IN WHICH BEAR BOUNCES BACK . . .

and ends up as clouless as Inspector Clouseau. Which is not at all comforting.

What has been comforting is the large number of kind wishes I have received from people. THANK YOU!!!!

Here's the story.

Usually, when spring arrives, I go a little crazy, with depression. And added pain. Happens as regularly as clockwork. And it happened this year. So, this is normal, though it is a "new normal." Or, more appropriately, it is expected. And it lasts a couple of weeks.

But not this year. The whole experience this time has come and gone in a less than a handful of days.

I do not understand this AT ALL! Any more than I understand this iPad that I am trying to use! (It is VERY TRYING!!!)

Members of my Editorial Committee are still here, but are as puzzled as I am about what is happening, and what to do. It is a nice sort of puzzled, but we are puzzled nonetheless.

So, I have decided to carry on as if I am as healthy as usual, and see what happens. (It is a bit like waiting for the next shoe to drop.)

Ciao for niao. Blessings and Bear hugs!

IN WHICH BEAR'S EDITORIAL COMMITTEE TAKES CHARGE

Good morning. This is Edward Sans-serif. And I'm Mary Italic. We are members of Rob-Bear's Editorial Committee.

We have taken over, briefly, the management of Bear's blogs. This is a task which would normally have been handled by 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 (on the Welsh-English border). But Miss Sadie is no longer here, so we're doing it.

As some of you are aware, Bear has not been well for quite a long time. We are happy to share with you the news that, through his participation in the program of the Health Region's Chronic Pain Centre, Bear has been doing much better. He has recovered his ability to get outside and walk (and not just a block or two). Likewise, he is able to get up and down stairs, and do things around the apartment, much more easily. We, and the other members of Bear's Editorial Committee, celebrate these successes with Bear! Well done, Bear. Exciting time! We trust this will lead to even better things.

However. (Isn't it interesting that, with good news, there is often a "However"!)

As some of you also know, Bear has lived with major depression for years. Decades, actually. It has become a chronic problem. 

One of Bear's major challenges in this regard is the weather. You might be skeptical about that, but it is true. When autumn turns to winter, or winter turns to spring, Bear's whole being gets a bit messed up. (More than a bit, really.) It is related to the depression. This particular challenge is common among those who suffer prolonged depression. We do not fully understand this, but researchers have identified the problem. (It is not Seasonal Affective Disorder — SAD, though it is a sad situation for Bear and others who experience this "unhappiness" with the change of seasons.)

In Bear's case, his whole body hurts, even in places where there is usually no pain. And some places where he usually hurts get much worse. And his thinking gets very "dragged down"; that seems to be the crucial issue.

Though this has been a routine part of Bear's experience in the past, and he understands what is happening, it always catches him off guard when it arrives. Meaning that Bear goes through a couple of very bad weeks, and then Bear gets better. The problem appears without notice, and disappears without notice. Most peculiar to us, but not to Bear. For Bear, this just "is." Though this year, it has been complicated by several other unhappy developments.

We, along with his care team, will closely monitor Bear's condition for the next few weeks. We do not expect anything terribly untoward will happen (as was the case last year). We fully expect Bear, with his "peculiar" (some would say "bizarre") approach to life, will bounce back by the end of this month. In his absence, we'll keep up his correspondence.

As for the "other unhappy developments" which have additionally complicated Bear's life this year, we'll leave those for Bear to explain.

On Bear's behalf, and on behalf of the whole Editorial Committee, we than you for Bearing with Bear during this period of adversity. 

Update: IN WHICH BEAR FINALLY GETS TO HIBERNATE

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.

WAKE-UP CALL

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.

WHOA! WHAT'S HAPPENING?

What is this bright light shining into my den?

What's this puddle of water beside where I'm sleeping?

Spring already?

Can't be; I haven't lost any weight.

OK. I'm out of my den, but the sun is way too bright. It's hard on my eyes. I'll look the other way.

Right. Clear blue sky — gorgeous! Sunny and warm. I'll bet it's 15°C. And the snow is all gone.

Time to stretch way up, and yawn, and shake my head, and try to come alive.

There are a couple of squirrels, running around the spruce trees, checking for any more seed cones.

I hear a chickadee, and a nuthatch. There are two thieving magpies chasing each other, practically right in front of my face. I hear a Blue Jay, right, . . . oh, there he is.

There's a Mountain Ash tree, with quite a few bright orange berries. I must have missed that one. Yeah; I was getting pretty dozy.

Seeing as I'm up, I might as well have something to eat. Those berries will be tasty.

Oh, but I'm stiff already. Grumble, trundle, mumble, trundle, mumble. …

Sigh.

I really hate it when my solar alarm clock goes off at the wrong time!

DIY OF A DIFFERENT SORT

Despite the freezing weather last night, and the fact that there is still snow on the ground, one member of our community was very busy.

Yup, the resident Beaver was doing his thing,
leaving all the evidence behind.

The really interesting thing was that he decided to drop a tree right beside the walking path, . . .

meaning he (or she) had to climb up a fairly steep 25 foot embankment, drop the tree, and haul all the goods back down.

(This picture doesn't do justice to the steepness of the climb.)

But that wasn't the first time.

The night before, Beaver had been busy too.

J and K (our granddaughter) found this work

when they were walking home to our son's last evening.

This was, actually, just a bit of an afterthought.

 The real prize lay about 50 feet north.

Those six were about the diameter of your forearm. Not small stuff at all. Not only cut, but hauled down to the river.

So far, the lower trail (just a muddy footpath along the river's edge) hasn't been walkable. Now, I'm going to have to go down there and find out where the Beaver's lodge is.

I don't think Beaver will mind a visit from Bear,
though Sadie might be upsetting.

ALL IN THE MERRY MONTH OF APRIL

We awoke this morning to a glorious spring day.

 

Thought I suppose "glorious," like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Admittedly, Sadie was a little perplexed, but  I didn't try to explain; she's much less concerned about weather than I am.

  

Anyhow, had breakfast, got dressed, cleaned the show off the wagon, and went to worship at St. George's Anglican Church — all of six blocks from our house. (I'd have walked if there was less snow.) My friend, Fr. S, recently became Associate Priest there, which I just learned a few days ago. So I went to early Communion. And I'm glad I did.

  

Well, then, what to do with the rest of the day, when it's not the right weather for working outside. 

  

I did something I haven't done for 20+ years. I got out my art supplies and put some paint on paper.

This isn't art. Art is what artists (or "artistes") do. Putting colour on paper is what Bears do. J was already painting when I got home from worship, so I decided to join her, and we had a grand morning. 

  

After lunch I had a snooze, and when I woke up, I put the roast, potatoes, and yams on the roasting pan (then in the oven) for supper. I went upstairs and found K, our granddaughter, had joined us for the afternoon. So she played at a whole range of things, and I played a bit more with paint. Then I got my banjo out (something else I haven't done for a while) and we sat in a circle and sang. (We got out some rhythm instruments so we could all sing and play.)

(Just to make sure you understand, I am not the re-incarnation of George Formby or "Banjo" Patterson.)

  

After supper, K went home. J and I focused on some DIY projects — and by then it was bed time. So I quick finished this off — and now it's yours. 

  

(BTW, by mid afternoon the snow melted, then it started snowing again. That's when I decided to take Sadie for a walk — bad planning. After that, the snow turned to rain, about the time Sadie and I went for our evening walk. Yes, more bad planing.)

   

It was a very different day, but a very enjoyable one. I think I'm going to try this more often. I think J is, too.

AH, SPRING . . .

Spring is sprung

  

(last patch of snow in our yard)
   
The grass is riz
  

  
 
I wonder where the birdies is?

(certainly not at our feeders)

They say the bird is on the wing,

but that's absurd

'cause everybody knows

the wing is on the bird.

  

  

(Or perhaps the Gryphon.)

  

  


I hope you are having a wonderful spring,

wherever you are!

(or autumn, if you're in the south.)