Bernard Walter

Blog

  • January 5, 2025

    I just want to stay home and make things. If I could wake up tomorrow and then get to making something, I would be very happy. As it happens, the winter break is over and I have to go back to work.

    This break has been relaxing, even with everything that we did. All we really had to do was go to a couple of Christmas dinners. Hannah is more popular than I am so she had other social engagements. I loved having the time to do as I pleased for most of my days.

    I’m not ready to go back to school tomorrow. I’m really not ready. Outside of a few ideas, I don’t have much planned for tomorrow. I didn’t even get around to ironing my shirts. It’ll be okay, though, because things have a way of working themselves out.

    Going forward, I don’t want to lose this feeling that I’ve had over this winter break. I felt free to explore different ideas and try various things. I didn’t need to do much but whatever I did was enough. I was able to enjoy my time and I wasn’t worried about what was coming next. It’d be wonderful to hold on to that approach, leaving work at school and thinking nothing more of it.

    You know, I slept rather well during the break, too. I woke up feeling rested. That was eye-opening.

    As I lay here in bed, writing this, I can’t help but think of how my shoulders feel a little tighter as I prepare to call it a night. It’ll be good to get back to work, but my approach will need to change.

  • January 4, 2025

    Late again with this. This time, it’s the result of motivation. I’m really not sure what to write about. Then, too, part of the purpose of this exercise is to practice writing, even – especially – when I can’t think of what to write about.

    In my attempt to create more content for Instagram Reels and TikTok, I’ve been recorded short, off-handed videos at the shop. I tend to do them as I’m about to leave because I’m too excited about getting to work when I first get there. On the way out, a few of my ideas have been dealt with so I can think about other things.

    With those videos, too, one of the objectives is just to do it, to put something out there. Eventually, I hope to fall into a good rhythm with these things.

  • January 3, 2025

    Three houses ago, my dad bought me a TV because the one I had was too small for him. Today, we replaced it. The right side stopped lighting up, slowly spreading the darkness across the rest of the screen.

    I know that I watch too much TV. I should be staring at the 6-inch screen of my Kobo instead of the 55-inches of the TV. This isn’t about the size, it’s about the quality.

    During the course of this Winter Break, one very important thing happened: I relaxed a fair bit. Even though I was busying myself with things, I was relaxed. I slept better than I have done in a long time. My mind was able to percolate and spill ideas out. It was nice to get an idea and then pull the thread.

    My dad’s had a greater influence on me than just enjoying TV. He was always tinkering when I was a kid. We moved house and he just stopped, much like our old TV. He didn’t ever seem to find a replacement, I don’t think.

  • January 2, 2025

    Well, wouldn’t ya know it? Day two and I’ve already missed a day. I must be rusty.

    I was accepted to be a vendor at a market in February. One of my goals for 2024 was to try my luck at vendor markets. I didn’t work too hard at it, but things are already improving in that department this year. I’m hopeful that something will come of it.

  • January 1, 2025

    I kind of gave up on blogging in the middle of summer last year. I thought I was doing all right, posting something – anything – every day until I just wasn’t anymore. I’m going to try to make it just a little bit further along this year.

    The rules will remain pretty much the same: just post something – anything. Thinking about it too much will just hinder me. Overthinking it will cut the journey short. Without putting too much worry into it, I’m going to attempt to post something every day of 2025.

    I’m not sure that there’s a goal outside of this. For the last few months, I’ve been telling myself that I should start blogging again. I tried to find the Bloganuary writing prompts for this year but couldn’t. Oddly enough, I found people’s responses to the Bloganuary prompts for 2025 but they didn’t link back to where I might be able to find them. No matter, really, I’ll just do my own thing.

    2024 was a great year. A lot of positive things happened in my life. Growth. Without placing too much expectation on 2025, I certainly do hope that this trajectory remains upward.

    I want SANA to become self-sufficient. Somehow, I need to find the time to put the work in. There are so many ideas swimming around in my head about what I could do. Reining things in and planning things out should help.

    One thing at a time. This, for everything.

    And, so, 2025 begins.

  • July 19, 2024

    We got new sweatsuits today because I forgot to pack my sweatpants.

  • July 18, 2024

  • July 17, 2024

    One-thousand-eight-hundred-ninety-four.

    It took us 1894 kilometres to get from Toronto to the Manitoba boarder. That’s over half of our trip spent in our home province.

    A road trip is the best way to appreciate the vastness of the Canadian landscape. The undulating hills of the Canadian Shield are ironed flat on the prairies, which are then wrinkled in the cordillera.

    I pointed to the horizon and told Hannah to look at where we were headed: dead straight in front of us was the highway falling off the Earth. The steering wheel needn’t have moved for us to get there.

    Like a playground parachute, the sky wraps the fields. The expanse mirroring the flatness of the land below it.

    There is a certain majesty to the prairies that I’ve come to appreciate since moving away. The canola fields ebb and flow like the rhythm of people moving through the city.

  • July 16, 2024

    I don’t know what it is about hotel rooms that I find aesthetically interesting. Anyway, here’s one for tonight.

    It’s was a long day of driving. Every day lately seems like a long day full of activity. It’s better to be busy than to be bored, I suppose, but a little bit of general quiet would be nice.

    Getting out of the big smoke for a minute will be good for us. Relative to it, everywhere else in the country is a nursery. You know, someone held the door open for us today? A complete stranger at that, someone we’ll never see again. We must’ve thanked him a half-dozen times. Even the milk man waved at us from his truck.

  • July 15, 2024

    We delivered the boxes today and they were well received. We spent the rest of the day getting ready for our vacation. It’s been a busy day.

  • July 14, 2024

    The boxes are done.

  • July 13, 2024

    After a few hours at the shop today, I felt tired. I just wanted to pack up and head home. Of course, I texted Hannah to tell her that I was on my way, and then started sanding for another hour.

    It’s amazing how many problems you can see when you’re close to something. I remember my painting instructor saying something similar about how you can see every flaw because your nose is only inches away from the canvas for hours on end. Similarly, I can see every mistake I’ve made in the boxes. I don’t know what it’s like to look at them for the first time.

    I will say, though, that they do look quite stunning. Tomorrow, I’ll go back and finish them up because I need to be down with them. I need to work on something else for a little bit.