Over at "terribleminds" they have asked for a flash fiction using four of eight random words. The words from which one may sellect are Saw, Milkshake, Bath, Flowerpot, Wheelchair, Bully, Zoo, and Heretic. Here is my effort.           I picked up the chain saw, checked the fuel and chain oil, set the choke and pulled the rip cord. It was an old machine without the dampening found on the new machines, but it would still cut, fall a tree and make firewood.           It certainly wasn’t a pleasure to run, however.           “Don’t know how people made a living with these old boat anchors,” I said allowed. It was a good thing I was only talking to myself for no one else could have heard me over the roar.           The vibrations ran up both arms jerking on elbows, shoulders and every muscle.  ...

Went shopping in Edmonton on Friday and bought a lens … Actually, my optometrist looked into my left eye on Thursday and said, “I think you have a serious problem. You should have surgery RIGHT NOW.” So I jumped in the pickup, drove to Edmonton, the surgeon looked at my eye at about 10:30 Friday morning and they rolled me into the operating room at about 4:30 that afternoon. Used their mini light sabre to re-attach my retina, put in some gel and an air bubble and, yes, installed the aforementioned new lens. Kept me in over night, checked their work Saturday morning and sent me back to the hotel. Checked their work again Sunday morning and announced that they did a marvellous job and everything looks “just peachy-keen”. I should be able to see out of that eye in a week and be back to work in about two. The work was done at the Royal Alexandria Hospital by Dr. Hinz and his staff of Alberta Retina Consultants; Very nice, professional people. I feel compelled to thank Phil Folz and Rudy J...

It appears all the Provincial Governments and Canada’s Federal Government are intent on cutting funding to arts programs. Theatres are closing all over the country due to lack of funding, including a couple that have been the starting points for internationally known writers, directors and actors. Apparently those in government do not understand how significant arts production is for the country. Or perhaps they realize that the monetary value of Canadian artistic production, though an insignificant piece of its total value, far exceeds anything produced in a monetary sense by government. As a result they are in fear that the citizenry will become aware of the true value of government. There still seems to be a strong consensuses that once students have been taught Reading, Righting and Rithmatic that’s all they need to know. In reality all the ‘three Rs’ do is supply a foundation for the beginning of an education. True education doesn’t even start without some understanding of the ar...

When he arrived on Vancouver Island in 1858 he was known as Charlie Brown. Due to his proclivity for so called easy money he soon came to the attention of the newly formed British Columbia Colonial Police and Victoria Municipal Police. However, with a gold rush breaking out in some area of the colony almost every year, law enforcement was hard pressed due to the constant influx of gold seekers. Due to the lack of manpower and time as well as the insipidness of his name, little is known about Charlie’s earlier history except that he may have been in California and Oregon Territory. Once in the British colony, however, it was obvious Charlie’s search for gold would not include digging or washing for it. He was caught on several occasions selling grain alcohol to Indians. Following one of those occasions, while awaiting trial, he was attacked by another arrestee, a Haida Indian to whom he had sold a barrel of sea water as whiskey. Mr. Brown’s last extended stay in Victoria’s Bastion Stre...

I've done articles on this subject several times. Now here is another one from a police officer that supports my earlier work. Looks like the facts are coming out in Gun Control and the NRA wins on this one!! Australian Gun Law Update Here's a thought to warm some of your hearts from: Ed Chenel, A police officer in Australia Hi Yanks and Canadians, I thought you all would like to see the real figures from Down Under. It has now been 12 months since gun owners in Australia were forced by a new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by our own government, a program costing Australia taxpayers more than $500 million dollars. The first year results are now in: Australia-wide, homicides are up 6.2 percent, Australia-wide, assaults are up 9.6 percent; Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent)! In the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent. (Note that while the law-abiding citizens turned them in, the crimi...

The 17th day of December and I’m driving in rain at 8ºC. (That’s 46º F for you metrically challenged folk.) I didn’t like it! The windows in the truck would allow a view for no more a few moments. We shouldn’t have muck for Christmas. I would be much happier with - 15º C ( 5º) until about March 5th when it should warm up and dry up in about a month. Which also won’t happen. Since one can’t do anything about the weather except grin and bear it (or perhaps that should be grin and bare it.) I decided to construct a little rhyme as I was hauling fuel down the road. The melody to “Jingle Bells” should work. Racing through the rain In a Razor Custom quad. Goin’ to the neighbours place For turkey, ham and grog. From toddies smooth and rich We wound up in the ditch We’ll have to get the horses out To pull us from this bog Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells There they come right now The off horse is a little shy They’re both as fat as sows. Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells They’ll do the job just fine Back...

I was told that Daylight Saving Time was invented by a wise old Indian who cut his blanket in half then had his woman sew the ends together to make it longer. Many years later I met the wise old Indian at a club where I was playing in Vancouver. He said that only a politician already established in some cushy government position would come up with the idea that someone could cut a foot of his blanket and sew it to the other end to make it longer. Many years later I heard, because he was famous, that the wise old Indian had passed away. While contemplating our visit many years before and what he had said about the business of turning our clocks backward or forward I had an epiphany; Daylight Savings Time was invented by a very warped mind.