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I first started working the spring turnaround at the refinery in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada in 2008. That would make this spring's attendance as the sixth consecutive. There were many familiar faces, a few new ones and a few faces missing for various reasons up to and including death.
The work week is six ten-hour days with Sundays off. It's only 60 hours out of the 168 hours in a week, but each day starts with getting up at 5 a.m. and one gets home around six p.m. so it seems to squeeze out doing anything worth writing about and the ambition to do any writing at all for that matter.
Juanita went up to Meadow Lake one weekend for Sonja's birthday, but other than that spent most of her free time volunteering at the Log Cabin Thrift Store. In previous years it was an MCC store, but MCC decided that since only one of the people (other than Juanita when were here) working there were Mennonites it probably shouldn't continue under their name. This means the moneys raised go locally first and then to wider horizons which is the opposite of the MCC approach. So other than the name the only thing that has changed is where the money goes. The people are all the same.
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While Juanita was in Meadow Lake I attended the annual Majestics Car Show. A pleasant evening's wander for me. Ran into a few people and visited with them. Saw a few cars that have been in past shows and some new to the show.
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Holly Cole was the main attraction brought in as part of the Regina Jazz Society's annual fundraising efforts. My old work partner, John Tyler, and I attended. John was absent of work for much of the month recovering form surgery to his knee following a snow shovelling injury (oops, lame joke), but the week he returned to hobble around the shop on his crutches and work at some in-the-shop tasks we decided to go to the Holly Cole concert at the show lounge in Casino Regina.
I dropped him and his crutches near the door and drove off to search for parking. Imagine a casino with hardly any parking. It's not easy, but you can do it if you try.
My parting words to John as I drove off were, "buy your ticket, I'll get mine after parking the car." He ignored my admonition when he discovered they were down to the last six tickets on the main floor and knowing he didn't want to climb to the balcony and that neither of us would want to sit there. I reimbursed him and we browsed the silent auction and penny raffle. The penny raffle was a good deal. Twenty dollars bought twenty-five tickets to put in to be drawn for various prices. If something appealed to you you could put all twenty-five in the box for one prize. The prizes either didn't appeal to me or required being in Regina this summer to utilize. Not going to happen. John lives here so he participated and received a prize basket worth more than the twenty-five dollar investment.
We shared a table with four others and had a good visit before the show. Holly was in good voice. She has changed directions since when I heard her in Saskatoon. My tastes have changed a bit, as well. The four older songs that clicked for me were worth the evening.
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