Dave Squatch Ward: Who's a Fat Bastard - Zombie Mums and Cemeteries

November 12, 2014

I feel like Nutmeg looks! I took this picture 18 years in the future!

Papa Squatch Dayscare was up and running at 7:45. I woke up able to breathe which is a bonus. My throat is still quite sore and I'm a little achy but everything else feels not too bad. That's an expression you hear quite a lot as you get older. I remember a Scottish song from my childhood. It may have been Harry Lauder or Andy Stewart. I've been walking around singing the chorus to myself all day long. It's titled Nae sae bad. The chorus went like this.

Nae sae bad, that's what they say,

Nae sae bad, everyday

It's never Nae sae good, it's nae sae bad.

It won't cause a great sensation but sums up the situation.

No matter what it is

It's nae sae bad.

I'm sure one of the Scottish folk will let me know who sang that song.

At 8:15 Jen dropped of the kids. I don't have to do anything. They have been washed, fed and dressed for school. When they come through the door I may as well be invisible. "Where's Nutmeg?" Bella says looking around while she pretend hugs her Papa. "No kisses" I told them "Papa's a bag of virulent disease!" They don't care. They just sit on the floor and play with Nutmeg. At 8:40 we get ready to walk across the street to Bella's school. The walk is only two minutes, max. The putting on of coats and boots are another matter. It's better now that they know which foot they go on. Generally speaking with a ten minute lead in, we usually get to the doors just as the bell rings. Like today. Again.

It was cold this morning. We get a little colder up here on top of Blue Mountain when the skies are clear.

8:15 on the back deck.

Don't you just love it when left coasters complain about the cold. "I tell you man, it was -2 when I went to work this morning! I had to order a Vente double shot, low fat, macachino, latte, no whip, just to keep my hands warm!"

For a kid who won't go in the pool I bought for them because the water's too cold, and says to me "People love hot, Papa," Christo never has his coat done up. I do it up for him, then I turn around and it's undone again. I thought he couldn't run the zipper. I was wrong. Must be some Squatch blood in him!

We had fifteen minutes before we had to go to preschool. Time for a music lesson. I had my guitar and Christo had a drum. We've been working on counting beats.1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4 he's becoming much more adept at following my rythym and it often sounds like it's almost in time. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Besides who cares, he smiles the whole time we're playing.

Papa Squatch Dayscare operates on a precise and rigid timetable...never. Everything takes so long with kids. We have done this dozens of times. Yet still he goes and stands beside the drivers door with his booster seat. " Are you driving today?" I ask. "No, Papa I not driving" he says, staring at me like I was nuts. "I'm a kid" "Get in the other side." I enjoy it when it's just the two of us. He has really started talking. He asks questions and points things out to me. He usually rides shotgun. I'm probably not supposed to let him ride in the front seat yet but, that's gotta be safer than me looking over my shoulder to talk to him all the time. I dropped him off at preschool and stopped to do some shopping at Cheap Thrills. Twice in the last month I have made my way with a cart full of groceries to the checkout only to realise, I have no wallet. Not today. I discovered I didn't have my wallet while still in the parking lot. I never did do that shopping.

I'm much improved over the last couple of days but still not right. I played with my Lap Steel for a few minutes, strummed the guitar for a few more and even tried to work on a song with the keyboard. I wasn't into it. My throat is bugging me, my energy level is not so good and I have no appetite. I set the alarm, just in case, and lay on the bed watching the Blacklist Fall Season Finale.

Today was the one year anniversary of my father in law Adrian's passing. I was taking Mama Lee out to the grave site today. We were meeting his daughters there at 1:30. Plans I had made before I was with child. Christo will just have to come along.

I picked Christo up first then went to get Mama Lee. She was just sitting down to lunch. They were late serving today. That turned out well because I still had to feed Christo. "Take your time Mama Lee. I'll feed Christo and come back and get you." I told her. I got Christo a cheeseburger and fries that he ate in the car. Stopped by the house and made myself a cup of Joe. Went back for Mama Lee and headed for the bowels of Surrey. The Garden of Gethsemane Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum at 158 St and 32 Ave. A thirty five minute drive from my place. That's if you listen to the bitch in the box. She told me to take the 152 St exit, but Nooo. I knew a shortcut. I managed to stretch the thirty-five minute drive into almost an hour. Hey, it was a nice sunny day to be driving around in Cloverdale.

We were the last to arrive. Adrian's three daughters were there Sheila, Bernie and Angie as well as two of his Grandkids, Tyler and Travis. They did a nice job on the headstone. Mama Lee was happy with it.

That's good because she's getting planted beside him. Hopefully not for a good long while.

Travis read a poem/prayer that Mama Lee had brought. The gravesite was about the only place in the cemetery that wasn't in bright sunshine. Well, it will be nice and cool in the summer! We moved out into the sun because it was freaking cold! I did Christo's coat up, again! We stood around chatting for five or ten minutes. Then said our goodbyes and slowly, because I was pushing a wheelchair over an unmowed lawn, made our way back to the truck.

It was 2:15 when we left the Garden of Gethsemane Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum. I had Mama Lee back home and warming up by 2:45. The same time I was supposed to be picking Bella up at school. I had called Jen when I saw that we were running late and she had Tamara, our tenant and Matty's mom, to pickup Bella too. Tamara is a super Mom. Heavily involved in her sons education and in fund raising and things at the school. I texted her when I got home and she walked Bella across the street. All of a sudden, the phone is ringing, I'm getting texts and the kids are fighting over who pets Nutmeg the best? Mama Lee was on the phone "Do the BC Lions play tonight?" Christian's text "I'm on my why" and "Knock it off or I'll sell you to the Gypsies!"

I banished the kids to the Green Room. Bella was okay with that because she had three new Library books. I'm so happy that she's a reader. Now Christo is trying really hard to read too. He knows all his letters and his numbers that's a real good start for a four year old. Christian and Adam came by to get the kids. Adam has been working for My neighbour Rods Company, Allcastle Masonry and is seizing up pretty good now. That would suck, surviving the bus trip from Toronto only to perish lugging cement up a hill in West Vancouver! Then there was one, me! Alone for the first time today with my thoughts. Lisa had just texted me my Ho warning so I had about an hour before she got home. She always stops to see Mama Lee if it's before 9:00 which is most nights. She drops off some treats for the nursing staff and visits with her Mom before coming home. She's a good daughter.

I picked a little at some Chilli but I still have no appetite. I think I'll just crawl back into bed and sleep this thing off. As the day progresses it seems to get worse but that's probably because I'm tired and whiny and ill tempered. Wait a minute, that's just another day in Squatchworld. I didn't take a lot of relevant pictures today. I don't know why. I took some pictures of things on my deck this morning. For no apparent reason, here they are.