That’s Enough Work For Now

I was watching a video on Youtube today of traditional Hawaiian fishponds. They built walls of stone in the ocean that was under water at high tide and at low tide the stone wall would keep fish inside. It was a relatively simple matter to harvest the trapped fish with a net. Pretty smart and very effective.

 

I have been thinking about making a net for a number of years now. I don’t have an ocean with a low stone wall out of my back door. More is the pity. I don’t even like fish very much unless it is battered and deep fried, served with a bucket of French fries. However, I think that net making would be a pretty useful skill if our society collapses and I need to trade knowledge for food.

 

I also have a ball hanging from the rafters in the garage that lets us know when the car is parked in the correct position which would benefit from being in a net. Right now it just has a rope with an eye hook, but Hurricane and Tornado make short work of it when I let them play in the garage. I think a net would take the pounding and still be useful for parking the cars. If I could make a large enough net, the sweet peas would have a cool place to climb next summer. I could make a net to hold all of the various balls that I have accumulated over the years. I should probably toss them out as they no longer hold air.

 

Even though I have lots of reusable bags and baskets for grocery shopping, I have an image in my mind of European ladies coming from the market with a net bag filled with fresh produce. I could be one of those European ladies! I could make a hammock, not right away of course, but eventually. It would be light enough that I could take it to Hawaii with me and stretch it between two palm trees over looking some Hawaiians using a traditional fishpond.

 

Well, now I have managed to come full circle without any effort what-so-ever. That’s enough work for now. 

John XV LI

This seems to be a weekend to think about the past.

Last night I went to a get together at a local bar with many of the people I used to work with. It was fun to reminisce and laugh about the people and happenings from twenty years ago. They are still just as funny and just a little twisted as they were back in the day. Most of them are retired now and those that aren’t are counting down the days. Good for them. We are all a little greyer, a little thicker and not one of us would be the first to get down on our knees to pick up a quarter. Getting back up is a bitch.

We played catch up remembering the stories of kids that are now adults with kids of their own. There was a fair amount of grandkid talk and it was interesting to see the eyes light up when we got going. Of course we also talked about those that hadn’t come to the get together and those that would never again come to a get together. I have always been a little uncomfortable talking about death but lately I am less uncomfortable and more interested to hear that they passed quietly and in peace. You get a lot of old farts together and it’s either, grandkids, operations or funerals as the subject of conversation.

Luckily, all of us have retained our dirty minds and foul mouths. Some things never change.

Tonight, a good friend from high school is celebrating his 65^th birthday. Unfortunately I won’t be able to attend as that damned lottery fairy forgot where I lived…AGAIN! I would love to be back in Scarborough as the weather is nicer than it is here and there will be a killer party. It’s hard to believe that John will be 65. It’s hard to believe that I would let a quarter stay on the ground because my knees ache.

I do remember another party for John about 50 years ago. The walls were covered in tinfoil with strobe lights reflecting off of them. The music was incredibly good and loud and relatively new. Those songs wouldn’t be golden oldies for another fifteen years or so. There was a cake that was bejewelled with all sorts of candy and quite possibly made with love and herbs. There was so much smoke hanging in the air that Jack the Ripper would have felt like he was in London’s Whitechapel district. Not surprisingly, everyone was smiling and having a very good time. We were young and had endless opportunities in front of us.

Not all of our dreams have been realized but for the most part there is a happiness that has followed all of us through the years. There isn’t one of the people at that party so many years ago that I have ever regretted being a part of my life. John has remained steadfastly at the centre and is the rock that anchors us all.

Happy Birthday John and may life continue to intrigue you for many years to come.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKg_XJHzKVQ