YES, THE GREAT ONE IS GREAT. WASPS AREN’T
In this issue of the Reader, your awestruck correspondent recalls the pleasure of interviewing Wayne Gretzky, writes how wasps are still assholes, and yields the floor to reader mail.
This week: a 5-minute read
GRETZKY’S COMMON TOUCH
I was reading a story in the Globe and Mail this week written by a fellow alumnus of the Edmonton Journal, Marty Klinkenberg. The piece was on Wayne Gretzky and, in it, Marty remarked how The Great One rarely does one-on-one interviews. This I know to be true. Marty also wrote that once Gretzky settles into it, he is “chatty and friendly.” This I also know to be true. “Anecdotes come fast and furious,” Marty wrote. “He reaches out to touch you when he wants to emphasize something in particular.” Boy, does that sound familiar.
You see, I interviewed Wayne Gretzky in just such a one-on-one situation, back in 2007 for our book I’d Trade Him Again. Well, one-on-two; my co-author J’lyn Nye was also there. We met in the restaurant at the Hotel Macdonald in downtown Edmonton. We were supposed to get maybe 20 minutes with him. It was more like 90 minutes, a delay that caused increasing distress to his handlers who were trying to wrestle Gretzky away to the Canadian Women’s Open golf tournament a few miles away.
The ”Him” in the book’s title was Gretzky and while we asked the questions, he did most of the talking—and it was just as Marty described it; he’d touch my arm or hand as he was making a point, tap my arm to bring it home, laugh freely and be fully in the moment. It was if we’d been friends for years. It was a great interview with a wonderful guy. Just thought I’d share that.
THOSE (insert appropriate curse word here) WASPS!
Turns out I was stung by a pesky wasp again this past week out at our rural Beaver County campsite. That’s two in the span of what, six days? I was, um, annoyed.
So what’s up with all the wasps that are about? It doesn’t seem to matter what part of the country you’re in, they’re as plentiful as houseflies and 10 times more annoying because houseflies don’t sting. I decided to find out what’s up with that.
According to CBC News, one of the reasons wasps seem to be in such abundance is because of the wildfires farther north. Apparently the blazes have driven the pests south where there is an ample supply of humans for them to terrorize.
Now, CTV News says their numbers are all part of the circle of life (cue the music in your head). Also the further you get into summer, the worse it gets. Yellowjackets, for example, “are accumulating more and more workers as the summer progresses,” said Jason Gibbs, a professor of entomology at the University of Manitoba. “That's why we get this impression—which is true—that there are more wasps later in the summer than in the beginning.”
Well, whatever the reason, they are making nuisances of themselves, not just at the McConnell compound, but on patios, at golf courses, and on picnics. Jason Wiwad, the head golf teacher at Cattail Crossing in Edmonton says he’s never seen them this bad. He’s been stung 10 times, which makes my story of woe sound kinda pathetic.
So what to do? Our family lore suggests a cut onion on the wound helps. The experts say a cold compress is always good for the swelling, and Tylenol or Advil help with the pain.
SEMI-RELATED HUMOUR
“Did you hear Sting was kidnapped? The Police still have no lead.”—A joke shared by our son Mac on Facebook in 2014
FROM THE MAILBAG
Re ‘A Face By Any Other Name,’ Sept. 22. While reading today’s newsletter, another expression came to mind: how people often resemble their dogs. I’ve met enough people and their lookalike canine friends to make me think there’s something to that. When attending summer camp as a kid, I was identified by enough different monikers to make me happy I was named after a favourite aunt. Fortunately, that name stuck. Donna Ward, Windsor, Ontario
Terry, I found myself nodding in agreement with you and how you disliked your name growing up. It took me a long time to get used to my own and I’m not sure if I’ve come to resemble my name. I hope not—especially after I learned it means “lame or crippled.” Claudio D’Andrea, Windsor, Ontario
Hey Rocky, I read your story about the name change. I forgot that we both had Miss Cranston as our teacher, you for Grade 4 and me for Grade 3 but in the same mixed classroom. Thanks for reminding me of her and thanks for the Sunday Reader. I look forward to it each week. Randy Chevalier, Tilbury, Ontario
Re ’Not JFK and Nixon,’ Sept. 22. Your JFK and Nixon report made me laugh right down to the bottom of my toes. Adèle Fontaine, Edmonton, Alberta
If you want to drop me a note (and risk me publishing it here), just reply to this email or, if you prefer send it to mysundayreader@gmail.com.
THIS WEEK’S SHAMELESS PLUG
Here’s a pretty sweet deal. Canada Post is offering us free shipping in Canada every Tuesday for the month of October. There’s only one catch. Canada Post says the free-shipping offer is good for only one shipment a week. So this is what we’re gonna do.
We’re bundling together two of our books that recount an immigrant’s experience — Lethbridge: A Tale of Love in a Time of War; and Cabbage Brain: An Englishman’s Journey to American Success — into a single package, both books for the single price of only $25 Cdn plus shipping. For each of the next four weeks, we’ll draw a name from among those who’ve bought this fine package and that reader gets their shipping for free. That’s like a $22 value!
If you buy the bundle and your name isn’t drawn, it goes back into the pot for the following week, and for the week after, and for the week after that, until we’ve used up our allotment. At the end of the month, if your name still isn’t drawn, you have the option of deciding if you still want the bundle and pay the shipping. If so, yay! If not, no hard feelings.
Here are a few reviews we think were particularly kind and über persuasive:
- “I don't often write book reviews and just as rarely do I give a book five stars. It's got to be a standout. Terry McConnell's Lethbridge is just that and one of the best stories I've read in a long time.”
- “Cabbage Brain is charming, inspiring, and an easy read. The pages fly by.”
- “I sat down to read Lethbridge and I didn't stop reading until I was finished. It touched my heart.”
- “Cabbage Brain: what an enjoyable read. Dennis Horne and Terry McConnell have co-authored an aspiring, funny, true-to-life, sometimes bawdy story. Read this book.”
- “Lethbridge is a pleasurable read for anyone interested in Canadian history and the First World War—or in the undeniable power of love.”
Please forward My Sunday Reader to a friend or family member you think might enjoy it. See ya next Sunday. / T.
