Day 5 - 99 -- Day of Remembrance

During the night snow continued to fall. The snow on the porch rails and sidewalk was about 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) deep. Wind had blown smaller drifts in the back yard where it was a bit deeper. I headed out to shovel after hydrating and eating a small breakfast. The sun felt warm on my back. With that sun and the warmer ground, the snow won't hang around too long. Shoveling was difficult in places due to the mud under the snow -- the shovel won't slide as easily along mud as it does on frozen ground. My plow man called to say he was on the block and would push the chunky bits left by the street and sidewalk plows. That was delightful.

As I shoveled I had time to reflect on things. Today I proudly wore my poppy for Vimy Ridge Day. It was 101 years ago that the 4-day battle began, cementing Canada's nationhood firmly in our collective psyche. I pause on this day each year to remember what horror and squalor must have surrounded all four divisions of the army side-by-side and the first air squadron flying overhead and the armored cavalry in the rear.  Casualty rates were high, so the win came at a huge cost. My grandfather was part of this battle. He returned home. That 'war to end all wars' is to be remembered -- war before technology moved away from hand-to-hand combat towards bombing from a distance. It was the first place chlorine gas was use as a chemical weapon -- something that has also become more sophisticated. Still, for those who perished or were never really themselves again, the idea of it being the last of the great wars should be remembered -- deconstructed and remembered.

I also wore green today, in solidarity with the Humboldt Broncos family. There are no words to articulate what I'm feeling in the wake of this tragedy -- tears and sadness are there, but the rest refuses to be put into words. So, for today, I wore green.

While working at the office with the music on shuffle, so many wonderful songs flooded my ears and brain. Yet, I wanted one from World War I. So, after thinking through many I'd heard as a child at my grandparents', I settled on one. The melody is lovely and the lyrics tell of a love story in the Somme area of France. The singer is from over 30 years after the war ended, but his voice was amazing. Enjoy!

Roses of Picardy -- Mario Lanza