The next best thing to being home.

My new acquaintances are invariably astonished whenever I tell them that I was sent five hundred miles from my family to a school for the blind in Vancouver, British Columbia. Though I went home for Christmas and summer holidays, I spent three Easters there. From my Deliverance From Jericho (Six Years in a Blind School) memoir, here is an excerpt that shows just how much it meant to me when my mom and sisters came to visit in 1967.

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Something wonderful happened to lift my spirits during my third Easter at Jericho. Mom, Diane, and Linda travelled by train to visit me. Though I still was in Jericho, at least I could be with my loved ones while they went sight-seeing.

Mom informed the school officials that she would arrive on a
certain afternoon and take me for an outing. A horrible suspicion seized me that I was either dreaming or my family members would not come after all. I kept peering out the dorm room window every few minutes, hoping that what I heard from my supervisor was true.

"There's three people coming up the road by the Dining Hall - a woman and two girls," Michael Flett reported. I rushed to the window and peered out. My vision was not as good as Michael's but I did see that a group of colourfully dressed individuals were approaching.

I ran to the parking lot and waited for them to arrive. Fear and hope warred in my mind until Mom called out my name. When Mom and Diane hugged me, I realized this was no dream. They actually had come to visit. After I showed my loved ones around the dorm, we travelled by the city busses to their hotel. Ricky wanted to come with us as well. Our temporary supervisor gave her permission for the outing and Ricky happily rode the bus with us.

We spent a few enjoyable hours in the hotel room. I felt content as Diane and Mom related their news. Over a plate of sandwiches which the room service delivered, I told them about the happenings in my life since Christmas. Linda became captivated for some reason by Ricky. She followed him around as if he were a long-lost brother. We chuckled as she kept calling out, "Ricky! Ricky!" He seem content to have a toddler groupie and took our mirth amiably.

We also enjoyed watching the hotel's television. The multitude of channels on Cablevision amazed Diane. As we only had two back home, this was quite a novelty for her.

"I'm sure glad we're staying here at the Belmont," Diane commented. "We were in the Royal Hotel but it was cold and the floors squeaked. The room service and the food were lousy too. We didn't even have much hot water. Mom saw the Belmont across the street so we came here the next night." I agreed that we were in a good
suite.

"These sandwiches are great. Can we have more?" I asked.

"Sure," Mom said and called room service for another plate of food. Ricky and I relished that since we despised Jericho's institutional cuisine.

"I wish I could stay with you, Mom," I complained. "Couldn't I sleep here at least one night?" "We don't have the money," she replied. "We only have enough money for the three of us and if you stayed here, I'd be charged extra. At least you can see us during the day." I realized Mom was correct but it still tore my heart to be so near and yet so far from them.

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Deliverance from Jericho contains many more vignettes of what life was like in that government-run institution. These range from poignant experiences of homesickness to hilarious incidents of mischief. This 196-page paperback, containing 6 black and white photos, sells for $25.00 through the PayPal-equipped InScribe writers group website. E-mail me if you still wish to place an order.

How books became precious to me.

With all of the multi-media marvels children have today, I believe that books are still meaningful and necessary. During my childhood, they provided more to me than mere entertainment. During the time I attended Jericho Hill School for the Deaf and Blind in Vancouver, 500 miles from all I loved, well-crafted stories provided sanctuary from my chronic loneliness. From my Deliverance From Jericho (Six Years in a Blind School) memoir, here are 3 examples of the comfort literary works gave me.

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The frogs began singing their ageless mating song during March. Since much of the school property remained undeveloped, many small wild creatures made their homes among the bushes and trees. I loved to listen to those high-pitched voices at night as I lay in bed. The sound was hypnotic and soothing. This natural lullaby helped ease my loneliness. Additionally, it fired my imagination. Mrs. Rose had read us Fables of the Green Forest by Thornton W. Burgess, as well as other children's stories. The idea of talking animals captivated my heart. I wished those frogs could talk to me and be like the characters in the stories I loved.

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Another point in Mrs. Patrick's favour was that she allowed us to hear dramatized animal stories on CBC Radio. They were performed by announcers who played the various creatures. My heart became captivated as these fictional beasts talked and interacted with each other. How I wished animals actually could speak. I always anticipated that part of the class.

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Certain books can seem incredibly uninteresting until one gets into them. Miss Vize introduced us to The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien one spring day. When she first started reading the story to us, I thought I would hate it. I assumed that tales concerning wizards and dragons were for little boys, but this book was truly engaging. After the first chapter, the story grew on me. I eagerly listened to hear how Bilbo Baggins' adventure ended.

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Deliverance from Jericho contains many more vignettes of what life was like in that government-run institution. These range from poignant experiences of homesickness to hilarious incidents of mischief. This 196-page paperback, containing 6 black and white photos, sells for $25.00 through the PayPal-equipped Inscribe writers group website. E-mail me for further information or if you don't have PayPal but still wish to place an order.

PetBunny to the rescue.

The PetBunny e-mail list subscribers came to my aid frequently throughout the 13 years that I was a member. One notable example was when my rabbit, Gideon, had his first illness. Being a novice bunny owner, I became concerned with his bizarre behaviour one March morning in 1998. From When a Man Loves a Rabbit (Learning and Living With Bunnies), here is an e-mail message that I posted to the group after the vet visit.

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Dear folks;

I had a bit of a hard time finding a ride to take Gideon to the vet. All the folks who I know were too busy or out. I finally managed to contact my church and assistant pastor Doug Dunbar. He agreed to take Gideon and me to the vet at 2 P.M. I also had trouble locating a rabbit-knowledgeable vet who works Saturdays. After being referred by Dr. Harmon's office, I called another vet clinic and made an appointment. I listened to all the wonderful support you people gave me on the computer as I tried to get Gideon to drink some water. I also downloaded the head tilt article from the HRS web page and printed it out.

Doug was as good as his word and came at exactly 2 P.M. to take us to the vet. He had a bit of a hard time finding the place, but we finally made it. Poor Gideon wasn't too pleased with being roused from his siesta, only to be put in the carrier and bounced around a lot. I was a bit upset at the amount of dogs at the vet's and I was worried that Gideon would freak. Fortunately, nothing bad happened.

After what seemed like ages, Gideon's name was called and I took him into the examination room. Dr. Pam Gordey had me take Gideon out of the carrier in order to take his temperature. Naturally he wasn't amused. Then the doctor turned off the lights and waited for Gideon's pupils to adjust to the darkness. She shone a light into each eye to see if they still worked and they did. There was obviously no neural damage.

Then Dr. Gordey turned on the lights and had Gideon hop around on the floor to see if he still had a problem. After his tummy was palpated and he was put back into the carrier, I was told that he didn't have any disease because he had recovered so quickly. Head tilt would have stayed for weeks, so it wasn't that. The doctor figured that Gideon must have eaten something toxic and the effect had already worn off. I was told to keep him in his cage and watch him until Monday. Then I'm supposed to call Dr. Gordey with the results of my observations.

Poor Gideon was not pleased with this whole affair and he thumped when he was safely returned to his carrier. The doctor said that if he was healthy enough to thump, then he was quite fit. Gideon appeared to be normal, even having a normal temperature.

Once home, he hopped out of the carrier and dashed to his security zone under the chair in the bedroom. After I had washed the urine out of the carrier and soaked the rags, I found him in the kitchen snooping around. He went into his cage and started eating the celery which he hadn't finished in the morning.

He seems to be his old self again and I have no idea what caused the strange illness which he had earlier today. Just to be safe, I'll sweep the kitchen floor and tidy up the house. I don't have any poisonous plants within his reach, so it couldn't be that. If you can figure out what caused it, please let me know. I'd be most grateful for your input.

Rabbitly yours,

Bruce, with poor confused Gideon.

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As I've pointed out many times in my debut book, rabbits need a radically different sort of care than dogs and cats. The House Rabbit Society website has a host of e-mail groups to which bunny owners can join and post questions. Additionally, my When a Man Loves a Rabbit (Learning and Living With Bunnies) book is available at the Inscribe Writers Group page. It contains many vignettes of the amazing and amusing things my bunnies did as well as a wealth of rabbit care knowledge, all told in a conversational style. E-mail me for further information or if you don't have PayPal but still wish to place an order.

Escaping from Jericho, at least for a while.

When I was seven years old, my parents sent me 500 miles from Fort
Saskatchewan , Alberta to Jericho Hill School for the Deaf and
Blind in Vancouver, British Columbia. I was only allowed to visit
my beloved home during Christmas, for summer vacation, and three
Easter seasons. One escape from my despondency, provided by the
institution's teachers, was through stories. From my Deliverance
From Jericho (Six Years in a Blind School) memoir, here are
three excerpts which show the impact of well-crafted tales upon my
imagination.

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The frogs began singing their ageless mating song during March.
Since much of the school property remained undeveloped, many small
wild creatures made their homes among the bushes and trees. I loved
to listen to those high-pitched voices at night as I lay in bed.
The sound was hypnotic and soothing. This natural lullaby helped
ease my loneliness. Additionally, it fired my imagination. Mrs.
Rose had read us Fables of the Green Forest by Thornton W.
Burgess, as well as other children's stories. The idea of talking
animals captivated my heart. I wished those frogs could talk to me
and be like the characters in the stories I loved.

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Another point in Mrs. Patrick's favour was that she allowed us to
hear dramatized animal stories on CBC Radio. They were performed by
announcers who played the various creatures. My heart became
captivated as these fictional beasts talked and interacted with
each other. How I wished animals actually could speak. I always
anticipated that part of the class.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Certain books can seem incredibly uninteresting until one gets into
them. Miss Vize introduced us to The Hobbit by J. R. R.
Tolkien one spring day. When she first started reading the story to
us, I thought I would hate it. I assumed that tales concerning
wizards and dragons were for little boys, but this book was truly
engaging. After the first chapter, the story grew on me. I eagerly
listened to hear how Bilbo Baggins' adventure ended.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Deliverance from Jericho contains many more vignettes of
what life was like in that government-run institution. These range
from poignant experiences of homesickness to hilarious incidents of
mischief. This 196-page paperback, containing 6 black and white
photos, sells for $25.00 through the PayPal-equipped href="http://www.inscribe.org/BruceAtchison">Inscribe writers
group website. E-mail
me for further information or if you don't have PayPal but
still wish to place an order.

Spring in my step and my heart.

Spring has always been my favourite season. Summer is too hot and
bug-ridden, autumn reminds me that the good weather will soon end,
and winter is a time of prolonged cold tedium.. To me, spring
embodies joy. Trees put on leaves, animals mate or give birth, the
air fills with birdsong, and the whole world shakes off its annual
hibernation. After being cooped up for months and having to dress
like an Arctic explorer just to go out and play, spring was a
wonderful time for me as a child. I still love it and I believe I
always will.

In September of 1964, I was sent 500 miles away to Jericho Hill
School for the Deaf and Blind in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Instead of our parents, Miss Boysse and Mrs. Sandyford supervised
my dorm mates and me during the hours we weren't in school. The
local children could return home each afternoon but I was only able
to be with my family for Christmas, summer holidays, and 3 Easters.
Being from Alberta, having spring come a month sooner seemed
strange but delightful to me. From my Deliverance From Jericho
(Six Years in a Blind School) memoir, here is an excerpt that
describes my delight at the arrival of this season.

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In March, we visited Pete's Ice Cream Parlour. This meant much more
to me than a new flag or an old leader. As I had never been to a
business which actually made ice cream, the outing seemed an
exciting event. Occasionally, our dietician treated us to small
dixie cups filled with ice cream from that establishment. Now we
were actually at the place which manufactured those desserts. Mrs.
Sandyford purchased the treats and handed them out to us. As we
walked back to the dorm, we ate our ice creams while enjoying the
fine weather. Though it was only vanilla, that confection was much
tastier than apples.

The frogs began singing their ageless mating song during March.
Since much of the school property remained undeveloped, many small
wild creatures made their homes among the bushes and trees. I loved
to listen to those high-pitched voices at night as I lay in bed.
The sound was hypnotic and soothing. This natural lullaby helped
ease my loneliness. Additionally, it fired my imagination. Mrs.
Rose had read us Fables of the Green Forest by Thornton W.
Burgess, as well as other children's stories. The idea of talking
animals captivated my heart. I wished those frogs could talk to me
and be like the characters in the stories I loved.

A pheasant also lived somewhere on the school grounds. We could
hear its call quite often in the early mornings. "What's that
noise?," I asked when I first heard it. "That's a pheasant," Wayne
answered. "Some men hunt them for food, you know." Being
tender-hearted, I felt sorry for those birds. I yearned to see one
close up.

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Deliverance from Jericho contains many more vignettes of
what life was like in that government-run institution. These range
from poignant experiences of homesickness to hilarious incidents of
mischief. This 196-page paperback, containing 6 black and white
photos, sells for $25.00 through the PayPal-equipped Inscribe writers
group website. E-mail
me for further information or if you don't have PayPal but
still wish to place an order.