News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

By LeRae Haynes

Yesterday morning at 7:15 I was sitting in my little home office answering website emails, organizing interviews and stories for the day and clipping on my headset for another long line of phone calls, when my husband stopped in the doorway, scowling.

He has recently started a new job in an office setting in town, and one of the adjustments he has made is wearing long pants to work. During the 30-some years he taught school in this district, he became famous for wearing shorts to work every day, all year. It was a common sight to see him on playground duty, in the snow, in his wool socks, hiking boots and shorts. It was always a shock to see him in long pants and was usually because he was on his way to a funeral, or some other formal event.

In fact if he occasionally wandered into a grocery store in long pants, people would rush over and say, ‘What happened? Who died?’

So, I looked up from my desk on Friday morning and saw him standing in the doorway wearing long jeans and a polo shirt. ‘It’s Casual Friday and look what I have to wear to work,’ he grumbled.

I looked down at my house slippers, garden shorts and pajama top, with my hair sticking out all over my head and said, ‘It’s Casual Friday and look what I have to wear to work!’

My work days are joyous, hectic and full of challenge, delight and new experiences. Yesterday, for example, after a couple of early morning phone interviews with Ministers of Various Things in Victoria and putting the finishing touches on the jars of salt brine pickles on my kitchen counter, I raced off to town to do interviews in person. I galloped into the Salvation Army Food Bank to have a conversation about the record number of families signing up for food boxes with Shandi, one of my very favourite people in the world.

While I was there, I also got to play music with the guitar class, led by Cat Prevatt. Well, I cheated and played piano, but we had a rollicking good time, and I learned three new songs.

Then I ran off to meet with the supremely talented Jason Ryll to talk about his Front Row Voiceovers global business, and had the great pleasure of meeting Ken Preeper at Bee Jay Auto Wrecking and Towing in person and hearing about the immense satisfaction he has always found by supporting an enormous range of kids and events in our community.

What a great job, Casual Friday or not. I’m looking forward to learning about the businesses, industry and organizations in our community, the provincial, federal and global influences that affect us, and hear about what matters most to the people who live here.

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