Late February, and reflections

Beautiful robin's egg blue sky with little white brush strokes of clouds. I went out in the back yard of this rather run-down but comfy place I have lived for almost 10 years, remembered when my dog was 7 and my son was 11 and we were all living in this 'cabin in the city'.
I remember when Ed and his buddy Nick were out making a fire in the pit, and it was drizzling a bit. I looked out the kitchen window, thought to myself, 'these boys have a pioneer spirit, makin a fire in the rain.' One was holding a piece of plywood over the pit, while the other lit the kindling.  15 minutes later, I heard a WOOMP, exactly like gas burning up fast, and looked out to see them standing there with sooty faces, and a fire burning. Not so pioneer, but humorous.
I remember when Walter my fine dog was trotting around out in the back yard, keeping the perimeter secure, he had an insulated dog house (built by Ed and me) and an old couch to lie upon. Had some good sessions out on that couch, me and my buds, and Ed and his. Cam , the guitar player from my band in Wpg, he had his son out for a B-ball tourney, he came over and we took the VCR n TV out in the yard and watched Surviving Picasso, one of those great Alberta evenings when it is light until 11:30.

Moving to a new place soon, not far away, but it isnt dog-friendly, and it doesnt have a big fenced yard with backyard couch and coffee table. Nicer, newer, cleaner. I am still an old cowboy/trapper/artist/punk rocker. I want a lot more space than I can afford, a wood stove, a faithful dog, maybe a cat for mice, a vegetable  garden, a little distance. Harder to afford that all the time, but I keep hoping.

addictions and farewells

First, to my friends who are trying to kick tobacco (or whatever) this new year: Good luck, good heart, feel loved and respected. It's the same as any shit your body got used to, you have to get rid of it, then get used to not having it, then convince your brain it aint comin back. Count in 12 hour chunks to 96 hours, then count in days to 30 days, then count in weeks till you forget to count. But dont think you can have 'just one', because you cant. Back in the bottom of the fuckin hole if you do. Bad minkey.

Happy and grateful to say I have 4 months and 22 days off tabac.

Farewell and adieu to you fair Garneau ladies, farewell and adieu, ladies of Garneau.. For the landlord has willed that my house be demolished... by April the 10th I must be well away..

I have lived in this fine but eroding house (11246 75 Ave.)  for longer than any place I have ever lived except me folks' house at 69 Norham, West St Paul, MB. From which domicile I departed (and sometimes returned,  me mum still dwelt there) in the fall of '77. I got here in August 2004, when me fine young feller of a son was 11, and me fine young feller of a German Shepherd was 7. Ed is growed up, Walter is passed on, we are older and different.

I hope that I and my lady shall find swell dwelling in the shire of Pleasantview. I like it down there. I often walk down 106 st to 51 ave, its 15 mins walk to work from there. Close to Big Grocery Stores for her, and 3 liquor stores for me. And Chinese and Empanadas for takeout and delivery.

Wish us all well, butt kickers, movers, lovers of places and people.

RIP Robert Shaw. and Lou Reed.

further to: smart people, stupid wages

What started this off is a convo with a buddy at the till of a liquor store, he is a brilliant man, working on his Master's thesis. He is working for 10 dollars per hour. Many of his co-workers for 9.50, all with at least 3 years of Uni education. Because it is convenient.
The owner is not a bad man, he is paying them the least he can get away with. These guys could go work flogging shit on the phone, big co's. , like Shaw , Telus, etc. But they stick where they are at because it is convenient. These are single guys, with no kids. But what about the single mamas with kids, who work for 9.50. Really? Are we so impoverished in spirit that we cannot give someone the equivalent of what we used to, 35 years ago, as a living wage, so kids and moms can eat ?

Thank you , conservative revolution for increasing our poor , and jailing those who react to that.

12 bucks. 15 bucks. Might cut into the profit margin a bit, but you wont have to hire and train every month.

smart people, stupid wages

Back in 1977, I was 18 years old. I worked for 3 dollars per hour. That could buy me a 6 pack of beer, a pack of smokes, a McDonalds cheeseburger, and a phone call. For one hours work.
Now, with a B.A., 38 years work experience in a variety of fields, including hiring, training, firing, budgeting, cash management, customer retention, etc. etc, I work for 17.25 plus bonus.
That buys me either a 6 pack and a McD, or a pack of smokes and a McD. Not all the above.
At 18, I could rent a house for 300 bucks including utilities= one week's work. If you pay rent, you know what it is now. If you dont pay rent, keep doing whatever you do in exchange.
One would think that after earning a degree (B.A., geog and poli sci, admittedly not like engineering) and spending almost 4 decades in the work force , one would be earning more in real wages than one did when living out of cardboard boxes in a rental and beer came before groceries or rent.
The Reagan/Thatcher revolution happened, a calculated assault on working people that created a huge gulf. Yes, its nice for those who got into the well-paid streams, electronic toys are cheaper, air fare to slave regimes are cheaper, but it has left the vast bunch (used to be called masses, but nobody liked that) making less year to year.
The one-dollar raise on a 17 dollar rate doesnt mean much when your expenses (groceries, rent, utilities) go up 10-15%.
If you are making good money now, I am happy for you. If you want the same conditions that enabled your folks to buy a house to be around for your kids, think about it.
Its not lower taxes for the rich, its higher wages for the workin cats.
Good workers will earn more, but lets raise the bottom.

two sides of the same intersection

Lovely day, soft evenin, I have some bevvies at home, then I go up to the Ave. to restock about 11pm.  I walk the first few familiar blocks then I am waiting for the 'walk' signal, taking my time cuz lots of Albertans think red means go. I am crossing from the south, a party is crossing from the north: 4 guys with mean ass looks on their face and new Walmart fashions, one chick in a dress, but also sporting a "I have a nasty bug up my ass" look. They are all muttering and casting evil looks about, halfway across the Ave., the chick starts going 'fagGet, fagGet, fagGet' like from a bad Tobe Hooper movie, and the guys are all flexing their cocked arms and darting their eyes around like rats in an empty granary. Not to profile, but they sounded like New Brunswickers, and maybe the priests there are a little too free with the Sunday school class. I have noticed some hate comin out of that province. Lots of nice people too, I am sure, but maybe those arent the ones that come to the Big City out West.
Allright, I tinks to meself.  I didnt change expression or look at them, doin my New Yorker thing. I go to Brown Guys Liquor, get a few beers and a shortie of Jameson's, exchanged some pleasant words with the regular Saturday guy, then reverse course to go home. On the return trip, I was following some guy with bags of bottles who looked kinda gay-ish, and sure enough he was met halfway up the first block by 2 Asian guys who definitely seemed gay-ish, and they hugged him, in a friendly way. Then told him he was 'expected at the Hive cuz hundreds of thirsty worker bees were waiting', and they all laughed and went on.

Now, who would any sane person want to be friends with? The first group, or the second?
Hate or hugs?

Hugs for me, thanks.

poopin in a backhouse

Had a great 24 hour stay in the country. Such a burgeoning time in this 2 season land. Winter and summer.
Went out to the far pasture with my buddy, ex-sis-in-law technically, but the mom of my niece n nephew and longest female friend. We planted willows along the fenceline, gabbed about a million things, including the multiverse.
My awesome niece is back from the east coast, she is a solid steady human being. Workin 7 days, finished her Bach at NSAC,  the two of them were just in NYC and New England 2 weeks ago. Now back in Alberta, diggin the sudden explosive spring.
Yes, I pooped in a backhouse this morning, door open, many species of birds creating an audioscape, reading about the Santa Claus parade in a magazine. My buddy Chief the dog was laying on the path in front, wagging, as if to say : 'Poopin eh? I get that'. He stayed in the city with us for a few weeks but he is happy to be back on 70 acres, he is born n raised for coyote control.
Enjoyed about 4 hours of not hearing any human noise this morning. 3 kinds of blackbirds in the marsh, 80 kinds of tree dwellers, saw a downy and a pileated woodpecker ( I love those, they are like jet fighters with cool paint, the way they fly through the trees), sometimes orioles n cardinals show up in June. Goldfinches, mountain bluebirds, all good.

Culture thoughts on a lucky sunny day

I like Edmonotone for a number of reasons. One is that it is multicultural in a more friendly way; most  Canadian cities are quite multi-culti but Edmo is more friendly about it than , say, Vangroover, where you have huge Asian and E. Indian communities, but they are somewhat unto themselves, and many whities dont really dig it. Not to paint with too broad a brush, but I think Alberta is a better assimilator. We have a Jewish mayor in Edmo and a Muslim mayor in Calgary, so much for the redneck stereotype, at least in the big cities.
I have a well-assimilated E. Indian boss, and a totally assimilated Filipino sales manager. My coworkers are also diverse,  including an Icelandic Metis whose dad is  from my old home province of Manitoba. More native Indians than subcontinent back there, and Metis is practically the norm in  nortend Winterpeg. Plus the slavs, scots, jews, etc. etc. but all crossbreeding over the past 150 yrs. My g-f knows a gal who is Jewish/Cree (You vant some halvah wit yr bannock?)

I love having light rail transit, because it takes me where I need to go  more directly and no stopping for lights. Also, it seems a bit more civilized and euro. I indulge in a adult beverage at times standing on the LRT platform, the tallcan Bacardi n coke looks a lot like an energy drink.

Today was a lucky day in a few ways. I had a very successful week at work (we sell stuff) as did most of my co-workers, and we rocked the previous record for sales per week. Let out a bit early with pay, so we dont get the national boss in too much of a lather, wanting us to do that every week. We are blue-collar minded guys (also a feature of Edmo culture): if we go hard for the team  or just plain get lucky, we dont want the foreman to expect that every damn day. Then I just missed the bus, but it stopped for a long train, so I walked up and knocked on the door, and didnt have to wait 15 mins for the next one. Also , a few months ago I upgraded computers, and left a favorite old game in the drive of the old one. I had asked the guy at the store to put it aside for me and I would pick it up, and 3 months later, it was still there. Age of Empires 1a , Rise of Rome, from like 1999. I love slaying those villagers.

This big village I live in, I dont slay. With equanimity I work, walk and ride, and maybe enjoy a beverage or several.  Cheers!