be the bad karma. If you get seven years of bad luck for simply breaking a mirror, well I don’t even want to think about the eons of lucklessness that would follow the deaths and disablement of Santa’s tiny reindeer.
Legal matters would obviously ruin me. Set aside the criminal courts... because I’ll be swearing on every bible that it was all an accident, a horrible accident. But think of the civil trials. America alone would be looking for trillions of dollars from me. The broken hearts I’d have caused the children. The parents thumping desks and demanding my hide because my carelessness would have made them bad parents. For when little Billy doesn’t get his Transformers and little Suzie has no doll, the parents will be looking to lay blame on me for breaking their promises.
And we’re talking about a nation that will sue you for hundreds of millions of dollars because the coffee you gave them to sip on was hot.
Yes, if those deer I missed were actually reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh... and if I obliterated them rather than stop some thirty feet in front of them... my life would be in shambles and the world would be out a miracle worker. Who knew drives home from the airport could have so much repercussions.
So here is how it will now be. I am going to write something within every eight day stretch. My plan right now is to do my writing on the fourth of my four days off. But if I feel the desire to do it on my first day off instead, it’ll be done then. So if you’re interested in seeing if there’s writing on the blog, know that something will be there within eight days. The current plan after today is to have something posted on Thursday, the 23rd. After that, I’ll be into the new shift so the next posting would be for Friday, the 31st (my last of four days off).
MONDAY...
— Mom and dad’s last day in town. This feels like the quickest trip they’ve had here... it just flew by.
— We hang around the house in the morning with mom working on some food for me (soup and turkey for the freezer). We walk the pond and have some lunch.
— Later, we drive to Paula and Eddie’s for a little visit and I drop them at the airport on the way home. Drive home on the country roads. It’s more relaxing and shorter milage but probably a little longer time wise.
— I walk the pond again at dusk. Don’t see the beaver but catch a few muskrats and am there to see about 25 Canada Geese land on the water some 30 feet in front of me. I’m really growing to like this pond... it gets more and more a piece of nature.
TUESDAY...
— I’m pretty foggy at work today. Just one of those times when you feel like nothing is clear in your head. But I get through.
— Vote after work. Do two laps of the pond and see two neat things there... the biggest moon I’ve ever seen... and about 50 geese landing in the dusk.
WEDNESDAY...
— Work is pretty hectic and I make it through. Could have been smoother but I got through.
— After work walk and some laundry.
THURSDAY...
— Long and busy day... and I’m under the weather for it. Sinuses are a bit blocked and I’m pretty dazed... a bit of a morning cough too.
— Lunch at A&W with Janice, Devin and Bill.
— To Atlas and Karen’s after work to go over some work stuff and visit some.
— Stuck at the airport for an hour or so. Supposed to pick up Christie for her visit/wedding... but her flight is canceled on her end (although shows as being there on my end). Whatever the story, she’s not in town and I’m hanging at the airport for nothing. She left a message at home but I didn’t check there... I need a cell phone!
— Almost hit three deer on the drive home from the airport. The disadvantage of the country road route. All three were there together and I had to break fairly hard to avoid them. Kind of neat.
FRIDAY...
— 2 hour day at work thanks to feeling crumby. I pack it in shortly after 9:00 and get home with an orange juice and NeoCitran stop along the way.
SATURDAY...
— Quiet day around the house. Still feeling under the weather. I watch some hockey and a couple of movies and go for one lap of the pond. I actually don’t feel energetic enough for it but thought I could use some fresh air, so I go for the lap. See the beaver out there this evening. He swam up near his lodge and dove down ten feet away from it, not to come back to the surface. I assume he went in the lodge.
— Part of the shoreline of the pond has been dug up by developers. Not sure what they’re planning on putting there and I’m not too pleased by the intrusion.
— Spam e-mails are dying down more and more after those weeks of 200 a day. Today it’s down to 34... who knows what the difference is.
Here Comes Santa Claus, Here Comes Santa Claus, Right Through the Windshield
Driving home from the airport along the country roads is a pretty relaxing thing. It’s no faster than taking the highways but there are many fewer lights and virtually no traffic to deal with. Just a bit more winding and a bit darker when doing the drive in the evening.
This week, I took the drive in the darkness and it was, as the time before, relaxing. Anything to keep the torments of city traffic down is good by me.
One thing that happened caught me a bit off guard though. Something that wouldn’t be an issue on the city streets and highways. I almost hit some deer.
Now to say I almost hit deer doesn’t mean I screeched the tires and drove into a ditch. No rubber was left on the road behind me and I stopped a good thirty feet away from the living speed bump that is three deer walking single file across a road.
But it did get me thinking as I watched them continue on in single file, the last one taking a little stuttering hop as if he was embarrassed to be left there alone on the asphalt. What if I did hit them? Me without a cell phone and deer carnage all over the road in front of me. And then I thought even further. What if this wasn’t any simple line of deer? What if this was closer to Christmas and this was Santa himself with his sleigh of reindeer?
The fact that Christmas would not come that night would be obvious. It’s hard enough to comprehend the idea of one man, a sleigh, and eight reindeer delivering toys to every child across the world. To do that in a year seems incredible. To do it overnight is a miracle. Santa’s miracle is equal to any water for wine or sea parting that you may hear tell of. It’s awfully impressive.
So imagine the guilt one would feel if you put an end to such a miracle by simply wiping out the whole shebang of reindeer over the hood of a Mazda. Cell phone or no cell phone... either way you’re screwed.
There would be the heartbreak of children everywhere. The lack of gifts are one thing. They’d freak out over the lack of gifts. But the reindeer. Well, I don’t want to have Rudolph blood on my hands. I don’t want to attend the funeral of Dancer, with millions watch on TV and the cameras focusing in on my face... with the caption reading how I was the one responsible. And poor Dasher may survive, but I’m afraid his dashing days will be far behind him with an artificial reindeer hip in place.
So there’s the gifts and the reindeer guilt I’d have to deal with. But there would also be the bad karma. If you get seven years of bad luck for simply breaking a mirror, well I don’t even want to think about the eons of lucklessness that would follow the deaths and disablement of Santa’s tiny reindeer.
Legal matters would obviously ruin me. Set aside the criminal courts... because I’ll be swearing on every bible that it was all an accident, a horrible accident. But think of the civil trials. America alone would be looking for trillions of dollars from me. The broken hearts I’d have caused the children. The parents thumping desks and demanding my hide because my carelessness would have made them bad parents. For when little Billy doesn’t get his Transformers and little Suzie has no doll, the parents will be looking to lay blame on me for breaking their promises.
And we’re talking about a nation that will sue you for hundreds of millions of dollars because the coffee you gave them to sip on was hot.
Yes, if those deer I missed were actually reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh... and if I obliterated them rather than stop some thirty feet in front of them... my life would be in shambles and the world would be out a miracle worker. Who knew drives home from the airport could have so much repercussions.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Making It Up As I Go Along #341 story
The Beaver's main area. The lodge can be found just down the slope from here.
Looking across the pond, through the cottony reeds towards the beaver's area.Beaver Pond
For months I’ve been looking at moving. Wanting out of the suburbs and into the urban world. Getting a place with character and ditching the Canadian Tire commercial world I live in. And still I want to be in a different place. I was at my cousin’s yesterday and sitting in her basement thinking “I miss basements.” When you miss a basement, you know you’re not fully content.
And then there is the stupidity of the suburbs that comes smacking you in the face. I drive to work in the mornings right now. The cost of training in a new job... weeks of day shift. 6:30 departure times should be a quiet trip in with nary a car to be seen.
But my neighbourhood has Orleans Adventure Boot Camp to deal with. This is an idiot training suburbanites in how to become less pudgy. When I say “idiot”, I mean one of those people who doesn’t really accomplish much in life so they look for some sort of cheesy gimmick to get money from somewhat unhappy homebodies. For only $300 a month, you get to skip rope in a public pathway or run around on a hill in the suburbs.
So I’m driving out each morning while these fools are crossing the street at the pond, looking to get in their cars.
Sometimes, in the evening, these people return while I’m doing a walk. The idiot’s truck is parked on walkway... blasting out cheesy 80s music that some feel may inspire them to work harder. Songs such as “Eye of the Tiger” upset the tranquility of the evening’s walk.
That said, if the walk of the pond is timed to avoid the Boot Camp Adventurers, it becomes something rather special.
The years of the pond have created a more natural situation. Man may have made it but nature is taking over.
This year especially has made the pond something of a treat. Muskrat have ventured in and paddle around in the evenings, diving here and there for food and hanging in the shore reeds for those who look closely. At one point, I rounded a corner and found one sitting by the path sunning itself. It took a second for the muskrat to see me but, when he did, he shot off into the undergrowth at a speed that nearly gave me a heart attack, even though I expected it to happen.
Fish have appeared. Where fish come from to get into a manmade pond, I don’t know. But they are here now. Little ones... the biggest being about an inch in length... hang in schools alongside the shoreline.
Ducks are all over the pond. In an Andy Jones voice I’d say the pond is maggoty with ducks. Early in the year, you find adults... soon after little ducklings are scurrying about the water, chasing mom and pop... and late in the year, only young adult couples remain while the old folks have flown south (possibly to Florida) for the winter months.
A variety of birds inhabit the reeds and bushes near the shore. Some blast bird obscenities at you when you get to close to their nests. Others chirp love songs over the waters to those birds these birds have developed bird crushes on here from a distance.
Loons paddle and dive about the pond. The older ones staying distant from those areas people may be close while young ones venture closer, not knowing there could be any danger.
In the summer, frogs come out at night and act as living obstacle courses for the walker. What was thought to be a rock turns out to be a frog and your step may have to veer suddenly in order to avoid squishiness.
The fall brings geese. Canada geese honking from miles away to announce their impending arrival. They then splash down in the centre of the pond, oblivious to those poor ducks who, until moments before, thought themselves the kings and queens of Lake Avalon.
Now that the name has been breached, I shall speak quickly on the matter to avoid confusion. Bodies of water must be about the size of a small sea in order for a Newfoundlander to call it a lake. Anything smaller than the Mediterranean is a pond. In Ontario, the rule doesn’t seem to apply. I know bath tub sized water bodies that are dubbed “lake”. So let it be known that the pond outside my house is officially called “Lake Avalon”. However, because of this years star resident, I have renamed the place. It is now simply known as Beaver Pond.
That’s right, the land suburbia claimed is being overtaken by the beaver invasion.
I first saw it several months ago. A giant muskrat I first though. It sat there near the path, ignoring me and staring towards a set of trees. I should have known right away, as the creature was staring with that same glimmer in it’s eye that dieting fat people get when they happen upon a cheese burger. The look a stereotypical construction worker has when a tall, leggy blonde girl strides by. This animal was staring at the trees as if trees were his religion and he had just reached the most holy of temples.
After passing by, I was sure I had just seen a beaver. But the days after brought doubt into my mind and I wondered if it was simply a muskrat or stripeless skunk I saw instead. A week after that, however, my initial thoughts proved correct. Two trees were downed in the pathway. And sure enough, beaver teeth marks could be found near the trunk. It didn’t take brilliant detective work to conclude who the guilty party was. Although that may be giving people too much credit. A discarded beer can, seen nearby the fallen trees, could lead the Orleans Adventure Boot Camp people to believe rowdy teenagers had gnawed the trees down as a dare over cans of Coors Light and Labatt Blue.
Still, I was convinced and somehow, excitement grew in me. In this dead world where things are created to look just right... in this subdivision which trumpets itself as “A Perfectly Planned Community”... a beaver has taken over.
As weeks went by, more trees fell and I became all the happier for it. Paths in the grasses have been beaten down by the beavers. A little lodge has slowly begun to rise from the shoreline. And I keep finding myself wanting to venture to the pond more and more. I want to see what’s happening next.
And so the predicament presents itself. I’ve been tired of my location and wanting to move. I’ve talked with an agent and viewed homes in places with more of an urban feel. And now I find this pond grabbing me more than it ever had. If I were told I could own a home on the edge of a wildlife preserve, where I had easy walking access to a natural setting with ducks and geese and loons... muskrat, frogs and beavers... I’d jump at it. I’d think it would be so relaxing after a long day at work.
Now I wonder if I’ve found such a place right here next to me? I began walking the pond many years ago. Doing it with headphones on, listening to the lyrics of songs as I lapped the shoreline. But this year, any time I decided to go to the pond, I’ve left the headphones behind. I’d rather have open ears for the rustling in the bushes and chirping from the reeds.
Will I move? Eventually I’m sure. I’d like a place that isn’t attached to my neighbours. Someplace with a basement would be nice. I’ve even thought of wanting a yard. But right now, my favourite neighbour has got me tempted to stay a while. The beavers may keep me in the suburbs just a little bit longer than I originally planned.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Making It Up As I Go Along #341
Just a weekly portion at the moment. Too busy a weekend with the parents in town for more... Story to come on Tuesday or Wednesday.
MONDAY...
— Work goes alright today... pretty busy. Talk mortgages with the bank after work... and do a walk of the pond before supper.
TUESDAY...
— Tiring day at work. Just a bit of information overload. Some evening cleaning in preparation for mom and dad’s arrival.
WEDNESDAY...
— Work is fine... working all day with shoe print impressions.
— Out with Karl for a drink and supper.
— Chat to Del after I get back... talking a little Ottawa road trip thing... for him... obviously. Hardly a road trip for me.
THURSDAY...
— Work goes alright. Kind of tired though. End of work is the end of the week for me. I’m off Friday and Monday.
— Pick up mom and dad at the airport in the evening. Drive home the back way with country roads and sunset. Supper at the Barley Mow and a few groceries before they have an early night to bed and I watch Survivor on the late feed.
FRIDAY...
— Bit of a shopping day. Go to the mall near my place as well as another mall in order to go to Sears. Drove the scenic way to the west end of town (along the Ottawa River) and we have lunch and go to Mountain Equipment Co-Op there. Home for a bit before getting burgers at the Works for supper... and then take it easy at home for the rest of the night.
SATURDAY...
— Quebec day. Mom, dad and I go to Gatineau Park... hike around and site see there... then drive to Wakefield to have lunch and walk around. It’s all very busy. Lots of people everywhere.
— Go home, and dad makes macaroni and cheese for supper... then we watch a movie.
MONDAY...
— Work goes alright today... pretty busy. Talk mortgages with the bank after work... and do a walk of the pond before supper.
TUESDAY...
— Tiring day at work. Just a bit of information overload. Some evening cleaning in preparation for mom and dad’s arrival.
WEDNESDAY...
— Work is fine... working all day with shoe print impressions.
— Out with Karl for a drink and supper.
— Chat to Del after I get back... talking a little Ottawa road trip thing... for him... obviously. Hardly a road trip for me.
THURSDAY...
— Work goes alright. Kind of tired though. End of work is the end of the week for me. I’m off Friday and Monday.
— Pick up mom and dad at the airport in the evening. Drive home the back way with country roads and sunset. Supper at the Barley Mow and a few groceries before they have an early night to bed and I watch Survivor on the late feed.
FRIDAY...
— Bit of a shopping day. Go to the mall near my place as well as another mall in order to go to Sears. Drove the scenic way to the west end of town (along the Ottawa River) and we have lunch and go to Mountain Equipment Co-Op there. Home for a bit before getting burgers at the Works for supper... and then take it easy at home for the rest of the night.
SATURDAY...
— Quebec day. Mom, dad and I go to Gatineau Park... hike around and site see there... then drive to Wakefield to have lunch and walk around. It’s all very busy. Lots of people everywhere.
— Go home, and dad makes macaroni and cheese for supper... then we watch a movie.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Making It Up As I Go Along #340
MONDAY...
— Tired day... again. But I get through okay. Have my first toasted tomato sandwich ever... Janice offers up some tomato for it. Not half bad.
— Watch some baseball in the evening. White Sox and Twins will have to have a one game playoff tomorrow... should be good.
TUESDAY...
— Groceries on the way home.
— Pizza Hut does a commercial tonight advertising a particular pizza that’s available any day of the week for $6. What makes the ad less effective is the fact that there’s a spoken disclaimer, at the end of the ad, saying “prices may vary.” Corporations must really think people are stupid.
— Watch baseball again tonight. Sox beet the Twins... too bad but a pretty good game.
WEDNESDAY...
— Work’s alright. The training is going a bit better after the initial feeling of being tossed into the deep end.
— Watch some baseball playoffs tonight with a walk around the pond in the middle of it. Cool fall day but fine enough for a pond walk with few others.
THURSDAY...
— Spam e-mails are dropping again. Yesterday I was under 90 and today, it’s under 60... much better than the 200 of a little while ago.
— Feeling a touch off health wise today. Not sure if it’s me being paranoid after hearing that Debbie (the trainer/supervisor) was off with the flu... or if it’s me fighting what she has.
— Some after work baseball on TV and some politics as well.
FRIDAY...
— Work... lunch is Chinese food with Chris, Phil and Bruno... after work office hockey pool draft... I think my team is pretty good. And Laura shows up as the surprise drop by guest of the day.
— Visit a little with Annick and Larry after the draft... get some pizza on the way home... watch a movie and some baseball while falling asleep in front of the TV.
SATURDAY...
— Quiet day... around the house, watching hockey and going for an evening walk. Sunset walks at the pond are pretty good for the wildlife action... ducks, muskrats and a beaver sighting.
Fifteen Bucks
I have read books on adventures in walking. Rory Stewart writes of walking across part of Afghanistan. He got shot at and had to deal with tribal leaders and the whole story was fascinating.
Then there are more famous stories of cross Canada journeys by the likes of Terry Fox and Rick Hansen. Those treks were mostly to raise awareness and money for cancer research, but I often found myself thinking of the things they passed by... the mundane things like a particular tree along the side of the road, or a pond where people have pulled over their cars to cast a line into the water in search of trout.
Many a squirrel and crow, in all likelihood, sat on a branch watching Terry Fox limp by.... wondering “what’s up with this guy?”
I’ve since thought of doing a walking adventure of my own. The one that has stuck in my imagination is the cross Newfoundland trek. I’ve heard of one other going from St. John’s to Port aux Basques along the old rail bed (which has now become a part of the Trans Canada Trail). I’ve thought time and time again of taking leave from work to make the journey for myself.
Not that cancer research would gain much from my trip. I’ve always thought of it as more of a personal venture that would make for a good story. Something more in line with Rory Stewart in Afghanistan... minus getting shot at of course... which would mean avoiding the trip in the fall, when hunters may mistake me for a moose or goose.
But I imagine the trip. Going 900 km across the island. Walking in on small towns. Stopping at relative’s homes for a bit of laundry and a nice night’s sleep. Tenting in the middle of nowhere with winds rustling the fabric that is my bedroom.
I’ve thought of foggy mornings with a chill in the air and a moose looking up to see me approach. I’ve thought of soaring osprey and cawing crows. And I’ve thought of the ideas that could pop in my head.
Not that I have any idea what ideas would come to me. But long walks can bring clarity to life. Give new perspective on things that become confusing in the urban environment.
So that’s my wish. To make the journey that so few can attest to and write about the adventure. A chapter a day... each day bringing a new encounter or perspective.
In preparation for such an adventure. I often go walking around my little suburban pond. And yesterday, I was paid to do it.
Hence I became a professional adventure walker. As of yet, the glamour has not been great. A half dozen people saw me go and I collected my pay along the route with suspicion of a gag racing through my mind.
The money came in the form of $15. A ten and a five laid out on the asphalt for anyone to see. At the time, only a slow moving older couple was sharing the pond with me. I’ve seen them before and they’ve never taken the fork in the road that would lead them to the money.
I look around, hoping to see a hidden camera that films to see what kind of person I’d be. A thief? A good Samaritan? Every moment is a test. On this occasion, with nobody nearby and a light breeze blowing, I decide to take the money. If not me, then it will be blown into the bushes to be used for nesting for a family of birds or mice.
So onward I go, keeping my guard up in preparation for a yelling neighbour accusing me of theft. I’m completely prepared to give up the money. If someone comes by asking me if I may have happened to see some cash on my journey. I’d ask them how much they’re missing and in what denominations was it in. And if the test is passed I’d gladly hand them over my loot.
But as I go it becomes plain that there is no searcher for lost fortunes. And I ease my conscience and pay less attention to the money details and more attention to my surroundings.
Just before sunset is an ideal time to make the walk at this time of year. Most people are indoors getting supper ready. And I find, if timed just right, the first lap can be done watching the colour in the western sky... and noticing the daytime animals preparing to tuck away for the night.
On lap two, more activity can be seen from the nighttime creatures and darkness envelops with only a light purply orange to be seen on the horizon... and only that can be seen when you reach the pond’s highest point.
One end of the pond is dominated by ducks. They paddle along the shore in the fading light and then venture out into the middle of the water once darkness falls completely.
You see them in small packs. At one point, I happened by when one pack of ducks ventured to far into the waters of another pack... and a duck showdown takes place right there in front of me. The two biggest birds flap and splash in the water for a few seconds. One loses nerve and retreats and the other calms and is soon joined by the rest of his flock. I don’t know if this is the claiming of new territory for a powerful flock... or the maintaining of traditional duck boundaries after an attempted invasion... but either way, peace soon returns with one final triumphant duck quack echoing out across the waters as I turn the corner.
The other end of the pond takes on a whole new wildlife feel. During the night, the ducks are at a minimum here. Maybe a lone one drifts in for a look. Perhaps a young duck just passing duckling status and entering duck adolescence has been dared to explore this great unknown after dark. But generally, you see no ducks at this end.
Instead, it becomes the territory of mammals. Muskrat can be seen paddling through the calm waters. A little head and section of back stand out as blackness against the water which still reflects the last bits of daylight. A trail V’s out behind... becoming less distinct as it branches out like the wake of a passing ship. Occasionally, the blackness of the muskrats disappears beneath the surface. I imagine them diving down for water insects and bits of water plants... ducking and weaving in and around the bottom vegetation and rocks.
A friend recently told me that the deepest part of the pond is fourteen feet near the centre. I wonder if muskrat dive this deep and wonder further about the muskrat treasures they may find at such depths.
Among the muskrat is a beaver. I saw him again on this walk. Hanging near the area where, just up on shore and over the sloop towards the pathway, trees have been downed in beaver fashion. First a couple, then a few weeks later a couple more. I now can count a good eight or nine gnawed stumps.
And on this walk I see an old couple. I’ve seen them many times before. It’s the Japanese couple I mentioned earlier. The ones who never venture down the path the money was located at. In fact, the couple never even make it around this little pond. They never get a chance to take in the different wildlife environments of the area.
He has a bad leg. I’m not sure if it’s arthritis or an artificial limb or some other ailment. Maybe he fell over the winter and broke a hip. But now he walks with a cane in his right hand and his left lodged upon his wife’s right shoulder. Together, with cane and wife, he can stumble with his bad left leg. They stop sometimes and sit on a bench. I can make a full lap of the pond in about the same time as it takes them to walk a tenth of it. And by the time I do a second lap, they’re returning from whence they came.
Last night I was left thinking of them. Of how the man would likely be stuck in a senior citizen’s home without his wife there by his side. Maybe he wouldn’t even be alive today without her. If he had fallen, maybe he’d have laid there too long and succumbed before help could arrive. Or maybe he’d just lose the will to go on with bed and a chair in front of the TV as his only source of daily activity.
I hope their walks grow longer and his leg becomes stronger. That soon you’ll see them walking side by side with her shoulder not being needed as a form of a second cane.
In the movies, love is shown in moments of drama. Fireworks blaze the sky as the silhouettes of two come close and embrace. Great proclamations gush forth as one bares all in front of another asking for another chance to make them happy. These moments bring forth tears from the audience and end in cheesy lines such as “you had me at hello” or “I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.”
But in real life, love can be far less showy. Somewhere along a pond in Suburban Ottawa... between the territories of muskrat and ducks... I witnessed it in an old couple where a man tries to walk a little bit further and his wife shuffles alongside him, offering her shoulder for support.
— Tired day... again. But I get through okay. Have my first toasted tomato sandwich ever... Janice offers up some tomato for it. Not half bad.
— Watch some baseball in the evening. White Sox and Twins will have to have a one game playoff tomorrow... should be good.
TUESDAY...
— Groceries on the way home.
— Pizza Hut does a commercial tonight advertising a particular pizza that’s available any day of the week for $6. What makes the ad less effective is the fact that there’s a spoken disclaimer, at the end of the ad, saying “prices may vary.” Corporations must really think people are stupid.
— Watch baseball again tonight. Sox beet the Twins... too bad but a pretty good game.
WEDNESDAY...
— Work’s alright. The training is going a bit better after the initial feeling of being tossed into the deep end.
— Watch some baseball playoffs tonight with a walk around the pond in the middle of it. Cool fall day but fine enough for a pond walk with few others.
THURSDAY...
— Spam e-mails are dropping again. Yesterday I was under 90 and today, it’s under 60... much better than the 200 of a little while ago.
— Feeling a touch off health wise today. Not sure if it’s me being paranoid after hearing that Debbie (the trainer/supervisor) was off with the flu... or if it’s me fighting what she has.
— Some after work baseball on TV and some politics as well.
FRIDAY...
— Work... lunch is Chinese food with Chris, Phil and Bruno... after work office hockey pool draft... I think my team is pretty good. And Laura shows up as the surprise drop by guest of the day.
— Visit a little with Annick and Larry after the draft... get some pizza on the way home... watch a movie and some baseball while falling asleep in front of the TV.
SATURDAY...
— Quiet day... around the house, watching hockey and going for an evening walk. Sunset walks at the pond are pretty good for the wildlife action... ducks, muskrats and a beaver sighting.
Fifteen Bucks
I have read books on adventures in walking. Rory Stewart writes of walking across part of Afghanistan. He got shot at and had to deal with tribal leaders and the whole story was fascinating.
Then there are more famous stories of cross Canada journeys by the likes of Terry Fox and Rick Hansen. Those treks were mostly to raise awareness and money for cancer research, but I often found myself thinking of the things they passed by... the mundane things like a particular tree along the side of the road, or a pond where people have pulled over their cars to cast a line into the water in search of trout.
Many a squirrel and crow, in all likelihood, sat on a branch watching Terry Fox limp by.... wondering “what’s up with this guy?”
I’ve since thought of doing a walking adventure of my own. The one that has stuck in my imagination is the cross Newfoundland trek. I’ve heard of one other going from St. John’s to Port aux Basques along the old rail bed (which has now become a part of the Trans Canada Trail). I’ve thought time and time again of taking leave from work to make the journey for myself.
Not that cancer research would gain much from my trip. I’ve always thought of it as more of a personal venture that would make for a good story. Something more in line with Rory Stewart in Afghanistan... minus getting shot at of course... which would mean avoiding the trip in the fall, when hunters may mistake me for a moose or goose.
But I imagine the trip. Going 900 km across the island. Walking in on small towns. Stopping at relative’s homes for a bit of laundry and a nice night’s sleep. Tenting in the middle of nowhere with winds rustling the fabric that is my bedroom.
I’ve thought of foggy mornings with a chill in the air and a moose looking up to see me approach. I’ve thought of soaring osprey and cawing crows. And I’ve thought of the ideas that could pop in my head.
Not that I have any idea what ideas would come to me. But long walks can bring clarity to life. Give new perspective on things that become confusing in the urban environment.
So that’s my wish. To make the journey that so few can attest to and write about the adventure. A chapter a day... each day bringing a new encounter or perspective.
In preparation for such an adventure. I often go walking around my little suburban pond. And yesterday, I was paid to do it.
Hence I became a professional adventure walker. As of yet, the glamour has not been great. A half dozen people saw me go and I collected my pay along the route with suspicion of a gag racing through my mind.
The money came in the form of $15. A ten and a five laid out on the asphalt for anyone to see. At the time, only a slow moving older couple was sharing the pond with me. I’ve seen them before and they’ve never taken the fork in the road that would lead them to the money.
I look around, hoping to see a hidden camera that films to see what kind of person I’d be. A thief? A good Samaritan? Every moment is a test. On this occasion, with nobody nearby and a light breeze blowing, I decide to take the money. If not me, then it will be blown into the bushes to be used for nesting for a family of birds or mice.
So onward I go, keeping my guard up in preparation for a yelling neighbour accusing me of theft. I’m completely prepared to give up the money. If someone comes by asking me if I may have happened to see some cash on my journey. I’d ask them how much they’re missing and in what denominations was it in. And if the test is passed I’d gladly hand them over my loot.
But as I go it becomes plain that there is no searcher for lost fortunes. And I ease my conscience and pay less attention to the money details and more attention to my surroundings.
Just before sunset is an ideal time to make the walk at this time of year. Most people are indoors getting supper ready. And I find, if timed just right, the first lap can be done watching the colour in the western sky... and noticing the daytime animals preparing to tuck away for the night.
On lap two, more activity can be seen from the nighttime creatures and darkness envelops with only a light purply orange to be seen on the horizon... and only that can be seen when you reach the pond’s highest point.
One end of the pond is dominated by ducks. They paddle along the shore in the fading light and then venture out into the middle of the water once darkness falls completely.
You see them in small packs. At one point, I happened by when one pack of ducks ventured to far into the waters of another pack... and a duck showdown takes place right there in front of me. The two biggest birds flap and splash in the water for a few seconds. One loses nerve and retreats and the other calms and is soon joined by the rest of his flock. I don’t know if this is the claiming of new territory for a powerful flock... or the maintaining of traditional duck boundaries after an attempted invasion... but either way, peace soon returns with one final triumphant duck quack echoing out across the waters as I turn the corner.
The other end of the pond takes on a whole new wildlife feel. During the night, the ducks are at a minimum here. Maybe a lone one drifts in for a look. Perhaps a young duck just passing duckling status and entering duck adolescence has been dared to explore this great unknown after dark. But generally, you see no ducks at this end.
Instead, it becomes the territory of mammals. Muskrat can be seen paddling through the calm waters. A little head and section of back stand out as blackness against the water which still reflects the last bits of daylight. A trail V’s out behind... becoming less distinct as it branches out like the wake of a passing ship. Occasionally, the blackness of the muskrats disappears beneath the surface. I imagine them diving down for water insects and bits of water plants... ducking and weaving in and around the bottom vegetation and rocks.
A friend recently told me that the deepest part of the pond is fourteen feet near the centre. I wonder if muskrat dive this deep and wonder further about the muskrat treasures they may find at such depths.
Among the muskrat is a beaver. I saw him again on this walk. Hanging near the area where, just up on shore and over the sloop towards the pathway, trees have been downed in beaver fashion. First a couple, then a few weeks later a couple more. I now can count a good eight or nine gnawed stumps.
And on this walk I see an old couple. I’ve seen them many times before. It’s the Japanese couple I mentioned earlier. The ones who never venture down the path the money was located at. In fact, the couple never even make it around this little pond. They never get a chance to take in the different wildlife environments of the area.
He has a bad leg. I’m not sure if it’s arthritis or an artificial limb or some other ailment. Maybe he fell over the winter and broke a hip. But now he walks with a cane in his right hand and his left lodged upon his wife’s right shoulder. Together, with cane and wife, he can stumble with his bad left leg. They stop sometimes and sit on a bench. I can make a full lap of the pond in about the same time as it takes them to walk a tenth of it. And by the time I do a second lap, they’re returning from whence they came.
Last night I was left thinking of them. Of how the man would likely be stuck in a senior citizen’s home without his wife there by his side. Maybe he wouldn’t even be alive today without her. If he had fallen, maybe he’d have laid there too long and succumbed before help could arrive. Or maybe he’d just lose the will to go on with bed and a chair in front of the TV as his only source of daily activity.
I hope their walks grow longer and his leg becomes stronger. That soon you’ll see them walking side by side with her shoulder not being needed as a form of a second cane.
In the movies, love is shown in moments of drama. Fireworks blaze the sky as the silhouettes of two come close and embrace. Great proclamations gush forth as one bares all in front of another asking for another chance to make them happy. These moments bring forth tears from the audience and end in cheesy lines such as “you had me at hello” or “I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.”
But in real life, love can be far less showy. Somewhere along a pond in Suburban Ottawa... between the territories of muskrat and ducks... I witnessed it in an old couple where a man tries to walk a little bit further and his wife shuffles alongside him, offering her shoulder for support.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
