Caterpillar Feller Buncher
19 June 2013
It was crowded in the park and tempers were short. Alphonse yelled, “Dennis, aren’t you going to say hello to us?”
I replied, “I’m working my way in that direction, just be patient.” I made my rounds, shaking hands, asking how people were feeling, what had happened since Id seen them last.”
I came to Alphonse and Magdalene. I said, “I hear that you have a new apartment now. How do you like it?” Alphonse said, “We like it there. It’s far from downtown, but it’s nice. Dennis, I’d like you to meet my friend Manisee.”
We shook hands. He said, “Do you want to know an easy way to remember my name. Just think of Man I See, Manisee.”
“I’ll remember that, Manisee.” I sat down near Little Jake, Wolf and Jacques. “I see you have a new hat, Jacques. It looks good on you.”
“Thank you. It keeps the sun off.”
“How are you doing, Jake?”
“Not so good. Those people over They’re drinking straight vodka. They’re getting too loud, especially Magdalene. Her screeching in my ear is driving me nuts. I’m about ready to swat her.”
Alphonse yelled over, “Jake, what’s that boo-boo on your lip? It looks pretty bad.”
“It’s just a cold sore. I’ve been smoking too many butts.” To me he whispered, “See what I mean.”
Wolf said, “I woke up here at six thirty yesterday evening. Shakes woke me up. It took about two hours to walk home pushing Shaggy’s cart. When I got to my apartment building I saw Outcast and some others sitting on the curb so I gave them my drunk talk. I didn’t have my teeth, in so I don’t know if I made any sense.
“After I got unpacked I was ravenously hungry. I didn’t trust myself to use the stove, so I went to Subway. I gave the guy my card and he said, ‘I know just what you want. I gonna make you something special.’ He did. I don’t know how he knew what I wanted, I didn’t know what I wanted, but he did good. It was really delicious. I still got half in the fridge.
“Yesterday I wanted to tell you about the new book I got. I was too drunk last night to do any reading. I didn’t even crack it open. I don’t even remember the title. I guess I must have read the back cover, but I don’t know. I don’t remember very much, just little bits and pieces, of last night.
“Jake, have you got a dollar twenty-five?”
“Sure,”
“If I give you ten bucks will you do a run for me and get a case of beer? I don’t want to move. I’ll give you one.”
“Will you give me two?”
“Sure, Jake. You look like you could use them.”
Wolf said to me, “I can see that Jake is getting grumpy. That’s why I don’t mind giving him two beer.”
Magdalene sat next to Wolf and put her hand on his shoulder. He said, “Hey, watch the fingerprints!”
“I just wanted to say hello.”
“Saying hello is one thing; touching is another. Just keep your hands off me.”
Someone in white pants and a white jacket came along and called to Magdalene. She went over to talk to him. He said, “You ran out on me yesterday. I gave you money to buy a bottle of vodka and you never came back.”
“Yeah, I got delayed. I was talking to someone. See, I just got out of jail and this person was looking after my stuff. I was worried about my stuff, but don’t worry I’ll pay you back for the vodka as soon as I get some money.”
“Alphonse entered the conversation, “You don’t have to worry about your money, my friend. We’re good for it. Just give us a few days. You’ll see us around.”
I asked Hippo, “Have you gone to court yet?”
“Yeah, they remanded it to sometime in July. I was told that they’re going to drop the charges. I have to go back to be fingerprinted.”
“Don’t they have your fingerprints?”
“No, I guess I was too intoxicated. I’m not allowed to drink, smoke pot or carry any weapons, especially hammers. If I get caught it’s straight to jail. I don’t mind, it’s just until my court date.”
I asked, “Have you been home to see your family lately?”
“My mom came by yesterday, bought me some groceries, gave me some money. She’s going down to Kitchener this weekend to visit her brother, my aunt, my nephews, my nieces.”
“Do you ever get down there to visit your relatives?”
“No, I don’t get along with her brothers.
“Jerry here just got back from B.C. where I’d eventually like to go. He operates a feller buncher.”
A feller buncher is a type of harvester used in logging. It is a motorized vehicle with an attachment that can rapidly cut and gather several trees before felling them.standard heavy equipment base with a tree-grabbing device furnished with a chain-saw, circular saw or a shear – a pinching device designed to cut small trees off at the base. The machine then places the cut tree on a stack suitable for a skidderor forwarder, or other means of transport (yarding) for further processing (e.g., delimbing, bucking, loading, or chipping).
Jerry said, Hippo, you could operate one of those. It’s no more complicated than the skidders you’ve operated. I was working at a dry camp. The only liquor was what you brought in, otherwise nothing. After two months I came into a bar in the city and was mixing, vodka, whiskey, rum; anything I could get my hands on. The waitress said to me, ‘Man, it looks like you haven’t had alcohol for months.’ I said, ‘That’s exactly it.'”
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