R.I.P. Chuck Green

Odes to Winnipeg
Jan 292011

A moment now to say goodbye to a guy I haven’t seen in a long time, but nonetheless left a big impression: Chuck Green, owner of the Osborne Village Inn, died today. Lots of nice condolence messages on the Osborne Village Inn Facebook page, if you’re interested. And Dave Sanderson wrote a  nice story about Chuck  and the Zoo back in 2007 that we can fondly enjoy. Chuck was one of those unforgettable figures that pepper the better novels of urban disarray: all sort of gruff and blustery on the surface, but actually all big-hearted and full of stories. The first time I ever met [...click for more...]

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Posted by Melissa at 12:34 am 1 Response » Tagged with:

Rollin’ On The River

Odes to Winnipeg
Jan 172011

News today that the Paddlewheel Queen may have made its last voyage down the Red. The news tugs memories, the memories tug a heartache, and the heartache nudges a synapse that can only be appeased by writing the memories down. I loved that boat. I haven’t been on it for years.   When you’re a child and everything is fresh and you haven’t yet learned that there’s nothing in Winnipeg, the muddy waters are as magic as azure coast and the places they go are fit for pirates and princesses. I was a little girl. We set ourselves up on the bow, [...click for more...]

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Posted by Melissa at 9:49 pm 2 Responses » Tagged with: ,

New Year's Resolution No. 1: Concerning Living Situations

Musings
Jan 012011

Winnipeg and I need some time apart, I think. The city, over time, has become my co-dependent lover; or maybe it’s just the unrequited love that keeps stringing me along: this year, it’ll love me. Okay, maybe next. Or the one after? I always loved Winnipeg, but I stayed because I was afraid to leave. I was afraid of not knowing who I was without it. But 2010 was an especially difficult time for us. It was the year that, due to work and aging and circumstances, a lot of my connections here came unglued. It was the year I lost my final scrap [...click for more...]

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Posted by Melissa at 3:39 pm Comments Off Tagged with: ,

Ode to Winnipeg No. 1: Scritcha-scritcha

Odes to Winnipeg
Nov 262010

On the deepest, darkest nights of the deepest, darkest winters, step outside, hold your breath and stand quite still.  If you’re really truly silent, and really truly still, tinkling through the crisp and quiet, you’ll hear the sound of car scrapers scraping.

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Posted by Melissa at 6:37 pm Comments Off Tagged with: , ,