Cal's Journal

Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Canada just spent 650 million dollars of taxpayer money on an election we didn’t need or want. The result? Nothing changed. The Liberals still have a minority government, the Greens still have two seats and the Bloc Quebecois have the same amount of seats in Quebec. Meanwhile, Trudeau continues to spin things to try to make himself look good.  What a waste. The Prime Minister of Canada claimed victory because he could do Read more…

The drummer’s smile was infectious. His presence lit up the TV screen as he sat at his drum kit. Ringo Star looked at the camera and cracked wisely, “What key is it, Robbie?” He laughed and spoke again, “F, demented.” His smile grew wider as the screen went blank. Robbie Robertson beamed as the camera lit his face and he began strumming his guitar in Los Angeles, California.  The scene shifted to Marcus King standing at a microphone in Greenville, Read more…

Snowbee sniffed the air. She could smell him. At least she thought it was a him. Her fur stood on end and her nerves were sharp as the claws on her feet. She remembered the smell from a couple of weeks earlier.  It was that little bear cub. He was back. What was he doing in her neighbourhood again?  The little white cat looked around, the light was fading but she wanted to know. She wasn’t sure what to think Read more…

Weak, I felt so weak. My head pounded, cold sweats soaked my skin. Only hours earlier I felt fine, a bit tired but fine. My back ached but that was nothing new. Was it the pain killer and muscle relaxant combined with a puff and a beer?  Couldn’t be, could it? The inevitable question arose. Was it covid? I have two vaccine shots, it couldn’t be the dreaded virus, could it? Man, every time anyone gets sick the inevitable questions Read more…

My phone rang, it was my girlfriend. What could she want? Did I forget something at home? It was 11:15, I just got back to my office and it was just another Tuesday like any other workday.  When I heard her voice on the line I knew it would not be another day at work. “Do you have a TV? I can’t believe it! Someone flew a plane into the World Trade Center! I, uh… I can’t believe it, where Read more…

It was Labour Day today. A day that celebrates the working man. I know that it is for the working woman as well, but when it first was celebrated in 1894, working women didn’t exist in the minds of those that created it.  In the last 127 years, we have come a long way.  Back in the latter part of the eighteenth-century workers were very much oppressed by their employers. Women even more than men. The labour movement began its Read more…

We set out from the Eldorado Hotel dock with a north breeze at our back. My excited group of adventurers sat in the bow of our pontoon boat and got comfortable for their two-hour journey on the waters of Okanagan Lake. It was one of the last tours of the summer of 2021, Labour day weekend unofficially signals the end of summer in our beautiful valley. There may be more warm days ahead but most people have resigned themselves that Read more…

The crowd below Mia milled about holding signs, chanting slogans, and blocking traffic. The fourty-five-year-old nurse felt her nails dig into her flesh as she stood there staring out the window. She felt emotions tumble through her. What did those people think they were accomplishing? Why were they targeting the hospital? Mia wished they would just go home, she just wanted them to go away. Mia could hardly believe it when she heard about the planned protest outside Kelowna General Read more…

Today was the last day of August, the final day in the last full month of summer. A summer to remember, a season that will go down in history. It was a historic summer for many reasons. A summer of unprecedented heat. It was a summer we began with optimism and excitement. This month ended with a time of uncertainty and fear. The month also ended with something we drastically needed. Rain. Glorious, rejuvenating, energizing rain. Our drought-ridden soil soaked Read more…