….we are facing two main existential threats both complemented by a small coterie of side issues almost as dire. The side issues include the international (many examples) threat to Democracy, corruption, fentanyl, crime, social media and, of course, economics. The two main big threats are Climate Change and Nuclear War. Noam is no Rebecca of Sunnybrook these days. Noam looks a bit depressed, to be honest.

I, on the other hand, am feeling a bit better. The sun is shining, the commercial prawn trappers have left the area (having scoured it clean but it was a bad year all ’round, anyway). Our garden is growing and we have done little in the way of helping it do that. Feels like free veggies! But probably the main reason is my old friend, Ted. He and his wife, Lois, came to visit. Ted is 74. I have known him since he was 16. That is 58 years by my reckoning.

And we have been friends the entire time. That is not easy for anyone. It seems I can be obnoxious on occasion. I cannot deny it. In fact, I shot Ted twice and we are still friends.

The first time was when we were going to university and living in a city park as security against a gang of thugs that were terrorizing an East-end neighbourhood. Ted, in an effort to build a relationship with the delinquent youth put a few of them in his old Citroen one night and drove the car around the park following the paths, around the wading pool and was trying to hit warp speed as he exited just near the caretaker’s suite.

I, of course, being the responsible one, had advised him not to do that…“It only encourages them to do the same!” As he flew by, I grabbed his pellet gun and fired a shot into the half open window on the driver’s side hitting Ted’s ear. He yowled with pain, slew the car around a few trees and came to a sliding stop with is car nudged up against a big Cedar. He was not happy. “That’s what ya get for being bad, Ted!”

Still somewhat impressed by my own shooting skills, I was sitting on the kitchen table in the suite one day and considered shooting Ted again. No real reason. He was in the bathroom and had just stepped out of the shower. I was sitting on the kitchen table about twenty feet away and imagining where he would be standing now that he was out of the shower. The door was closed, of course, but I figured it might be possible to hit him if I shot the pellet right under the door. In exactly the right place. There was maybe a 3/4″ gap to the floor. I took the shot. About a second later another blood curdling yowl was heard from as far as two streets away. A wide-eyed and naked Ted appeared as the door opened and he yelled, “I just got bit by a snake! But I can’t find it.” And he ran out of the suite into the park with the towel not performing it’s intended function.

Friends like that are hard to find.

We have stories. Lots of stories. Great stories.

The visit was good. I mean, I have to ‘pat him down’ for firearms before gathering everyone into our boat but, other than that logical caution, it was a great few days.