A Corner Table in My World

The funeral was today and it was amazing to see so many assorted members of the family and old family friends. The "North Hill" community of which both David and his family and my own family were apart of, was well represented. People that I have not seen since I was in high school, and even before than, made it in to town today to show pay their respect and to show their support of the family. The family asked old family friend and old high school teacher, Jack Hicken to officiate and though Jack is well known in our hometown, and to any one else who is acquainted with him, as a talker, I felt that he did a good job of his speech. I do wonder if someone else may have done a good job, and I mentioned that to Stephen - who agreed - but Jack's history with our family is rich and it is long. I was glad to see him if for no other reason than he is one of those faces that I had not seen in some time. Avery and Erin did the eulogy and through their words, I think they ...

I was right about the pain. Though not the searing, wrenching pain that I've experienced in the past, upon hearing the words "Uncle David passed away" a great deal pain swept through me and immediately tears sprung to my eyes. I'm not sure that I didn't expect it to happen (I did mention previously that I assumed I'd feel more when he actually did die) but somehow hearing the words and knowing that the inevitable had finally happened was still a surprise. Now that he's gone and the family is left with another missing piece, I can't help but wonder how I'd feel if I was in the shoes of other members of my family. It was my Dad who called and told me that Uncle David had died. Obviously, and almost instaneously, I tried to imagine how I'd feel if it were one of my siblings who'd passed away. Even now the mere thought that Jen or Meagan was dying or dead makes me burn with pain. It feels like a part of myself was starting to disappear. ...

I think there are times in all of our lives when we are forced to look back and reflect on the things that we've done, the things that have been done to us and the things that have happened without any one's conscious effort to make them so. I know that I've personally had several of these run-ins with personal reflection and though I can't say that I was any worse for the wear, those specific periods in my life could never be described as entirely pleasant. Many of them were down right awful and in most cases painful to experience. I'm not going to be naive, either, or even self-centered and say that my own brushes with self contemplation bettered me. In truth I don't know that they did. I wish I could be sure, I wish I could say that from the stand point I'm at now, everything I've done to this stage in my life has made me a better person, or a more balanced, health and happy individual. But I can't. There are still days when...

Yes it was a freaking surprise when the door bell rang just before 10pm Tuesday night and a passerby informed us that we had a rattlesnake on our front lawn. The little bastard was just moving on to the sidewalk to get to the street and when the young couple with their dog approached, they heard the usual, and yet unusual, sound of a rattlesnake warning someone to stay away! Kind though they were, they provided us with a convoluted mess to clean up. Convoluted, you ask? Yes! I said convoluted and yes, that's exactly what I meant! Because 1) who do you call when you've got a rattlesnake on your lawn? and 2) what are the chances that someone will actually be able to help you at 10pm? You'd think Animal Control or the Animal Shelters could help... but no. Control was closed and the Shelter said to call Alberta Fish and Wildlife. But shocker there, AFW was closed too, with no emergency contact number listed. So what do you do? Call the police, the fire department? Well we tried...

When we were little it seemed like we were camping a couple of times a month from May long weekend to the end of August. I don't think it was too often that we'd camp during harvest but I can remember a couple of times when we'd pull the trailer up to Beaver Mines and stay off and on for like three weeks! Or two, but you know how time bleeds together for children! Of course it wasn't always with mom and dad that I'd be camping. I can remember going camping to Waterton with Grandpa and Grandma McGlenn and Avery. We'd strap lawn chairs into the back of Grandpas truck (inside the topper) and that's where we'd ride during the drive. We'd take notebooks and if we needed to talk to Grandpa or Grandma then we'd write a note and hold it up to the window of the truck. It was always fun, and the memories are just as fun to look back on. It was one of those memories that I drudged up when we were in Waterton last weekend. When we used to go there as...