Writing Samples

How to wait for summer
by Kevin Dowler

It’s getting to that time of year to put away the green oil paints and retrieve the shades of grey.

There is still some time to use the warm orange and red tubes to paint the, colors found in the region’s turning’ leaves.

Summer painters will soon only have memories and photographs to use as models for their paintings.

Outdoor sportsmen will replace their ball gloves and fishing rods with hockey gloves and skis.

For others, it means moving indoors to wait for next summer by going back to our winter hobbies.

What, you have no winter hobby? Well, do I have an idea for you.

Sure we may be up north, only the federal government’s Taxation Tax Force may argue otherwise, but we have many winter hobbies at our disposal.

Through Continuing Education, the local recreation board, performing arts societies, colleges and clubs, there is no excuse to spend winter staring at South Pacific travel brochures, unless of course, you really like to do that sort of thing.

What better way to prove we live in the far north than making your own Eskimo style parka at the course offered every year through Continuing Education.

And if you’ve never been a good bread baker you can always use your rock hard bread in the Bread Sculpture course.

And for those intellectuals there are the many college courses open for those who wish to expand their minds.

Not to forget the many author readings sponsored by the local libraries, schools and colleges throughout the winter.

If a person really wanted to, they could be busy every night taking part in another course, club or association.

And if you get enough of other people during your day, there are also many one man hobbies such as painting, photography and of course, reading.

Then there is always my favorite, meditating.

Okay, so some people may mistake it for vegetating out while staring into space, but I know that it is a good way of getting to the higher stage of meditation, the trance.

Although my wife calls it napping, by my calling it meditation I can get away with the well being of a well rested body.

Then there is the group of people who like to do self diagnostic testing for the sake of the beer companies on how much beer a guy can drink on a Sunday afternoon but let’s leave the subcultures out of this.

Already feeling some of my ancestral lethargy setting in with the approaching winter, I feel it is about time to tend to my afternoon nap, er, I mean meditation.

For those of you who have not yet decided on what they are going to do this winter and missed the recent Fall Fairs, try contacting your local recreation office for information on groups you may be interested in joining.

And now I’m off to my pursuits of higher planes of existence.

Ommmmm, Ommm, Ommzzz, Zzzzzzz, Zzzzzzz, Zzz...