Well, I'm about to head back to my summer home in a few hours. It has been a wonderful time this week. I saw lots of people, and I made it to two chamber music concerts which were wonderful.
Odd sensation today. In conclusion, I think I don't really appreciate living out in the wilderness. I walked home, maybe 20 minutes, in my suburban neighbourhood and really enjoyed the summer air and weather. To me there is no air fresher than the air you breath after holding your breath to avoid a car's exhaust. I don't feel that refreshed when I'm at the narrows and walking around in the fresh air.... I love the creek I live by - Sturgeon Creek. As wonderful as Lake Manitoba Narrows is to swim in and to watch... I still prefer my little marshland creek. Today I crossed the creek by stepping on the rocks.
I love that sensation of not knowing which rocks are going to be stable, you might just topple over into the water. It will forever remind me of elementary school. In gym class, we would all walk down to the creek and then we'd have to run along the creek all the way down from one bridge, cross the water there and then back to the other bridge to back where we started from. Some of us would always cheat.... there was a little island in the middle of the creek which you could get to by walking on the rocks. Coming up to this area, we would slow down the run and then shave off about 5 minutes of the run by crossing there and we'd play around on the island. It always seemed like a long time, and we'd join the group when the rest of the runners would come running by. Sometimes we'd get caught, but it was always worth the risk.
The same creek also reminds me of my late puppy Rex. He was afraid of water from the get go. He was always the kind of dog that would jump over or scoot around puddles, and giving him baths was always a hassle! One summer, I decided to cure him of his fear (thoughtful me). I took him for a walk down to the creek and tried for quite a while to coax him into walking into the water. I went in and tried calling him.... Obviously that didnt work. I tried pulling on his chain to pull him into the water - he got me back by causing me to fall into the water. The next step was to pick him up and place him in the water. Keep in mind that this was super shallow... maybe halfway up my calves. He would either sit there or try and run back out. I would be supportive and pet him and tell him he was a good boy or give him treats.
In the end, not much changed... he still didn't like the water.
I guess there really is no moral to that story.... too bad.
But, the moral of the set of stories is that I think I call this home. I like the city. I like creeks in the city.
The End