Nature Notes

We have had a truly classic autumn weekend, with the sound of leaves crashing down through the branches onto the yellowing grass.  The weather has been incredibly mild with little wind rising throughout the day.  I’ve been able to enjoy morning walks to the sound of deer romping on the other side of the trees and bushes.  Yesterday evening Mom and I watched a male pheasant strut across the lawn in divine unconsciousness of imminent hunting season.  We are waiting for Mother Nature’s shoe to drop.

       The magazines on the newsstands are loaded with pictures of pumpkins and turkeys as Canada gears up for the big Thanksgiving weekend.  When we went through the huge produce department at our local grocery store I thought how lucky we were to be living in a country where there never seems to be a lack of food of every description, from fruits and vegetables, to meat of almost anything we can imagine, to dairy products and packaged goods.  Even better, we are able to afford purchasing these goods before our eyes.  Not everyone can say that, so I count myself lucky.

       I know it’s too early to say Thank you for all this plenty, but I’m feeling it.

Critical Thinking

Surprises can come at a person in so many different ways both pleasant and otherwise.  How a person approaches each day is critical in how the day will for them despite the surprises.  I believe most of us already know that having a positive attitude will bring out the best in us, but also having a mindset that will prepare a person to take a breath before reacting can help tremendously in getting the best response in the first place.

       Over the past decade there has been a number of different articles, research and documentaries discussing the benefits of meditation but truthful I wonder how many people take the advice beyond the reading, the momentary knowledge or the one or two days of dabbling in meditation?  I suspect few continue the practice on a daily basis even if only in brief thoughtfulness.  Here’s a bit of advice culled from the latest O magazine “When you feel anger coming on, turn your focus to your breath; breathe in deeply to bring your mind home to your body; then look at, or think of, the person triggering this emotion . . .”  In the same vein, when a person keeps a daily gratitude journal (especially at the start of the day), the positive feelings will go a long way in balancing out the day when things may get rocky.

       So here’s a Safety Moment for everyone, before you get into your car, before you start your day, before you begin any activity, think about your loved ones, your blessings, and the positive things in your life.  You will be surprised at how much safer, happier and content you will feel.  You will not be an Anger Ball on the road.  Trust me on this one.

What People Really Need

In part the blog of yesterday was motivated by a particular part of Peter Loughheed’s eulogy.  Everyone commented on his “favorite charities” and while that sounds very charitable here’s my objection.  We live in the richest province in one of the richest countries in the world and yet we have more charities than you can shake a stick at.  I am inundated with charities calling my home on a weekly basis.  Have a cup of tea and read on.

       North America is famous for being the first ones to reach out a helping hand to other nations, or within their nation, when there is a crisis.  But again, the major part of the charity falls on the 99% who least can afford to make the contributions.  It’s another way the government has us fooled into believing we are good citizens.  Don’t get me wrong, I see nothing wrong with having a good and decent heart that is willing to help out others.  What I see wrong with this picture is the fact that it is necessary to do so in the first place.  Here in Canada we have people who are dependent on food banks, who are in fact homeless or nearly homeless, families who are in need whose children go under the radar when it comes to education.  In the 21^st century and in a country who has muscled their way into the G8 we should not have poverty or the need for charity.  We should not be funding out of the general population for research into medical concerns such as cancer, Alzheimer’s and what have you.  A government that is obsesses with using taxpayer money to fly into space could also be obsessed with curing cancer, for Pete’s sake!

       What baffles me is how few people seem to question a statement such as “his favorite charities”?  As a powerful leader in this province shouldn’t Mr. Lougheed’s legacy have been that charity was not needed in this richest of provinces?  In 50 years we should have had a heritage fund equivalent to that of Norway’s rather than discovering it pillaged again and again.  Think outside this box and ask some questions about this begging society of ours.

What People Really Want

It is audacious of me to suggest that I know what people across this country, and around the world, really want.  If I was to say that they want to be happy I don’t think that would be a stretch.  I am pretty sure that if you ask them “do you want to be unhappy?” they would definitely disagree with you.  So have a big cup of coffee and read on.

       What would it take to make you happy?  Here’s what I am guessing would make the 99% happy, enough money to make their world go around without stress.  Most people want to earn a living and they would like that living to stretch enough to provide them with the necessities of life with a little left over in the bank account for a rainy day.  Sure we all dream of winning the 6/49 lottery and allow our imaginations to run rampant when we contemplate a few million dollars however realistically if we could always be in the black, we’d be happy.  We would like to enjoy one vacation a year that would not have to be paid by credit card.  In this 21^st century it should not be unreasonable to have a country’s complete population able to have this expectation.

       You are probably at this point gasping in shock that I would be so bold as to make this statement.  I am here to inform you that in the Scandinavian countries this is what happens.  Yes, I am sure you have heard of their high taxes (50%) but have you heard of their high minimum wage?  The negotiated minimum wage is $20 per hour and at that rate would be taxed at 40% which would mean that take home pay would be $12 per hour or $1,820 per month (based on a 35 hour work week).  I’ve attached links below so that you do not have to trust my facts.  The rest of Scandinavia is similar in structure and expectations.

       Why are my thoughts running on this topic today?  I am listening to the debates here in Canada as well as the electioneering that is happening in the USA where the economy and taxes are always at the top of the agenda.  This is what I see and why I have no interest in hearing about deficits.  I see corporations big and small outsourcing their work to third world countries in order for these companies to have a wider margin to issue dividends to shareholders.  I am a shareholder myself but I would prefer to see a sound economy within my own country and take less or no dividend because I have the common sense to realize that a sound economy in my own country is better for everyone.  It is in Canada’s (and by Canada I mean the 99%) best interest to have the 99% gainfully employed which will generate a spending economy.  In order to have the 99% gainfully employed you have to have the jobs within the country.  This would mean we would have shoe factories and our shoes would cost more than $9.99 because the shoe factory workers would be earning at least $20 per hour.  However if the economy has the strength of 99% of the population working at rates like this then we can afford to pay $89 for our shoes.  For one thing, the shoes would feet the Canadian feet rather than be made to fit a tiny Chinese foot!

       I’m not an economics expert but I can certainly add numbers and read enough material on Scandinavia (and yes I do have the advantage of dipping into my relatives’ knowledge) to know that what I propose is feasible, it works elsewhere in the world, and what on earth are we doing when we keep doing the same old thing? 

       If you keep doing what you have always done you are going to continue to get what you’ve always got.

       Think about this next time you go out and vote.  Whose got your back?  Forget about corporations, forget about deficits, forget about everything but THE PEOPLE.

Articles to look at:

Minimum wage by country

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_by_country

The best minimum wages in Europe

http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/31/europe-minimum-wage-lifestyle-wages.html

Taxes in Denmark

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_salary_in_denmark

Cost of living in Denmark

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Denmark

 

 

More About Privacy

Continued thoughts on yesterday’s blog regarding privacy.  Does celebrity status mean privacy expectations are no longer justified?  Does using social media to express yourself mean you have no privacy in off hours?  Does walking out your front door mean that anyone can now own you?

       Our world is increasingly technology based and every hour of every day we are inundated with the latest invention in cell phones, social media, camera and computer technology and I don’t know what else.  It is a certainty that there is abuse of by all sorts of individuals but at the same time there are a large number of people who use these tools to express their creativity and entrepreneurship in legitimate, meaningful ways, if only to themselves.  For instance the writers of this blog is enchanted to be able to compose work that might be appreciated by an audience they might never have had if it wasn’t for the blogspot opportunity.  People share funny video clips on U-Tube, thoughtful (or maybe not) discussions arise via gamers and sites with conspiracy theories.  There are sites where people connect for romance or friendship.  There is Skype that takes people “live” to their family and friends in far off places.

       Utilizing these tools should not preclude privacy laws or rights.  What is being shared is done in honest and sincerity but what happens behind these four walls is my business.  What happens in my back yard is my business.

       If a person is in a live conversation with someone they may have a slip of the tongues, they may say something they don’t mean in quite the way it came out and they are able to take back the words.  In social media it is not that simple, people seem to take offence much faster by the written word, and yet, given that this is something a vast majority utilize – one should be given the same kind of excuse and courtesy as thought it were a true verbal slip of the tongue.  Not everyone can be careful all of the time.

What's Privacy Today?

The world went into a frenzy of gossip this past weekend when pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge appeared in a French newspaper showing her sunbathing topless in a private family retreat.  Apparently not so private after all as some low life photographer managed to get pictures and send them off to some rag mag.  This just after the scandalous romping pictures of Prince Harry the week before.

       So a couple of questions come to mind.  The first and more obvious one is how much privacy should anyone expect in this age of social media?  Secondly why is the public so interested in reading scandal?  Third, if a person has any sense of knowing what the world is today (having addressed the first two questions) why wouldn’t a celebrity be more circumspect?  Is there no dignity left in this world?

       If you don’t want to see nude photos of Kate then don’t buy the magazines that publish the papers or switch the channel when it comes up.  If you don’t want to see yourself in a poor light, know who you surround yourself with and banish all cellphones and cameras from you private space.  If you are in the presence of a royal should you be allowed to bring a cellphone into the room?  How rude is that?  Where is the security people and why aren’t they frisky the guests?  Better yet, don’t go topless in the first place.

       Know you are living in a world of whores and protect yourself by dignity.

Where Did We Go Wrong?

Earlier this year there was a story about a teacher in Edmonton who was suspended due to giving a student a zero on a paper even though the school board had made a policy of No Zeros to be issued.  Recently it was announced that the teacher was subsequently fired from his position.  When I listened to the news story the information was that the student in question had not turned in a paper of any kind.  How does one assign a mark to a non-existent paper with non-existent effort?  I’d just like to understand that rational.  To the best of my knowledge we are talking about an assignment, not the whole term.

       This afternoon as the train was pulling away from the final downtown station we in the train could hear a foul mouthed girl albeit well dressed shouting into her cellphone with words to this effect:

       “You are my F*&^ing teacher, you F&^*er and I want my F*&^ing assignment . . .”

       People were gasping on the train or saying “did you hear that?” or looking at each other with mouths open.  I was thinking “the fine result of no-zero policy, just curse at your university professor and expect that he will give you an Aplus because never before have you reaped consequences.”  That’s pretty much what I was thinking.

       On the weekend my mother, my sister and I were asking ourselves “who comes up with these policies and what is the basis for believing that they are a good thing”?  Examples of weirdness, besides this zero mark thing; allowing cellphones in the classroom, including exams; no penalties for lateness; no penalties for missing an inordinate amount of classes or days even; no repercussions for breaking rules such as not bringing food and beverages into a No Food or Drink zone (just have Big Daddy come in with his law degree and threaten the principal with a lawsuit if his Johnny can’t take the slurpy into the super expensive computer room and spill drinks on the equipment – big lesson there – how to be a bully).  And one wonders why there are bullies in school and why one of the kids will eventually go berserk with some type of weapon because hey, we don’t have gun laws anymore either.

       Really, for all the people out there who have always crossed on green lights only, never jay walked, always written cheques only to the amount of the dollars in your account I ask “where did we go wrong?”

Back to Normal

My grandfather had a saying “ud er godt men hjem er bedst” (out is good but home is best) and as much as I enjoy travelling I enjoy winding down after the trip before I go back to normal.

       What is normal?  I’ve been working on finding more meaning in the day to day living which I hope has been apparent in my blogs.  I find myself dreading the return to work, to the humdrum and then I give myself a little shake in order to find the ordinary interesting.  It’s the case of trying to find a surprise in daily living, in observing the people around you and enjoying the quiet moments in those observations.  In the grocery store this morning I noticed three guys chatting it up in the store and then heading off in separate vehicles and I wondered if they were going to The Game or if they were going their own way after meeting up by accident.  While filling up with gas I chatted it up with the owner as he explained the huge jump in gas prices on Thursday afternoon.  It’s nice to know that he was looking out for his customers in holding the price down an extra day (even though I had a shock, I left last Saturday when the price was $1.13 and filled up today at $1.21, good grief).

       Taking my walk after lunch I enjoyed the changing colour of the trees and avoided thoughts of the coming winter and then suddenly I heard the stamp of hooves.  I began whistling to warn away the deer which worked as I saw it run just south of me.  Back in the yard I picked up a bunch of fallen branches from the mighty windstorm early this week and first thought about Little House on the Prairie and then about global warming.  We are living in an ever changing world and the wonder is that we don’t wonder enough about it!

       Life is good, even when ordinary.

Green Spaces

I am amazed at all the green in mid-September.  By now the prairies are that famous dull yellow brown colour while here there are still daylilies in first bloom.  The weather has been a sultry 28 to 30 and even at Niagara Falls yesterday the thermometer hit 34 in the shade.  The trees don't yet even have a hint of fading to yellow, orange or red.  Yet there is a stillness about the countryside. No children are frolicking on lawns or in the fields, they are all in school.  Instead the seniors are out in droves, they are headed to the casino.

                This has been my first (and I'm certain my last) experience of a casino.  I am dazed by the vastness, by the lights and the noise of machines whirring.  People sit in front of the lights and as I look at the pictures I wonder "can anyone be this serious about this childish looking stuff?"  But they are, they really are.  I sit down because Jeanette makes me.  She says "try this one."  It's I Love Lucy.  I have no idea what I am doing, just press the button.  Now what?  Press it again. But what am I doing? Isn't there some sort of challenge, something to make this complex?  No, just press the button.  I win $3 and cash out. 

                However, after that I put $10 in another machine.  I lose it all. We go for a scenic walk and take pictures of the Falls.  Still, we have 2 1/2 hours to kill.  We go back to the casino. I lose, I win, I lose.  I think about Barbara Stanwyck in "The Lady Gambles" and I am not so quietly freaking out.  Jeanette thinks I am hilarious, I think I am a fool.  Worse, could I become an addict in the hopes of recovering the lousy $30?  Then I say, well, I only lost $27 because I still have the $3 from the first win.  $27 doesn't sound as horrifying as $30.  Oh the logic of it all.  I can see how addiction starts.

                No more casinos for me!

Ontario Vacation

2012 Ontario Vacation

I'm reconnecting with my childhood memories and my childlike mind as we drive around Southern Ontario.  As I note the stone farmhouses and the dying cornfields I think about my family's Sunday drives where my sister and brother and I would sing out "hup hester,hup hester i lange lasser" (translated, ponies, ponies, in long streams - kinda loses something in the translation, I know).  We were crazy about horses and longed to ride on one.  My father was good at explaining the reasons why we couldn't have things and while you nodded your head in agreement acknowledging the good sense of it all inside you'd be saying "but I still want it".  Many years later my brother John told us the story of his horse.

                His horse?

                Often John would go with Dad to work on Saturdays to keep him company and at this time Dad was running his own canning company in Toronto.  It was a long drive from Burlington and often there would be traffic jams, even on a Saturday.  John was maybe 7 or 8 at the time when this particular story happened.  John has questioned him once again about why we couldn't have a horse and I guess Dad must have seen how serious and longing he looked.  So he began this father talk differently.

                "Well, Ole, I did buy a horse for you." and he paused as John looked up at him expectantly "but these days there aren't very many horses around" another pause as they moved forward a bit in the traffic "see that horse just there" and he pointed down to a traffic cop on a horse "well, I had to lend the horse to the police because there just wasn't enough to go around". John looked at the horse and felt very impressed that his horse was being ridden by a policeman.

                When John told the story we laughed, it was just like Dad to tell a story like that - and it was just like us to totally believe him.  I look out the window and point to the horses "hup hester"

Jetting to Romanceville

I’m up, packed and ready to take the long trek to the airport and then whoosh, landing in Kitchener, Ontario for a week of fun and games with my sister!  For the first time in my life I packed at the last minute but definitely not lighter than at any other time in my travelling career.

       I am not sure what compels a woman to pack her life in her suitcase but I have yet to meet the woman who doesn’t overpack.  In our hearts we know we are going to be wearing our favorite jeans and rattiest t-shirt (well perhaps a nicer t-shirt) and it’s almost certain we will not don a dress or the high heels that are squeezed into the corners of the luggage.  But we do it anyway.  I think perhaps we expect our little adventure to turn into a romantic comedy, you know, like Meg Ryan in “French Kiss”.  Oh yeah, to be swept into vineyards with a romantic care-for-nobody like Kevin Klein  . . . ok, ok, I am stretching it a little.  How about that gorgeous hunk of yore, William Smith?  Ah huh.

       The exciting thing about a vacation, however, is what YOU make of it.  In the end, I am never disappointed because I have a great sense of humour and can make a story out of anything.  Or so I fondly remind myself.  And so I pack the jewelry, the evening bag, the heels and the glitz because somewhere out there, there is a story that’s going to be told, if not lived.

       Harlequin Romance, here I come!

To Spank or Not to Spank

There was an interesting article in this evening’s paper discussing the Canadian Medical Association Journal’s push to have spanking outlawed.  Section 43 of the Criminal Code was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2004 ruling that the provision did not infringe on a child’s right to security under the Charter of Rights & Freedoms.  But the CMA feels that it is archaic and inhumane to spank a child.

       I can see it all now, a five year old termagant secures a lawyer and sues his mother for spanking him after he screamed the house down because he didn’t want to eat his turnips or go to bed at bedtime.  Yes, yes, let’s just talk some sense into the child, give him a timeout somewhere (but not too isolated because that could also be considered cruel and unusual punishment – though in a practical sense I’d be wanting to keep my eye on the termagant in case he decided to scrawl on the walls with his . . . you know).

       I am certainly not opposed to teaching parents how to handle children, and I understand why Dr. Phil wouldn’t publicly advocate spanking but even Dr. Spock lived to publicly regret saying spanking didn’t have a part to play in parenting (look it up, it’s true). 

       Here are my thoughts, spanking may be a tool like any other tool in teaching and raising children.  Not every child requires spanking, a word or a look is all that child may need to get her attention.  However some children simply cannot focus no matter how much you may strain yourself to explain the reason for the no.  If a parent must resort to spanking, it should be done in a restrained manner, on the soft spot of the derriere and with a reasoned admonition before, during and afterwards.  Too often an adult may lose their temper and simply hit the child which is wrong.  Of course it is wrong.  But if the adult has said no and the child continues with the bad behaviour to the point of being unmanageable (if you have never dealt with such a child, God bless you), a smack on the bottom, an explanation of why and the resultant escort to bed has always worked for me.

       In a perfect world there would be no physical punishment.  In a perfect world there wouldn’t be lunatic speedsters on the highway either.

       I’m just saying.

Decision Making 101

Weighing in on the “decision” to suddenly cancel a facility that had actually broken ground in Fort McLeod a week or so ago I find myself asking the question, “why now”?  This facility had been in the works for several years but after the last election the riding turned into a Wildrose constituency rather than PC.  Historically ridings that were non-PC have been have-not ridings and looks as though the pattern is not changing with our new premier.  Her reply to the question “why” is that she got a letter from police departments telling her they didn’t need it.  Really, is that what we now call “consultation”?  Where was the original consultation to set up the police academy in the first place?

       Here’s another interesting tidbit from today’s news; one of our senators-in-waiting (apparently that’s what they call hogs now) who until recently was on the board of directors of the University of Calgary has been caught with his hands in the cookie jar or more aptly with his snout in the pig trough all through sending in expense accounts without anyone approving them.  How much money can a person dip into at a university?  Apparently enough to actually be told to pay it back!   And now he’s headed to the greatest trough of all, the Canadian senate.  Where there is no accountability at all.  Hog Heaven Indeed.

 

       And we wonder where our tax dollars go!

Fall Cleanup

There’s something gratifying about feeling that one has cleaned up in preparation for winter despite the aches and pains of shoulders, shins and other body parts one generally isn’t aware of owning.  There’s also something a little sad about saying goodbye to green leaves, cutting lawns and weeding out colourful flower beds.

       Then there is the sense of renewal, new beginnings which hale back from school days.  It’s time to pull out the exercise and weight loss programs, pull out Continuing Education pamphlets and pour over possibilities.  While September is a putting to bed of summer time fun and games it is also a time of regeneration.  September brings out the social aspect of life in a big way that ramps up to the finale of New Year’s Eve.  Let’s not think beyond that because that distant time can be a little grim.

       I’m looking at my critters and wondering if they feel the change in the coming season?  It seems to me they are more eager to come in at the end of the day than at the height of the summer.  I also notice that the smaller birds seem to be more busy in the trees as it becomes cooler.  I think they know “make hay while the sun shines”.

       And that’s what I’m doing too!

Labour Day Weekend 2012

Traditionally the Labour Day weekend is the one where I normally start the fall cleanup of the yard and such.  This year the weather is still too nice to put lawn furniture away but I did get a start on umbrellas and tools.  We didn’t get much of a harvest this year, our big bumper crop being our apples.  The birds got the gooseberries and our raspberries were dormant this year (probably due to neglect and being choked by thistles).

       This weekend my brothers are working on repairing my garage, which seemed to be coming apart at the seams.  I was helping as I dodged their ladders, chains and electric wires but now I am exhausted and as they have gone for a siesta I thought I would peruse last year’s September writings.  So the first thing that caught my eye was the mourning of All My Children and One Life to Live.  I believe Oprah missed the boat on that one; can you imagine the built in audience she would have had for her new network if she took over those two shows?  Who is her consultant anyway?  Is it too late?

       Last year we had our golf tournament in mid September and had a glorious day.  We are experiencing like weather at the moment and with the good news that we are supposed to have a warm autumn, I am in heaven.  With mother at the kitchen helm we’ve been enjoying apple pies and apple sauce and perhaps tomorrow it will be my turn to make an apple crisp.  Autumn is a great time for apples which I think we can call “every man’s fruit”.

       On Friday it was the 15^th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death.  I well remember my sister and I being in shock during the whole Labour Day weekend 15 years ago.  It hardly seems that long ago and yet so much has happened around the globe and in the Royal Family.  It’s sometimes hard to keep timelines in perspective as one gets older.  Some things seem like yesterday while other things are so far in the past you cannot even remember more than an outline of the story.

       I often find the Labour Day weekend a time of unreality, as I sometimes feel that I am disconnected from the outside world.  Traditionally I don’t travel on this particular long weekend and as most people either also don’t, or else they go camping or travelling to family, I am frequently alone for the whole three days.  Certainly not this weekend, where family has been coming and going like a revolving door.  It’s nice but also unsettling.  Routines don’t happen.

       But what’s so great about routine anyway?

On the Bright Side of Life

After a few days of ranting it’s time to turn over a new leaf and look at the nicer side of things.  Canada has received a very nice forecast from Environment Canada for the fall weather, above seasonal temperatures for most parts of the country.  Economic growth is slow, but it’s still growth.  The harvest has been good in most parts of the country due to a nice warm summer.  In fact, I have been very grateful that we are in the last days of August and still haven’t had frost.  How good is that?

      There’s all the good things in a person’s private life; family and friends who socialize and laugh together.  The fact that we live in one of the safest countries in the world.  The fact that we have food in our grocery stores and schools that function.  Hospitals with terrific doctors and nurses.  Things we generally take for granted.

      But somehow, it’s always easier to complain than to say thank you.  I’m a month early, but I am saying thank you tonight.

After a few days of ranting it’s time to turn over a new leaf and look at the nicer side of things.  Canada has received a very nice forecast from Environment Canada for the fall weather, above seasonal temperatures for most parts of the country.  Economic growth is slow, but it’s still growth.  The harvest has been good in most parts of the country due to a nice warm summer.  In fact, I have been very grateful that we are in the last days of August and still haven’t had frost.  How good is that?

      There’s all the good things in a person’s private life; family and friends who socialize and laugh together.  The fact that we live in one of the safest countries in the world.  The fact that we have food in our grocery stores and schools that function.  Hospitals with terrific doctors and nurses.  Things we generally take for granted.

      But somehow, it’s always easier to complain than to say thank you.  I’m a month early, but I am saying thank you tonight.