I've been back in Fort McMurray for nearly three weeks now. I had intended on writing sooner but the weight of re-entry into the city has been more taxing on me than I had originally thought possible. The level of devastation I have seen in the aftermath of the fire has been indescribable. Despite my… Continue reading Epilogue: Life Beyond Re-Entry
Far over the boreal forest old From Sturgeon hold past Athabasca road We must away ere break of day To reclaim our long departed home. 33 days. That's how long it has been since we were evacuated from our home. 33 days since fire and smoke engulfed our city. 33 days since we fled not… Continue reading Tales from the North: There and Back Again
We all have those moments when you do something without even realizing it. It was you doing it, and you did the task willingly, but there was a brief disconnect between the conscious and subconscious for whatever reason. For example, you’ve put your car keys somewhere other than where they normally go. You remember having… Continue reading Seemingly Insignificant: Pieces from the Fort McMurray Fire Evacuation
It's been 5 days since we've been forced to evacuate from our homes and our city - 5 very long and hard days. Most of us have been watching the news in horror as more pictures come in from the fires still raging up north and what remains of the fire ravaged neighbourhoods we left… Continue reading Tales from the North: We are the City
I wake up this morning and I realize that I am looking at a completely different world. The room that I wake up in is not mine. The items carefully placed in it are not of my choosing. I continue rubbing my red and stinging eyes as the world around me finally comes into focus.… Continue reading Tales from the North: Exodus
I didn't go to work today. I'll admit it without any hesitation. I'm not sick and I'm not playing hookie, so to speak. I made this decision after spending an evening watching large clouds of thick dark smoke blot out the sun and wild flames engulf acres of trees. I made this decision because of… Continue reading Tales from the North: My World’s on Fire
It is amazing what we can accomplish when we give our creative selves a chance to explore, play and run free. As I've mentioned in a previous post, "What Am I?", I had the opportunity to take a creative writing course this past fall. To this point, I had always enjoyed writing, but had never… Continue reading The Paperclip: Based on a True Story
Too often, we overlook the impact an animal has on our lives. As I sit here in the early hours of the morning, with the sun just starting to peak its head up over the trees, I realize that it's been a while since I've written anything. The same thought hit me around my birthday… Continue reading Our Short Lived Friends
A question that everybody is all too familiar with, I'm sure. That famous moment when you pause, think and ask yourself, "What am I and/or who am I?" This question is never an easy one to answer and sometimes the journey it will lead you on is scary, enlightening and unexpected. We all have to… Continue reading What Am I?
The final stretch at last! 24 days have gone by so quickly, it barely felt like any time at all. Day after day of mystery, and before I knew it I was pulling the last advent beer out of the box. It has truly been a fantastic and interesting experience. Now, without further delay, we… Continue reading BeerAdvent 2015: I Just Got Run Over by a Reinbeer
The CJBuzz 