Woolford and the Wild Canary

My first and possibly only childhood memory of Woolford Provincial Park was made when I was probably about six or seven. I don’t even remember if it was a family trip or some kind of school outing. I’m leaning toward school outing but then again I can’t think of any possible reason for that to have happened. If that is the case then how can I even be sure I went there at all? Well I shall provide the evidence shortly.

Back in 2003 I happened to revisit Woolford in preparation for a family treasure hunt. Some of you may remember this day.

During my search for a few good hiding places I came across this.

I know it seems like nothing, but the shape, color and concrete brought it all back to me. I’m sure it must seem like an ordinary sandbox with a two and a half foot wide hexagonal concrete frame (hmmm) but the real giveaway is the color. Have you ever seen a concrete hole THAT color that didn’t contain water, at least during summer? That’s right, it used to be a wading pool and I remember wading in it. I mean do you know of any other tiny little park out in the middle of nowhere that actually has/had a pool? But really what were they thinking? I’m not surprised at all it ended up as a lowly sandbox but I do appreciate the good intentions.

Woolford is quite an intriguing place. Near the entrance to the park there is an old and very small cemetery with a sign that reads Woolford Cemetery. It’s the kind you might see in an old western movie and might not be surprised if it were spelled sematary instead. There is also a row of about four or five very old houses most of which seem to be still occupied. Most out of place of all there is a very old place of business that was probably some kind of service station/general store type place long ago. It kind of gives the impression that at one point a ten year old boy showed up there to collect his mail order Redbone Coonhound pups and taste his very first soda pop. There is even a fire hydrant still standing in front of it! Where would the water have come from? From the kiddie pool? It’s such a mystery.

Why was there a store out there on that gravel road with nothing but miles and miles of farmland surrounding it? And what about the cemetery? At one time there must have been much more to Woolford than there is now. A little community perhaps, one that had plans to become bigger but things just didn’t work out. Little houses were eventually abandoned and the yards where children played and laundry blew dry in the wind were returned to the fields. I’ve tried to find out more about its history but haven’t had much luck so far.  I just wonder...

But what about the Wild Canary you ask. So sorry to have kept you waiting. I was out at Woolford again today to do just a bit of geochaching. This is the cache I was looking for (yes I found it.)  I was the only one there but the place was full of birds many of which sounded quite nice. The prettiest ones were these.

I didn’t know what they were called but being mostly yellow I thought of them as wild canaries. Back at home and after a bit of searching I found that they are called Goldfinches. They were very much wild and wary and I really couldn’t get near them without them flying away so this is the best picture I managed. At least you can see it’s not a sparrow right?

Anyway, after all this you’ve realized that there wasn’t much point to this post. Mostly just talking to myself. Hope it doesn’t deter you from coming back again.

The Hunger Games

Minor spoilers ahead but fewer than you will find on the front cover flap of the book itself so…

I stopped watching most movie trailers about ten years ago when the one for Cast Away showed him (Tom Hanks) lost on a desert island and all that but then also proceeded to show him back in civilization being reunited with everyone. I couldn’t believe it. If we already know he gets back safe and sound then what is the point? It was then that I finally realized that movie studios are in the business of making money and don’t really care at all if they spoil movies in their previews. They just show anything and everything they think will sell the most tickets.

The last book I read convinced me to avoid reading blurbs on book covers as well. The protagonist gets married at one point in the book and even starts a family but thanks to a spoiler on the book’s own cover I already knew that she is really going to end up with someone else and this whole relationship with her first husband isn’t going to last so I could barely be bothered to care about it at all.

Thankfully Krissy (just as she has before) recommended The Hunger Games without giving any information about it other than the title. This allowed me to discover EVERYTHING about it on my own and in the order that the author intended. Thanks for that Krissy. Much appreciated! It was touch and go for a bit in the bookstore though. When the saleslady found out I knew absolutely nothing about the book and was going to buy it blind I suddenly saw this tiny gossipy sparkle ignite in her eyes and knew that a thorough synopsis was imminent. I desperately tried to think of a nice way to tell her that I would really really really prefer NOT to “know all about it.” Sure that I only had milliseconds left I just blurted out DON’T TELL ME! This did indeed shut her up after she had only managed the words “Well basically it’s…” I will always remember the look of total bewilderment in her eyes. How could I possibly not have wanted her to give me all the juicy details? I guess I’m just weird that way.

The Hunger Games grabs onto you nearly immediately and does not let go. Thanks to my fully intact no prior knowledge status I was not immediately sure where and more importantly when this story was unfolding. (That's right, I didn't even read the cover flaps until I had finished the book.) It seemed like it may have been in the past but the font of the page numbers also hinted of a time yet to come. I soon discovered that I was reading about the future of North America and that things had changed a bit.

To me it seems a premise like this one arises when an author tries to think of the absolute extreme scenario; the one which will induce the maximum amount of gut wrenching and or heart rending in its readers. (What about heart wrenching? I’m just not quite sure what that means.)

Yes, this book is about children dying. Not just dying, being killed, being murdered, by other children in fact. Of course cute little innocent children would never do such things voluntarily so they must be forced somehow, hence the need for a futuristic setting where society has become unrecognizable and unimaginable.

This premise, although repugnant and sticky, does indeed provide ample opportunities for acts of selflessness and bravery, for recollections of precious memories, for cherishing life that could end any moment and of course desperately hoping for our protagonist in a way that we seldom do in other stories. There are a few places where you may find the need to pause and actually put the book down for a few moments while you pull yourself together. While always keeping you on the edge of your seat it does hit mercilessly hard now and then.

I made sure I stopped reading during my penultimate sitting with about 100 pages left to go. I hate having to stop just before the very end because it’s getting way too late and I have to get up early the next morning. I like to leave plenty of room to be sure I am well back into the story to enjoy the ending fully. Besides, an extra day of anticipation is nice too.

My only disappointment in this book involves the ending, far from being the best of the book it is easily the weakest part. You finally realize that you have just being reading a segue (yeah I thought it was just spelled segway too) into the next book. In fact immediately following the last line of the book you will see this: END OF BOOK ONE. I’m quite positive the publisher insisted on inserting this line to prevent the inevitable disaster of millions of people returning their books claiming the final chapters were missing. I’m also smelling yet another love triangle coming on. Nooooo… not again. Will she choose Mr. Darcy or Mr. Wickham, Mr. Churchill or Mr. Knightly, Colonel Brandon or Mr. Willoughby, Colin Firth or Hugh Grant, Edward or Jcub. Why is it that female writers seem to love having their heroines being pursued by or at least having to choose between multiple suitors all the bloody time? Maybe I’m totally wrong in this case. Let’s hope so… but, I doubt it.

Thankfully the next book in the series, Catching Fire, is already out and the third and apparently final one comes out on August 24 this year. Maybe I’ll wait until then to read the next two together in order to avoid any further “to be continued” frustration.

The Hunger Games is a truly gripping story that will definitely leave you wanting more. Thankfully there is more available now with the real ending arriving in August. I’m so there!

These is my Words

It has been nearly two years since Krissy recommended this book to me, or at least wondered what I would think of it. She probably figures I’d forgotten all about it. Actually I bought it not long after she recommended it but only got around to reading it this week. I did start into it once way back then but got distracted before it had a chance to hook me I guess.

It is the story of Sarah Prine beginning as she leaves with her parents and siblings to move from Arizona to a new place and a new life in Texas starting in 1881. It is told completely from her point of view and is in fact written in diary format.

It took me a while to get used to “her words”, the language of the old west and her intelligent but initially somewhat uneducated way of expressing things. I suppose that is part of what made it difficult for me to get into the story at first and why the book then sat waiting for so long. I do have several other books waiting patiently to be read but I guess I just ultimately have to wait for the right mood to strike for each particular one.

I’m not exactly sure why I chose this week to read it but its time had indeed come. A timely snow day off from work combined with ten hours sans electricity but with one large bright window created the perfect opportunity to experience the bulk of the story in one sitting. Knowing more what to expect this time around it was much easier to become immersed in. Sarah and her words felt much more familiar and charming. The bookmark from my feeble first attempt was still in place and as it turns out I was mere paragraphs away from getting hooked when I gave up before.

Although tempting I won’t give much of the story away because I’m a firm believer in the obscure theory that the best way to enjoy a story is by not knowing bits and pieces of it beforehand.

So without going into detail, this is Sarah’s story, the story of her life and the lives of her friends and family in the old west, the good times and the bad times all told in a refreshingly straight forward way without deception or flowery embellishment. Don’t get me wrong, her words are easy to read but are far from simple ramblings. There is much humour, emotion and the settings and situations are told so well you feel like you are there watching and listening rather than here reading. Indeed, the particular way she writes quickly becomes familiar and endearing and actually helps you sink deeper into the story and feel like you’re there with her. Sarah will make you love her and hope for her as she copes with the daily trials of building a life on the harsh and brutal frontier.

I must mention one small complaint. While telling a story in the language of a particular time and place can obviously have its advantages it can also cause disruption if the writing strays back to modern usage. When a certain child was hurt and used the word owie in the book my mind suddenly went from pot bellied stoves, bonnets and lassos to mini vans, sippy cups and superhero pajamas. I don’t know, maybe they did use the word owie way back then but it sent me back to present day quicker than finding a modern penny in your rented antique suit pocket.*

Oh yeah, by the way, I guess you could call this a love story as well. Although there is plenty of action, mayhem and real tragedy this is definitely a love story above all. It is a story about love that is real, love that is shown before it is spoken, love that is earned before it is spent and love that is truly treasured thereby making it priceless. (May I just add that it is my humble opinion that this book contains the finest and most perfect letter ever written.)

The old west setting plays a big part on one hand but is largely incidental on the other. Don’t let it put you off if you’re not really into that time period or the whole western thing. These is my Words is really about people, life and facing the hardships and tragedies that inevitably come along and treasuring and appreciating our fragile lives. It is about Sarah and her family. At the end I was sad to say goodbye and so happy to have known them. It’s a wonderful book! Thanks Krissy... again.

These is my Words - by Nancy E. Turner

* Obscure movie reference. Just curious to see if anyone recognizes it.