new friend #1

During this limbo period my family has been living with my wife's parents at their acreage outside of the Big City. It's been both wonderful and oppressive at the same time.

Wonderful, in that there's plenty of space and privacy, plenty of remodeling work either with my father-in-law or at my wife's sister's house, and plenty of get-away/retreat like environment.

Oppressive, in that my in-law's are steeped in mine and my wife's church heritage and religious culture. They mostly associate with other church people. And there's many unwritten rules and cultures which they seem happy to indoctrinate my small children with. Most of these have to do with keeping that damned outside of the cup polished. But I digress.

So after being in the Big City and away from the wonderful environment the creator is brewing in River Dog, I feel lonely. And stuck in a church-only world

But then I meet Wally. He's the 50-ish basement dwelling next door neighbor to my sister-in-law where I do work most of the week. He offered me coffee one day while watching me tear out a deck. How could I refuse.

Wally use to do contract work as well as trucking. He seems to be impressed with my skills. He's given me great advice when I was removing a defunct chimney flue and has even given me a pocket sized book on Canadian building codes.

He seems like an aged neo-hippie intellectual. Right up my alley. I don't think my in-laws would have ever associated with him.

Funny. The guy the church people never noticed has become my friend.

Wally is the only guy I've ever met in Canada that's reached out to me and acts like he gives a damn.

Thank you creator.