Well this post and probably next weeks' will be a bit different than normal as my world is totally consumed by the move to the west coast now. Unforunately world events will take a back seat to this.
I had gone to our Internet provider in June to let them know that we were moving at the end of August and that I would come into their offices again then to terminate the service and return all their hardware. I thought that this was a courtesy that would be of help to them. So of course they messed up! My Internet was cut off at midnight Friday and now we have none whatsoever. So of course now I am out and about at times looking for WiFi hotspots in order to get online to get my mail, news, read blogs and other things that I use the 'Net for. I won't tell you where I am perched right now just to get a signal and the looks some people are giving me!
Oh well, there have been surprisingly few of these "bumps" in the road this past couple of weeks as we wind down our affairs here in Regina - except of course the day we found out that after signing the sale papers for our house that our one majour bank account was frozen - that caused a bit of phone calling and scrambling I can tell you. But in the end that was no big deal and it did make for some excitement for the one day.
I went to my hair cutter- barber? stylist? what are they called for men nowadays anyway?- this week for obviously the last time and it was a tad different than normal. She has been cutting my hair for over 20 years and we both have matured as the years went by. When I first met her she was a newly wed young lady ( I tease her about the fact she must have been a child bride because according to her she still in in her early 30's!) and over the years have listened as she has regaled me about her first new children and their adventures and lately about how life is for her as a grandmother- shoot, the years fly by way too fast. After she was finished cutting my hair we had an awkward moment where we both had real difficulty in saying our goodbyes to each other and then she grabbed me and gave me a hug and we both had a sniffle in our voices as we said bye for the last time.
I will miss her.
One of the things I will not miss is the wind in this city. Remember how I mentioned before that the wind had been very minimal recently?
Hah!
Yesterday the blasted wind almost blew me to Kansas when I went outside, it was so ferocious. Indeed many trees in the city had limbs ripped off the trunks and the debris was scattered all around.
As well the temperature has shifted into early fall mode and now the nights are cool and even some leaves are turning colour. Yipes - summer is almost over.
Yesterday my golfing buddy and his wife came into town and took us out for what is termed "brunch" and we spent a couple of hours shooting the breeze and sharing memories. They are good people and hopefully they will be able to come visit us on the island in the future and maybe he and I can get in a round or two of golf as well.
So yesterday we cleaned out the fridge as it and all other appliances are left here for the new owners. My better half asked me if I had washed the unit out and if all was finished with it. I replied that yes I had - but probably not as clean as her standards would want. Of course she did not hear the last part of my answer and so later in the evening when she "checked" the fridge was shocked to find it not up to snuff! So I endured a lengthy period of silent reproof as she "cleaned" the damn thing again. I would have been courting my death if I had had the courage to remind her that I really did tell her that I had cleaned it- up to a certain point only and she apparently had not heard me.
I'm not that stupid!
Today is the last day of farewells and dropping off of items to people that we do not want to take with us. Things such as lawn furniture and the grass mower and grass trimmer as well as some foodstuffs- even though 95% of all our existing food inventory has been donated to a local charitable foundation that helps those in need. I think I mentioned before how eye opening it was to discover how many stale dated items we had in our pantry when we cleaned it out. The idea of buying food in bulk because the per unit price is better sometimes is a false economy if one does not use the items frequently. Our new pantry in Nanaimo will be a lot smaller I promise you.
With the round of farewells, my plans for packing the vehicle have been changed from doing so this afternoon to later on tonight as we are invited to a late gathering at the place of the person who we are dropping the lawn mover and grass trimmer off. So the vehicle will be carting this along and packing will wait until we get home later on in the evening - wonderful! But as I said before, in the so called big picture context, the problems have been very few and minor and for that we are grateful.
I have had the pleasure of taking many a moment this past while to reflect upon my life here in Regina. I was born and raised here. I have had the pleasure of entering the workforce - first job was as a clown at a sidewalk sale for a company called Zellers! - as a young man. Started my career in the printing and publishing industry as as apprentice in the field of what was termed "film stripping" whose duties also included sweeping the floors every night after the shop closed for the day and that was non-paid of course!
I became a manager over the years as well as a business partner in various printing companies as well as a couple of sign and display firms. Paid civic and business taxes, was in the local Chamber of Commerce as a member and a Director. And hopefully was a good citizen of the city and province. The city was good to me and I will always be grateful for my life in it. It has helped to shape me to what I am today and for that I am grateful.
Thank you Regina.
I would be remiss if I did not mention one item of world news and it is a sad one. Neil Armstrong passed away this week at the age of 82.
In this era of the anti hero, he was a true hero and stood head and shoulders above the crowd. Not only for his incredible achievements but for the noble way he conducted his life after he became the hero he was. People nowadays get a moments fame and shamelessly parade themselves in it forever to the media and public thereby diminishing themselves and their achievements. Not Neil Armstrong, not by a longshot. A modest and humble man was he.
Look him up and offer a toast to his memory - his like will never be among us again.
Next week we are on the road to Nanaimo for the final time so with this my final blog from Regina, Queen City of the Plains, I sign off,
take care out there,
flatlander52
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