Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom (And Whimsy)

Posted on September 10, 2025 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with no comments yet

No shower in the forecast

 

“I’ve been waiting, for a girl like you,

To come into my life.”

Waiting For a Girl Like You – Foreigner

Watching paint dry: Part 3

But wait. There’s more.

Ah! You’re showing your age if you recognize this famous tag line. How many of you knew instantly that this was the iconic pitch line of K-Tel? Millennials and Gen- Xers will just have to Google this.

If you haven’t read my two previous posts, this one won’t make much sense, dear reader. Truthfully, the other two didn’t make a lot of sense either.

I’m back in Victoria.

“But Len. You were there just a few weeks ago. What could possibly entice you to return so soon, even if the Air Canada strike was resolved?

A woman.

But before I tell you about the woman, first a brief anecdote from my plane trip. I travelled on Porter and after this experience, I doubt if I’ll use any other domestic airline.

A parent came down the aisle with two young teenagers in tow. They had identical hard shelled carryon bags, cherry red in color. The parent lifted the first one into the overhead bin. The handle was pointing out preventing the bin from closing. Craftily, they turned the bag sideways and, presto, it fit nicely. The parent lifted the second bag and placed it beside its twin, handle out. After careful consideration, the second bag was aligned with the other and the bin could now be closed.

The parent now crossed the aisle to put the third, and last bag, in the overhead bin. Handle out.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

I digress.

A woman.

Smart. Talented. Athletic. Sure and confident.

On my previous visit a fortnight ago, I discovered that Carly was a professional athletic therapist. Her impressive resume includes several years working with athletes at MacMaster University and seven years with the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the CFL, five of those as Head Athletic Therapist. She helped the team reach two Grey Cups. Her husband, Tim, played professional football in the CFL winning the Grey Cup when he was playing for the Calgary Stampeders.

The arm that I broke in early April crossing the Pyrenees… That would have made a compelling story but in fact, I tripped in the parking lot outside Sobey’s and fell on the sidewalk. The humerus bone has healed nicely but I ended up with frozen shoulder. I also suffer from frozen brain, but I don’t think she can help me with this.

She treated my arm twice before I flew home few weeks ago. I noticed an immediate improvement and decided that it was worth a trip back to receive intensive therapy for a month.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………My son, Peter, lives on the same acreage as Carly and Tim along with a few other families. I often call it “the commune”. One of the interesting features is an outdoor shower. It is located under a massive arbutus tree, a few feet away from Carly’s home office and the chicken coop. Even though Pete has a shower in his cabin, I was encouraged to try the outdoor shower once before I left for home.

It was a warm and windy day when I stepped inside the small wooden structure. It was simply divine. I’m no prude but the door to the shower kept opening due to the wind. I wasn’t worried about the hens being peeping Tom’s. I closed the door tightly and soon realized that the latch was on the outside of the building. “Grin and bare it,” I thought.

After finishing my ablutions, I realized that getting out might be a problem. Yelling would do me little good, other than ruffling a few feathers a stone’s throw away. I eventually stood on my tippy toes and with my good arm, was able to reach over the top and unhook the latch.

I saved myself from an embarrassing situation. Yes. I knew you would get it!

The paint is dry, but it might require a second coat.

Stay tuned.

“But wait. There’s more”.

Have a great weekend.

P.S. As a tribute to my late friend, Dan O’Connell, I decided to take a stab at the New York Times crossword puzzle. I used to get the weekend edition of the Globe and Mail on a regular basis but consume most of my news online these days. The last time I remember buying a copy of the Globe it was $3.50. This time around, it set me back $8.40. You’re worth it Dan!