Pot of Stew

Odds & ends - the Canadian constitutional crisis seems, for the time, to be settled. Our newly elected government will be allowed to continue to govern until parliament is recalled January 26. They are to present a budget the next day and face a vote of non-confidence at that time. May sanity prevail.

Another library visit - picked up Hunter S Thompson's 2nd compilation of letters; 'Fear and Loathing in America.' Also, a bunch of music. Leonard Cohen's '10 New Songs'; Melissa Etheridge's greatest hits package 'The Road Less Travelled'; another compilation 'African Guitar Summit'; and Canadian rocker / bluesman Colin James 'Limelight'.

Blogland seems relatively quiet these days; so am I. The recent events regarding the federal government boggle my mind. So has last weekend's murders here in town. For a city of 150,000 we have a very low murder rate - including these two we have a total of 7 this year to date - so I imagine when these things do happen it really grabs one's attention and shakes up the emotions. I know it has gotten to me.

The job hunt continues - I spoke to a small business owner the other day who is ramping his business back up after an unscheduled hiatus. The timeline is sketchy - we shall see.

Later......

Updater

Re: The Horror

The media isn't divulging many details regarding the health status of those injured in the attacks the other night. The woman killed is being described as a hero who intervened when her husband was first stabbed. He continues to be in serious but stable condition. One of their children is also stable; the other appears to have sustained serious injuries and they are guarded in what the disclose about him. It doesn't sound good.

There may have been the unintended slant in what I wrote the other night that this was a family dispute gone seriously wrong. It turns out there is a connection but that it was a resident from across the hall who initiated the attack. He has a known history of mental problems and substance abuse / addiction. He has a relation to the family but a circuitous one.

There were 3 other young children present at the time but they were all uninjured, T.G.

** 3/12/08 - Just announced on the evening news that the youngest son, 3, succumbed to his injuries despite the very best efforts of emergency and all medical staff.

** 6/12/08 - Sadly, the husband and father has also died.

The Horror

Careful - you could find this upsetting. Don't read on if you think you might be.

A little background...... When Lynda and I split up early last year - February, I think she lowered the boom - we continued living under the same roof until I was able to move, in July, to the townhouse I bought. That interim period was difficult to say the least but we managed to make it work for the most part pretty successfully. Once I moved I gradually got to know my immediate neighbours and spent some time with them; had a nodding acquaintance with many others in the development. Saw all the usual comings and goings; got to know various people's connection to one another and their schedules. During our time apart we weren't really on our own much and chose to spend most of our free time together either at the house or my place. Eventually we reconciled our differences and I moved back home at the beginning of May this year. When I moved back Lynda's youngest son moved from the house over to the townhouse and set up housekeeping there. Close enough to be handy; distant enough for some separation - like 5 kilometers worth.

Fast forward to today - Just as Lynda and I began to eat dinner we got a call from her son - Moose, as he is affectionately known. 'Can I call you back? We're just eating.' "No - you're going to want to hear this." Looking out the front living room window he had seen a guy sitting on the curb with blood gushing from his neck, soaking him, when a police car came screeching in; sirens screaming; lights flashing. One officer attended to the guy; the other approached the nearest entrance following the blood trail. He is confronted by a guy wielding a knife and is stabbed; draws his gun, warns him to drop the weapon and then shoots him. More police arrive followed by fire trucks and ambulances. Inside they find 2 more men injured, a woman dead plus two children gravely injured. We continued to get periodic updates from Moose throughout the evening and at the height of the episode there were 5 ambulances, 3 fire trucks and 20 police cars. All driveways were taped off and blocked; returning residents were made to park at adjoining properties and escorted to their homes. Apparently now they are down to 5 police cars and 2 forensic vehicles - a 10 ton truck and a Winnebago. It was the lead item on the news at 11. The man wielding the knife was shot dead. The occasion was a family birthday party.

So, enough reportage. While I don't know any of these people involved I am, on an emotional level, completely aghast and appalled; shaken and sorrowed. Things like this are reported all the time and I suppose for myself the 'distance' factor comes into play. Oh, it's in that city down the road or across the continent, or that neighbourhood over there that we've passed through from time to time. A comfort cushion that removes it a comfortable distance away so it doesn't affect me to the same extent. But this incident happened 60 feet from my old front door. 60 feet - my door!! I've seen these folks going about their lives on a daily basis - they've seen me coming and going about my business. Now 2 of them are dead, 2 other adults seriously injured and the children - 3 and 5 years old - stabbed and fighting for their lives. Oh... the children... scarred for life if they make it. Physically , mentally and emotionally. Lord hear my prayers. They were airlifted into Toronto for the best possible care, thankfully.

I don't want to let my mind venture into what happened within that home during those critical minutes - such insanity; such horror; much sorrow. But venture it will, I'm sure.

Homicide - a nice, neat word for bloody murder.

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_29629.aspx

Tender Heart

There is an older gent who went through treatment just around the time I started working here. Let's call him John. Following Tx he joined my home group and we got to be quite good friends. We would see one another at various area meetings and he'd attend alumni meetings here at 'the house'. Last fall he decided in part because of age and health concerns that he would no longer attend meetings. John and I last talked during the Xmas holidays and he spoke with excitement about a reunion with his two sons who were going to pay a visit from out west.

Last week I ran into John's wife in a grocery store. She related how John's oldest son had taken in a friend who had lost everything and everyone that mattered in his life. The friend had become addicted to crack and needed a place to stay while he put his life back in order. The offer of a room was time limited and when his time was up he refused to leave. John's son was on his way to get assistance to remove the friend from his apartment when he was shot. He died in transit to hospital.

As she spoke I was stunned into silence, my throat closed and tears stood in my eyes. They are steeling themselves for the trip to attend the friends trial. I called and spoke to John on the weekend; we meet for coffee and a talk later today.