THE BEAVER

           The last post described a visit that was on the bridge for  good beaver watching. This year a beaver dam has gone in about 60m from the walking bridge over the creek. It's a popular place for people to meet. Most of the time people are there watching for the two beavers. This is where I met the Ukrainian couple and last night I visited with  man from New Zealand. 

         A large dam has been constructed. I think now they are storing food. On a stream like this they tunnel into the bank to make their lodge. So I thought, why not do a post on beavers? 

       

                                        I walk this path almost everyday

Around a bend and you see a foot bridge.

And a little closer and you find a fine bridge. The bridge makes for a great  viewing stand. You look down about 3 m to the water surface. 

And what do you know, Mr Beaver comes along.

This is by far the largest beaver I have ever seen.

                                  The water backs up 400 to 500 m.

                               

                       And every fine outing has to end so I'm on my way back home. 

A GOOD WALK

      A long time ago, a blogger I followed said, "A good walk is an excellent opportunity for photos." That has worked for me many times. Now I rarely carry my camera. 

     I try to go for a walk every evening. My walk is usually in the 4000 to 5000 step category.

   I meet quite a few people and their dogs. Most nights I have one or two good visits. 

   My walk today was special. I met a Ukrainian couple who are doing quite well here but still struggling with things. They are both computer programmers. He had just lost his job but is hopeful he will find another job. 

   After a slow start to the conversation, it picked up. They were practicing their English with me. They found that as an older person I spoke slowly and was easy to understand. For them, younger people speak too fast and use more slang.

     They like the beautiful area here. We were standing on a foot bridge watching a beaver go back and forth under us. 

     So I get to learn about some of their culture. I try and tell them that my ancestors, although they were German, came from the Ukraine. I'm not sure that they understand that. All my ancestors spoke German and Russian when they came here and some spoke Ukrainian. 

    So it was a quiet pleasant evening for a good walk. 

WORLD CHOCOLATE DAY

       Today is a day I really like. Or in other words , I like chocolate. World Chocolate day is thought to celebrate the introduction of chocolate into Europe in 1550.

     There are several other days celebrating chocolate. 

     National chocolate day is a U.S. date celebrated Oct 28. 

    Candy makers have a day designated to celebrate chocolate. 

    So I like chocolate but there's no chocolate in the house to celebrate with. 

    I hope you will find some chocolate to celebrate World chocolate day. 

PEACEFUL SUMMER EVENING

       I've commented many times on how much I love the long daylight hours we have here. 

      There's more to it than that. We get to be outside and enjoy long evenings. Now each evening has it's own characteristics. Many times the wind doesn't go down until just before sunset. We get to see some interesting sunsets. 

     What I really like are those very calm evenings. It seems that people follow a schedule throughout the year and they are not out in the evening. So it's quiet. No people on the street! Very few cars. So with the coming of sunset the day seems to quietly wind down. 

    So on June 30 I decided to go out just before 10 PM and see if I could catch the peaceful evening. When I looked at the photos, it surprised me at how light it was. 

    So here there's little activity in the evenings even if it's light. However, in the Arctic it as different. We had sun up for 24 hours a day. People were active at any time of the day. I met some of my students out at 4 AM. Inuit got up to hunt at any time to take advantage of the tide to go out of the bay. One teacher got mixed up with time and came to school just before 9 Pm. She got teased for a long time. 

HAPPY CANADA DAY

      I have never gone out and attended a Canada Day celebration. Yes, I know I'm bad. I have attended the fireworks in the evening. I would take my family to a good vantage point and watch fireworks. It was fun when the kids were little.

     So, today I was doing my regular grocery shopping. Yes, that's me . Grocery shopping on Canada Day.   

     I met an Asian woman with three little kids doing her shopping. 

      She had a three year old who was bouncing with great abandon. That kid had energy. 

    I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the seven year old had a tiny Canadian flag and he was holding it up. I realized that he was saying Happy Canada Day. I wished him Happy Canada Day and I got the politest  "Thankyou" I've ever received. 

     The five year old girl had a pink birthday hat on. I asked her if it was her birthday and she said it was. I wished her happy birthday and also received a very sincere thankyou.

     This really made my Canada Day. 

    It was better than fire works. 

A FEW AMENDMENTS

       Some of your comments showed  that I had not fully given necessary information.

       We had lots of supervision. Three of us taught out door ed. Two  of the three of us usually went on the trip. We  had no problem getting male supervisors. Some of them came with us a few times when their kids were in the program. Getting female supervisors was a challenge. There were very few Moms who wanted to do an overnight field trip. Once we went without a female supervisor but that was the last time for that. 

      Kids on field trips were always well behaved. They were noisy but good. In fact they stuck to you like glue. They also knew the rules and why we had those rules. 

      In the early fall we would do a hike. Before Christmas we would do a cross country trip and sometimes it was a snow shoe trip. In one grade we would do a winter camp. In other words in a tent with snow and below freezing temperature. For this one I threw in all the covers I had to cover my garden when it froze. The blankets were all used and appreciated. 

   So the point I wish to make is that this was a group effort and other than noise they were well behaved and learned many things. . But then middle school kids are great noise makers.  For many of these kids it was their first exposure to the natural world. 

        These blurry photos were from an area that we went to many times. 

   

ANOTHER BUS EPISODE

      Ticks were not the only excitement on outdoor ed. trips. I taught outdoor ed. for a few years. We would pack the bus with kids and supplies and head for the Rocky mountains for field trips. We would overnight in youth hostels, rustic youth hostels. These youth hostels were meant for ten to twelve people. We would crowd in 15 or so boys and 2 or 3 adults. The boys had to cook for themselves. Sometimes there were other travelers there as well. We would reserve the hostels. We never had as many girls so the lady's hostel  was never so crowded. I remember 10 or so boys sleeping on the floor. Supervisors didn't get much sleep. 

    Sometimes a little guy would be rolling and bouncing around. If you could see who it was, it was easy to settle him down. Just tell him to go out and pee. 

   Those nights in the youth hostel were magical as we would go out in the moon light in the Rocky's. The bright snow and moonlight gave a beautiful view. 

   We also took summer field trips. The highway up to High Wood pass is closed until sometime in the late spring. From where the highway is closed to the top of the pass is 19 Km. We had the kids ride up the pass on bicycles. All of them made it. The ride down was dangerous as it was hard to persuade them that they would go too fast down the hill.

     Well, every field trip has to come to an end. We had routines that everybody had to follow. One time we had all the kids on the bus and equipment and supplies loaded. We were making one last check to make sure the area was left as it should be. All of a sudden kids were yelling and screaming. Somebody had seen a squirrel get in the bus. Well, that meant everybody had to get off the bus. It also meant that this old guy has to check the bus to make sure the squirrel was not on the bus. I had to check under the seats to see if the critter was hiding. The all clear sign was given and the kids got on the bus gain.

    Now we've talked about this incident a few times. We're not sure  a squirrel actually got on the bus or if someone's imagination got carried away or if the critter left very quickly and the kids didn't see it leave. 

    Field trips were always a great adventure. 

TICKS

       This morning I listened to an item on ticks on my favorite radio program on CBC. Ticks have been in the news lately as they have become more abundant. They were noted for passing on Lyme disease but now they pass on other diseases. They are annoying because they are sneaky little beggars that attach themselves and are on your body before you know it.

       The expert being interviewed suggested that ticks were moving about 50 km further north every year and that this was due to climate change.

     People remember when they've had a tick or when a pet has had a tick. One I remember is when I had a tick on my throat just below the edge of my beard. Luckily, my brother saw it and took it off before any harm was done. 

    I taught outdoor ed for a number of years. We took the students on 3 field trips a year. When you're taking out 35 kids for two nights and 3 days very strict  routines have to be set up. One of the routines was for each student to have a buddy to check for ticks. 

    One time we had  a couple of extra hours so we took them on a trail on the side of a mountain.. This was in late March and on a south facing slope where the snow had disappeared. So ticks were already active. 

     We got o the bus and one of the students found a tick. There was excitement and pandemonium and all the kids got off the bus. The checking was done and no more ticks were found. We loaded the bus and headed for home with an interesting event to tell about. 

     Whenever I go by I still look up on the mountainside and remember the tick episode 

A CONFESSION

       I just noticed that I had the wrong photos on my last post. When I was replying to comments I suddenly saw that what I posted was a south east photo at the wrong time of the year. I picked the photos by appearance rather thin by dates. 

    So here are Solstice photos from 2018. I went for a bike ride about 9:30 PM and the photos were taken from about 9:45 to 10:15. 

SUMMER SOLSTICE

       The summer solstice is one of my favorite days of the year. We have the excitement of the longest day and then the beginning of shorter days. 

      Here the sun rose at 5:13 AM and sets at 10:00 PM for a total of 16 hours and 47 minutes of sun up. 

     If we watch we can see twilight  at mid night. When I was in the Arctic the midnight sun was always a special event. 

       I took these photos in 2019 in my yard  around 10PM . It was still very pleasant in the evening.

      Our garden plants start to develop very quickly with the long days. 

I WON...AGAIN

   I eat at the casino 2 or 3 times a week. It's good food and a good price.

   Every Wednesday is senior day. Your meal is $10.00. They have one western dish and one Chinese dish you get to choose from. 

   Business on Wednesday is great as the seniors like the food and price. 

   On Wednesday there is always a draw for $500.00. I have won this draw 3 times in the last 7 years. 

   Today they phoned me and I had won the Father's day draw which is a variety of things worth $500.00. Now one thing is a golf package and I don't golf. 

    So a phone call like this just made my day. 

WESTERN JUMPING MOUSE.

      A few years ago I was seated on my favorite viewing platform quietly watching a patch of wetland. I was watching for ducks and geese and other wetland birds. 

     There were many reeds around the platform. It was a quiet calm day. All if a sudden I noticed a reed waving back and forth. Something was at the bottom of the reed where I could not see it. After much more shaking, I noticed a small mouse climbing up the reed. 

    And then, the reed broke off sending the mouse into the water below with a loud plop!. So I thought, "Good bye mousy." No sooner did that thought come into my head when I saw another reed shaking and after a while a mouse climbing up the stem. Well the mouse fell in again and went some where else as obviously it could swim. 

    So this was my first encounter with a western jumping mouse. They quite often are found in wetlands. Their most common predator is the northern pike!

    I had never heard of a jumping mouse before and I have spent lots of time outdoors in natural areas. I haven't seen a western jumping mouse since. 

    They are interesting little characters and can make tremendous leap. They can jump about 6 feet horizontally and 2 ft high. They move like lightening and before you get a good look at them they are gone. 

    So on the day of my sighting, I stopped at the nature center to report my siting. They were familiar with the jumping mouse. 

BRIAN WILSON

      Brian Wilson passed away a few days ago after a very productive music career and a life full of struggles. 

     Brian Wilson and his two brothers started the Beach Boys about50 years ago.

     I'm always far behind when it comes to music. I knew who the Beach Boys were and some of their music.  With the coming of the internet and You Tube I became familiar with the Beach Boys. I liked their vocals and harmonies. I was amazed at how many instruments were used to make their sound. 

    With all the ups and downs with personal problems, Brian Wilson left us with some great music and influenced other musicians. 

    He will be remembered. 

A CLOSE CALL

    We all have close  calls from time to time. Sometimes it could be very serious . Other times not that serious if the close call had happened.

    I had a close call yesterday that was serious. 

    I was going through a traffic circle. Now I can hear people saying, "I hate those things." If you are used to them it works. One problem is that the traffic people keep swinging back and forth. Sometimes we get traffic circles and then for a few years traffic circles are torn up. 

    All right, getting back to the traffic circle. As you come up to a traffic circle there's a lane that allows you to go right without entering the traffic circle. There's another arrow that lets  you through to an exit that  takes you in the same direction. You stay in the outside lane. The third arrow takes you 3/4 or the way around. Which allows you to proceed left.

    Yesterday as I approached the traffic circle there was no traffic so I could enter the outside lane. I was entering and all of a sudden there was a blue blur crossing in front of me at high speed.

   I thought I was a goner . Between his excessive speed and my breaking we did not collide. 

   However, my heart was beating rapidly

   This traffic circle has shrubbery in the middle to make things look pretty. If everybody plays by the rules it's attractive. One idiot going through at high speed makes it a hazard.

    I am an elderly driver so I don't need any close calls. 

A BAD DAY

       I guess we all have to have a bad day or two once in a while. 

      So, here's my story.

     We have been trying to downsize for many years. One of us thinks that not much progress is made and the the other one thinks that we are getting rid of some "stuff" 

    So the neighbor across the corner was having a garage sale today. The micro manager thought that this would be a good opportunity for us to put things out and people may visit our garage sale while going to the other. 

    It was a very nasty day. Wind gusts were well into the 60 km range. It was plus 12 C. Now those two things are enough to tell me that it will be a very nasty day. I said we shouldn't have a sale with such poor weather. The Micro manager thought that it was a great opportunity for a garage sale. Words were said. Strong words were said. Finally I gave in and we rounded up stuff to put out. 

   Now a few things about garage sales. There's more to it than just putting things out. People like to see a sale with  much stuff displayed. They look at a sale with only a few things and they don't stop. You need an attractive sign. Your sign must be clear. It was so windy today that the sign was blown across the yard. Put things out so that they are attractively displayed. 

    Finally about 3 PM the micro manager gave in and said let's quit.  The neighbor next door wanted some of these articles so we invited Darcy for a visit. Darcy took about 75% of the stuff. What was left, we took to bibles for missions.

   Did we learn anything? Probably not. 

THE WEATHER IS IN CONTROL

       At this time of year I would like to have my garden planted. I try and have seeds planted around the twenty first of May. It's possible to vary the time of seeding as it takes a few days for seeds to germinate . By that time I hope there's no danger of frost.

     Plants that have a long growing period and are started in the house or a green house is another issue. If there was frost they would be damaged.

    So last night the low forecast was plus 6. I left my tomatoes and corn outside. At 7 AM this morning there was frost on the roof! 

    Now there are a few things to know about frost. At this time the ground  is warm enough that is will not freeze at ground level. So unless it gets very cold plants at ground level should not freeze. Also, if I have my plants beside the house foundation, there's warmth from the foundation to keep the frost away.

    So today I just said, "I'm going to plant my tomatoes now matter what." So this afternoon , I planted my tomatoes. There is still risk of frost at this time but you take the risk. 

   So here we go for delicious tomatoes. 

WEATHER COMPARISONS

      I enjoy your comments about the climate, weather and plants I live with. Of course, the pleasure is mutual. I find it most interesting when in some areas in January there are not only blooms but blossoms.

     So this is my report. My blue bells finished blooming a little more than a month ago. The plants are quickly going into a dormant state. My bleeding hearts are past their peak and the blooms are rapidly coming to an end. Peonies, irises and tiger lilies are budding out. 

     What sets this off at such a late date is the length of our days. Today the sun rose at 5:19 Am and sets at 9:47 PM for a total of 16 hours and 28 minutes of daylight. This much light causes our plants to develop rapidly. 

     Our weather is still variable. Yesterday we had a high of 30 C. It went down to 4 C by 4 AM. My furnace cut in this morning. 

    This afternoon I worked in my yard in windy conditions with  a temperature of 16 C. 

     All too soon I will be crying about very short days!

MEETING

       Some of your comments made me think about how and why I started talking to the homeless guys. I had to think about it for a minute and then I remembered what I did.

       They both had scooters. One was a very nice scooter. As I walked by I said that I always wanted to try a scooter but it was too late now. So that got them talking about scooters. From there the conversation just went on like any normal conversation.

     A few years ago the same thing happened with skate boarders. Skate boarders seem to be a rough bunch who don't seem to care about anything or anybody. I had seen these kids on my regular walk. One day as I went by they were stopped. 

    I just told them that I admired their skill. That gave them an opportunity. They wanted to talk about skate boards. I heard about the length and shape of skate boards. I heard about the proper place to put your foot for a certain maneuver. 

   I was very surprised at how technical skate boarding was. So I learned a few things about skate boarding but most of it went over my head. 

   I also learned about a group of people and some of them were not like I thought they were. 

   There are some groups of people who get some bad press. One of those groups is the elderly.

HOMELESS

      I walk every evening when the weather is suitable and I don't have obligations. I'm a bit obsessed as I take the same route 90% of the time. It's a pleasant walk of 3 to 4 km through a heavily forested area. There are many other walkers so from time to time you meet someone who likes to visit. So I've got to know some people quite well. 

     As with any forested urban area, there can be undesirables in the area. This area is quite well known for homeless camps. It's right across from a large shopping mall. It's usually you leave me alone and I'll leave you alone. 

     Occasionally you will meet a homeless person who makes sense. Last night I met one of those people who made sense so I had a good visit. There were actually two people and the other guy wasn't homeless. 

    We talked in general about homeless needing support. The one guy was 57 and the other guy around 40. Somehow we got onto schools, and teachers. They knew many of my buddies so we had a good laugh about that. They seemed to have had a positive time in school. 

    The one guy had much hearing loss so he was showing me the hi tech hearing aides he had. My biggest problem with hearing aides is that I sometimes hear more noise than voice. 

    So it was difficult to continue my walk as we kept finding interesting things to talk about. 

    These two guys were approachable and interesting to talk too. Some of them you just know that you're better to stay away. 

   So having a positive interaction with a homeless person makes me think that some things could be done to help homeless people. 

59

     What do you say when it's your 59th wedding anniversary? 

     We were married in Inuvik Northwest Territories in the stringer hall chapel. the chapel has since been torn down. 

    Anyway, life is good.

PAST TV

      I started thinking about television today. I don't know how those thoughts got started as I don't watch TV. I don't watch one minute of TV all year.

     I was thinking about the first TV I saw. We were 80 miles from the TV station. We put a 40 ft. antennae on top of the house. We got one station and it was snowy. Sometimes you didn't get any picture at all.  It was black and white. You had to get up and go to the TV to turn it off or on. (Actually I was thinking about remotes that started me thinking about old television.)

    TV reception improved a little. Then we got cable or something and brought in 3 or 4 channels. You still had to get up and go to the TV to turn it off or on or change stations. It still wasn't color.

    I don't remember when we got color TV. 

    I don't know when remote controls came in but that saved us a lot of effort as we didn't have to get up to change channels. Now we have many channels so sometimes there is a lot of channel changing. 

   Color came and it was not that clear. 

   Now we have so many channels that we don't know what to watch.

   Well, you could be like me and not watch TV. 

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

      This morning, my favorite radio program, the Current, on CBC , had a section on Artificial Intelligence. 

     Now I've been trying very hard to ignore the AI issue. I think that I'll not be using a computer when AI  becomes common. Or AI has nothing for me. Nothing that I would use. You hear some controversial issues around AI. AI can be used for negative things. So I have not given AI much thought.

    Today that changed. I started writing the history of my family starting from my parents. I have many stories about my parents and many photos. 

    I started the story using a blog format. The blog format is the only one I know. So before long I realized that the blog format wouldn't work very well. So Keith did the only thing he can do. He stopped writing and working on the project.

    The occasional idea crossed my mind. My new niece knows everything about computers so I'll ask her. I talked to some family members but they thought my project was OK but a little too challenging. 

    So today I was listening the the radio show and people were phoning in when one caller caught my attention. He was writing a family history and had found that AI was  very useful tool. I was busy and didn't listen to all he had to say.

    Well, that got me thinking! I will have to think about my project again. If somebody else can do their story , so can I. 

    So I will be checking friends and relatives to see if they can help me with AI. 

   I guess I'll have to learn about AI after  all. 

A DIFFERENT GARDEN SYSTEM

     I've been reading an interesting book by Suzanne Simard called Finding the Mother Tree. Suzanne was taking forestry and wanted to find a better way to plant trees on a clear cut. Suzanne's premise was that trees communicate and support one another. She created dozens of experiments and tests to show that trees do share and that nutrients pass from tree to tree. Therefore, certain trees and shrubs should be left to support the new seedlings. In other words foresters should not weed or spray other species. Foresters want trees that will grow and mature in a short time. 

    Foresters were not interested in Suzanne's new idea so she had a difficult time promoting her ideas. 

    She found that some trees need less nutrients at a certain time while others need more. She was able to prove that what was in one tree was later found in another tree. Some plants with deep roots spend the night bringing up water to the surface where other plants use the water in the day time. . 

    What really caught my eye is when she wandered off and used her forestry ideas to plant her vegetable garden. She made plate sized mounds and planted 5 or six different varieties of seeds in each mound thinking that the different varieties would support each other. Her garden was a series of small hills with a number of plants sown in each hill. Her garden thrived. 

   We can also go back to aboriginal gardens and find that they planted an number of seeds together in a hill.

    It's good that we have people like Suzanne who are willing to work hard and show us new ideas, 

WILDFIRES

      With climate change and population increase wild fires have become more common and much more dangerous.  People live in areas that were once uninhabited. Access to wild areas is much easier as roads have been built into remote areas.

      In Alberta, we all remember the destruction of much of Fort MacMurray. A wild fire rapidly approached Fort MacMurray and much of the city was destroyed. Most of the population had to evacuate. They had to stay away from the community as much of the infrastructure was destroyed. Many homes were destroyed. 

   I have told you that I live less than a kilometer from a forested area. A heavily treed ravine is less than a km from my house. Underbrush is thick. Many trees are old. There are also grassy areas. So it's an area that could easily catch fire and spread and burn rapidly. Right now it is extremely dry here.

   This week it happened. There were two wild fires set. One fire burned about an acre. If the fire hadn't been spotted, it could have spread very quickly into the subdivision. It was difficult for the fire crew to get at the fire as it was across a creak where there were steep embankments. 

   So once again I'm reminded of the risks of wild fire here. 

   This time we were protected by fire fighters. Next time we may not be quite so lucky. 

MUSIC

      I enjoy listening to music. I'm not at all musical. I don't play an instrument or sing. However , I do appreciate listening to music. 

     Because I like listening to music is the reason why I was somewhat distressed when I couldn't find out how to fix my ear buds. I learned that you have to look at all volume buttons. 

    I listen to a lot of Austrian folk music. Most of their music has vocals. They play a mixture of accordion, saxophone, tuba and any horn . Sometimes there's a guitar. Some of it seems like the friends got together and just have fun. Sometimes it's family groups. 

   Then I accidentally discovered South African folk music. The instrument I like to listen to is the concertina. You very seldom hear the concertina. After that their music is basically guitar. It's the standard band with rhythm, bass and lead guitar. Quite often the have a banjo. There is very little vocal in their music. My doctor is South African so every time I see him we talk about music. 

    This music comes on you tube and you have an account made by you tube from examples of music I listen to. 

   Who knows where I'll go next. I like harpsicord . I may find some harpsicord music. 

   I also found two brothers (twins) who play the baritone sax. They're awesome. 

   In the car , I have the radio tuned to a classical music station.

   I just don't have enough time in a day to listen to all the music I would like to hear . 

LONGER DAYS AND SHORTER NIGHTS

     Every year about this time I write a similar post. I tell about our longer days and how it influences plant growth. I've been reading posts for about three months telling about blooms and seeing all kinds of plants that are flowering.

     So now it's my turn to tell about growth and development of plants here. 

     First, daylight yesterday was 14 hours and 58 minutes. The sun rose at 6:01  and set at 9:03. When we get the longer hours of sunlight plants grow and develop very rapidly. The leaves on native plants are ready to come out. That's just in time for songbirds to nest. The leaves provide protection and food. 

   Today I planted corn but in pots in case it freezes. I have transplanted tomatoes into bigger pots. I won't put the tomatoes in the garden until June 8. The bluebells have bloomed and are now shutting down as they go dormant about Aug.1. Some of my friends have planted lettuce and radish as they are regarded as cold crops. 

    As a young person we could play baseball until 10:00 PM. As an Arctic person we could be active 24 hours a day and a lot of us tried it. 

   So I will enjoy the short, vigorous growing season we have.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN FOR SENIORS

      I heard a very interesting interview on the CBC the Current this morning.

      A woman had been working on industrial design. She began to see that many of the things that were designed were far from senior friendly. She tried to influence fellow designers to put seniors on the agenda. Other designers were not interested.

   She decided to learn more about design and seniors so that she could influence her fellow designers.

    She had herself made into and 85 year old woman. The face took 3 hours to prepare. She had plugs in her ears for poor hearing. She had contacts that were partly opaque so that he vision was limited. I forget what they did to her legs to make her walking difficult. Style of clothing was considered. 

   Then she tried to live her life. It was difficult and challenging. Mobility is a great problem for seniors. On the streets people were impatient to get around her. People complained about her holding up traffic in the airport. People pushed and shoved to get her out of the way. Stairs, sidewalks and railings were a problem. Signs were a challenge. 

    So donning this costume over a series of years she learned more about what experiences seniors had. She also had more ammunition to try and persuade other designers to keep seniors in mind. 

    The world still isn't senior friendly but it has improved.

   This project reminds me of a book I read many years ago. BLACK LIKE ME  I enjoyed the book and got an idea of what some challenges might be  for black people.

   The book was severely criticized but I think it did open up some eyes. 

END OF THE ELECTION

     The Canadian election is over. Most of the commentators and analysers have gone home by now. I don't spend much time listening to all the paid wise men making comments. 

     So sometime in the evening I get to know a few of the broad issues and that's enough for me whether I like the results or not. 

    The Liberal party won the most seats but not a majority of seats so they cannot freely pass legislation unless a smaller party votes with them. The PC party came in second. Their leader lost his parliamentary seat . I did not like the PC leader and I think many Canadians did not like him. I thought he would be divisive for the country. 

    The liberal party spoke of unity for the country. I hope they can achieve some of it. If a few people want to take their ball and go home that's fine. We are allowed to express our own opinions

    So now the government has to get down to work.

    We have to look at elections as a whole. There are good things and bad things that happen. And then people have their individual opinions about things. Sometimes there are periods where they don't get much done and make political maneuvers to prevent legislation from passing. 

    Many people may not be familiar with a parliamentary system. The party with the most seats forms the government and presents legislation which the whole parliament debates. At the end of discussion a vote is held. If the governing party has  majority the legislation is passed. The Prime minister is the leader of the majority party. The leaders of the parties are chosen by the party. The only time people get to vote for the prime minister is in his own district. 

CANADIAN ELECTION

      Tomorrow is the federal election in Canada. 

      It's been an interesting story compared to many elections here. Our elections tend to be  little boring.   We have three main parties and a number of small parties to make things interesting. We usually have the liberal party govern for a few years and then we change to the Conservative Party of Canada. 

     This time we've had the liberal party for about 8 years. The leader became shop worn and was not liked by the public or his party. The CP's went up in the polls. If an election was held in January, the CP's would have won by a landslide.

      Suddenly the unpopular Liberal leader resigned and in a few weeks the liberal party went up in the polls. Cp party disappeared in the polling and the liberal party regained it's status as the leader. The Cp party is in the same situation as the liberals a few months ago. they have a leader who is not very popular. 

     So tomorrow we will find out who gets to lead our government. 

     What I've found is that there is a tremendous amount of misinformation spread around. One does not know what is close to the truth.

AGING II

     I have mentioned a series of radio programs that deal with the elderly. I've found them interesting and informative.

    They are on CBC ,the Canadian broadcasting corporation. The program is the current. The next issue is Monday morning.

   Heads up. the next program is on gray divorce . Divorce rates have gone down in every age group in Canada except  seniors. 

   I will be listening.

   As an aside 90% of divorce over 80 is caused by obsession compulsion. 90% of senior murders are a result of obsessive compulsion. 

APRIL SNOW

      Every year I post about April snow. Yesterday was that April snow day.

      It started in the morning as a little rain. Through out the day there were odd times that there were  few snowflakes. Sometimes huge flakes which I call snow balls. About 7 PM it started to snow heavily. Snow very quickly stayed on the ground and didn't melt. It snowed until some time after midnight. 

     This morning we had about 10 cm (4 in)  of new snow and visibility was very poor. 

    The good thing about this snow was that there was very little wind. We can get a blizzard in April with high winds. 

    Here are a few views from this morning. 

      

EAR BUDS II

        So how do you fix something that isn't broken? That's what happened to me. I got my ear buds working but they weren't broken.

      The people who made suggestions were in the ballpark. Nothing was broken. Nothing needed fixing. You suggested looking for something that just needed a click.

      It was that simple. There were three places where sound could be adjusted. I had looked at all three places to adjust sound. On one of them I didn't look carefully enough. On the blue tooth sound a line was bouncing in the sound indicator. I assumed it was telling me that the sound was on. Looking at it again I saw that there was a little cross bar that actually indicated the sound. The little cross piece was on zero. It only took a heart beat to turn the sound up and yes there was music. 

     What was playing was ABBA take a chance on me. I even heard vocals in the background that I had never heard before. 

    So I was happy and listened to my music for an hour.

    Thanks for all your comments and suggestions. I knew you'd get me there. 

EAR BUDS

     I recently won a set of earbuds in a draw at the casino. I've always wanted a set of earbuds so I was happy.

    Setting them up was a bit tricky, but I got it. I had a few other problems but they were solvable. I discovered quite a few things along the way. I had to or I wouldn't be listening to music. You can control the sound on the earbuds themselves. You and control sound on you tube and then you can control sound on the computer. So you have three different ways to control sound. You also have three different things to go wrong. 

    Finally, I had things set up so that I could use the ear buds day after day. It was pleasant. A few days ago, I had to repair the ear buds. When I went to use them again there was no sound and at this writing I still have no sound. I have been all over the place looking for a way to fix the problem. I think that there must be one little click that I am missing. 

   Wish me luck for finding the solution. 

PLANTS

      I am not a gardener , but many of the blogs I follow have a lot about plants in the content. I admire the experts who can name all the plants by their various names. 

     I appreciate plants and enjoy them and look after  them.

     Spring comes slowly to the northern hemisphere. For months I've heard about plants in various stages of development. People look for buds and blooms. I'm impressed by they show us. 

     Here in Alberta, Canada, plants are slowly coming to life. There is green grass in some places but not very much. I do have bluebells which have buds. Peonies and bleeding heart have shoots coming up. There is some green in the iris patch. The wild poplars are flowering.

     So I see some people who are very concerned when the temperature drops. Two nights from now we get a temperature of minus 7 C. Are my plants going to be harmed? No. They will certainly pause development.

    So I like the way plant scientists have mapped out zones for the most suitable plants to grow. If I tried to grow a peony from Florida, it probably wouldn't work unless I planted it in the house. 

   It always intrigues me how they have mapped zones and developed plants to thrive in these zones. 

ENGLAND

    My wife was born and raised in England until she was 14 and came to  Canada.

    Her father died when she was nine and her mother became incapacitated shortly after. She had a sister who was 5 years older and a brother who was five years younger. They tried to live on their own with their mother but it didn't work out. They were split up and went to live with relatives...older relatives whose own children had left the home. These aunts and uncles did not want young kids so it was arranged that they would  come to Canada to live with and uncle.

    When thy left England they were not able to take much with them. Some of the personal things they had were left. 

   So I'm getting to the point of my post. They were given some small gifts before they left England. Today I was cleaning and upset a box of stuff that I wanted to get rid of  for downsizing. I picked up a little book like thing and asked her , "what's this?" She said it's a gift I was given before I left England. It hit me why some of the things she has are so meaningful. She had very little so the small gifts mean a lot to her to this day. 

   So I understand why downsizing here moves at a glacial pace. 

   She also knows who gave her every gift all through her life. 

SENIOR CARE

     I've been enjoying a series on senior care on the CBC's  the Current. 

     Today they had a couple of sisters talking about the care of their mother and step father. They described a tremendous amount of push and pull. The mother and step dad wanted to stay in their home and look after themselves. The sisters know that the step Dad is struggling to cope. The sisters feel guilt about putting their mother in care. There are many different issues competing with each other with the potential decisions that are going to have to be made.  

    Who makes the decisions. The person with dementia is still cognizant enough to be in on the decision but can't make a rational decision. Family members don't always agree. The siblings doing the most care feel that they should have more clout in the decision. 

    It was interesting to listen to these two sisters discuss their mother's care. 

   Not all families have a nice cut and dried family dynamic. 

   Our family had a different set up. My Dad had remarried so there was a step Mom. Dad was the one who developed Parkinson's and needed care. For a few years our Step Mom was able to look after Dad. She had 2 of her own children in the community.

   Our Step Mom had things figured out. For a decision she would call Dad's 4 sons. She was skillful in getting us to agree to the same thing. Then she would  go to Dad and say, " the boys say..." Then he would agree.

   It finally came to the point where Dad had to go in care. He didn't want to live in care so told our Step mom the he would go back home which was 300 miles away. She asked Dad how he was going to get there. He said he'd take the train. The train hadn't run for 50 years. That was the end of the discussion.

   Even though our step mom has been gone for a long time she still deserves a pat on the back.

   Our step Mom died before Dad so Dad did get to go back home but in the nursing home. 

LOST ANYBODY LATELY?

     All of us have had experience with losing someone. Someone who isn't where they are supposed to be. 

    I had such an  experience this week and by last evening we were frantic.

    I had emailed my son and daughter about my medical situation. I do this when I want them to get exactly the same message.

   My son replied in a couple of hours. Nothing from my daughter. Next day , nothing from my daughter but more from son and daughter- in- law. So I started emailing and messaging my daughter but no reply. 

  Third day no reply from daughter. I began to get very worried and stressed. My daughter lives in Chicago. I live in Alberta, Canada which is a long way from Chicago. 

   So last night we were super frantic. We could imagine all kinds of dreadful things that could have happened. About 9:30 last night when I was checking messenger after many times that day, I noticed that she was on line. Relief! 

   I was able to talk to her. Since her husband was off this week they more or less went off line so she had never seen all my emails. They both like gardening so had been outside. Of course,  she was surprised that we were that worried and made many apologies. 

  Usually we think of children being lost. In this case  a person wasn't really lost. We just couldn't make contact.

   We did have a good sleep last night.  

APRIL FOOLS DAY

       Tell me now, is April Fools day still celebrated?

       I may have been some where else, but at one time April first was full of fun. Everybody had a finger in the pie when it came to some shenanigans.

     Radio stations always had a good gag. I haven't heard anything this year but then I don't listen to the radio very much.

    Newspapers also had excellent tricks.

    When we were little kids at school we delighted in trying to play gags on each other. We even tried to pull one over on the teacher. 

    So are you playing any April Fools jokes? Has April Fools day had it's best before date? Or am I just out of the loop? 

EXPRESSIONS

        I am a unilingual Canadian English speaker. I don't know it that makes any sense. I  have a small bit of French and was exposed to German when I was growing up. 

       So I'm an English speaker. 

       I don't know how many English accents there are but I can not understand some of them. Being elderly and having hearing loss makes it difficult to follow accents. Hearing loss means that you miss some of the letters, words or phrases. Just enough so that you do not get the message. 

     But what I'm thinking about today is the different terms we use for the same things. For someone like me who doesn't travel much I find terms difficult. 

    One New Zealand friend talks about a chilly box which we call a cooler ! She also talks about a wheely bin which we call a cart. Lorrie? Yes, somebody told me it meant truck.  "Boot" for car trunk. 

    In different places you find different interesting terms.

    Most people have no idea that they use a term someone else may not understand. 

    So here's my challenge to you. What are some terms Canadians use that others may not understand? Terms that Canadians have no idea that they're not known or understood by others? This is turning things back on me. Have fun. I know I'm going to learn some things. 

CAREGIVERS

      I was listening to my favorite radio show  this morning. The current had another episode on senior care. Today they were focusing on the care giver. 

   Since senior health is unpredictable, setting up a care giver system is difficult  . 

   A large percentage of caregivers are spouses. In that situation you have elderly person  looking after an elderly person. The care giver starts out behind the game. Many of the elderly care givers are soon unable to give the care needed. In some cases the caregiver dies before the person being cared for. 

   One care giver interviewed told the story of looking after her husband who had Alzheimer's . To say the least it was a challenge.

   Many care givers are foreign workers. They are from another culture and have difficulty understanding looking after the elderly as they don't really understand the needs.

   Some training programs have been developed to help care givers understand the situation .better. 

  A training program  has been developed to put the care giver in a similar situation as an elderly person. A system of straps are used to make a person stoop, so they cannot look up very well. It takes no time for the trainee to get it that balance is a real issue. Eye shades are used to get people to understand what limited vision is like. The trainee goes through a number of situations to be able to better understand looking after the elderly.

    Listening to the stories and professional comments has certainly opened my eyes on care giving.

   The program I listened to is called the current and was on CBC  radio on Mar . 28 at 8:30 AM. 

SENIOR CARE

      Most of the time I listen to a CBC program from 8:30 to 10:00 AM. It covers topics of current interest or if it's not of current interest, they will make it current interest. 

     A while ago they had a series on care for seniors. They had experts from various fields and covered the usual topics of health, housing and quality of life.

    They set it up so that listeners could keep on commenting through emails. People write in and it's surprising how many different options there are. There are may family controlled and organized accommodations for lodging and care. Everybody has their own story.

    It's interesting to listen to those stories and realize there are many options. 

    The big problem is that many elderly do not have options. Some have very limited finances. Some have health issues that limit their options. Some people don't want any of the options and want to live independently. Sometimes independence is not an option. So we have some people who are unhappy with the options.

    It's a challenge for society to care for the elderly. In the fifties my grandfather lived in our home for his last 5 years. In some ways it was good and then there were problems. My Mom had an extra load to look after him. I think he always felt that he was a guest who required special treatment. I'm sure he would have been happier living on his own but that was not an option.

    So often I listen to this information and all of a sudden I say "That's me they're talking about." As long as we're healthy we can sail along and remain independent. But there will come a time when independence is not an option.

   All we can do is make some realistic plans. We have looked at senior accommodation. After that we don't know what we're doing.