What a difference a year makes! Over the last 12 months we have learned a lot about a lot of things, including ourselves and our society. Civilization has been challenged by circumstance, and the future promises us even more uncertainty than usual, if that is possible.
I blame the previous occupant of the Oval Office for introducing a veneer of intolerance not only to the American political system, but also to the public’s perception of the mass media.
As today marks my late girlfriend Lois’ birthday, I am thinking of her. I am happy to have had her in my life, and will hold her in my heart. I know that she would be pleased that I have been lucky enough to have found a new love, and it is almost eerie how similar she and Betty are. I will dedicate next week’s column to Lois, as the subject will be “toxic people”, and I want to do a thorough job on the subject.
So this week, a brief “pot pourri” it is.
Normally we celebrate Love this month by giving our beloved dead flowers, going to dinner and then returning home for a more private celebration. Due to the sensible COVID restrictions, and more importantly the fact that my sweet Betty does not like flowers, I am choosing to use the medium of my column to offer her my Valentine wishes, my opportunity to publicly thank her for bringing so much happiness and love into my Life.
Although it was 21 years ago, almost to the minute, I remember it like it was yesterday. While checking my home phone messages from my workplace, I found out that my mother had passed away. I was stunned. Eventually I stood up and went to my supervisor’s desk. I told him that my mother had passed. He was rather dismissive about it, he didn’t particularly like me. In a daze, I returned to my desk and tried to work. Shortly thereafter, the manager came to my desk and gently told me to go home. He was very sympathetic and kind, and was a glimmer of compassion in an otherwise horrible day.
Welcome to this week’s hastily assembled melange of letters, punctuations marks, numerals, images and ideas, aka, my column. This week, I am going to write about something which is inescapable. I hope you like it. I appreciate your feedback.
Loyal Reader, are you vaguely dissatisfied about some aspect of your life? Are you looking for a fresh outlook, some change which, if not earthshaking, will at least allow you to address some “personal” shortcoming, whether perceived or actual? Well, there are folks out there counting on that in order to buy themselves a fancier car or spend an extra week at some fancy holiday destination.
As I settled back into bed, my senses took stock of my surroundings. I heard Betty stirring peacefully in her sleep beside me. My eyes flicked over the dim shape of CoCo, who was also resting quietly, unafraid and unworried. I then looked up at the ceiling and sighed contentedly, finally at peace. As I drifted off to sleep myself, I couldn’t help but think back a year, to when my life had been different, very different indeed.
So the American election is over. Or is it? Is the American dream dead? Is it dying? Stay tuned on Sunday for the second part Roxanne Tellier’s incisive analysis of this major event, just another example of the great writing available on this blog. For my part this week I will focus on my adventures with the animal kingdom. While there will be some “Cat” adventures, most of these tales will be about the more feral side of local fauna. I hope you like it.
The look on my supervisor’s face was one of overt relief, and not just because it was Friday afternoon. Handing me a folded sheet of paper, he began “Next week you are assigned to be ‘The Officer In Charge a) at…'” and his voice started to sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher, as I embarked on a mental Flight of Fancy.
At an early age I became interested in history, and one area of great interest to me is military aviation history. I have always been fascinated by the Battle of Britain for several reasons, but predominately because it was the first major defeat that Germany suffered in World War II, the first sign that maybe we could defeat Evil.
I want to thank everyone who responded to my most recent column. It is all too easy to lose focus when dealing with a long standing medical condition, to get lazy, to ignore the very real danger you face because you don’t want to appear weak or needy. I will continue to write about health issues from time to time, both physical and mental, so “stay tuned “.
This week’s offering will be a bit more easygoing, and I hope that you enjoy this week’s melange of letters, numbers, punctuation marks and images.
Bullseye Records of Canada
Segarini: Don't Believe a Word I Say 