CHROME ON THE RANGE

IN WHICH BEAR (ALMOST) SURVIVES A WEEK AT THE PAIN CLINIC

2012-02-10T21:46:00.009-06:00

Um. Well. Week one of the Chronic Pain Clinic's treatment program has come, and (almost) gone.

And since some of you asked for the (gory) details, here they are. (Those not thrilled by gory details can skip this, though — truth be told — there isn't much gore.)

When they advised that this was a multi-disciplinary process, they were right on. For example, this week I've had time with the Occupational Therapist, a Physical Therapist, the Psychologist, and the Nurse (a friend, who happens to coordinate the program). We've covered everything from where I hurt, how badly I hurt, what I do about the hurt, and what I hope to learn, accomplish, (and endure?). We also have exercise time, twice a morning, for half an hour at a stretch (so to speak). That's where we get bent into something, and not (hopefully) bent out of shape. They say, "Only do a little bit, don't hurt yourself."

So you know what happened to the Bear, don't you.

Yup.

Back, bent out of shape, or something. Frustrating, at any rate.

I think it happened while the Physical Therapist was checking out my mobility. But by Wednesday, lunch time, Bear was uncomfortable. (They're going to claim it was self-inflicted; I'm saying the Physical Therapist told me to do it, and I'm sticking with MY story.) And I'm still not comfortable. Sigh!

There is also lots of time for "Self-Management." That's where you try out things you have been learning, on your own. That can mean putting ice on injuries, or heat, or reading up on what you have been doing but don't understand. Or practising some of the exercises that we've been shown (as if we didn't get enough of that, already).

BTW: putting something cold on an injury as soon as you can; that helps to limit the swelling, and pain. Put it on for about 15-20 minutes. Later, you can use heat, but first, the cold. And not cream or something in a jar. A frozen pack for putting into the summer picnic cooler is grand. So is a bag of frozen peas, or beans, or corn — that you won't be eating later. But double wrap whatever it is in a towel first. You want to cool the area, not freeze it.

Classroom stuff. Last event of the morning. Chronic Pain and Sleep (developing better "sleep hygiene" when you've got chronic pain — actually quite fascinating). Goal setting — what I want to accomplish while in the program. General Discussion, where we share our experiences. Relaxation. That was this morning's session. I got so relaxed I slept through most of it. Hibernation inside a building! Not quite what I expected, but, well, when it happened, I decided to accept it with gratitude. I got home, had lunch and slept all afternoon — which is what I've been doing most afternoons. (They warned us early on in the process that afternoon sleepiness was one of the things which might happen; I said, "YES!") I told you I'd be hibernating half days on this program.

If you want more details, ask away. There's nothing to hide (so far).

Please Bear with me; there'll be more next week.

IN WHICH BEAR'S ATTEMPT TO HIBERNATE IS RUDELY INTERRUPTED — YET AGAIN

2012-02-05T14:21:00.003-06:00

Well. It's like this.

I was nicely settled in my den, stretched out, then curled up. It's still too warm to be really comfortable, but I thought I would give it one more try. Found the right spot to lie in so I wouldn't get wet from the melting show. I was resting delightfully. Oh yes; this was going to be a great winter after all. I had started dreaming about warm sunshine, clear brooks with crisp water, the scent of all the flowers — things to which I would awaken in the spring. Hibernation. Finally!

And you know what happened, don't you. (Such clever people you are.)

Yes, I was woken up! Bounced out of my bed in surprise. As if Tigger had found me and insisted on playing.

I was not amused.

Bah! Humbug! @%#^$&)@!! (That last bit is Bearspeak; it's one of the few expressions which I cannot effectively translate into Human language.)

So, the bad news is that my hibernating ended abruptly. With a bit of shock and awwwww! OK, more than a bit.

Despite that dismay, I discovered I had been awoken for a good reason!

Tomorrow, I begin a six week course at City Hospital (one of the three hospitals in River City). Every morning, Monday to Friday. It's the Chronic Pain Centre's Treatment Program.

(For those of you who new to this blog, I have lived with chronic pain, mental and physical, for a long time. A lot of "war wounds" shall I say — things which have been treated but which have never entirely healed. And on the other side, chronic depression since my teens. Those of you who regularly drop in already know that I am a "peculiar" Bear.)

Right. I've received the outline for the program. It includes things like goal sharing, movement (stretching), relaxation, and time in the pool. (How many of you knew that hospitals have swimming pools in them?)

I've been advised that the program is actually fairly strenuous, and it might be wise not to plan too much for the afternoons. (So I'm planning to hibernate half-days; beats no hibernation at all.)

This is a real step forward. The plan is not to cure the pain of those who are participants; the plan is to teach us how to live creatively with our pain, and reduce the negative experience by doing good things to/for ourselves. I consider that to be a big plus! I expect to pick up some useful ideas. (Actually, I have already learned some interesting things.)

Needless to say, I'll let you know what is happening.

And if I'm restless in the afternoon or evening, I may drop around to visit.

IN WHICH BEAR ISSUES A PLEA FOR HELP

2012-02-01T13:29:00.000-06:00

Even though I need all the help I can get, this isn't about me.

This is about The Bipolar Diva, who blogs at The Bipolar Diva. More specifically, this is about her eldest daughter, The Bipolar Princess.

The Princess has been infected by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (better known as MRSA). This Staph infection lives in a lot of peoples' bodies, without being a problem to them. Unlike most bacterial infections, cannot be treated by normal, or even special, antibiotics. And once in a while it gets nasty (like a Bad Bear) and turns into Necrotizing fasciitis, better known as "flesh eating disease." That is what has happened to the Princess. She appears to be losing the battle at this point.

Prayers, kind thoughts, shared energy — whatever you have or do — for the Princess would be appreciated.

Thank you, from the Bear.

IN WHICH BEAR GOES IN FOR A CHECK-UP AND LEARNS . . .

2012-01-30T19:51:00.001-06:00

that he is more or less healthy. Despite all the aches and pains.

Terrible weather here — up around O°C (32F). Snow and ice, in the sun, melting. Water sneaking down into Bear's den. Bear, wet, cold, and dirty — also unhappy. (I should have known better than to lie in that position.)

One of the things I usually do is go see my doctor — er, um, vet — when I come out of hibernating. Only this year it's going to be earlier than usual. Much earlier.

On the plus side, there were some berries left over from last fall, hanging on trees. I had a quick snack on the way.

Vet gave me a good going over. My heart is fine; my blood pressure is up a bit (from all this non-hibernating non-sense). Eyes are fair. Ears are good. Nose is excellent, as usual (we Bears make our way around the forests, grasslands and waterways via our noses, since we can't see much at all). Paws are good; claws are a mess, and will have to be sharpened before spring.

But what about this annoying, restless, yearning that keeps me from getting a good winter's snooze? Vet says she can't help me. "It's all weather-related," she says. "Go have a swim in an icy pond," was her suggestion, "then try to get some rest." Right. Sure. But at least she didn't tell me to go and soak my head, or something like that.

"In fact," she continued, "a whole lot of Bears have been coming in early, both the americanus and the arctos horribilis types. Vet predicts there will be an outbreak of generalized grumpiness among Bears in the spring. Great. Just great! Yearlings will be acting up more than usual, picking fights with everybody. Somebody might get hurt, for nothing. (Sigh!) Meaning I will spend a lot of my time trying to calm things down. And the americanus crew — black, brown, cinnamon, whatever colour — will be pushing the habitat boundaries into our area. Drat them anyhow!

A warm winter followed by a hot-blooded spring. I'm getting too "advanced in years" for this stuff. Pretty soon they're going to start calling my Jerry (as in Jerry Atric). And you Humans think you've got it tough with shovelling snow and scraping windows. Hrumf! Grrr!

OK. So, I'm going to try to get back to hibernating. But, well, you know, I really don't feel like sleeping. To tired to do things; too awake to sleep. You ever have that problem?

See you in spring, perhaps.

Update: IN WHICH BEAR FINALLY GETS TO HIBERNATE

2012-01-15T14:07:00.009-06:00

Ah, well, finally. The snow came last night. It is still being blown about by swirling winds. The temperature feels like -27°C, which is about -17°F.

◊Update: The temperature today is -38°C (or -36F). The wind chill takes it down to -48C (that's a balmy -54F). With all the ice crystals in the sky, there are huge sundogs, and I can hear them barking. Great background noise to which a Bear can fall asleep.◊

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you in the spring (whenever it arrives, hopefully later than sooner). If I wake up before spring, I'll try to come by for a visit. After which I'll doze off again.

Blessings and Bear hugs to all. And (Janie, especially), ciao for niao.

IN WHICH BEAR WAKES UP IN MID WINTER . . .

2012-01-07T19:56:00.001-06:00

. . . because it way too HOT. We've had temperatures around the freezing point — sometimes just above, sometimes just below. When you're living inside a heavy Bear coat, it's too hot to sleep comfortably. Sort of like having seven wool blankets on your bed on a hot mid-summer's night.

Also, after about six weeks in the computer hospital, my computer is working again. It's not working entirely right, but well enough that I can send this message to you. They didn't have the heart to charge me for all the work they had done, but I gave them money for their first hour's work. (Hey, this is a local business; one has to support local enterprise, or it disappears.)

Anyhow, I also have several thousand e-mail message in my box (and spilling out all over the floor in our apartment). It may take a while (I would expect no more than six months) for me to get back to you, so please be patient.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Delightful Kwanza, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Yule, or whatever you may have been celebrating in the last few weeks.

Yup, that's about it. There are a lot of delightful smells around here; I must go and investigate.

Ciao for niao. Blessings and Bear hugs, too.

IN WHICH BEAR APPEARS, AND DISAPPEARS.

2011-12-02T13:01:00.001-06:00

Hello; this is the Bear speaking. (OK, writing, to you.)

I've been "occupied" for a bit, as you know. Also, my computer is in the computer hospital with some kind of chronic whatever. (I'm sending this to you via J's computer; she's very gracious about lending it to me!)

Just a quick note to let you know that I have not died and gone to . . . wherever Bears go. Though I did have a dream about Bears last night — one of which was killed by a car. As in a Bear beheaded by a car. Not nice at all.

Nor have I gone into hibernation. I'm still too busy for that.

So, I'll get back into some sort of cyber-routine, some day. I'm just not thrilled, though, about the prospect of having to buy a new computer.

In the midst of life, I am "Bearing up." I hope all of you are well.

IN WHICH THE CITY ENDS OUR CAMPING, AND SCATTERS THE HOMELESS

2011-11-15T20:31:00.006-06:00

As Yogi said, "It ain't over til it's over."

And it's not over. Despite the city's actions yesterday. (Watch for Bear in grey coat.) You'll have to wait a few moments, after clicking on the link, for the story to show up.

In other news (different channel) — someone else picked up on Bear's language. You'll see Bear trundling around the the background. Peter (on camera) is a good speaker for us.

There was also coverage on our channel #3.
(Bear's claim to fame: I just send out the news releases to the media. Usually other people talk.)

One other thought. Bear was talking to Salvation Army at 8:45 Monday morning (part of our ongoing conversation). That was the first time after Sunday's arrival of the eviction notice that I could reach the SA.

The City Manager's statement that people had rejected the SA options was totally false. If it were true, I wouldn't have been talking to SA at 8:45 in the morning.

The Police and Fire department brought three people from SA with them when they invaded, including the man I had been talking to a few hours earlier. By then, the homeless had fled our camp, fearful of any confrontation with police. So the last state of the homeless was worse than the first; they're back to sleeping under bridges and in other bush spots in Saskatoon. Some will be found in the spring, when the snow disappeared. It happens every year.

A week ago Monday, Occupy Saskatoon made a presentation to City Council, to open another dialogue over homelessness.

A week later we got the reply from the City — eviction of the homeless from the park where we were sheltering them.

The solution to the problem of homelessness? Sweep it under the carpet; out of sight, out of mind.

And, that's the news.

But remember, going back to Yogi, it ain't over.

IN WHICH BEAR HAS PECULIAR EXPERIENCE IN THE BUSH

2011-11-10T00:12:00.000-06:00

As you realize, Bear has been very involved in "Occupy Saskatoon." One of the roughly 2,000 Occupy groups around the world.

Monday night, Bear and other "Occupiers" were at the regular meeting of Saskatoon City Council. We had a chance to chat with Council. And found some fairly enthusiastic response. (Meaning the Mayor, I think, actually had to bite his tongue.) Truth is, you see, we got "in their face." We did it gently. That's the Canadian way. But I mean, really, when we've exposed the need, and are acting on it (housing homeless people), I think we have every right to speak up.

You already know Occupy Saskatoon had been "occupied" by a bunch of homeless people. So, their welfare and future became an immediate concern. Yes, in Saskatoon one can have a job and be homeless at the same time. Such is the price of rent (unless you want to share your place with rats, cockroaches, and bed bugs).

We weren't there to "fight city hall"; we were there to have a conversation with City Council. After all, we are "Occupy Saskatoon: Join the Conversation." (That's our full title.) Our goal is really to occupy peoples' minds, with questions of fairness, health, reasonable incomes and appropriate living standards for all. And then have a conversation.

But earlier today, we got the word that the City was planning to evict us from our location. It's a city park, with about as much bush as grassland. Great camping site; lots of protection from the elements. The word we received was that the police would be there at 6:00 p.m. for a "conversation." So a whole hockey sock full* of us were there to take on the . . . not police?!

Nope. Nary a constable nor sergeant to be seen. Nor the Inspector (Captain, for you Americans), who had talked with us last week.

Instead, a man from the Salvation Army's centre and a very friendly elected Councillor for the city (who used to be a community organizer in his past life).

Hmmmm. What is this? Two people who like us? Two people who support us? Two people who want to work with us? Wonders never cease!

Turns out that the City doesn't want to evict us; the major concern is for our health and safety. A "Won't you come in out of the cold?" gesture. Which was, obviously, not what we thought we would face.

So we did the very Canadian thing. We stood around the camp fire and had a friendly chat about the whole situation. And discovered some possible solutions. (No, we didn't quite get to singing "Kum by yah"; I left my banjo at home.)

We've agreed we're going to keep framing the conversation in "health and safety" language. Because that's what it is; that's the issue — people's health and safety.

"The System" could end up housing a bunch of Occupiers. Perhaps in the same place, to keep our community together. Which might even give us all some meeting space. I suggested (later) that we should call it "Occupy Saskatoon House." And when it gets too full, because of the extra people who come in, we'll let "the System" find a second house for those who won't fit in the first place.

Who? Me? Subversive? Perish the thought.

Yes, I know; I should be hibernating. But, uh, well, I'm having way too much fun. We're actually starting to solve an immediate problem. Emphasis on "starting." Nobody has had to admitted defeat. Nobody feels like a loser. It's not "them and us"; it's "us and us." I mean, why quit when you're making progress?

Makes the ol' Bear's heart feel good.
________________________

* That's Canadianism for "a whole lot." Anyone who knows how much protective gear one wears when playing ice hockey, and how big a sock one needs to cover said gear on one's legs — such a person understands entirely. ;))

IN WHICH WINTER ARRIVES BEFORE BEAR STARTS HIBERNATING

2011-11-06T09:48:00.001-06:00

Well, the weather is getting cooler. When I woke up this morning, I thought it was cold and a bit foggy.

Not so.

Behold! The former site of occupy Saskatoon.

Truth is the tent-dwellers have moved to a more sheltered location.

But, as you can see, much of the city has disappeared. I need to go and find it.

If I'm gone too long, please send the St. Bernards out for me! I may be lost.

MORE ON AMERICAN POVERTY

2011-11-03T23:09:00.000-06:00

It's the Bear again, being a Bear-er of bad news, particularly the rise in the number of poor people.

And you wonder why there is an "Occupy Wall Street"?

Bear trundles out, perplexed and very sad.

LIFE, AND FAITH, AND HOMELESSNESS (with new details)

2011-10-31T19:45:00.033-06:00

Those of you who have been with me for a while know that I am a spiritual/religious person. You also know that I don't talk much about that in this blog.

But life, and faith, and challenge sometimes step up and smack me in the face, and well, I have to deal with that. I'm not one to evade life.

I noted recently that Occupy Saskatoon had been somehow "adopted" by a group of homeless people. They slept in our tents, and ate our food, and (when they were comfortable with it) joined in our discussions. It was never "we-they"; it was "us."

We had planned to end our occupation of Friendship Park this weekend. We had made our point, as far as the occupation had gone, and were moving to the next phase of our activity.

BUT!

What to do about the homeless living among us, eating our food, sleeping in our tents?

Well, no, we simply could not abandon them. They were part of the group; their issues, their concerns were among those which we were raising.

So after many days and nights discussions, we worked out a plan. All of us. Together.

Those who wanted and needed a relatively safe and comfortable place to stay will be staying. Those who stay will devise a process for living together, eating together, and the like. We who move away will continue to support them. As a group, we have money and other resources; that's part of the overall community make-up.

Where this goes next is a bit of a puzzle. The campers will work out their life one day at a time. Those who are not campers will offer what support they can. We are all in this together.

This all reminded me of a story. A story about deep caring.

Then the King will say, . . . "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." . . . Then the righteous will answer him, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?" And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
~ Matthew 25: 34, 37 - 40.

OK. Here endeth the first reading.

Blessings and Bear hugs, friends. Thanks for hanging in with me.

FOOTNOTE

I got a call from the police today. The Sergeant for this division, wanting to know what we'll be doing next, about those who are sleeping out in the park. Was I surprised by the call? Frankly, initially yes (didn't think they would be calling me), but on second thought, no. So we're having a chat with his boss, the Inspector ("Captain" for you Americans), on our turf tomorrow night. I have an entirely "not good" feeling about this development. And I'm not the only member of our group feels that way. But the police are being nice about this situation (a very Canadian way of doing things). It's a kind of, "Let's sort this out over tea, shall we?" invitation to chat. I like tea, but I'm thoroughly prepared to be "not amused."

I'll keep you posted. This gets to be more "fun" at every turn. Except I really do not feel like laughing.

THE "OCCUPYING" LIFE OF OCCUPY SASKATOON

2011-10-28T20:54:00.000-06:00

Hello. My name is Bear. Rob-Bear. I used to inhabit this blog.

Lately, thought, I've been out trying to help save [our little corner of] the world. It has been an interesting experience. Very interesting.

We've been working on both a theoretical level and a practical level.

We discuss the problems our society is facing.
• The growing disparity for the rich, who are making a lot more these days, largely through paying less taxes, and the rest, who are actually making less. (You've seen the statistics.)
• Our new Canadian political model, based on 1 dollar = 1 vote (instead of 1 person = 1 vote).
• The real needs of our community, including "the other 1%" — as in the 1.39% of our community with "no visible means of support."

At first, things were cool. We worked on out some of the principles that guide us, and some possible actions. The main one being a "teach-in" on social and economic issues plaguing average Canadians. "Education in the Park" happens tomorrow (as in Saturday, Oct. 29th).

Second, some the homeless (the other 1.39 per cent) joined us, in the process. They participated in our conversations (including our General Assembly) as much as they wanted to and were able. And, since they were part of our community, they ate some of our food. And that was cool.

Third, the "party-people" joined us. They are part of the 1.39% too. They show up about midnight, and look for a place to crash.

Only they tend to be inebriated. As in drunk. Drink of choice: Listerine. Yes, the mouthwash. It has a lot of alcohol in it, it's cheap, and you don't have to go to the liquor store to get it.

And the party-people began to intimidate the other homeless. One came with a fairly big knife, and a bad attitude. Fortunately, he passed out before he could cause any serious problems. Police and paramedics took a couple of them away. That was not cool at all!

Now, we have a fairly major challenge. Several actually.
• Where to find some meeting space for the winter.
• Which kinds of activities do we want to pursue.
• And what can we do with (not "for") our homeless friends, when the freezing weather comes.

None of this is easy. But we're working on it.

RANDOM THOUGHTS PICKED UP ALONG THE WAY

2011-10-22T12:44:00.002-06:00

As you realize, I've been very involved in Occupy Saskatoon activities.

But, I never miss a chance to learn things.

1. The average house in Canada now costs about $350,000. That's the average. I've known that for a while.

How many people can afford to buy that "average" house?

2. In 1978, the average income in Canada was $49,000. Today, adjusted for inflation, the average income is $47,000. You read that right; the average wage earner is $2,000 behind were he/she was in 1978.

Is it any wonder that ordinary people are having trouble keeping up?

By the way, the person in the top 1% of earners is between two and four times richer than in 1978.

Can you say "Income Growth Inequality"? Sure you can.

If you can spend 30% of your income of $60,000 (the average now), it would take you to $18,000.00. At that rate, it would take you 20 years to pay for the average house you want to buy. Of course, that doesn't include all the interest you pay to the bank for the loan!

Now, aren't you glad you know that?

I'm glad. I'm also a bit on the terrified side. It is not easy to terrify a Bear.

THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT

2011-10-12T19:09:00.005-06:00

I suppose I should really put this over on my Bears Noting blog, because this is world news kind of stuff. But because it's personal, I'm putting it here. This is me; I'm talking about what's happening in my life.

Well, not just me. And that's the point. This is about us. All of us together.

For a very long time, I have been committed to building caring community — community where people care about each other, and sometimes for each other (if that's needed). And, of course, you don't have to be blogging for very long before you discover a lot of people need care, because they're hurting. Sometimes you can see the hurt, sometimes you can't. But with any hurt, there's pain. Real human pain. The kind with which I've lived for years, decades.

Anyhow. Building caring community. Community what includes everyone.

In North America, this Occupy movement began about a month ago. In other places, like Egypt, Spain, Tunisia, and Greece it began a lot earlier.

1. It began from a feeling which, which had been caught in a movie, 35 years ago. The movie was Network, in 1976. (I won't ask how many of you, gentle readers, saw it then.)

There was an amazing scene when one of the lead characters, Howard Beale (played by the late Peter Finch), tells people to go and yell out their windows, "I'm as mad as Hell, and I'm not going to take this any more." That came at the end of a long soliloquy. And people start yelling.

A lot of people are "as mad as Hell" today, too! I think the proverbial straw that clinched this was the bailout of big banks in the United States. That combined with lack of funds to help the ordinary people of the country.

2. That's when people got serious about asking why things are so wrong. And they recognized, without putting a title to it, that America was a Fascist nation.

Fascist nation? Fascism? Does that sound extreme? It does to me.

But, as Fascist Italian Benito Mussolini put it,"Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power." If anyone should know, it would be him. He ran a Fascist government in Italy, under various titles, for over 20 years (actually, 31 October 1922 – 25 April 1945).

3. Then people started talking. And gathering. The flashpoint was New York, Wall Street — the heart of the financial district that had been bailed out by the government. Despite very different details in their concerns, there were some common themes.

This is a broad movement with many voices. The main target is the long, slow encroachment on democracy by corporate power. That is the main message: that people want more of a say in determining our future, that we are creating the grassroots democratic structures to discuss and act upon our common issues, and that we will challenge the corporate oligarchy that our political system has become. ~ Occupy Saskatoon

That's the point of the General Assemblies, the key focal element of the Occupy movement. It is people working out their beliefs, values, goals. For a historic comparison, consider The US Declaration of Independence; it took about a month to prepare.

The first concern was to work out, together, exactly what was bothering people who had assembled in New York. Hence, the New York Declaration. (There are longer, updated versions.)

Personally, having been involved in the ethical supervision of animal research, I have a problem with the statement on animal research. But there are lots of things which need further discussion.

Three additional declarations are under discussion, which will likely be released in the upcoming days:
1) A declaration of demands.
2) Principles of Solidarity
3) Documentation on how to form your own Direct Democracy Occupation Group.

Here, in River City, we will hold a modest gathering for one day (at least initially one day). That day is this Saturday, October 15th — a day when similar protests are being held around the world. Using my skills from 30 years of journalism, I have helped to shape our communication strategy. A very modest involvement. For a Bear approaching his "best before" date.

I'm not expecting everyone to understand what I'm feeling and thinking; I'm sure there will be people who disagree with my perceptions. That's normal, I think. It takes time for people to understand things.

I'll tell you more after things happen in River City.

BEAR, MISSING IN ACTION

2011-10-07T23:19:00.000-06:00

Bear is going to be blog-invisible for a little while. No, I'm not going to be going on a holiday. I'll be right at home.

But I'll be busy.

I don't know if all you have heard about the "Occupy Wall Street" movement. Basically, thousands of people are saying, "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take this any more." (That line is from the 1976 movie Network; the script by Paddy Chayefsky and direction by Sidney Lumet.)

There are many situations to which people are objecting. They're mad about the collapse of civil society, and the banks messing with the government "bail-out" money (taxpayers money that went, apparently, into profits and handouts, rather than helping the people who had put money into banks and were supposed to be helped.) There are a lot of other issues as well, including the misuse of power by police, and the failure of government to effectively handle problems facing the nation.

In North America, this process began on Wall Street the same day as my birthday. Slowly alternative media picked up the story, then mainstream media were embarrassed into following the events.

Here is one of my favourite pictures on the event.

Responses to the "occupation" have been very different.

In New York, billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has sicced the police on the protesters.

In Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa handed out 150 ponchos to protesters in the rain. Yesterday, seven of 15 members on that city council voted in favour of a motion calling the protest "A peaceful and vibrant exercise of First Amendment rights." The motion goes to final vote next week.

Which in a way, is making the protesters point. If there is difficulty, maybe its being caused by the politicians.

So far, the event has spread to 147 cities. In Barcelona, the activity has been going on since May 15, with major demonstrations almost every day.

And now, even to Canada, that quiet little backwater best known for it's chronic politeness.

Saturday, October 15, is going to be a nation-wide solidarity protest in Canada, supporting the Occupation of New York. It will be happening in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. And it will be happening in smaller cities, too, like River City.

So, Bear is going to be busy helping get things ready. Our first planning meeting was Wednesday night. Hastily called, primarily through Facebook, 52 people met in a church basement to consider options. Bear is helping with communications (which probably won't surprise any of you who are regular readers).

As I said, I'm going to be busy. If we do it right, it will convey a powerful message, and be a good time.

See you when the "fun" is over. Or we take a break.

Blessings and Bear hugs until then.

PLEASE SUPPORT PEOPLE LIVING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS

2011-10-01T01:03:00.000-06:00

Beginning tomorrow, October 2, Americans are marking Mental Illness Awareness Week. The event runs through October 9th.

According to an American study, 1 in 17 people (about six per cent of the population) live with a mental illness such as bipolar disorder, major depression, and schizophrenia, yet "many of these individuals and their families don't know where to turn for mental health resources and support." The research was one by an American Disability Service company, Allsup.

The poster for the week has the toll-free National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine, which is 1-800-950-NAMI (6264). The HelpLine is open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm Eastern Time.

The free posters are available for download or mail at Allsup's Web site. (The poster for Mental Health Awareness Week is close to the bottom of the Allsup page on the web site.)

As some of you know already, Bear has lived with chronic depression since his teens. I haven't talked a whole lot about it in the past, but now some conversation seems appropriate.

Who knows if a poster, perhaps in your work place, or church, or community centre, might help someone.

Blessings and Bear hugs, folks.

IN WHICH BEAR STOPS TO RECONSIDER

2011-09-24T13:40:00.000-06:00

Bear has, for a very long time, been a writer, a broadcaster, a journalist. An award winning journalist, even.

So, from that perspective, Bear tends to treat his blogs as if they are journals of sorts.

Just the facts, ma'am, and stuff like that.

Solid, well-thought-out, well-expressed. Even the spelling is (usually) good.

Yada, yada, yada.

And kind readers leave the odd, thoughtful comment. Not that their comments are odd; they're not. They are delightful! (Then, there's the Blog Fodder, but that's another story entirely.*)

Anyhow, I did something different.

I published a light, fluffy piece, including a picture of Bear with a baby. (While I did that, I sat quaking, fearing my Writer's Licence would be revoked for doing such stuff and nonsense).

And what happened?

I've received more comments to that than to anything else that I've written. And, I've still got my Writer's Licence!

Well, then.

I understand that each literary type has it's own style, it's own conventions. Poetry and newspapers have very different styles. You know that.

Has journalist Bear not really understood the conventions of blogging? Has Bear be writing a blog like a journalist, instead of like a blogger? Should Bear be making changes? Should Bear work in multiple styles, on different blogs? Hmmmm.

I'm not sure where this will go, but it seems this is time to reconsider.

Footnote

The story is told of a career sailor, who eventually retired from the Navy.
At the time of his retirement he thought back on his time as a painter.
On board, he had worked in the aft section of the ships on which he had served.
So he said he had left no stern untoned.

__________________
*The Blog Fodder is the only blogger who has met Bear in person. And that was decades (yes, decades) before there were such things as blogs, or Facebook, or Twitter. Meaning that BF knows way too much about Bear. Though, to tell the truth, he has been very gracious.

BUDDY, CAN YOU SPARE ME A JOB?

2011-09-21T12:47:00.001-06:00

Bear was sniffing around and found some unhappy statistics about employment, unemployment, and poverty.
• About two-thirds of people in poverty are working full time.
• Over a third of poor families are headed by people in their 30s, or younger — a huge social shift from America's past.

If you want to know more, check the story on my Bears Noting blog. And check the comments, too; they are very insightful.

THIS IS THE WEEK THAT WAS

2011-09-18T16:07:00.004-06:00

Today is Sunday, a restful day. Actually the Bear's whole week is often restful. But it has been particularly good.

First, autumn is in the air. Definitely. We've had an evening of frost, though it didn't bother the pumpkins. (We got those in the afternoon before the frost.)

But the leaves are changing. As more and more of them hit the ground,

the bright autumn colours

become much more dull.

Dr. Ron Banks, from Duke University and Duke Medical School (Durum, North Carolina) was up and did a couple of presentations related to medical research, and the place of animals in it. One of the presentations was to the university faculty; the other, at the main public library, for the community. Both were reasonably attended.

On Thursday, J's nephew and his wife came for a visit, bringing their four week old son with them.

Sleepy Bear; sleepy baby

It was not only a chance for us to see them, but for our son and his kids to visit with their cousins.

On Saturday, Bear celebrated another birthday (his 66th), our team won in the Canadian Football League game, and our daughter brought a birthday cake when she came to see the game with us. Bear also got a ton of birthday greetings from friends via Facebook; all much appreciated.

Bear thinks that was a good week.

TOWARD LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

2011-09-13T17:30:00.000-06:00

The days were dark. Very dark indeed.

The Germans had already annexed Austria. Next came Czechoslovakia. Then the German blitzkrieg rolled across Poland like a giant tsunami. Come the following spring — 1940 — country after country would be inundated by the German might: Norway, Denmark, Belgium, The Netherlands, and finally France.

But after Poland, everything stopped. Or seemed to stop. And so began the "Phony War," a title taken from a comment by U.S. Senator William Borah. There were a few naval battles, when Winston Churchill (later Sir Winston) was First Lord of the Admiralty. But little else.

But Churchill, and some others, knew what was likely to come next. And knew it would be terrible.

Christmas, 1939. King George VI of England prepares his message for Britain, the Commonwealth and the world. The King's Christmas Message is a tradition which his father has started. What can he say for Christmas, in so difficult a time, to being some hope, reassurance, and cheer?

Eventually, he finds the words. And he includes a poem by a teacher at the London School of Economics, Minnie Louise Haskins.

And I said to the man
who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness
and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light
and safer than a known way.”
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God,
trod gladly into the night.

- - - - - - - -

For the background to this post, check here and here.

THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF OUR LIVES

2011-09-12T22:08:00.001-06:00

Today is 9/12/11 — a chance to make a fresh start on our collective life in the world,

Lydia at Writerquake, Sandie at Chatty Crone, and Ms. Moon at Bless our Hearts have, among many others, shared some challenging thoughts over the the last few days. Some delightful thoughts, but also challenging. At least for this Bear.

The Crone's "Quote of the Week" is from Helen James. “Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference.”

The sentiment is real. That's the perspective I try to take in every day of my life.

Ms. Crones other quote, from Kobi Yamada, got even more of my attention. “Believe that there's light at the end of the tunnel. Believe that you might be that light for someone else.”

I very much like idea, because I'm a "light at the end of the tunnel" kind of Bear.

Now, here are the questions.
• Has the light at the end of the tunnel been turned of as a deficit-reduction measure?

• If it has, does anyone remember where it is, so we can turn it back on?

• If we can't turn it back on, how will we move ahead?

Sorry if you find these thoughts depressing the day after 9/11. Those questions were on my mind all day yesterday.

AMERICA AT 9/11/11

2011-09-09T23:13:00.001-06:00

Special greetings to my American friends and neighbours.

I was one of those who watched, in horror, the events of ten years ago. And as a former Fire Fighter, I understood the perils involved in the work of New York's Fire Department, with the help of many Fire Fighters from elsewhere, and their determination to help anyone they could.

We're ten years on, and you American folk are planning to recall and think about those events. (I don't think the word "celebrate" is perhaps the best word — especially when there are possibilities of "more of the same" happening this year in New York.)

I hope and pray that your collective remembrances on September 11 will be a worthy tribute to so many who died or were left with particular loss, and so many who served in an extraordinarily difficult time. I likewise hope these remembrances will help to heal your collective soul.

We Canadians will be remembering with you.

Blessings and Bear hugs.

AND, IN THE NEWS, . . .

2011-09-06T09:48:00.003-06:00

We're still in the Dog Days of Summer. Well at least summer; though, officially, I think the Dog days may have passed. Perhaps mentally still in the Dog days.

Now that we're into September, I've read some women bloggers who are finding time a bit long on their hands. These are SAHMs — stay at home moms. They are almost at the "hardly know what to do with myself" stage, now that their darlings have gone back to school. The house is empty all day, except for themselves, some Canines, and a few other Furry Creatures.

So, to bring some light into their lives, and perhaps yours, Bear has been rounding up some news. (You can take the Bear out of the newsroom, but you can't take the newsroom out of the Bear.)

Our top story: The Dog who thought he was a politician.

We also have a story about a Bear, who had a misadventure in the land of the Humans. (Thanks to our correspondent, Lydia, in Oregon, who dug up the Bear facts on this one.)

And, a major announcement from The Bear Party, my favourite politicians.

Turning to sports, the World Cup of Rugby begins this week in New Zealand. Canada, ever the non-contender, is up against some tough opposition. Our correspondent, Richard, in Brisbane, Australia, (also knows as BrisVegas) will have updates for us. If he doesn't over-celebrate.

And, that's the news.

AUTUMN IS A-COMIN' IN

2011-09-03T23:06:00.001-06:00

It is the beginning of autumn in the land of the Bear.

Yes, I know; autumn doesn't really start until September 21, or thereabouts. But, well, autumn is "in the air," so let's go with experienced reality, rather than some astronomic chart.

(BTW, the Australians share something of the same experience. They fervently believe that spring starts September first. I'm not sure whether this is some kind of universal folie à deux, or something found entirely within the "British" Commonwealth.)

Yet the signs are all here. The "younglings" are returning to school.

(Nutana Collegiate — River City's first high school, located across the street from the Bears' den)

The green leaves of summer are turning to yellow, brown, and red.

It's also Labour Day in Canada, the annual holiday to celebrating the economic and social achievements of workers. In Canada, this has been a calendar event since about 1880.

Part of the Labour Day activity in River City is a big fireworks display. The incendiaries are launched from the Broadway Bridge, a couple of hundred yards downstream from the Bears' Den. They organize the display across the river from our place,

then haul everything up on to the Bridge.

We stand in our corporate box (our balcony) and get an ideal view of the whole thing. No pictures, though; need to keep a sharp eye on the sleepy grandkids.

Nice way to end the summer!

Sadly, I have learned that there will be no Labor (American spelling) Day events across the US this year. Our reporter, Andy Borowitz, tells us that the entire holiday has been outsourced. To China. We Canadians offer our condolences to our American kin, friends, and neighbours on this loss. We hope you don't lose Thanksgiving as well.

Blessings and Bear hugs to all.

IN WHICH BEAR DECIDES TO CREATE A BOOK LIST, AND REMEMBERS JACK LAYTON

2011-08-29T14:09:00.001-06:00

For some reason, I haven't been doing much book reading lately. I've been busy on the internet, with blogs and other articles (particularly journal items related to medicine and medical ethics).

So I decided to become more intentional about reading of things other than electronic. (No, I don't have a Kindle account.)

The challenge is that I rarely read fiction. I always think there's more interesting and important reading to do. But that's life when you're a Bear.

• Only One Way Left. This is a re-read of a book by the founder of the renewed, rebuilt Iona Community, George McLeod. Celtic Christian insights into everyday life.

• Living with Chronic Illness: Days of Patience and Passion. Cheri Register's book talks about what the title says. It's based on her experience, and the experience of other living with chronic illness.

• A History of Wales. John Davies book, originally entitled Hanes Cymru in Welsh, begins with data from pre-historic times, and ends with material from about 1990. A lot has happened in Wales since, but to understand the present, one needs to know something of the past.

• The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Journey to Wholeness. The book, by Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham, focuses on our ordinary life, with all it's imperfections — which they say are the norm. It's learning to live with those imperfections which helps us. Quite a bit of material from Alcoholics Anonymous is included.

• God Hates Religion: How the Gospels Condemn False Religious Practice. Christopher Levan, retired Principal of a Canadian theological college, tackles the contemporary frustrations of church people and others, who are seeking a wholesome, lived Christianity in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. (I'm wondering if it might be a commentary applicable to the "Christian Right" in both Canada and the U.S.)

Hmmm. Well, that'll keep me going for a while. If I miss your blog, you'll know what I've been reading other things, and haven't got to you. Yet.

Blessings and (gentle) Bear hugs, friends!

FOOTNOTE:

On my Bears Noting blog I have included some notes from Saturday's funeral for Jack Layton.

STRANGE THINGS DONE BY THE MIDNIGHT SUN*

2011-08-29T13:36:00.005-06:00

As some of you may be aware, Bear has a total of five blogs. Yes, five of 'em. Most of you are accustomed to being part of Chrome on the Range and Bears Noting.

But there are three others. One deals with things spiritual and religious. One deals with ethics, particularly medical ethics. And one is written in French. Entirely in French. Yes, I admit to being a bit of a peculiar Bear.

There is an explanation. Bear, being in better fame of mind these days, is starting to use all five blogs. I don't want my mind to rot — totally. The creative juices are starting to flow again. I would not want you to be bored by reading just one or two blogs. So, the ethics blog and the French blog are coming back "on line" this week. I don't use them as much as my main two, so I'll warn you when I'm posting there. Maybe I should say "advise you" when I have something thereabouts.

Happy reading!

* With apologies to Robert Service, Canadian poet.

JACK LAYTON IN HIS HOME, BEFORE

2011-08-25T23:07:00.038-06:00

The following is a short piece from The Rick Mercer Report on CBC television. Mercer was invited for lunch to the Layton's home.

It would be from a year or so ago. It's a very brief insight into some of Mr. Layton's life. This is a guy who walks the talk.

JACK LAYTON — HEADING HOME

2011-08-25T11:40:00.012-06:00

Jack Layton is receiving virtually royal treatment in death.

His body has being lying in state in the Centre block Parliament building in Ottawa. Tens of thousands of people have come to pay their respects, waiting in line for hours to do so. His wife, Olivia Chow, also a Member of Parliament, has been there, with their children and granddaughter. (She took a quiet detour to visit his parliamentary office while on the Hill.)

This afternoon, his body will be taken to Quebec. That is the province where he was born (son of a former federal Conservative cabinet minister) and where his party made its "breakthrough," making it the Official Opposition in the Commons.

From there, it will go this evening to Toronto. The city is his home; he served on its City Council for many years before moving to federal politics. His body will lie in state at Toronto's City Hall, until just before the state funeral, which will be held in the Roy Thompson Hall, Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. I believe it will be televised.

Jack Layton was a much beloved man. I always thought there was something so very different about him. He was not your average politician. He really loved people; he really cared, deeply about people. When he was on Toronto City Council, he often rode a bike around the city, so he could easily stop and talk to people. Yes, he was concerned about the environment, but people, and their lives, seemed his key interest. He is someone who will be hugely missed on the national scene.

HOW THE MIGHTY ARE FALLEN!

2011-08-22T13:26:00.022-06:00

Canadians were largely shocked and saddened to learn this morning that Jack Layton had died. Layton, the Leader of Canada's social democratic party (called the" New Democratic Party," or NDP) was 61. He died of cancer, after a long and effective career as one of Canada's elected leaders.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (one of Canada's national television and radio networks) had a story early this morning, which has been circulating across the country and around the world.

Layton left behind a Letter of Thanks to Canadians, which was released later this morning.

(For those of you not familiar with the British/Canadian parliamentary system, our Parliament is the same as the US Congress, Our House of Commons is like the US House or Representatives, and Layton (as Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in the Commons) would be like the Minority Leader in the US House of Representatives.

For me, Layton's death is on a par with the deaths of the Kennedy brothers, John and Bobby. Also the death of Lady Diana Spencer (ex-wife of Prince Charles). The Spirit of Canada is smaller today because Jack Layton has died

Here is a video recording of Layton at his finest, here in "River City." Truly, a man of the people.

An informal gathering will be held here in a few days. That had already been arranged by mid morning. Timing of the gathering will, I suspect, depend a bit on when Layton's funeral is held.

Outside Layton's constituency (as in "district") office in an older residential area of Toronto, a bouquet of flowers is growing by the hours. On the sidewalk, written in chalk, a simple, "Thanks, Jack."

BEAR, RE-MOBILIZED (Sorta)

2011-08-17T15:39:00.020-06:00

First, a very deep word of appreciation to you who have "felt my pain," and done something about that. You are so kind to have sent warm wishes and encouragement. I get by with a lot of help from such friends.

Second, I am getting better. The more I rest my leg, the better things are feeling. I had tea this afternoon with a friend who is having knee problems. About which he was in to see a specialist fairly recently. The specialist's advice to my friend: lots of rest for knees, a little bit of walking, or (better still) swimming. I feel vindicated! I'm being good, getting lots of rest, which is my excuse to spend lots of time visiting the blogiverse (or whatever you want to call it).

Third, I will be going back to my vet in about a week, by which time I expect to be much better — maybe even close to all better. (Oh, wait. Not my vet, my doctor. Sometimes I get a bit carried away with this ursine persona.)

As to what happened to me, well, it's like this. . . .

One other thought, while I'm on the subject. Diana, over at Welcome to My World in the "running" for the title of "Most Bionic Woman Since Jamie Summers." Diana has had two knees replaced at the same time. (If that isn't a hero, I don't know who is.) Physio is next. We, however, have not signed her up for the Boston Marathon. Yet. Perhaps you could drop over and pass on a cheery word. Thanks.

BEAR, IMMOBILIZED (Sorta)

2011-08-14T13:59:00.002-06:00

About two weeks ago, I went shopping. Nothing unusual about that.

Except that about the end of the searching out of food, I had this strange pain in my knee. Something new.

And then my hip started bothering me. Hmmmm.

I paid for my food. And limped home.

The situation did not improve, so a few days later, I saw my vet (I mean doctor). Who prescribed some pills, to cut down the inflammation and reduce the pain. Which is reasonable.

Last night, I went shopping again. (One needs some food in the house, er, um, den, if one is going to prepare meals.)

By time I was finished in the store, my hip was feeling extremely tender. (Bear was in agony.)

I made it to the car, and thence home.

Today, after walking around the apartment a few times, and making breakfast, I can Bearly move.

It's better than getting hit by a train. But Bear is "not amused."

BAD NEWS FOR BEARS

2011-08-10T16:23:00.006-06:00

I've just learned that my cousin Flossie died recently in the ongoing misadventure called "Trains vs Bears." She's the 13th Grizzley Bear to have been run over by a train during the last 12 years in Canada's Banff National Park. Two more Bears have been killed on the Banff highways this year.

Not a good year for us Bears.

Flossie's two kids are apparently doing fairly well since her death, so that is one piece of good news. Lots of cubs have died of starvation when their moms were killed.

The other piece of Bad News is that the Bear population in the Park is down to about 60. Even worse, the Alberta Government (Alberta's the province in which the park is located) says there are only 691 Bears left in the whole province. That's down from 1,000 a decade ago.

Yeah, the family is hitting hard times. Worse than a stock market crash.

The naturalists who keep track of these things say the loss of even one female Bear of reproductive age is a huge blow to the overall health of the ecosystem in that part of the Rocky Mountains.

Parks Canada (the Federal government agency) is teaming up with the Canadian Pacific Railway (the other side in "Trains vs Bears") in an effort to reduce the number of deaths. Last year the Federal government and the railway committed $1 million each over five years, to find a solution. In "Trains vs Bears," the Bears always lose. Always.

Some 50 Bear "specialists" and transportation scientists from all across North America are now committed to the project. They'll be meeting in Banff next month to work on the situation. As far as I know, no Bears were invited to participate.

As far as I'm concerned, fixing the problem cannot come a day too soon. There aren't many of us left.

WELL, I WOKE UP SUNDAY MORNING . . . (Um, not exactly)

2011-08-02T20:38:00.003-06:00

Oh, dear. Oh, my!

Bear is totally confused.

They threw a holiday into this week to totally confuse me. And they succeeded.

First, since yesterday was a holiday, this feels like Monday. So I'm writing my Monday post. But it's on Tuesday. And since it's Tuesday, I wrote on my Bears Noting blog.

So. What I was planning to write — here — yesterday — you can read there, at my Bears Noting blog, today. Clear enough? Sorry!!!

I will try to get my mind unscrambled sometime this week. I make no promises.

LIFE and BLOGGING

2011-07-29T07:54:00.002-06:00

There are times when life seems to get in the way of blogging.

That happened yesterday. Nothing in particular. I just, well, got busy. Like a dog heading out with his nose to the ground, and not particularly noticing where I was going.

That, I think, happens to all of us, sometimes.

Anyhow, Thursday's thoughts didn't materialize until this morning, because, um, other things were materializing yesterday.

The story is told of an old pastor. He was reflecting back on his ministry.

"I used to be bothered, when I was following our plans, about the interruptions getting in the way of my ministry. Then, one day, I discovered the interruptions were the ministry."

And that's the way it is.

WELL, I WOKE UP SUNDAY MORNING . . . (2)

2011-07-25T23:03:00.001-06:00

SO, I got to the point of saying Jesus didn't die for our sins.

Now, on to something which people may find even more puzzling.

I'm less and less inclined to think, or talk, of "sin." For four reasons.

First, I've thought, for a very long time, that humans are naturally self-centred. Which seems logical. If you aren't concerned about your welfare, if you don't pay attention to living, you die. That seems incredibly simple.

Second, I think that all of us are spiritual beings having a human experience. I take it to be true that we are "made in the image of God." Which means that, on some level, we are divine beings.

That being said, the third point. As self-centred beings, and also divine beings, having an "unusual" experience. How do we fit in? That is the question that stays with us all through our lives. We might use the word "socialization," or something like that. The overall message is that kindness, or compassion, is the most helpful thing. And that, really, is the opposition of self-centredness.

So we reach the point of recognizing that we are imperfect people, living in an imperfect world. Yes, we have "defects of character," because we have not learned entirely to fit into the community which surrounds us, and we're still worried about our own self-preservation. One of the functions of faith, or spirituality, or whatever you call it, is to find creative ways to live with one another.

In the end, the conflict is between self and community. And the more uncertain — more frightened — we become, the more we are likely to focus on self-preservation, and the less likely we are to focus on community. Which is the exact opposite of what we need to be doing. Because we cannot do it all ourselves. Simply put, my survival depends on your survival.

We don't normally think of life on such stark terms. We often tend to consider ourself as self-made people, who worship our creator (i.e., ourselves).

Yes, I know; that is a lot of territory to cover in a short space. But I'm trying not to bore you.

THIRSTY THURSDAY

2011-07-21T18:39:00.001-06:00

"When you're hot, you're hot."

I have no idea who dreamed up that line, but it certainly makes a lot of sense, in several ways.

Huge chunks of North America have been suffering through temperatures in the 90s (F) or above. (That's 30+ for those of us who count temperature in degrees Celsius.) Even up here on the Canadian Prairies (north of the Plains States) I've seen video of people cooking eggs on sidewalks and on the dashboards of cars in the last few days. I kid you not.

One of the managers of our SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) was on tv, and surprised me. We might think it's OK to leave the family pup in the car for a bit, while we go sun and surf. Park in the shade if you can, leave some water, roll down the windows. Apparently not. There is no safe period of time that you can leave your pet in a car, unattended, on a hot day, said the bright young woman. Our dogs feel the heat as much as we do. I assume that would be the same for cats. (Yes, this is one time I worry even about cats. Dogs have owners; cats have staff — you can tell the difference in attitude pretty quickly.)

I was talking to an SPCA's Board member a few days later, and told her how good her employee was. And I got some additional info about hot weather care, because people underestimated how sick their animals could get, and how quickly.

So, what to do as the heat wave continues?
1. Head for the local swimming pool.
2. Get into an air-conditioned building — library, mall, whatever.
3. Drink lots of water, especially if you're working outside. Your body is going to put out a lot of liquid trying to keep you cool, so you need to keep filling up the internal water reservoir.
4. Crawl under a rock, and don't come out until September.
5. Keep your pet in the shade, out of the car, with lots to drink.

I'm serious about this! You people are so sweet, you'd probably melt in about ten minutes. I'd hate to lose any of you. My blog depends on you!

WELL, I WOKE UP SUNDAY MORNING . . .

2011-07-18T20:48:00.042-06:00

. . . and started trying to figure out what I would do for the day.

BTW, Linda got me thinking about this, because of her post about Sundays. (I believe in giving credit where credit is due.)

There is a pattern for my Sunday mornings. Or, more specifically, my Sunday morning questions. 1. What time is it when I wake up? 2. How I feel? 3. Where will I worship?

That might seem pretty plain and simple, yet it isn't entirely simple.

That's because there are so many variables.

Let's think of the first two questions, for example. Is it 6:00, 8:00, or 10:00? And am I feeling well, tired, sick, or hurting?

All of those factors have an effect on my decisions. If I wake up at 6:00, I'll likely go back to bed. If I'm really tired, sick and/or sore, I'll likely go back to bed.

For a half dozen years, waking up sore and/or sick, and tired was a fairly regular morning pattern, and not just on Sundays. Only recently have things begun to change for me on a regular basis. And the change is delightful, as I said last month.

(Of course, I knew back then this change wasn't going to be a simple ride; sometimes I still end up in the old mode. As I did, yesterday.)

If I wake up at 8:00 or 9:00, and I'm feeling well, I have breakfast, get dressed, and head out for worship.

Where I worship is, perhaps, not an easy choice.

I've been growing my faith for about 50 years, more or less. And the point I have reached is, well, a bit different. Especially for a guy who is a pastor in Canada's largest Protestant church (denomination).

Cut to the chase. Did Christ die for our sins? No. Jesus died because he was opposed to the value system of his time (which was similar to our time in important ways). Or, more specifically, the keepers of that value system opposed him. Regardless, as W. Edward Demings observed, "Put a good person in a bad system, and system wins, no contest." That's pretty simple.

Nowadays, I feel that the bit about "Christ died for our sins" only works in a world where animal sacrifices are normal, and well understood. We quit doing animal sacrifices a long time ago. So the model, the image, doesn't make sense for a lot people today, particularly North Americans. Even me. If it doesn't make sense for me, if it doesn't help me, why should I keep using it? If it doesn't make sense to others, or help them, why should I keep using it?

Meaning I'm seeking a new understanding of Jesus. That means trying to see his life/ministry in a 20th or 21st century context. I want something which will provide some creativity and usefulness in my every-day living. What's good on Sunday has to be good on Monday, and vice-versa.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Anyhow, I said my thinking is kinda different, in terms of who/what Jesus was/is. I'm looking for a new model. Something that's simple, easy to explain.

So, if I'm going to worship, I want to find a place where I feel hopeful — a place where I am accepted, a place that will help me reflect on life and "grow my soul." A place that isn't focused on what was part of my past. And there are some; I've located a couple. One is even a bit Celtic.

I feel this is getting a bit long. So I'll quit while I'm ahead, and come back to this in a week's time.

BUT in the meantime, here's an important thought. What you believe is what you believe. Because you have been working on your beliefs too, maybe for a long time. What I believe is what I believe. If you've got questions or comments, I would love to hear them. People learn by sharing ideas.

Did you notice . . .

2011-07-15T11:56:00.000-06:00

That today is Friday, and there is a new post on the Bears Noting blog?

Tornado

2011-07-14T15:32:00.000-06:00

We've all hear a lot about tornadoes, particularly this summer. But how many of us have been "up close and personal" with one, this year or some other time?

There have been some hugely destructive ones in the United States. In a three day period (April 25 - 26) tornadoes caused wide-spread death and damage in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. In fact, 335 tornadoes were confirmed in 21 states from Texas to New York during that period. There was also massive damage when Joplin, Missouri, and related areas, were hit in May.

Tornadoes have also been reported in Canada, Bangladesh, New Zealand, and elsewhere.

I don't know about you, but I've never been very close to a tornado. And I've never received any training in what to do if there's a tornado. Those are almost unheard-of where I grew up.

So what does one do when a tornado is near-by?

The pictures I saw of Joplin, MO, in particular, were sufficiently frightening. Basically, nothing left in some places. What appear to have been wood-frame houses were completely taken apart — blown apart, really. Not much protection there.

Our apartment has a concrete structure and concrete exterior. That would have provided some additional protection. But St. John's Hospital in Joplin still suffered a lot of damage. You could see it in the pictures.

What's a Bear to do?

We have a small storage room in the middle of our apartment — not near any windows. I figured if I got on the floor of that, I would have been in the safest place in our suite. Not that I know it would have been safe; I was just guessing.

What to take with me?

A few important papers, and some medications. And some family photos. Of course, I would have made sure J was in there, first and foremost, but she wasn't home at the time.

Fortunately, nothing came near us. A twister apparently touched down about 30 miles west of us, but that's as close as it got. And judging from the pictures from there, the situation wasn't too bad. No people hurt as far as I know.

Have you ever been in a place when a tornado touched down? What happened? What did you do? Bear would be very pleased to know. Others might be as well.

ZED, NOT ZEE (A - Z CHALLENGE)

2011-07-11T19:59:00.027-06:00

All good things come to an end, it is written (somewhere).

Zed is the final letter in the English alphabet. (Were we speaking Greek, Omega would come last, but that's entirely different — except for Amanda.)

I know that in some places, like the United States, this final letter is pronounced Zee. As in Zee-Zee Top. (Can you feature Zed-Zed Top? Right.)

Anyhow, we've come to the end.

Well and truly did Canadian singer and songwriter Paul Anka pen the immortal words,
"And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain"
(Anka wrote that for Frank Sinatra, who sang it as "My Way.")

Now, I haven't exactly followed the rules for this A - Z Challenge. Had I done so, this would have started and ended in April, instead of ending in July. But most of you, gentle readers, know very well that Bear does not always abide by normative conventions (i.e., the rules). Following the rules can be so, well, boring, and may not fit one's schedule or inclinations. So, you got what you got.

What's next?

There will be changes. (Hardly a surprise.)

I've decided to reprise my old (as in original) blog Bears Noting, meaning that I'll be using it more than I have in the recent past.

I'm not completely sure what I'll do there, buy I have some ideas. Let's say it will be a surprise. For you. And maybe me.
No, Diva, it won't be an "adult" blog. But I trust it will be interesting to adults, of all ages.

Every Tuesday and Friday, I'll have something new over there. And I'll try not to yabber. Hey; that's tomorrow. I'd better get working on something!

On Mondays and Thursdays, there'll be a new post on this blog, in which I may yabber. Which is why this is here today, since it's Monday. I'll see what happens on Thursday. Hmmmm; better get working on that, too!

Please Bear with me during this revitalization period. Bear thanks you.

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Also brought to you by the letter Z:
• zoo
• zebra
• zone
• Zulu
• Zen

And from the new Phonetic Alphabet, Zed the lot! Which, in fact, I have.

YABBER (A - Z CHALLENGE)

2011-07-08T04:48:00.002-06:00

I find it interesting how words can be picked up from one group and used by another.

In this case, "yabber," which is probably Wuywurung in its origin (Wuywurung being an Australian aboriginal language).

The commonest translation I have found for the word is "chatter," meaning "talk rapidly or incessantly about trivial matters."

I'm thinking here about a particular application of the word. Does "yabber" or "chatter" characterize the conversations which normally happen in the blogsphere? On Facebook? Through Twitter?

I'm torn.

I think there is a lot of chatter through these media.

The "A - Z Challenge" is probably a case in point. Every day, bloggers took a pre-determined letter, choose a word which starts with that letter, and made up a story, or told a tale. The story could be about something important or trivial. My feeling is that a lot were easy-going chat, simply because of the nature of the "Challenge."

I feel, generally, that a lot of postings I see are fairly trivial. "Tell us 25 things about yourself." Yeah, well . . . whatever. Do I actually learn important things about you through that process — things which come from deep within your heart and soul, things which have touched your life? I would guess not, though that might be true in one or two items. It strikes me as being on the level of two neighbours talking about "nothing and everything" across the back fence.

There is, I suppose, a kind of social glue that helps solidify some kind of community at some level. But mostly I see this on-line "yabber" as being like "small talk" at a cocktail party.

I'm not saying this is wrong. But I, personally, do not find much of it particularly interesting, except on rare occasion. Otherwise, I see these as opportunities to "play" with the writer.

On the other hand, there are stories of personal tragedy and triumph, frustration and joy. There are biographical or historical pieces, and issues of every-day living. I find these are stories full of heart and soul. They tell me about the struggles through which a writer has gone, in facing a difficulty in his/her life. They speak of time spent researching the character or history of another, or even writing good fiction, or finding something helpful to others. They tell and show of effort in good photography.

Those, I particularly appreciate.

I suppose in the end, we bloggers write what we want, and let those who like what we write read us, hopefully on a regular basis.

But my question to you is this: what kind of writing do you like from a blog? Chatty, light yabber, or well-considered stories of tragedy and triumph, fine photos, and other thoughtful writing??

(And please pardon me for yabbering like this.)

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Also brought to you by the letter Y:
• young
• yes
• yule
• yokel
• yesterday

And from the New Phonetic Alphabet: Y for you, and Y for me?

XENA (A - Z CHALLENGE)

2011-07-05T07:55:00.013-06:00

Xena (pronounced: ZEE-nah) is a village about a half hour east of River City.

That's not quite true. The last building there was demolished in the 1970s. So it's a ghost village, or a vacant site. But the name is still on the road signs.

Oh, how sadly fallen.

Xena, in its day, was on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (now the Canadian National Railway — except it's owned by Americans, like most other things here).

Grand Trunk had a habit of naming town sites alphabetically, as the rail line snaked across the central part of the Canadian prairies. There were towns like Raymore, Semans, Tate, Undora, Venn, Watrous, Xena, Young, Zelma, Allan, Bradwell, and Clavet. Then you come to Saskatoon, which existed before the railway got there.

For me, the interesting thing is that I've been in most of those places. Can't remember when for Tate and Udora, but I remember the rest. Sometimes a church service, or a burial after a Memorial Service, or travelling through the countryside on my way to a meeting.

But like Xena, there are lots ghost towns around here. Little places that thrived for half a century or more, then just faded away, as people moved to larger centres. They're like little east-coast fishing villages described by the late Stan Rogers:
Old houses stand empty
old nets hung to dry
are blown away,
lost, and forgotten.

Have you ever lived in a community which eventually disappeared, like Xena? Or have you passed through ghost towns? If so, what do you remember of the places?

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Also brought to you by the letter X:
• x-ray
• xylophone
• xanthan
• xenon
• Xerxes

And from the New Phonetic Alphabet: X for the Spot

WONDERFUL (A - Z CHALLENGE)

2011-07-02T16:03:00.055-06:00

To begin at the beginning; in this case, the end of the my last post.

This is a special message of thanks to all of you who have been so supportive during my challenges. While there are more things I need to do which will help me be whole, your support has encouraged me to keep moving ahead. And to not fall back.

That is WONDERFUL. So, I am going to talk about two more things which are wonderful.

First, July 1 was Canada Day — our 144th birthday as a Dominion within the British Commonwealth. Not quite as old as the United States (which began around 1776, as opposed to 1867), but we've been around for a while. As a student of history, I really do like tradition, as well as modernity.

We watched the official ceremonies from Ottawa (our nation's capital), which we try to do most years. (We also watch Remembrance Day activities in Ottawa, November 11th.)

This year's activities were particularly interesting because our Royal Newlyweds were on hand: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, aka Wills and Kate, who were married April 29th. This tour is their first official visit overseas; the third time in Canada for the Prince, but the first for Lady Kate. (Interestingly, during WW2, Kate's grandfather had trained in Canada for the Royal Air Force through the Commonwealth Air Training Program. Which means that her family has some Canadian history.)

Everyone was watching her to see how she would do as a Royal, and she wowed the crowd. Kate is a natural with everyone, and was given the nickname, by some, of "chatty Kate."

Ah, the joys of Royalty! For Canada Day, she wore a red "fascinator" with a maple leaf on top. You can't get much more Canadian than that!

A pretty good — exciting — start all together I'd say.

As for me, the second wonderful thing has been swimming. I have been swimming for years for decades, and I thoroughly enjoy it.

Our grandkids were here for a sleepover on the night of June 30th. And besides watching all the Canada Day events with us on the first, they went for a splash on the apartment building's swimming pool. Since neither of them is a terribly good swimmer yet, I got in the pool with them while they were in, to be sure they stayed safe. And I did a bit of swimming myself. It was good exercise which did not hurt any of my very "unhappy" muscles!

Now that I have found a way of exercising that is relatively pain free, I intend to continue doing it. And that will be fun.

So, all of this is called "progress," I think.

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Also brought to you by the letter W:
• wild
• weird
• wistful
• washing
• woodpecker

And from the New Poetic Alphabet: W for quits

VITALITY (A - Z CHALLENGE)

2011-06-29T07:29:00.003-06:00

Well, things have certainly changed.

My second doc (yes, I've got two of them now) is trying to help me handle on all this pain with different medications. And you know I've got a lot of it. Pain, that is.

Well, she has helped me reach a significant improvement! Can it be that the Bear is actually pain-free?

OK, not quite, but getting there. Bear is beginning to recover his long-lost vitality! There is some new energy here! Bear may actually start being human again. (Only that would mess up his identity; need to rethink that language.)

Uh, well, hmmmmmm. Lets not get over-excited. But! We'll take a few simple steps first. We'll keep watching the progress. We'll keep celebrating small improvements. And then, one day. . . .

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Also brought to you by the letter V:
• vigilant
• vexatious
• vanquish
• very
• volume

And from the New Phonetic Alphabet, V for la France.

UNEMPLOYMENT (A-Z CHALLENGE)

2011-06-26T16:40:00.002-06:00

"Unemployment isn't working." ~ Anon.

Yes, it's true. Sigh!

For the first time in a very, very long time, Bear isn't working. Bear is unemployed.

Of course, I'm retired, and drawing several pensions. I'm not facing the hard times most people face when their work ends. But that's not the point.

I've been writing (with some friends) a regular column for a Canadian newspaper for about ten years. I was told last week, just before I submitted my latest piece, that the paper is making changes, and there is no space for us because of the changes. So our contract is ended, at least for the time being, after my last column. Sic transit gloria mundi.

There really was a shock to the whole thing. One day I had a job; later in the day, I didn't.

I can begin to feel what others have felt with such news.

Ironically, I was the one who ended up comforting our editor. She genuinely felt badly about letting us go. She hated the idea of talking to us about the situation. I said I would break the news to my colleagues, and we might come back to her with something. She called me "kind" for doing that. But that's just Bear being Bear. You know that.

Just because I'm retired, there's no reason why I have to give up everything in the wording world; the working world.

I suppose I could go on looking for work. The little bit of income (pocket change, really) was useful. It would mean more research, queries to editors, etc.

Or I could be content just to do my volunteer work with several different ethics committees (about one meeting a month, on average). And, of course, keeping up with my blogs. There will be two of those starting sometime in July.

Honestly, I've done enough of working. I have other goals to accomplish with my beloved J. That's what I really want to do. Other things come after that.

Lawrence Peter Berra put it succinctly: "It ain't over 'til it's over."

Guess what, Yogi. It's over!

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Also brought to you by the letter U:
• understanding
• ubiquitous
• unsettled
• ultra
• unlimited

And in the New Phonetic alphabet: U for me.

TREATY DAY (A-Z CHALLENGE)

2011-06-23T18:57:00.007-06:00

A couple of days ago, we marked the Summer Solstice. It was also National Aboriginal Day and Treaty Day.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said of the occasion, "Today we honour and celebrate Aboriginal people in Canada on this, the 15th anniversary of National Aboriginal Day."

He continued, "Our government is committed to working with Aboriginal communities, as well as provinces and territories, to provide aboriginal people with the education and tools they need their full potential and achieve a higher quality of life for their families."

The words ring hollow. A national agreement had been worked out, covering what the prime minister described. But when he came to power six years ago, he cancelled the process, before it even got started. But then, Prime Minister Harper and his ultra-Conservatives are quite good at cancelling helpful programs.

But it IS still Treaty Day. And time to party.

Across Prairie Canada, when government forces subdued native peoples in the late 1800s, a series of treaties was worked out. They are the so-called Numbered Treaties, eleven in all, numbered one after another. (Treaties with peoples living in the East had been negotiated earlier.)

One of the elements in various Treaties was an annual payment per person of $4.00 to $5.00. When the treaties were signed, that would have been worth about $100.00 in today's money. Today, the money will buy a burger or package of cigarettes.

But it is still paid. There was an assembly of First Nations people right across the river from us, at the same time as the Solstice.

It happened under the watchful eyes of members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in their bright red serge jackets. Individual after individual received payment. If, for some reason, people had missed the payment in a previous year, that was added to this year's entitlement.

And then it was party time. That was done elsewhere, out of the driving rain. And it isn't just the First Nations people who enjoy themselves. Increasingly, non-First Nations people take part. For as the government reminds us in its commercials, "We are all treaty people."

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Also brought to you by the letter T:
• tenacious
• trifling
• tipsy
• thorough
• troublesome.

And from the New Phonetic Alphabet: T for two.

SUMMER SOLSTICE (A-Z CHALLENGE)

2011-06-21T20:15:00.110-06:00

It's summertime, and the livin' should be easy.

I expect it will be in this part of the world.

All you have to do is think about "How green is our valley."

This is across the street, east of our apartment. You can see a number of condominia behind the trees, and far off in the distance, a 22 story senior's complex. Its about 20 stories higher than the surrounding homes. The home owners fought the development some 40 years ago, arguing that something 22 stories tall was totally out of character with the neighbourhood — which was true. City Council allowed the project to go ahead.

Also, on the right side, near the top you'll see the old Westminster United Church (Presbyterian before it was United). It was sold when the folks at Westminster amalgamated with Grace United (formerly Grace Methodist) — which was named after one of the early church leaders, Grace Fletcher. Westminster has been owned by several church groups; the current congregation is trying to sell the building. It's a big barn of a place, and I suspect it costs a lot of money to operate, particular to heat in the winter.

This is just a bit further up the river bank. The houses you can see in the midst of the urban forest are on Saskatchewan Crescent — a premier address in the early days of the city (and still trying to keep up). There are huge homes up there. HUGE!

The bridge in the foreground, the Broadway Bridge, is one of seven bridges in River City (eight, if you count the one currently under construction). It was built in the 1930s. It was a depression era bridge, built as a "relief" project — you had to be a married man to work on it (i.e., someone with family responsibilities).

The north end of downtown is on the left or west side of the river (and out of the picture). The University Bridge is there, north of the Broadway. University Bridge was designed by an early class of engineers at the University of Saskatchewan, which takes up the east side of the river bank, and runs further east for miles. The one building you can see clearly, in the upper right, is the Arts Tower. It has numerous classrooms and offices used by those in the College of Arts. Less clearly visible is part of Royal University Hospital — long-time teaching hospital, which provided (and still provides) the best care in the Province.

So, that's our view of the valley on Summer Solstice Day, 2011. Solstice, btw, arrived at 1:16 p.m.. I would have taken the pictures then, but there was a mammoth rain shower in progress. Something like a giant fire hose that was spraying water all over the city, trying to extinguish a great mass of tree and grass fire. (Trees and grass, yes; on fire, no.)

Right across the river, to the north, . . . but that's tommorow's story.

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Also brought to you by the letter S:
• surreptitious
• sizzling
• supple
• strange (like the Bear)
• sartiorial

And from the New Phonetic Alphabet, S for Williams.

REVIEWING — UPDATED (A-Z CHALLENGE)

2011-06-20T23:30:00.002-06:00

Sonia, at Gutsy Writer, challenged us (her readers) to develop a "Life List."
A life list can be a list of things you would like to do, sometime. It can also be a list of things you have done (as in a life list of birds seen). In my case, putting together a life list meant thinking over my life, various experiences, and various hopes, or dreams. It was an interesting review of years, decades.
My list is a bit of the past, and a bit of the future.
I call it: Things Done, and Awaiting.

* Teach myself Welsh, including a visit to Wales. Fortunately, I know some great bloggers in Wales. (They show up in the "Other Thoughts Worth Considering" part of my blog — left margin.)
* Fly in a glider
* Live passionately — Trying to do that all the time.
* Visit Australia — If I can travel that far. I know lots of fair dinkum bloggers there, too.
* Get more fully involved in the life of our city, particularly in the downtown. (I know the city councillor for the area.)
* Visit the Holy Land (Israel and Egypt) — 20 years ago; a great time. I'd go again, but that part of the world is so unsettled, thus unsafe. (We were only stoned once the last time we were there.)
* Have a lot of fun — Been a bit short of that for a while.
* Learn to paint with watercolours.
* Watch birds — That’s the different kind of “life list.”
* Inspire/encourage others — One of the most important things any of us can do
* Live in an Intentional Community — similar (in some ways) to monastic community, but with the option of including married people; participants need to be enthusiastic about life, eager to learn, and eager to serve.
* Buy a motorcycle — Do you know how much a good motorcycle costs? (Hint: more than a car costs.) Dubious about this one.
* Get people together for dinner, and talk about really important things in the world, and how we might become involved.
* Go Whale Watching - Belugas, at Churchill, already; would really like to see Orcas along the British Columbia coast.
* Watch a sunrise or sunset - We do that lots of days from our apartment — amazing view of sunset over the city.
* Watch a meteor shower - Long ago, when I was in my teens; more since.
* Watch the Aurora Borealis — The shifting colours always amaze me. Often very visible in July or August.
* Climb to the top of the Brock Monument at Queenston Heights, Canada — several times; great view of the battlefield. (We turned back the American invaders there in 1812, but lost our best General — Sir Isaac Brock.)
* Hold a snake — Held garter snakes a couple of times. Almost stepped on a rattlesnake, once. Lived to tell the tale.
* Visit the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa — have done that, maybe would do it again.
* Visit the Lincoln Memorial — In 1990 , my first (and only) trip to Washington, D.C. (I've been to other parts of the U.S.)
* Visit the Great Wall of China
* Visit Paris - On our way back from the middle east; only one evening, sadly — would be nice to go again, for a week or two. (I'd like to have Genie, and Holly, and M as tour guides.)
* Have my own business — Been there; done that; have the scars. Not an undertaking for the faint of heart.
* Get back to riding my bicycle.
* Sit by a camp fire with friends and sing songs — would love to do this again — and talk about interesting/important things.
* Fly in Hot Air Balloon — Did that a few years ago.
* Take a martial arts class - Have always wanted to study Ken-Do. Now I’m probably a little old for that.
* Start my own blog - several, actually
* Sleep under the stars - as long as it doesn't rain and the mosquitoes aren't around.
* Slept on an overnight train - Heading down towards Aswan, Egypt, and towards Churchill, Canada.
* Serve in a soup kitchen — during my teens, in Toronto.
* Contribute to a Food Bank — regularly
* See Niagara Falls, Canada and US — Several times, might do it again
* Go to a play at the Shaw Festival, Niagara on the Lake, Canada — done it already, would love to do it again.
* See a total eclipse of sun or moon - Several times, for both.
* Save a favourite childhood toy - my Teddy Bear (from my first Christmas, in 1945). Must post a picture, sometime
* Sit on a jury — Sadly, this won’t happen. Because I’m pastor, I cannot serve; likewise, because I’m a journalist. But I’ve sat through a number of trials as a reporter. Boring, mostly. Not at all like what one sees on tv or in the movies.
* Read the entire Bible — again
* Publish a book - My memoirs, perhaps
* Kiss in the rain — Married for almost 42 years; what do you think?
* Join a book club - Did in the past; we didn’t meet often enough to keep up my interest. But maybe this year.
* Hold a praying mantis - When I was growing up. Beautiful creatures.
* Have my portrait done - Expo 86, Vancouver, Canada (picture using coloured pencils). I still have it.
* Have my picture in the newspaper - Several times.
* Have enough money to be truly satisfied - just about all the time
* Grow my own vegetables - Done that before; might try again. We’ve got a herb garden on our apartment balcony, but it’s mostly J’s project this year.
* Go to a drive-in theatre - Done that.
* Go sky diving - A bit ambivalent; one never knows.
* Go skinny dipping - Oh yeah.
* Go scuba diving or snorkelling — A bit of very shallow snorkelling when I was younger; would like to try scuba gear.
* Go rock climbing — In the Canadian Rockies; I'm getting a bit (something) for that kind of activity.
* Fly in a helicopter — Years ago.
* Fly in a single engined plane — With my dad, and mom, when I was very small. (Dad used to have a commercial pilot's licence, number 101.)
* Donate blood - Used too; taking too many meds now (sadly). Donating blood is an important way of contributing to community.
* Climb a mountain - Again in the Rockies.
* Build a snow fort - I live in Canada; what else can I say? But I have yet to build an igloo.
* Buy a brand new car - We have, but we're really a used car kind of family.
* Ride on a motorcycle - Several times. Which is why I would like to own one, though that isn’t likely to happen.
* Go on a cruise - As an educational project; up the “inside passage” from Vancouver to Alaska, or across Canada's North West Passage.
* Be in a movie - Hosted an educational video, actually. I’ve also produced a couple of movies, one of which won an international award. (Blush!)
* Take better pictures — Taken lots, but I want to take BETTER pictures.

That seems like about enough. More, later (perhaps).

QUEUE (A-Z CHALLENGE)

2011-06-15T23:15:00.004-06:00

My favourite piece of the New Phonetic Alphabet: Queue for Everything.

Albert Noradunkian was a designer and creator of jewellery. He was Armenia before he was Canadian. His daughter was one of my class mates in high school. They lived one block over from my parents' home.

He was the one who designed and made our wedding rings. For a very reasonable price.

But he was also an observer of life. One of his more memorable comments was that our lives are controlled by the clock and the line.

Think of your own life. How is it controlled by the clock?

You have to get to work or school at a certain time. So you have to get up at a certain time. You have to get ready by a certain time, meaning having breakfast, and getting dressed. You have to leave home by a certain time, to get where you're going by a certain time. Lunch is determined by the clock. Meetings and appointments happen according to the clock. The trip home is scheduled by the clock. Evening activities and even bed time are usually scheduled by the clock.

Or think of the lines in your life.

Driving to work? Follow the lines on the road. Going by bus? What bus route takes you where you want to go? Morning coffee or afternoon coffee – get in the lineup at the coffee shop. Grocery shopping (or shopping elsewhere)? Get in the checkout line.

Think of your life. How many things are determined by the clock? How many by the line?

So, how much control do you really have over the day to day events in your life?

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In other news:

Trouble South of River City

Trouble with a T that rhymes with P that stands for pools

People south of River City are heading for higher ground. Roughly a thousand acres of crop land are being flooded.

The Watershed Authority says the spillways at the Gardiner Dam on Lake Diefenbaker have been opened, to reduce pressure on the Lake.

The River, already well above normal, will rise another few feet. But that will be enough to flood low-lying areas between the Dam and River City, which is about 75 miles north of the Lake.

The River is already flowing at the fastest rate in history. There is no indication the flow will increase.

The opening of the Dam has been spurred by heavy rains in Alberta.

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Also brought to you by the letter Q:
• quizzical
• quandary
• queen
• quality
• quit

And from the New Phonetic Alphabet: Queue for everything.
(Oh, I've already said that.)

PROBING (A-Z CHALLENGE)

2011-06-14T16:13:00.006-06:00

Probing. Inquisitive. Thoughtful.

The doctor's hands run over my abdomen, checking here and there. He wants to know the source of my pain. When he knows the source, he can likely identify the cause.

But he is uncertain. He has an idea, but the pieces don't seem to fit.

We discuss the options, the possibilities. Neither of us is satisfied.

Probing. Inquisitive. Thoughtful.

The journalist is less than satisfied with the answer he has received in the interview. It doesn't make sense. It almost seems dishonest.

He has never trusted this kind, with their slippery answers, seeping out like rancid oil. Like vultures, they make their living on the misfortune of others, others who have shrivelled up as their will to work, and to live, has flowed out of them, now they have lost everything.

Like the doctor, I keep probing, trying to find the answers.

But, again, the pieces don't seem to fit. I have to leave it at that.

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Also brought to you by the letter P:
• pewter
• pesky
• platypus
• palliative
• provinçal

And from the New Phonetic Alphabet: P for whistle.

OPTIMISTIC (A-Z CHALLENGE)

2011-06-13T16:57:00.001-06:00

I try to be optimistic. I try to be confident and hopeful about the future.

In the past I have told you being positive. But I'll refresh your memory.

John: "Only fools are positive."
Frank: "Are your sure?"
John: "I'm positive."

Well, that's one way of dismissing the positive, the optimistic of the world.

But in truth, what is optimism?

I believe it is an attitude that looks at each day, saying, "Where are the good things which are going to happen today?" The follow-up question is, "How can I be part of these good things, or at least some of them?"

I often find myself in a less-than-optimistic frame of mind. Constant pain, depression, and fatigue have a way of doing that to a person.

My goal, now that I am beginning to feel better, is to find ways of focusing on the good things which could or will happen, and making sure I am part of whatever they are.

And I think I can be optimistic about that approach.

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Also brought to you by the letter O:
• oblique
• obscure
• olive
• overloaded
• opportunity

And from the New Phonetic Alphabet: O for you.

NOICE (A-Z CHALLENGE)

2011-06-12T14:54:00.003-06:00

"Noice" is a word I picked up from some of my fair dinkum Aussie mates. I may not have this entirely right, but it roughly means "nice," but a very nice sort of nice (if you catch my drift).

Being able to talk to people all around the world is noice. It keeps the Bear out of a kind of "provincialism" — an unsophisticated narrow-mindedness — which ignores the rest of the world, and pays no heed to the wisdom of others. To recall an old quote: "If you've got all the answers, you haven't asked all the questions."

What I've discovered in the process is something which fellow blogger Nancy shared recently. She is a great blogger, by the way; if you're not following her blog, you should be. In her last post, she wrote about the reality that we all want the same things, basically — food, shelter, meaningful work, etc. That said, we also want some different things, or (more specifically) some "variations on the theme," because we are individuals. I'm particularly interested when people share their individuality, their differing personal choices, what brings them meaning.

Sonia, another blogger you also should read, raised an important point listing the things we want, and sharing those lists. It's an opportunity for people to express their individuality, but it's also something from which one could learn. It's the "I never thought about that before" experience.

That's one of the major reasons I enjoy blogging. A chance to learn some new things. From people all over the world. Getting to know these people and share in their ideas of what they think is noice!

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Also brought to you by the letter N:
• navigation
• new
• nimble
• nothingness
• nuts

And from the New Phonetic Alphabet: N for mation (I think).

MOVE (A-Z CHALLENGE)

2011-06-05T20:56:00.000-06:00

"Problems are solved by moving ahead." ~ Anon.

Verbs. Verbs are what carry the action in any story. Not linking verbs like "is." Not passive verbs. Active verbs. Verbs are where the action is.

As regular readers to the blog know, I have lived with depression most/all of my adult life. In addition, about six years ago, I went through a heart and soul-destroying experience, which left me unable to work. I struggled through my life on a disability pension. Then, I experienced forced retirement when I turned 65. I also have been suffering with truly debilitating physical pain. Then, I was challenged by the move from a home to an apartment.

The pain continues, only slightly better-controlled.

Recent experiences, however, have transformed me.

1. The first transformation arrived in new medication, which changed my thinking and did a little to ease my pain.

2. The second transformation arrived in a new attitude, after moving homes. I'm not going to sign up for the Boston Marathon, or anything like that, until I see just how much energy I have (for more than a day or two).

In the meantime, I'm going to just keep on moving.

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Also brought to you by the letter M:
• mission
• multilateral
• maze
• moss
• medical

And from the New Phonetic Alphabet: M for size.

LEARNING (A-Z CHALLENGE)

2011-06-03T23:13:00.000-06:00

A while ago, somebody asked whether education is a right or a privilege. (I can't remember who it was: I can't find the piece among the blogs of the "usual suspects"; perhaps someone could remind me.)

Education may be a privilege, but learning is essential. It happens without formal education. It happens all the time. The trick (so to speak) is to pay attention while it's happening. Otherwise, all the formal education in the world won't help us.

Robert Fulghum understands that, and made it plain in in the first essay of his book, All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten. We learn from the world around us, other people around us, about sharing and caring, and other important stuff. And, in a very real sense, we learn how to learn, if we pay attention.

One of the major problems is that we can become so insulated from the world that we quit learning, and don't adjust to the new life lessons which we meet. The result is our being obviously out of touch with the world. We get so focused on one thing, we miss the messages in the rest of life. Politicians, with some justification, are often accused of being out of touch. They get so wrapped up in their careers, and what the party says, that they start missing real contact, and real wisdom, offered to them by ordinary people.

I say this because our grandchildren are coming for a sleep-over tomorrow night. They teach me lots of important things, which I would never learn in a classroom (unless by chance).

I believe formal education is important. That's why I have two and a half university degrees. But the most important lessons usually come while we're doing something else.

Learning happens; education is optional.

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Also brought to you by the letter L:
• lively
• likely
• lucid
• lugubrious
• left

And from the New Phonetic Alphabet: L for leather.

NEW PHONETIC ALPHABET (2)

2011-06-02T15:35:00.000-06:00

All right friends, here we go.

A for 'orses. What do horses eat? Hay, of course.

B for mutton. If you don't like pork, what do you eat? Beef or mutton.

C for the Islanders. Well known military group? Seaforth Highlanders.

D for ential. The gears in your car's transmission? Differential.

E for brick. What to do when frustrated? Heave a brick.

F for vescent. Want something bubbly? Try a drink that's effervescent.

There you go. Really, how much simpler do you want?

NEW PHONETIC ALPHABET (A BREAK FROM THE A-Z CHALLENGE)

2011-06-01T13:33:00.000-06:00

Well, there have been several thoughts and questions related to the New Phonetic Alphabet (NPA). So I've decided to set aside the normal course of events, and take a side-trip through the NPA.

We'll consider two of those elements:
• J for oranges
• K for John

First, it will help you if you understand British accents, which are quite different from Canadian and American. (The NPA is a British construction.)

Second, if you really want to understand these bits, it's best to pronounce them aloud.

So:

J for oranges. When pronounced, the first part sounds "Jayfer." Jayfer is close in pronunciation to "Jaffa"; thus J for oranges become Jaffa oranges.

K for John. Again, when pronounced, it sounds like Kayfir. The Kafir are a tribe of people who have historically inhabited the Hindu Kush mountains, in what is now north-eastern Afghanistan. So, one of those tribal people could be K for John, meaning Kafir John (if his name were John).

See how absolutely simple this is?

Hmmmm. I sense that you're still struggling.

Well. Here are a few more examples for YOU to try.
A for 'orses
B for mutton
C for the Highlanders
D for ential
E for brick
F for vescent

Please let me know how you get along with those. (I should have a prize for the best answers, but nothing comes to mind at this moment.)

Yes, yes; I know. Only Bear would do something like this.

KILT (A-Z CHALLENGE)

2011-05-31T13:19:00.000-06:00

I've never worn a kilt.

I've never had a reason to wear a kilt. Actually, I'm not even Scottish. Though I have married into the Clan Buchanan. I've never heard if they would accept a Bear into the clan. As a mascot, perhaps?

Though, if I did get a kilt, I would have to choose from several.

The Ancient Buchanan would be a good starting point.

There are several other Buchanan tartans; this is the one I like best.

Or I could go, not to a Clan tartan, but an occupational tartan.

This is the tartan for the Clergy (I already have a tie in this tartan).

But, really, I have no use for a kilt, so all of this will remain a dream.

(Besides, if I got one, the moths would probably finish it off, promptly.)

However, if you really want a picture of a Bear in a kilt, I could provide that, as long as you provide the kilt.

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Also brought to you by the letter K:
• kill
• king
• Khartoum
• khapra beetle
• kyrie eleison

And from the new phonetic alphabet, K for John.

If you're having trouble understanding this alphabet, I'll explain it in the next post. It's quite different from the phonetic alphabet used by NATO forces: A for Alpha, B for Bravo, etc. )

JUST (A-Z CHALLENGE)

2011-05-30T22:43:00.001-06:00

Bear is "just" back to blogging, now that his computer is fixed. (The computer had an unexpected encounter with the floor of the new den; it was a shattering experience for the screen. A few days and a few hundred dollars later, Bear and computer were happily re-united. Happily, at least, from Bear's perspective.)

By then, it was time to finish the organization of the new den. So many nuts, fish, honey pots, and papers; so little space. Sigh. Need some "creative shelving." Don't expect details; the situation is. . . .

However, Bear is bound and determined to complete the A- Z Challenge, but on his own time.

"How typical of Bear," someone said.

"Well, I suppose," replied Bear, to the anonymous comment.

Just what you might expect.

That's a strange word, "just."

It can mean:
• morally correct, or fair
• exactly
• recently
• barely
• simply

So, in the end, Bear was "recently" reunited with his computer. Just.

The one challenge is that I will probably be INTERRUPTED again. Unfortunately. The den is still not entirely in order.

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Also brought to you by the letter J:
• join
• juvenile
• jam
• juridical
• juxtaposition

And from the new phonetic alphabet: J for oranges.

INTERRUPTED (A - Z CHALLENGE)

2011-05-09T01:10:00.003-06:00

Yes, moving house interrupted my blogging. So, thought I'm a little late, I'm getting back to the Challenge. I intend to finish it.

I'm working tonight in my new study. This room is considerably smaller than my old study, and I have yet to get it organized. And instead of a massive desk (one metre by two metres, meaning roughly three feet by six feet), I'm working on a desk that is roughly 40 inches by 20 inches. It is sufficient, however.

More important, the desk has a history. My parents were married during the depression of the 1930s. For their first anniversary, dad's parents got them a nice desk. Dad, who was working for a national bank at the time, studied at the desk to achieve a certificate from the national Bankers' Association — the kind of thing which would have helped his career. (I still have his certificate among my papers.) That certificate was also, as I recall correctly, something he could have used as the beginning of a university degree in commerce. In the process, Dad became the first member of his family to get at least part of a university education. My future was pre-determined; I would have a university degree. (Actually, I have two: Bachelor's and Master's.)

But then World War Two came along. Dad had a commercial pilot's licence, and took a leave of absence from the bank to help train air crews as part of the war effort (the first of three generations in uniform, it turned out). Then I came along. Then, well, . . . life is interesting, and unpredictable.

When dad died, almost six years ago, J and I drove over 2,000 kilometres east, to arrange a memorial service and collect a few things of value and significance, including the desk and my late mom's cedar chest (just a bit older than the desk).

Both the desk and cedar chest are in use in the Bears' new den, and will likely go to our children at an appropriate time. But I have a very good feeling about having dad's desk for my desk now.

SOMETHING'S HAPPENED!

2011-05-01T21:27:00.000-06:00

While I wasn't looking, a whole bunch of followers added themselves to my blog. It happened during our "moving experience," as in moving from one home to the next.

I find these additions are both pleasing and troubling.

Pleasing, insofar as people are interested in what I write. Thank you for joining me on my adventure, which is now our adventure.

Troubling, in that I try to treat my "followers" as friends, and keep up with what they are doing, and with what is happening in their lives.

Keeping up with ten or twenty people is not too difficult. Keeping up with 72 is going to be a major challenge. So I'm going to apologize in advance, that I may not get to visiting you for a while, and I may not be able to visit that often.

Again, thank you for following along.

YES, WE'VE ARRIVED

2011-04-21T21:27:00.003-06:00

I'm writing to you from our new locale.

And it's a zoo! (As in crazy busy with bringing the last bits over from the house, unpacking here, and figuring our what goes where.)

But it's a zoo with a view!

I don't have the time to give you a full explanation of these pictures, except to say that the first two pictures are of the downtown riverbank area of our city, and the last picture is looking up the river valley (which runs north-east from downtown). BTW, what you can't see, to the right of the third picture, is our sprawling University Campus; another time.

By time we get fully settled in, I'm sure our sixth-floor suite will seem much less zoo-like.

BEAR, STOPPED DEAD IN HIS TRACKS

2011-04-10T00:05:00.003-06:00

You probably will not see me for the next three weeks. There is soooooooo much to do, and little time within which to do it.

When next we visit, Bear will be living in a new place (which I fervently hope will not be a zoo).

HOUSE (A-Z CHALLENGE)

2011-04-09T07:02:00.001-06:00

Our house.

IT'S SOLD!

Now we can move on with the rest our life.

GIFFORDS (A-Z Challenge)

2011-04-08T18:19:00.000-06:00

As someone who has worked for 30 years in radio and print news, I understand the "life span" of a story.

Basically something can be very big, and then virtually disappear overnight when the next big thing comes along. If you stop and reflect, you'll recognize that's true.

But some of us are not prepared to let sleeping dogs lie, because the story is a good one.

Consider. . . .

Doctors: Giffords' Recovery Going 'Spectacularly Well'
Nancy A. Melville

In the first public update since US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords started intensive rehabilitation after a gunshot wound to the head in a mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, on January 8, doctors at Houston's TIRR Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center said today that the congresswoman was making "leaps and bounds" in her neurologic recovery.

Giffords recently had her tracheostomy tube removed, has been able to walk with assistance, and put words together into sentences, such as "I'm tired and I want to go to bed," her doctors reported.

"On a cognitive level, her memory is good and she is doing spectacularly well," said Dong Kim, MD, director of Mischer Neuroscience Institute at Memorial Hermann and professor and chair, Department of Neurosurgery, UT Health Medical School.

"Her speech is very good, she is beginning to walk with assistance, and if you remember where we were just 6 weeks ago, this is tremendous progress," he said at the press briefing.

"Given that she's already standing and walking shows how much strength she has regained. We can't initiate walking therapy if the legs aren't strong enough, and given that she's already walking after just a few months is a very favorable sign that she'll be even stronger over the next few months."

To quote Edith Ann (Lilly Tomlin), "And that's the truth."

FRIEND (A - Z Challenge)

2011-04-07T07:31:00.004-06:00

"A friend is someone who leaves you with all your freedom intact, but who obliges you to become fully who you are."

~ John L'Hereux

(I finally found the man's name!)

EXIT (A - Z Challenge)

2011-04-06T10:31:00.002-06:00

We're in the process of making an exit from our house.

I am, however, reminded of another person who made a more permanent departure, and who may have been the victim of a misplaced comment. On her tombstone read the words:

Here lies Elizabeth Jay,

She died the 23rd of May;

She could not stay, she had to go.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Sadly, I cannot remember in which of Canada's maritime provinces her grave is allegedly located.

DOG (A-Z Challenge)

2011-04-05T15:30:00.001-06:00

This is Sadie. A Standard Poodle. Fifty pounds (bigger than usual).

Born in June of 2009, She came to live with us in August that year.

She was my walking buddy, who helped me to learn to play again.

Kind, and gentle, trusting, and very relaxed.

She lived with us until March of this year. She moved to a new home because I was too ill to look after her. She deserved better than what I could give her, do with her, do for her. In her new home, she has a sister, another Standard Poodle, about her size but several years older. The two of them have great fun together, I'm told.

Which is how it should be.

But I still miss her.

CATASTROPHE (A-Z Challenge)

2011-04-04T04:19:00.001-06:00

A blogging friend, and friend of cats, tells a story of trying to befriend one such creatures. (Cats don't have friends, they only have servants; that's another story.)

This stray wandered into the family house, and my friend, taking pity on the cat, took it out to the back porch, and tied to brush it clean.

The cat took umbrage, scratched the girl (as she was at the time), and got away — never to be seen again. That's the way she tells it.

For the cat, it was liberation.

For the writer, it was a cat-astrophe.

(You saw that coming, didn't you!)

P.S.: If I could remember which friend it was, I'd give her credit and a link.

ONE OF THOSE DAYS

2011-04-03T17:47:00.005-06:00

Some things are just too good to not mention.

Including this:

From Dana, at LIFE IS GOOD. (She has had way too many days like this; check her blog and see for yourself.)

The next song after this might be Johnny Paycheck's, "Take this Job and Shove It" (which was written by David Allan Coe).

Well, who knows, eh.

BECAUSE (A-Z Challenge)

2011-04-02T21:25:00.002-06:00

Being a Bear who is not too bright, I got myself into something. And now I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing.

This is not an unusual circumstance.

What I'm involved in is something called the "A to Z Blogging Challenge."

It is described thusly:

It’s blogging a letter of the alphabet every day the month of April (with Sundays off for good behavior.) It begins April First with the letter A and ends April 30 with the letter Z.

I am doing this because I wandered into it.

I'm sure it will serve some good purpose. I just haven't discovered what that might be.

If the rule is "Sundays off for good behaviour," I'll not have a day off. But you already knew that (if you come here regularly).

~ ~ ~

There my be some things here that do not fall into the category of the "A to Z Challenge." In which case you'll get some additional reading, if you drop by.

ANOMALLY (A-Z Challenge)

2011-04-01T21:26:00.003-06:00

An anomaly is something out of the ordinary. Something that isn't the norm, or standard, or what's expected.

Thus, "a Bear writing a blog is an anomaly." As is the A-Z Challenge.

You're totally confused? So am I!

Maybe I'll figure that out by tomorrow.

ANSWERS DEPARTMENT

2011-04-01T21:02:00.003-06:00

IN an attempt to keep up with customer demand, The Editorial Committee for this blog has instituted a new feature. (This has been done after consultation with Bear, whose blog this is.)

Henceforth, the new feature, "Answers Department," will respond to the pressing concerns of you, our gentle readers. It is one more free service which we provide. (And it may be worth exactly what you have paid for it.)

Lydia, of Clutterquake, in response to Bear's blog item "Focused," asks: "Oh, Rob-bear, do tell the secrets to this editing of one's life."

Bear replies.

Thank you for your question, Lydia.

One has to be fairly intentional about this process. Not to the point of being brutal, but to the point of being thoughtful.

It's all a matter of knowing yourself. What motivates you? What brings joy, and animation, and pleasure to your life? Which relationships help you to grow; which relationships burden or shrivel you?

When we are younger, we tend to have more energy to life. As we age, we have less energy, but we become more focused. It is important to remember that.

So pick the items in your life which are most important. I suggest somewhere between half a dozen and a dozen. For me, it's things like my relationships with my family and friends, followed by health care ethics, animal ethics, poverty, homelessness, health, politics, and Celtic Christian spirituality. Choosing those key topics or areas is the crucial part.

Then see how much space you really have for these items. Or how much time you have for keeping up with people.

I'll start with the paper-related, or material items.

After choosing the specific topics or themes, anything that doesn't fit in one of those topics become trash or recyclable. Paper is recycled (re-used first, don't waste one side of a page). Other physical items can be recycled through the Salvation Army, or a local Thrift or Goodwill stores.

Once you've got all that done, file the materials in the pre-determined space. If it doesn't fit, repeat this step until the material does fit the pre-allocated space.

Then, in another six months, go back to the material, noting what's there and what you've added. What is still important in these areas — meaning what is worth keeping? Re-edit the files. (No, it won't take nearly as long as the first time.)

This applies not only to paper and other materials. It applies to work, hobbies, relationships, and the like. It may be easiest to start the process with the reflection and action related to paper and other materials. But different course of action, following the same principles, may work better for other people.

Hope this helps. If it does, you might want to share it with your readers.

Blessings and Bear hugs.

Bear

FOCUSED

2011-03-29T20:11:00.003-06:00

It was a week or so ago that I wrote about the experience of feeling "diminished" by all the "editing" we are doing in our lives, and our life together. All because we are moving into an apartment which has about half the size of our house, and has little storage space.

A lot of things are going to Village Green (our Mennonite-operated thrift or "goodwill" shop). A lot of paper is being recycled. All of this is good.

It also means I'm engaged in a process of sorting out what is important.

What do I really want to do in this last stage of my life (my "psychosocial development"), where the virtue is wisdom, and the options are integrity (i.e., wholeness) or despair? (This, according to psychologist Erik Erikson.)

In addition to my personal introspection, I'll continue to work (in one way or another) on ethical projects. Those include health care and animal welfare. But they will also include a closer involvement in issues of poverty, hunger, and homelessness. I may not be able to walk as much at rallies, but my fingers move quickly, and my thoughts can be sharp. (Such things happen when you combine a journalist and an ethicist.)

I'm not changing my commitment to life, and to others around me. To change would mean betraying who and what I have been, and am. What is changing is the manner in which I live out my commitment. But I'm not changing that commitment.

SOME MEETINGS ACTUALLY MATTER! (And they even feel good!)

2011-03-24T23:07:00.000-06:00

I realize that, from some peoples' perspectives, I'm about to commit the ultimate heresy.

However, there are some meetings which I go to that are actually worthwhile, and even fun. (I warned you about heresy — I know most meeting are pretty yucky, even at the best of times.)

I'm referring to the Executive of UCACS (The University Committee on Animal Care and Supply). This is the committee which is responsible for the welfare of virtually all the "critters" who "crit" (live) on campus, particularly those involved in research and teaching. (At a University like ours, with multiple biosciences, a lot of animals are involved in a lot of research and teaching.)

Over the last several years, I've gotten to know the people on the committee in a variety of contexts that are all related to our main responsibilities. Some are teachers and researchers, some are administrators, some are technicians. They are all very good at what they do, and they all think creatively. People like Ali, Amanda, Brenda, Colette, Diane, Jane, Ramji (our chair), and others. We all have a high degree of respect for each other, and a very strong sense of collegiality. And these folks are interesting to talk to, in their own right.

Yesterday morning, we had to meet and deal with a significant problem. (Details aren't important.) We started, as usual, with some pretty light visiting, and a few "bad" jokes from the Bear. (I'm the community representative and formally-trained ethicist in the group, and sometimes the class clown). When we get down to business, we're darned serious, but don't lose our senses of humour or irony. And believe me, there are some strongly ironic moments.

In trying to conclude the matter, I put a motion forward. Long and short of the situation is that my colleagues didn't agree with me. Which is OK. We come from a wide background of experience, which is important, because it really does help us achieve important consensus. And since we see the problem from different perspectives, we can make different comments.

Eventually we arrived at a better solution than I had proposed, and we all apparently felt good about that. A tricky problem solved in roughly three-quarters of an hour.

I cannot speak for the others, but I came away from the meeting feeling good, feeling that we had resolved something in a way that was ultimately in the best interests of individuals and the University.

Not too bad for a meeting that started at 9:00 a.m., when I'm Bearly awake. (I'm retired; gimmie a break, already!)

Yes, it was a good meeting, heresy notwithstanding.

DIMINISHED

2011-03-21T04:29:00.010-06:00

I've been feeling particularly sad for some time now. And it's not just my depression, as far as I can tell.

There is something else.

What I'm feeling is diminished. That there is less of me.

One of the realities of moving from a large house to a medium-sized apartment is the need to get rid of things. Particularly things for which we do not expect we will have any space.

It's not so much that I'm tied to my possessions. I'm not.

What I'm missing is file upon file of my work which has to be trashed. Things into which I have put my heart and thought. Which, I think, is appropriate for a writer, and a minister. News articles. Newspaper columns. Special reports on radio. Sermons and other meditations. Bible study material. Unused research notes, waiting for a chance to see the light of day.

All gone.

I'm not just throwing out papers. I'm throwing out part of myself.

And, of course, Sadie's gone now, too, after I spent a lot of time training her, and befriending her.

That's why I feel diminished. So much of me is gone.

MORE CHANGES, INCLUDING DISASTER

2011-03-16T01:44:00.005-06:00

I'll start with the simple.

I decided, at the end of my last post, to "try to get myself looking presentable." As if such a thing were possible.

But, by pre-arrangement, I am using a picture of me snapped by Genie's daughter, Holly, at Paris and Beyond. Now this is a good picture!

But there are bigger things than me. Much bigger.

One of my first discoveries, upon waking, was that Japan had experienced of a massive earthquake and tidal wave (tsunami). I saw the pictures of the tsunami hitting village and city alike, rolling over and sweeping away everything that stood before it.

I remember a reporter picking a porcelain doll out of the detritus at the Sendai airport. There was wreckage from all over — construction materials to cars. And I wondered. Was this doll owned by some little girl? Is she alive or dead? Did she treasure this doll? Will it ever get back to her?

Perhaps the most frightening thing for me was the ongoing story of nuclear reactor failures, and the threat those failures pose — for Japan, and the rest of us. How big is the radioactive plume? How far will it spread? What will be the consequences of Japan's electrical industry? How will this affect other nuclear installations? (I've seen a story that Germany is shutting down any pre-1980 nuclear plants for inspection; there is question of whether any of these will reopen.) And what lies ahead for children, even un-born children, who were caught in the wrong place during this nuclear disaster?

It is said the Japanese people are both stoic and resilient. They will rebuild. At the cost of a few trillion dollars, perhaps.

BEWARE! A BEAR!

2011-03-13T23:10:00.002-06:00

Couldn't sleep much longer. Too bright; too warm. Winter is waning.

Had to give my head a shake several times, and try to figure things out. And make sure I don't open my eyes too wide, too quickly.

OK. First things first.

No Sadie. That's a bit of a shock. She's got a new home, and she's happy there. The first night, she waited for me to come pick her up, and bring her here. But she was finally coaxed indoors, where she found her old bed, climbed in, and slept soundly. Very soundly. All downhill from here, as she frolics with her sister, Willow. (Unless the coyotes get her.) Banish that thought.

Also walked right into the middle of a moving process. As in decamping here, and moving to a spot with a clear overview of our city's downtown area. Strange; what's the difference among overlook, oversight, and overview? Can any of you literate bloggers provide some differentiation about the meanings of words which seem so similar.

Speaking of which, a word of appreciation to the Editorial Committee, which looked after things between Sadie's departure and my return.

Now that I'm up, I should try to get myself looking presentable; please Bear with me in that.

MAJOR ANOUNCEMENT!!

2011-03-11T23:17:00.001-06:00

On Bear's behalf, the Editorial Committee for this blog is relaying news of a major development.

It concerns Her Ladyship, Miss Sadie, Duchess of St. Swythun's Punt-on-Thames, Duchess of Cardigan and Wooly Boots, and (by Royal Appointment) Guardian of Offa's Dyke. Miss Sadie, Bear's long-time and faithful companion, is parting company with Bear. This decision has been initiated by Bear.

Her Ladyship has released the following statement (which is also to be found on her blog).

By time you read this, I will have moved to a new home and new family!

I have a big brother, who is a Malamute, and who is twice my size. His name is Dugan. I've also got a sister — a black Standard Poodle just like me, but about six years older than me. Her name is Willow. My new master is a veterinarian, who really loves Poodles. So this is going to be a very good thing. At least I think. I hope.

"But where is Bear?" you ask. Bear and J are "moving house." They're leaving their house a block from the river, and moving into an apartment in a building on the opposite river bank. It's a mile or so downriver from where they have been living, and right across from downtown. But one of the rules is that people cannot bring animals with them. I cannot come.

I realize all of this is peculiar, so I'll explain.

At least some of you, maybe all of you, realize that Bear has been getting sicker since last fall. Last weekend, he spent some time in hospital.

For many years Bear has suffered quite a bit of pain, from several "misadventures." Since last fall, the chronic physical pain has has been getting worse, which simply added to the emotional pain of his chronic depression.

So when he was briefly out of hibernation a while ago, he explained things to me, and we had a good cry together. Just taking me for a walk, on my lead, hurts his neck, and shoulder, and back so badly that he has to take strong medications and lie down when we're finished. And when we play fetch in the back yard, he hurts so badly that he has to lean on his grandchildren's play house in order to stand up.

I had no idea that looking after me, and doing things with me, was hurting Bear so badly!

And that's when he said he had found a new home for me. And that's why he and J are moving. They'll be in an apartment, so he doesn't have to look after the yard, and trees, and gardens, and so he doesn't have to keep up with the house repairs.

I really don't want to leave Bear. I don't want him to leave me. And I'm sure he doesn't want us to part. But I guess neither of us can help that. As Bear would say, "You win some, and you lose some, and some get rained out."

Good-bye, friends.

Good-bye, Bear! Gonna miss you!

Two members of the Editorial Committee, Frank Serif and Mary Italic, accompanied Miss Sadie to her new home. They are happy to report that Miss Sadie received a warm and enthusiastic greeting from all but Dugan, who growled at her when they first met, and paid little attention to her after that. We trust Miss Sadie will be a long and happy relationship with her new family (despite Dugan's initial response). Indeed, Sadie was so busy playing with Willow she did not see the Editorial Committee members leave.

FOLLOW UP ON * * * (cannot be translated)

2011-03-08T00:25:00.000-06:00

Bear has retuned to his den. He and I both agreed that weather in the -20°C range, with lots of snow, is just not warm enough to end hibernating. (By time he and I had convinced him of the wisdom in that plan, he looked very relieved!)

Besides, there's nothing out here for him to eat. Except me, perhaps.

Moving on.

Before he left, Bear and I had a "heart to heart" conversation about Some Really Very Important Things. I'll share some of that with you, presently.

* * * (cannot be translated)

2011-03-06T23:41:00.000-06:00

Grontf . . . snork . . . shuffle, yawn . . . streeeeeeeeeetch.

OK; who turned on the light in my den?

Oh, wait. That's not a light; that's the sun!

It's glistening on the snow.

Ooooohh! Bright! I need sun glasses.

Maybe I should find Sadie and figure out that's happening here. I'll have to turn around and look the other way.

Ah; that's better! Things seem to be about right.

Sadie! Hmmmm. Saaaaaaaaadie!

Ah, here she comes. I can hear her coming. Now I'll find out what's happening.

Ooooohh, have I ever got a headache! Maybe I overslept.

DEWI SANT CYMRU (St. David of Wales)

2011-02-28T22:11:00.001-06:00

March 1st. The Feast Day of St. David, Patron Saint of Wales. Shw mae? Sadie 'dw i. This is Sadie reporting.

I'm doing this for Bear (you realize), because he would do it himself, were he here.

(But he's hibernating, so. . . .)

For him, this is family — on his human side. More particularly, his mother's side of the family.

The oral history of the family is that it originated in Wales. (The documented history starts on the south side of the Bristol Channel, just across from Wales, and spreads from there.)

Bear would regale you with Welsh lore, were he here. Stories of King Arthur, of the Celtic Saints, and so much more. I'll let him do it another year.

To celebrate the occasion, some Daffodils, the national flower of Wales.

These are not from our garden. It's under two feet of snow. But fresh from the store, are these.

So, if you're celebrating, Dydd Dewi Sant Hapus! (Happy St. David's Day!)

MISSING THE MOMENT

2011-02-23T09:04:00.000-06:00

For a Poodle who doesn't have a whole lot to do in the winter, you'd think I'd be really on top of things. Not so. I still miss important events.

Monday was the "Family Day" holiday in our part of the colony. So we all stayed in the house together, nice and warm. That was reasonable.

But what I did miss was "Temporary Insanity Day," last Saturday, February 19th. (I'll say I missed it because I was suffering temporary insanity; life without Bear around and active is pretty, well, um, "different.")

But here's an important date not to miss. This Sunday, February 27th, is "Friends of Polar Bears Day." Now, Bear is a Brown Bear, or at least he used to be. Now, he's gone all white, so he's pretending to be a Polar Bear. We just humour him about that, even though we know he's not a Polar Bear.

So, if you're inclined to humour him along too, you could send him a card, or a more personal greeting. Unless you're busy doing other things. And, while your at it, send a card to your own favourite Polar Bear, too.

Now, aren't you glad you knew all of this?

HALLELUJAH EVENT (so to speak)!

2011-02-19T15:42:00.000-06:00

It is an absolutely glorious day! We went out briefly and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, I want to share it with you.

(Even got a few pictures before the camera almost froze up.)

Absolutely blue sky in every direction; not a cloud anywhere.

Bright, bright sunshine. Clean, glistening snow!

About -20°C (or -4F) — that's "cool" winter weather here, as opposed to -40°, which is considered "cold."

Absolutely too good a day to be inside all day. (In fact, we may go for another walk after supper.) Winter up here isn't so bad, especially on a day like this. Better this than cloud, fog, and rain.

PLUNDERED!! PILLAGED!!

2011-02-13T18:15:00.006-06:00

Bear's beloved Mountain Ash tree was stripped bare today by a marauding band of ravenous Bohemian Waxwings.

The foraging flock, numbering perhaps a hundred birds,

attacked the tree about 3:30 p.m. local time,

wave, upon wave, upon wave.
(Here is a close-up of one.)

By 3:45, only a few scavengers could be seen,

cleaning up the few remaining berries on the ground.

The activity of the Bohemian Hoard had been reported

in the local newspaper earlier.

The onslaught was not unexpected.

J, our Bear's beloved spouse, quickly grabbed her camera, clicking photo after photo, mute witness to the onslaught.

And where was Bear during the melee?

Hibernating in his Den.

Proving once again that, "you snooze; you lose."

But he'll be delighted by the pictures when he wakes up.

Very delighted.

After all, it was for events like today's that he planted

the Mountain Ash in the first place.

His simple goal — to attract Waxwings.

Report by Sadie B.; photography by J.B.

WALKING THROUGH THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

2011-02-05T16:56:00.000-06:00

Sigh.

Did you ever wake up in the middle of the night, and then not be able to get back to sleep? I came out of hibernation because the weather felt like spring. Only it's not spring; it's still the dead of winter. We'll have -20C weather in a few days. But today, things are melting, while the snow is coming down.

Anyhow, Sadie convinced me that we should go for a walk through the neighbourhood, on our normal path. (She thinks that, because she's a Duchess, she should be able to command property in the colony; I keep telling her that's not the way it works here, but she pays no attention.) Anyhow, your can read her version of events on her blog, is your follow the link (in green).

Well, we made it home safely, having encountered nobody else on our walk. She's snoozing by the gas stove; I'm going to crawl into bed, and see if that gets me into a better frame of mind for hibernating.

Really, living among Humans is a challenge. Especially with a dog who thinks she's a Duchess.

GLORIOUS DAY

2011-02-03T22:06:00.002-06:00

Perfect day for a Bear to de-hibernate for a few minutes. About 3°C, sunshine, snow melting. Yup, good day to be out.

But, by the end of the week, it will be back to -20°C (that's about -4°F). And I'll be hibernating again. Though the front desk is aware of my "Wake-up Call" for mid-March.

Some days things actually work the way they're supposed to work!

WAKE-UP CALL

2011-01-25T20:14:00.001-06:00

Try to picture this in your mind.

Bear is sitting on his bed in a motel room. He is talking on the telephone.

"Hello, Front Desk? This is Bear in room 113. I'd like to leave a 'Wake-up Call' for mid-March."

And that's the way it is in cold and snowy Canada.

HIBERNATION TIME.

2011-01-12T20:52:00.001-06:00

I've finally got a very melancholy Bear back into his den. Upset Bear, really. Too many difficult things going on.

Next time I won't wake him if something goes wrong, like the shooting of Rep. Giffords. He's really not coping well with a lot of things this year.

Time to let sleeping Bear lie.

ANOTHER CANADIAN LOOK AT TUSCON AND REP. GIFFORDS, AND ALL

2011-01-10T17:47:00.001-06:00

This link is to The Tyee, an on-line publication based in British Columbia, Canada.

The story is called, "Arizona Shooting: Americans Must Face This Reckoning."

It reflects concerns raised back in 2004, about the lack of real debate in US politics.

My feeling is that those responsible for the extremist rhetoric will not, probably cannot, own up to what they have been doing. I expect they will simply "deny, deny, deny." (I've already seen some of that with Americans on Canadian tv.)

What do you think will happen next?

UPDATE: THE TIMES, THEY ARE a-CHANGIN. ~ Bob Dylan, 1963

2011-01-10T10:40:00.004-06:00

Note: Miss Sadie came and got me out of my den, saying that something terrible had happened. As I said at the end of my previous post (just before I started hibernating), Miss Sadie would come and get me, "should anything calamitous or thrilling occur." She thought this was "calamitous." I agree. That's why I'm here.

§ § §

By now, I think, many, if not most, of you have heard about the attempted assassination of Gabrielle Giffords, in Tuscon, Arizona. Ms. Giffords is a Democratic member of the US House of Representatives, re-elected in November to a third term. She is considered a moderate. Fourteen other people were shot, six of them killed, including a US Federal judge and a 9-year-old girl. Giffords survived surgery yesterday, was responding to doctors simple instructions, and is expected to live, though it will likely be a while before anyone knows how badly her brain has been damaged. (She was shot in the head at close range.) She is in a medically-induced coma, a common treatment for people with severe brain injuries.

Here is a continuing sampling of things I have learned about the situation.

1. Giffords was shot while holding a "Congress on Your Corner" event: an open, public meeting, where people could talk with their political representative. This kind of contact is something in which she strongly believed.

Ironically, in 2009, another person with a gun showed up where Rep Giffords was holding a similar meeting, and dropped his gun.

2. Rep. Giffords voted in favor of US health care bill. When she did so, her office in Tucson was attacked and vandalized.

3. Giffords worked hard to defeat the 2006 Arizona anti-gay marriage initiative.

4. Rep. Giffords was one of 20 Democrats who US Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin had identified on a map, showing a cross-hairs/bullseye target. (I have seen the image, and have it on file; Palin has pulled it from her web site.)

When Palin put crosshairs on a map, she urged followers to "reload" and "aim" for Democrats.

Giffords' Republican opponent for the congressional seat held June event, using language such as "Shoot a Fully Automatic M16" to "Get on Target" and "Remove Gabrielle Giffords."

5. The Sheriff in Tuscon has made several stunning comments:
“The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous.”
“Arizona, I think, has become sort of the capital. We have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry.”
He also believes this atmosphere unhinges the unbalanced.
(I have seen that information on television and in print.)

This, in relation to the fact that the alleged shooter is mentally unstable.

6. Christina Green has been identified as the 9-year-old killed in the shooting. Ironically, she was born on 9/11. She was on the student's council at her school and was the only girl on her baseball team. Her life began and ended with tragedy. She is the granddaughter of former major league manager, executive and pitcher Dallas Green. Green managed the Philadelphia Phillies to their first World Series championship in 1980.

7. With his usual irony, Andy Borowitz latest publications is headlined, "Fox News Warns That Without Angry Rhetoric It Will Have 24 Hours to Fill." Subtitle: "Would Create ‘Giant Hole’ in Program Schedule."

As someone who has worked for over 30 years as a reporter, I know that details in a situation like this can change on a continuing basis. It may be some days before the story becomes clear.

What is clear is the atmosphere, the background, of partisanship and vicious rhetoric, which is more and more evident in the life in the United States. As someone who lives next door to the US, I find this development quite frightening, for my American friends, and for us as neighbours (who tend to copy American habits).

I am well aware of the part of the American psyche which says "guns solve problems," which goes back to 1776, and before. The American gun owners I know are responsible people. But the ethos in which they live makes it possible for irresponsible people to get guns quite easily. In Canada, possession of firearms is much more tightly controlled, particularly in relation to the ownership and transportation of hand guns. People who have legitimate reasons for gun ownership (for hunting, or for predator control in rural areas, or target shooting) don't have problems.

Ironically, a friend of mine, and fellow blogger, said (a few years ago) that he thought the US had about ten years before it tears itself apart. Given the background in which the Giffords' shooting occurred, I'm inclined to still agree with him.

Lord, have mercy.

I don't think I'm going to be able to get back into hibernation for a while. This has been very upsetting.

Special thanks to everyone who has already read and commented. I would encourage you to read those comments. This is, for all of us, a very trying time.

FINALLY!

2010-12-31T10:19:00.000-06:00

Having celebrated the ancient/new coming of the "Partridge in a pear tree," . . .

IT'S HIBERNATION TIME!

Bear is going to sleep;

please do not disturb!

I'm rejoicing because

my world has calmed down enough

that I can get a

decent winter's snooze.

I'll see you in the spring

(or on a really nice winter's day,

if I wake up).

Please don't worry.

The intrepid and ever-faithful

Miss Sadie (Her Ladyship)

will be standing guard, as always.

Should anything calamitous

or thrilling occur,

she knows where to find me,

and will alert me

to the development.

What I do will depend on how awake

and mentally competent I am
(things which are always questionable
where the Bear is concerned).

TTFN.

P.S.: If you haven't see the amazing art work I received as Christmas presents,

please see the previous post.

AMAZING CHRISTMAS ART

2010-12-26T19:58:00.000-06:00

I've been too sick this year to do any Christmas partying with our family. But I have received some really amazing presents.

None better than these from our son and grandkids.

This is from Tim, who bikes everywhere, all seasons, and serves on our City's "Bicycle Advisory Committee" (and who would like like to see his dad biking a bit more).

Big Brown Bear Rides a Trike, December 2010, Acrylic on MDF, 50x40cm

Finnegan, aged 6, did this (he knows I like giraffes).

Finnegan Brown, Giraffe on the Plains, December 2010, Acrylic on MDF, 32x40cm

Keira, aged 4, developed this; can you see the Firebird Dancing?

Keira Brown, The firebird, December 2010, Acrylic and metallic glitter on MDF, 32x40cm

These are all hanging prominently in our living room.

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever." ~ John Keats.