A SURE THING...

          A few people have told me that they miss my blogs - one woman saying I had a way with words - which I thought was a very nice compliment. I pretty much stopped writing blogs when I had been diagnosed with cancer, getting on close to 2 years now because I didn't want to sound as if I was whining all the time.  Between the radiation and chemo, you might say the crap was literally kicked out of me. After the first operation, Dr. Knapp cutting me open, (supposed to be a 3 hr. operation turning into 8 hrs.) rearranged my guts and attached a plastic bag to my tummy. I thought it might come in handy as a little purse, you know, stuff coins into it, especially toonies, have no idea how many of those we spent at the hospital parking lot. Besides losing all my hair, I also lost 30 pounds, actually got blown over by a gust of wind when I stepped out of the truck one cold November day. Hard to believe, there I was laying on the sidewalk and the rain pouring down on me; I knew I needed a bath but I thought that was rather extreme. A couple of months ago, Dr. Singh- Ranger removed the ileostomy bag and then arranged all my guts in the correct places. I'm still trying to get everything inside me working properly, at least as well as I can; told me I'd have to find a new normal for me - and also said I'd never be the man I used to be - would take one to two years to build up my strength; I'm still unable to twist a cap off an orange juice bottle, I'm so fricking weak.  However, all that being said I still have an A-hole but I no longer have a rectum - doctor described it as a drain pipe. Once my body gets the urge and even sometimes doesn't get the urge, it just starts coming out - I could probably go in a shitting-contest and win a blue ribbon for pooping out the longest turd - they're sometimes 2' in length or longer. 

            Although I haven't been writing any blogs, I have been writing, which is difficult - seems I have cataracts and my vision has really deteriorated - everything is blurry. Nothing like a half-blind artist and writer - if my eyesight keeps worsening, I'll have to buy a monitor that uses braille in order to feel the little bumps on the screen. But hey, I'm supposedly cancer free at the moment, so that's a good thing and even if I hadn't had that dreaded disease, I might be in the same state anyway - damn near 78, which makes me an old worn out bastard just the same.

          I've written several short stories while I'm still recovering and expect will write more, even though I have enough short stories to self-publish another book. A Sure Thing is based on the ten years I worked and lived at the racetrack (Exhibition Park, Vancouver, BC) when I was a young man. The photo at the bottom is a racehorse named Rough Road and I'm holding onto him next to my dad. He owned and trained 'Ruffy' as we called him. He was a great horse, almost always brought home a paycheck when he ran. He was one of those horses that have you holding your breath and tightly clutching your form chart because he always came out of nowhere from behind. And when he started moving that's when you started yelling! The story isn't about Rough Road but although there is some truth in this tale, it is highly fictitious. 

          During my years at the racetrack (being similar to a carnival atmosphere) I met many interesting people and looked after a lot of racehorses, so I've been thinking of writing a book about my experiences there and titling it Horse Tails. Although I had a lot of fun and exciting times then, I also had some very sad times too. 

          My book, A Sure Thing and 6 Other Short Stories will soon be available. The price is $15. plus $5. for shipping if it has to be posted. If anyone is interested or would like to prepay for the book, please let me know because it will give me a good idea how many books I should order from the printers. This is the second book of short stories I've published, the first being The Confession and Other Short Stories, which is the same price.

           Since my wife Sarah was able to magnify the monitor, it feels good to be able to write again  - can't even read a book these days because the printing is too small and blurry. At least I don't feel as useless anymore. She calls me her "giant toddler" (with love and gentle humour) and in some respects that's just what I've become. I'm hoping I'll be able to paint again if I don't make it too realistic, so I'll be trying that before too long, especially since there are quite a few blank canvases on hand and painting has been such a big part of my life, basically earned a living as an artist.

          Because so many friends and relatives have been exceptionally good to us during my cancer ordeal and are still continuing to do so, I'd really like to take this time to give them my heartfelt appreciation. To go through something like I'm going through would be terrible if I was totally alone, which some people are. I've always been an independent sort and to suddenly find myself unable to do very much and at times unable to do anything, to have help from others is something I don't take lightly and if able, would do the same for them.  

          My wife and I have an Etsy store for some of our other crafty endeavours. She makes beautiful rugs (upcycled-clothing) and I've been making jewelry made from dough (if you're starving and like lots of salt, simply scrape the paint and clear finish off and eat them) - cheers, eh.