The Distance of 108 Miles...

A couple of weeks ago I left the comforts of a blustery and dark Victoria to join my friends Chris and Catherine and their two kids Eric (aged 5) and Caitlin (aged 7) on a trip to Chris' parents place in 108 Mile House.  His parents are a wonderful couple.  His father is English (or Welsh or something equally Anglo-European) and thusly has an understated, dry, sense of humor, which has been passed down to Chris.  His mother is equal parts motherly warmth and cut-the-bullshit-no-nonsense.  When I was 18 years old, it was the basement of their old house in North Delta that I had moved into after I had moved out of my parents house.  I have thought of them as surrogate parents ever since.  Chris' Dad, Peter, loves it when I call him dad.  Ok.  Not so much.  {grin}

So, how does this trip factor into my knowledge journey?  Well, a couple of things were learned during my time there.  First off there was the rudimentary basics of operating and effectively using a chainsaw. Once we were armed with that knowledge we took advantage of the second thing learned.  Apparently it is illegal to cut down the trees in the green spaces around 100 Mile House (and surrounding areas including 108 Mile House), HOWEVER, you are allowed to traipse through the forests and chop up and cart away as much deadfall as you like!  

One day I want this life!!!  A life of getting up the dawn after a big wind storm, putting on layer after layer of warm woolen clothing, loading a tobogan with my axe, my chain saw and a thermos of coffee or hot chocolate and going on a search for fuel as the snow drifts gently down.  Finding an alder or spruce collapsed in a tangle of branches.  Taking my axe to the thinner branches and chainsaw to the bigger ones until I have whittled the tree down to the trunk, then using the chainsaw and cutting that trunk into transportable logs, loading up the tobaggan and carting the logs up to the wood shed.  When I  have the full tree dismembered and relocated, going inside and grabbing a warm lunch, then heading back out to chop up those logs into firewood and kindling.   Once that is done, sitting on the couch in front of the fire with a book in one hand and my lady fair snuggled up beside me enjoying the same or surfing the net on her laptop, while texting on her Iphone and watching a show she has PVRed. {Grin} {Sigh}  One day.  One day.

"But what about this new attempt at getting the blog published on a regular basis mentioned in the previous post?" you may be asking.  Well, this all boils down to a challenge that Chris put to me while in 108 Mile.  The premise?  We each choose three things that we would like to do on a daily basis but have thus far failed to achieve.  In my case it was this blog, doing some sort of exercise, and brushing and flossing.  We would then keep track of what we complete each day and log each activity as complete or incomplete over the course of 12 days.  The winner at the end of that would get something from the other.  In my case it was for Chris to play a game of chess with me.  In his case it would be for me to cook breakfast for him and his family.  

It has definiitely encouraged me to post more frequently, but I fear I may have lost this challenge.  I will know for certain on Saturday, also know as tomorrow.  I shall petition for another challenge after this one regardless of the outcome.  I have found that a sprinkling of good natured competition is quite nice.  {smile}.

Next post:  My quest for a Tim Hortons homestyle biscuit!