Wolverton

“Then let’s get to the end of Donald Trump on November 8? I ask America to get drunk with me. To enjoy their wine and spirits and whatever else they want to put in their bodies and to ensure, by any means available, such a cabrón never gets into the White House of the country I love.

“We gotta make a pact that this will never happen because it can’t happen or there’ll be no comedians left. It’s too ridiculous and if nothing’s funny anymore we’re out of work. We’ll never stand for that and America is never going to stand for that…”


Wolver 1I was beautiful in my youth. A sleek coat, happy personage and being small and manageable were things that could take a dog pretty far in my day. Wolverton’s the name and this is my entry.  I hope you’ve all enjoyed a wonderful vacation.

I rather liked the name Wolverton from the first day my mistress gave it to me. It was her choice, you see, as I was a gift from her parents. I don’t know what provoked her to blurt out ‘Wolverton’ upon first crushing me to her chest in an act of love and excitement. But the name has stuck since 1932 and now it’s 2016 and now I’m here to tell you my story and now you’re here to listen.

Wolver 2Wolverton’s the name, longevity’s my game. I can tell you this, if you want to stick around as a child’s inanimate plaything it doesn’t hurt to be locked up in a trunk for fifty years either.

I had some bad luck in my day. As you can see, my right ear is in the erect position while my lovely left is in the relaxed position. How this happened to me I can’t say, but I’m quite sure it had something to do with the reign of terror of those grandchildren.

That’s when I lost my right eye. I’ve had a lot of damage done to the right side of my old head. My eye was hanging on my cheek by a piece of string and I can tell you that if I’d been an animate dog, they’d have had to take me to the vet.

They could have just thrown this old chuffer away, but I knew I was safe against anything like that because people love me. It’s plain I’m a special dog and I’ve got staying power.

Wolver 3I’m a happy dog but I think any dog that is a survivor is a happy dog. To last over time in a meaningful way can be the fulfillment, I would say, of a long and brilliant career.

Can you imagine? I despise clutter and can only tolerate so much. It’s always been that way with me, so when I was packed away, not being a real dog, I didn’t much care. I was for it.

To tell you the truth it’s been good for me. I’m optimistic about the future. I’m free again to do my job, the job I was meant for, which is to be an object of affection and to provide a sense of security and happiness.

I think my greatest achievement has been that I’m reliable. And I think that is the British way and more importantly the British Columbian way. Like all old dogs I’m off for a nap just now. Be in touch zzzz.


“The stakes for self-aggrandizement have never been higher. Reference one Donald Trump. You know what? He’s not a bad guy if you don’t have to do business with him or depend on him for the smallest, blessed thing. I’ve lost, myself personally, far more money than I ever made by investing in Trump. That makes me a Democrat but no surprise there.”

Wolver 4

Nasturtium

Even the longest-seeming trips can end in thank yous and handshakes.  At least it ought to be like that.  We’re pretty glad and appreciative it went that way this time.

I like it here.  Where your personal failings and idiosyncrasies will be understood and overlooked.  And no one is ever turned away.  That’s what they say and that’s what they do.  It’s good follow-through.  And you can drink a hell of a lot of coffee.  A great place.

MMHH 1945
MMHH 1945

That is one heck of a war-bride.  I’d fight through thick and thin for an opportunity to meet this young lady.  She may have been a bot, because let’s face it, this is a pretty cosmeticized image.  Cosmeticized.  I may have just invented a new word.  But look at those teeth.  And that 1945 hair.  This is a real human being.  I feel a strong urge to know more.


images

Hello, I’m Tim Williams.  I’m from Texas and I speak really good German.  I’m an actor.  Maybe that’s why.  I love acting and I’ve been in a couple of pretty good films.  One is an English language take-off on Count Von Stauffenberg vs the Nazis that starred my good friend Tom Cruise (Valkyrie, 2008).  Actually, I don’t know the guy at all.  The other is a German language take-off on a lonely 1950s West German lawyer (Labyrinth of Lies, 2014) who get’s really perturbed at all the ex-nazis lying around pretending they’re real people.  And toughs it out and nails some of these krauserschwein and the whole country rises up against a labyrinth of lies.  And I’m also the Trivago guy on TV.  Great if you’re looking for hotels.


MMHH 1949
MMHH 1949

And now you need to be on your best behaviour because you know what’s coming.  Nobody struggled or fought harder in Bacteriology than this individual. She paid the price in lab time and got through.  French was her best subject.  Doesn’t matter.  This incredible person symbolizes perseverance, devotion to duty, and cute little hands.

It’s astounding what you come across in the past.  There’s that continuity when members of the same family have lived in a house for more than 70 years.  That’s a long time around here.  It may not quite be Le Temps Retrouvé but its close.  And you have to go through everything because it’s there and the house has been sold.  You get as close as possible and the rest is imagination.  That’s it.


 

Hockey Players

Success starts with self-love.  Money doesn’t hurt either. But for an insecure person, self-love is crucial.

This guy really loved himself because he knew he was deadly.  Hasn’t he just signed a rookie contract with the Detroit Red Wings hockey club?

He’s back home in Saskatchewan, one of the weirdest names in one of the weirdest places in the world.  It’s really good, and so is he, and he’s back home, for a bit, that spring and summer, visiting family and friends and driving around in his new convertible.

He takes these two girls for a ride.  One is his younger sister, the other is his younger sister’s friend.  And he gives his younger sister’s friend this picture, and years later she gives it to me.

Gordie Howe May 1949
Gordie Howe May 1949

I saw him live once.   I was in Peterborough Ontario Canada when, having already filled my diaper, I wasn’t all that interested in Gordie Howe or his autograph, or that of Alex Delvecchio, or Terry Sawchuck.  But I knew it was the Detroit Red Wings playing a charity contest against the Peterborough minor hockey team.

Howe always knew that if he got into a flow of creativity and backed it up with physicality, personal beautiful handsomeness, skill, and maybe a new pair of skates it’s going to be really, really good.

Next on samoyeddogs