There was nothing quite as joyful as the laughter of a child. His son had the ball in his hands and tossed it off the back wall of their home. His wife held Mahdi close, and they both watched their son bounce the red ball, the cat was chasing it and the child’s laughter rose and fell with every bounce. His little son just celebrated his 3rd birthday. The joy they felt watching him tempered the feeling of fear they Read more
Three years ago the WHO declared Covid 19 a pandemic. It felt like it was another world away. But it only took a couple of days until it was declared a health emergency in Canada. Two weeks, they said. Two weeks of social distancing and washing hands and it would all be over – two weeks… Three years ago. Officially it still isn’t over. But in the minds of the vast majority of people, it has been over for quite Read more
Cookster wanted to get the perfect season. After his ski buddy died he wanted to ride on snow every single day that Big White was open. He realized that you never know when it can all be taken away. It was time to seize the moment and try for the perfect season. It was time to get out and just do it. Instead of carpe diem, he would carve the season. He skied and snowboarded in all weather. In freezing Read more
Music filled the Kelowna Community Theatre, the rhythm and beat filled my soul. It began with the first blast of Rock and Roll and cascaded with energy until the last notes of Whole Lotta Love faded into the night. It wasn’t Led Zeppelin but it was as close as any of us will ever get to see. The band was called Led Zeppegain and they lived up to the name. Dressed to the T and rocking out like they lived Read more
Monday musings from my blog. The sun is out and blue sky glows down on our paradise. Okanagan valley is alight with the first signs of second spring. It tried to snow over the weekend but it was merely a dusting of mother natures paintbrush. No matter what has happened in the human world, nature keeps on shining. In February 2020, the human world was a different place. Nature remains the same, but everything has gone crazy for the billions Read more
A stiff breeze whipped around the edge of the building, and dark clouds hung ominously above. Greg lowered his ropes into place for his next set of windows. Three hundred fifty feet of line dangled below him. He looked up and hoped the rain would hold off a while longer. He’d better hurry. He knew he shouldn’t have taken such a long break. Now the weather was turning on him. He paced across the roof and checked the anchors. Everything Read more
Barrman tossed and turned in the night. His mind was filled with dreams of the past and dreams of the future. He drifted through dreams of work that turned into dreams of powder- Okanagan Champagne powder. He saw it as clearly as if he were awake. Snow caressed his calves as he slid down the steep turns of the Cliff Chair. Face shots flowed over his head and he howled in delight. He woke up and saw the clock’s red Read more
Love is in the air. Well, something is in the air anyway. Love is in my heart. Or is it in my head? No matter, it is there somewhere. My love for my wife is definite but without definition. It is also infinite. Today is Valentine’s Day. A day used by card makers and flower shops everywhere as a brilliant marketing tool. Some people might call me cynical, but I think I am more of a realist. Ah, yes, being Read more
The borderlands of Turkey and Syria: It began with a distant rumble, then all hell broke loose. The ground moved and buildings swung, then collapsed. All through the region, structures shattered from years of civil war fell in a heap of rubble. People fell under the rubble and died. It didn’t matter, friend or foe—Syrian or Turk. Death was everywhere. And from under the rubble, they could hear the cries. The lost and the trapped plead for help. Help that Read more
Monday musings from my blog. It was a Monday thirty-five months ago when the world changed. A change that has had far-reaching consequences, consequences we still don’t know the end of. Will we ever? Yes, Covid19 came along and put a wrench into our lives. But the changes have been so much more. And so much worse than anyone could have imagined. Were these changes because of covid or have they merely been sped up and exasperated by the pandemic? Read more