What’s The Buzz, Tell Me What’s A-Happening

Well it is that time of year again.  It has become a regular tradition for Pat, and today was the day this year.  For those of you who know Pat, she is a no nonsense woman who tells it like it is and stands by her word.  I am proud of her commitment to friendship and the memories we have of one special person in her life.

In the mid 1990’s our son Bradley began a friendship with another boy who had just started in the same school and played on his soccer team.  Grayson’s parents attended the games and that was where we met his parents.  One thing led to another and we found out Shelley and Alan had a boat and were interested in some weekend adventures ‘down the French’ River attached to our local lake.  We have many fond memories of each family travelling in our respective boats to our spot as often as we could each summer, and we cherish the relationship we built.  For almost twelve years we would get our boats in the water the same weekend in the spring, boat as often as we could throughout the summer, and put them away each autumn at the same time.  There are many stories we could share about the adventures we had with their two sons, daughter and our son and daughter in our spot in Satchels Bay.

Shelley was fair skinned, and always careful about the sun.  She wore 50 sunblock so thick we used to tease her about her whiteness.  She wore big floppy sun hats, was usually covered up, didn't smoke and didn't really drink much.  She had a love for salads and generally ate very healthy.  Unfortunately, cancer does not care about any of that, and as many readers will know either first hand or through someone else, once it starts, it is insidious and relentless.

Shelley began to feel ill in late 2006 and by the summer of 2007 she was struggling with the treatment associated with ovarian cancer and began to lose her hair.  She had beautiful thick, red hair and we know it was hard for her to be losing it throughout the treatment.  Pat tried to encourage her and offered to shave her head along with Shelley so they could wear bandanas together.  Shelley was not keen on the idea, but started to wear bandanas anyway.  To perhaps encourage her further, Pat then told Shelley if she was not going to shave her head now, to honour her memory when she was gone, she would shave her head the day she retired.  Shelley battled through the summer and by the time the boats were put away that fall it was fairly evident she would not be boating in 2008.  She died the following June.

Pat worked for seven more years before she retired from full time work to go part time.  I remember Pat telling me the day she wanted to change from full time to part time she was relieved to be starting the road to retirement.  That was almost immediately followed by dread at the thought she now had to shave her head.  Word got around the hospital and the hospital fundraising group suggested Pat hold a fundraising effort in Shelley’s memory.  She said yes and the 2015 Sharp’s Fund Razor was created.

In all, nine individuals stepped forward to have their heads shaved and the effort brought in just over $6,000.  For Pat it was an invigorating experience and she fulfilled her commitment to her friend.  To keep that memory active she now has her head shaved at least once per year.  The hotter it gets the more likely she will shave it off some time throughout the year, but she always does it around the holiday season because we are pretty well guaranteed warmth.  Since we began travelling she has had her head shaved in some pretty interesting locations.  

Front Lawn of The Green Turtle Club, Abacos, Bahamas, winter 2020/21

Black Sound, New Plymouth, Abacos, winter 2022/23

This year marks the tenth anniversary of that first shave and she still looks fantastic with or without hair.

I am very proud of her to have done that in the first place, and as we have become used to doing it each winter, it just seems right to continue.

Next to a Saguaro, La Paz Valley, Quartzsite, AZ, winter 2024/25

If you got this far and you have read some of my other blogs you know I try to find words that are cryptic, yet descriptive about the content.  The buzz part is pretty obvious but the rest is a line out of Jesus Christ Superstar - The Musical.  We saw that with our kids when they were young and that line has stuck with us so whenever we say “what’s going on”, or “what’s up” we always say What’s The Buzz, Tell Me What’s A-Happening.

Thank you for reading.