Looking Back

 We had breakfast with Liz and Al at the Casino Deli this morning.  Once again, good food and good friends.

Mardi and I spent a bit more time at the slots today.  I lost some but I'm still ahead (barely) for the two days.  Mardi won some more - enough to pay for two turtle necks at the Outlet Mall.

A great time.  We'll have to do it again!

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At breakfast, Al and I reminisced about our time at Dofasco and our retirements about 30 years ago.  He headed north and started an antique business, something that he loved doing for years.

In my case, about two years before I decided to retire, the company needed to go through a cost reduction program.  President Paul Phoenix advised that we needed a 20% manpower reduction and asked all departments to work on that.  But no "or else", so only two departments apparently took it seriously.  My department was one of the two that accomplished the goal - the folks willingly came on board to help eliminate or streamline their jobs.

But two years later the edict came down from new President John Mayberry that all departments must reduce by 20% or else, and no exceptions.  Firm action was required, but it was not fair to the two departments that had taken the first request seriously.  It appeared that the people in my department would face an unfair penalty and potential job loss after helping to achieve the earlier goal.  So I decided to help the process by being part of the 20%.  Not exactly what I wanted, but what I felt that I had to do.

Two weeks later I started working for Larry's Truck Inc. as an assistant to the President.  After he sold the business four years later I left and began to apprentice for a farm labour position, helping David at the greenhouse, a job that I love.  I  show up when I want, leave when I'm tired, do what I think needs doing, and David ignores me unless he needs my help with something specific, which for a few years meant running the garden centre.  

A dream job!  Have I mentioned that I'm happy?

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As requested, David forwarded some more pictures and a brief commentary from his travels in Italy:

"Missed a turn heading back across Italy to the Amalfi Coast and ended up at a Canadian War Cemetery just outside Ortona. The first picture is from Wikipedia showing one brother at the grave of another brother in 1944. Next picture, we found the head stone for the dead brother. Next is Sue among the graves. Last, there were two men looking after the cemetery. Everything was perfect. I did a quick count of head stones and came up with 1200. I was wrong. There are over 1600 of which over 1300 are Canadian."

That last picture is pretty impressive.  Other than three fallen Maple leaves in the foreground (which are meaningful in themselves) you can tell the reverence that is felt by the people of Italy for the people who died fighting for them.

Thank you David.  Keep it coming.

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Tomorrow it's back to the greenhouse.  Stay well.