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The Death Doula
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: People
- Hits: 890
I've noticed her, hard not to, slender figure, a fine shape, beautiful face. We've chatted, briefly, she's beautiful, a mild flirtation, she's usually in to catch the ferry, a short window, and here, I'm busy, always busy...
The other waitress knows her, they live on the other side of the lake, small community, she tells me she's a Doula.
Tonight, she's in, alone, 5 minutes after the last ferry left, meaning for 2 hours, or an hour an 50 minutes , and so tonight, slow enough to chat, a wee bit, and I ask her about the Doula bit...
She's not a Doula, she's a registered nurse. But funny I should ask, she's thinking about becoming a death doula....
Curious, for me, because I knew somebody else once who had an interest in this. Me, death, pretty cut and dried, I've lots of practice, it doesn't particularly scare me (anymore) but I'd like to be ready. Not "Doula" ready, but - well, have my locker organized, have certain of my creative projects out of the way. But I'm not everyone, and I've met a lot of people who were scared to death of it...no pun intended. People who hung on far longer than was seemly, becoming, people who had this inarticulate fear and apprehension of death and would do anything to avoid it. Anything, in Canada, means anything that we - the taxpayers - are willing to pay for.
It's curious, I get it, and no, at the same time, death is the end, embrace it, live well and nave nothing to regret. Make room for the new generation. I sometimes worry that I'm a little too cavalier about it all, I think I just get it in a broader, metaphysical sense.
She's 55. She drops her age and it explodes lite a fucking nuclear bomb. "No Way!!" I tell her, she looks good for a woman of 40, 35 even, good period, she's a beautiful woman, well composed and collected, but she's not taking the flattery, "YES", absolute, I've never seen this, in Calgary, wherever, never. She's beautiful, and I hate to be ageist (being old myself) - but - well, you don't see this. Amazing. All my prejudices out the window.
The night gets busy, the conversation lulls, I want to buy her a drink, lead the conversation away from here, discover her a bit more thoroughly, but work and professionalism forbid, I'll break that taboo for sure, soon, I know, don't want to be "that waiter", but I'm here, she's keen, and while nurses aren't my thing I'm curious...
Every creeks been panned a thousand times...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Conversations
- Hits: 1201
I'm talking with R#3, Sr, the owner (or one of) the restaurant, he's telling me he's known a few prospectors, none of them made it, would buy, work, then sell on their worthless claims to suckers...
"Every creeks been panned a thousand times..." he tells me.
Doubtless it's true. But Gold was never at the price it is now. And there are a thousand minerals as valuable - or more so - than gold. And the market for those minerals is recent. And I have a thousand other counter arguments, watch a few YouTube videos, but his POV, it's excellent, it's why I have every confidence that I'm going to get rich...
cue circus music
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Conversations
- Hits: 1198
Aviator sunglasses, middle aged, balding, beard, he's just in for a beer, aloof, watching me. Anyone new here is an object of suspicion to the locals.
After a bit a couple of the local girls join him. I know them, have seen them at the Balfour Superette, party girls, if you know what I mean. They're acquainted, sit together, everyone in town is acquainted if you think about it, out here, population 350, ... they have a couple of drinks, I bring him another beer.
"You know a lot of unusual people?" he asks me, I laugh, "Look where I'm working...". He could take this two ways, he takes it the right way, "...and you decided to settle here...", he parries, introduces himself.
Paying his bill, the girls, they're trying to persuade him to "go out", "come over", oh, I know this story, P4P, he's not interested, just wants to go home. I look at him...
"Cue Circus Music?" I ask...
"You know the actual title of that is: 'Entry of The Gladiator'" he tells me, then: "No, no, I gotta get home, get some sleep. Funny title for the song..."
"It's because you gotta be a fucking gladiator at 6:00 AM when you're up searching for blow-outs and crumbs....".
"I never looked at it that way before...." he replies...
We're completely on the same page, I've been to the same party a hundred, thousand times, at the old restaurant, the Bosses Nephew, J**, it's reassuring, this, so much unspoken yet we both completely know what's going on...
Garage Sales - June 10, 2017
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 1375
Starting in Nelson, church sale, I'm about 5 minutes late. Too late, as it would turn out:
A pair of beautiful antique candlesticks, early Georgian, but in somebody elses pile of stuff. Damn Damn Damn. I need another set of Candlesticks like I need a hole in the head, but it's not my nature to pass them by...
A good deal on a kitschy antique porcelain clock. I think it's a good deal, in any event my pockets weren't so deep, I left it.
"The Seven Storey Mountain", by Thomas Merton, I picked it up. 50 cents.
And a beautiful inlaid music box, made in Italy. I had to pick this up, I remember buying one for a girlfriend in the early 80's, cost a fortune, well over $100 when $100 was a proper sum of money, I'm not leaving it here...
With Key!!
***
From here, a couple of other garage sales, nothing of interest. Then the road home, there were a couple of people putting out signs on the drive in...
And this is where I score: A big barn, filled with miscellaneous rubbish, everything, a collector...
3 vintage cameras, excellent condition, with flash bulbs and a leather case for the Zeiss...
$5.00 each. Surprisingly they're not worth a lot more than that, but for aesthetics and mixed media possibilities they're priceless. After some internal debating I pick them up, there's lots more equipment, lenses and such, but I'm on the first tour of the room. I'm being followed, I don't know it, but walking round the barn - a Hamilton 8 Day instrumentation clock, pair of vintage snowshoes, pick up, admire, by the time I make my second pass they're gone...
And:
Uranium pressed glass swan. Under UV Light:
I'm glad I held on to the Cameras, and given that I'm 90 minutes or so late I wonder what I missed - I definitely chose my garage sales in the wrong order...
Excellent quality bikers wallet, with chain - perfect for waitering. I have similar in Calgary, better even, but the finding of them in the locker is it's own private Idaho...
Another bunch of sales in the trailer park by Balfour, nothing of interest.
***
Sunday, up, return to the sale - if the prices have dropped I'll clean up on the camera lenses - perfect for mixed media. Most of them are sold, but they've laid out a few new treasures for me:
Plumb bob and Camera lens, the only one remaining, they were too good to leave, somebody scooped me on my indecision. Fair enough.
Antique/Vintage #4 Redwing Pot. Great for plants...
Fly fishing rod. I'll be needing this.
And a chop-saw, $10, at another sale in Balfour, I tried to dicker them down, "Make us an offer" they said, but there's no reasonable offer you can make on a chop saw that isn't double or triple the price they were selling it at...
***
Monday, in town for happy hour, pop into a couple of thrift shops. And I find this:
A Pelikan Drafting set, perfect. Not a deal, market price, but a unique thing and I can't wait to try it out...
All in all, an excellent weekend's garage sales...
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