RCMP Musical Ride

 Opening this event was a short demonstration of canine handlers. It involved a well trained German shepherd and a much younger German shepherd. A gentleman in the arena was heavily padded on his right arm, in his left hand he held a long padded item. Both dogs were given cues to attack. While the trained dog did exactly that, the youngster seemed to have a more playful manner, but I suppose still lacks maturity and training!

There was a brief introduction to intense threats to public safety. Blue and red lights flashing, a heavily armoured vehicle was driven into the arena showing us one response vehicle. It certainly wasn’t one of the sleek RCMP cruisers we see on the streets of Regina.

A cadet troop, unmounted, gave a marching precision display. Maintaining the same marching pace despite obvious differences in height, was a testament to their commitment. Men and women enter the RCMP for a 26 week Cadet program. Following completion of the program they are offered employment with the RCMP with peace officer status.

Safety Bear, the RCMP Musical Ride mascot, made an appearance at the entrance to the arena. After that it appeared between events. 

However the grandest part of this show was the Musical Ride Troop. The precision and control of scarlet coated riders on black horses was incredible. For the entire demonstration, the officers held the reins with one hand and a lance in the other, never varying. Difficult choreographed patterns took the troop throughout the arena, along the guard rails, criss crossing and never missing a step. 

There was one misstep that could have cause serious injuries. I was not close enough to see what exactly happened. I was told that one horse’s girth strap broke away, leaving the officer in the dirt, the saddle dangling. The horse stood quietly, the officer dusted himself off. A second officer quickly came to assist, as soon as possible leading them out of harms way. In the meantime the troops executing an intricate maneuver did not stop, but completed their maneuver successfully. I was very impressed.

The audience did not completely fill the stands, but we were all enthusiastic, clapping and cheering with each event. At the end of the demonstration, the audience was invited to come to the guard rails to see the horses and have pictures taken with them. Several of the officers guided their beautiful black horses to the guard rails. Little ones petted soft black noses, some children with trepidation and  others with big smiles. It was a lovely afternoon outing with three new friends!

“At its finest, rider and horse are joined not by tack, 

but by trust ... Each is totally reliant upon each other. 

Each is the selfless guardian of each other’s very well-being.”

~ Author Unknown

Coming to the Page

Coming to the page….. my companion for decades. Some call it a brain dump, which it is. But I see it more of a companion. Not always cheerful, not always charming, sometimes whining!! OMG! Such a whiner. Fortunately, over the years, that has slowed and almost stopped. Hmmm……I seem to have written something like this before. But, it’s probably been a long time ago, so this morning the words ‘coming to the page’ felt fresh and a great beginning to an essay. This simple action of coming to the page each morning wakes up my mind to solutions rather than worries, gratitude rather than annoyance. There have been days missed; or mornings that became afternoons. All for a variety of reasons. These pages also are reminders of birthdays, world events, my to-do’s for the day, and about the birds in the trees, the weather. There have been the beginnings of stories, dreadful poetry, dreams, ideas or just a good pity party. Occasionally when words fail me, I sketch something - sometimes notes of music, sometimes a tree or a flower or just a doodle. For a time, my penmanship was becoming completely illegible, but with a new project on the horizon that will require good penmanship, my daily entry has become my practice companion. Coming to the page is much more than journaling. When I began writing these Morning Pages, I wrote just because it was recommended. Realizing its value to me, I have continued and will continue even if it’s just two lines on my way out the door. 

“Inspiration may sometimes fail to show up for work

 in the morning, but determination never does.”

~ K.M. Weiland

 

Clouds

On the boulevard,

one tree, devoid of leaves,

stands tall between 

fully leafed partners 

while clouds hover, 

puffed up, posturing, 

adrift to the afternoon sun, 

“The sky, a perfect empty canvas, offers clouds nonetheless. 

They shift and drift and beg interpretation,,,,such is the nature of art.”

~ Jeb Dickerson

Chapter Two, Episode 145 - Talking the Talk - Situationally Theirs

Talking the Talk

Dez wondered if the leaves in the apple trees could tell her anything. They trembled in the breeze, hung heavy with fruit for the kitchen and apple pies. She and Matt still had not set a date. Matt was usually at his orchard and she at hers. Spring then summer. Apples were ripening. There was no time away for either of them. They tried to help one another out, but had never talked about making any kind of plan. Some days everything worked out, they left for Matt’s farm early, took care of his sprinklers and made sure there had been no branches down if there had been a wind storm. Matt often grumbled about not being home enough to keep an eye on things. He always apologized to Dez. Then it was forgotten a moment later. But today, Dez felt a tug on her heart. He was unhappy with their arrangement and so was she. He was taking on, for her, the management of her orchard when she only wanted to learn from him. 

Before that magic night when he proposed to her, they talked over things. Farming things, family, what a life together would look like. When the real work started and continued as spring rolled into summer, their talks were no longer dreams. It had become hard reality. A cool morning, Dez breathed deeply of the fresh apple aroma and smiled. “Yes, this is what I want and I want Matt beside me. How am I……how are we going to make us happen? We can’t just uproot a whole orchard and put them side by side.” Her shoulders felt heavy. Trying to shrug off the weight, she looked up. The clouds had pushed their way down the island, thicker and deep slate grey tinged with orange from the forest fires on the mainland. She felt tiny spits of rain on her face and pulled the hood of her rain slicker up. 

“Penny for your thoughts!” Matt’s voice, cool as the rain, startled her. She spun around, her hood falling off. “Matt! What are you doing here!?” He grinned and stepped back. “I suppose I could leave, but it’s about to rain so I thought I’d come find you.” Dez reached for him, pulling him towards her. “Don’t you dare. I was just thinking about you, about us. I even asked the trees if they knew anything.” He wrapped his arms around her as the rain started to fall. “Did they tell you anything?” Breathless, Dez couldn’t answer him. In that moment of no work, they kissed as though they had been far away from each other for weeks. Dez finally leaned her head back. “You know we’re getting wet, don’t you?” Matt just nuzzled her neck and whispered. “I hadn’t really noticed it, but if you think we should dry off, we could go to the house. Dez turned inside his arms and started walking home. Hand in hand they went in out of the rain.

~~~~~

“You know we have to work something out.” Wearing one of Matt’s plaid shirts, Dez was up making coffee and getting them something to eat. “We don’t have much in the fridge, should we order pizza?” Matt called from the bathroom. “What did you say? I can’t hear you with this shower running.” Dez was already on the phone ordering pizza and extras.” Matt came out of the bathroom wearing a towel and running a comb through his hair. “Shower’s all yours, honey. Like the shirt!” Dez blushed. “It’s not quite my style but all I could find in a hurry. I’ve ordered the pizza, money’s on the table and the coffee’s just about ready.” Giving him a quick kiss, she disappeared into the bathroom. Matt hurried back to the bedroom to pull his jeans and a T-shirt on. Muttering to himself, he said “Delivery shouldn’t be here that quick but you never know.”

~~~~~

“You said we needed to talk about something. What is it, Dez? You still want to get married?” A tremble in Matt’s voice gave his feelings away. “Oh, Matt! Of course I do. It’s not about that, but that is something else we need to talk about soon.” This talking was rocky territory for her. Previous relationships had always crumbled after the talking got too serious. “It’s about the orchards, and the apiaries Matt. We are seldom together because we each have work in separate places. When we are together we could work well together.” She hesitated, didn’t know how to tell him how she felt. “So, we could work well together. I thought we did. Tell me what you mean. We’ve both had our share of dung-heaps in our lives and survived, so let’s have it.” Dez got up for a glass of water. “Ok. I feel like you don’t trust me to do the same work you do. I just want to know what to do, not have you do it for me.” Matt hung his head. Relieved he had been sure she was going to call it off. Just stay in half of a relationship. “I didn’t know I was doing anything wrong. I guess I’ve just been an orchardist most of my life and it’s all reflex to me.” Dez started to explain herself, but stopped. “Haven’t you had anyone working with you?”

Now it was Matt’s turn to blush. “Of course I have but they were trained or learned quickly.” Dez interrupted. “Any of them women?” They both grinned, smiled and then laughed until they couldn’t speak. Gasping Matt said, “Are you calling me a miso..misogen…..that word?” Dez dried her face on her sleeve. “Not really, but if the shoe fits, Matt!” 

The rest of the evening dissolved into deep discussions of how they could change things. “It will take so much longer, Dez. Going through everything with you.”  Pacing the kitchen, Dez finger combed her hair in frustration, “But Matt, you did that workshop a couple of years ago and you’re a good teacher.You just have to let me do it without killing the trees.” Matt cleared up the table and washed out the coffee pot. “Seriously? You can’t kill the trees; you might not have as many apples the next year, but the trees get over our mistakes.”

The rain had continued through the evening into the night. The couple were still talking about their differences when they went to bed. “Let’s just go to sleep and talk again in the morning. I love you Matt.” Dez turned out the light. Only a night bird sang as the last drops of rain fell. Matt had the last word “I love you Dez.”

“It’s important to make sure that we’re talking with each other 

in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.”

~ Barack Obama

Rules of the Soul

 

routine too rigid 

no longer serves me

fixed corners deny living and 

life outside these walls. 

breaking the frame; pieces

create new spaces and places

for wider vistas with

open doors and windows

juggling, puzzling ~ rigid rules

softened and sung to gently serve

with a new grace after the shock of 

any change tossed in our lap.

“It is discouraging to try to penetrate a mind like yours. 

You ought to get it out and dance on it. 

That would take some of the rigidity out of it.”

~ Mark Twain

When Words Fail Me

When words fail me ~

tangled in my mind,

music flows and charms

piano keys and finger tips

trace rhythm through me

in chords and bounding runs

without a piano my finger tips

still shadow the ghost of waltz

when words fail me ~

“Where words fail, music speaks.”

~ Hans Christian Andersen

Picking up the Threads

increasingly restless, 

sometimes anxious.

growing impatience with

what’s next?

In time, family visits by telephone, text, messaging 

and other electronic media have filled many days!

family relationships, growing thin for decades, 

becoming stronger with 

new friendships blossoming. 

I was frightened, insecure and driven in 2020.

purposely stepping back so as not to become a thorn 

Today, I am grateful and still committed to designing

a good and full life with much more to look forward to.

“A gentle heart is tied with an easy thread.”

~ George Herbert