I'm tired of winter. I'm really tired of winter
I'll tell you why.
Yesterday we had a HIGH of minus 18 C (minus 12 F) There was snow. drifting snow and a high wind. Now this didn't set any records but it was very unpleasant. Today I woke up to minus 30 C (minus 22 F) still not a record low.
Now we haven't had a harsh winter. We had 10 very cold days in January. For the most part daily highs were around ) C (32 F). All of Feb was pleasant. Now for some unknown reason the weather is very nasty.
Now to add to my whining, some of the bloggers I follow are showing some great spring weather. They are showing all kinds of flowers blooming. These people really know how to rub it in so I will tell you who they are.
Henny Penny at Henny Penny Lane
Linda at Linda's Letters
The Weaver at the Weaver of Grass
English girl at an English Girl Rambles.
Now there are others who show green grass and blooms. These four culprits are the worst.
I will have to admit that the spring blooms are nice and that there is great photography. The Weaver doesn't show photos but her writing is very descriptive so that you can easily imagine what it looks like.
Okay, I've done my whining. I feel better and I know that spring for me can't be that far way.
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Friday, March 13, 2020
CORONA VIRUS BEHAVIOR
Today I naively went to three grocery stores. The first trip was around 10:30 AM . I should have known something was up as the parking lot was almost full. There was a very long line up for the cashiers.
The next store I checked in about 1:00 Pm. Again the parking lot was full and there was a buzz in the store.
I mistakenly thought the third store would not be filled but it was. The third store also had many shelves that were completely empty.
What's going on? Well, it was pay day for one thing. But more than that people seemed to be stocking up. They had very large orders. Not Toilet paper though. All the toilet paper was gone.
Yes , there's a nasty virus going around. We have to be prepared as well as possible , but today it felt like panic had set in. Our Prime Minister's wife has tested positive for the virus. Our Prime Minister is in voluntary quarantine.
I listened to my radio for most of the day. In Canada a number of major announcements were made by the government. There are two issues. One is the economy. The second is health. The Canadian government announced a number of programs to prop up the economy. They threw a dump truck load of money ( maybe it was quite a few dump trucks) into the economy to deal with the effects on the economy. The prime interest rate was lowered to stimulate the economy. Billions are available to assist small business and workers who may be laid off.
Our parliament has been closed until the end of April.
Then the hints on how to live to try and avoid the virus were endless. Things are in high gear in this country to deal with the virus. Number one is that they want to try and prevent the virus spreading. There are some very simple things that can be done. It only takes discipline to do them. Number two it that they want to restrict as much movement as possible and limit contact. So close the schools, shut down large crowds...no more sports. It seems that very little health treatment is needed for the virus but our emergencies are filled with worried people. The best thing is to stay home .
There is much speculation on what this virus could do. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.
I hope that all of you can avoid the experience of the virus.
Stay well.
The next store I checked in about 1:00 Pm. Again the parking lot was full and there was a buzz in the store.
I mistakenly thought the third store would not be filled but it was. The third store also had many shelves that were completely empty.
What's going on? Well, it was pay day for one thing. But more than that people seemed to be stocking up. They had very large orders. Not Toilet paper though. All the toilet paper was gone.
Yes , there's a nasty virus going around. We have to be prepared as well as possible , but today it felt like panic had set in. Our Prime Minister's wife has tested positive for the virus. Our Prime Minister is in voluntary quarantine.
I listened to my radio for most of the day. In Canada a number of major announcements were made by the government. There are two issues. One is the economy. The second is health. The Canadian government announced a number of programs to prop up the economy. They threw a dump truck load of money ( maybe it was quite a few dump trucks) into the economy to deal with the effects on the economy. The prime interest rate was lowered to stimulate the economy. Billions are available to assist small business and workers who may be laid off.
Our parliament has been closed until the end of April.
Then the hints on how to live to try and avoid the virus were endless. Things are in high gear in this country to deal with the virus. Number one is that they want to try and prevent the virus spreading. There are some very simple things that can be done. It only takes discipline to do them. Number two it that they want to restrict as much movement as possible and limit contact. So close the schools, shut down large crowds...no more sports. It seems that very little health treatment is needed for the virus but our emergencies are filled with worried people. The best thing is to stay home .
There is much speculation on what this virus could do. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.
I hope that all of you can avoid the experience of the virus.
Stay well.
Monday, March 9, 2020
I'M VERY UNHAPPY WITH MY CITY COUNCIL
I live in a small city of 100000 people. We are fortunate to have mayors and councils who are agreeable and make sound decisions for the city. Most issues at council are settled by concensus.
However, last week an issue came up and the behavior was far from agreeable.
Most towns and cities in this area have passed motions to ban conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is a belief that ones sexual orientation can be changed by therapy. Now the believers of this idea play fast and loose with the term therapy. This therapy in some cases can be very abusive . There isn't evidence that sexual orientation can be changed . If you threaten and scare the hell out of somebody they may say that they change their sexual orientation but it's only words.
Now the intention of towns and cities banning conversion therapy is good but they do not have any way to enforce the issue.
So getting back to our council. They were definitely not on the same page on this issue. One or two of them were very much against a ban on conversion therapy. Things got nasty before they decided to call the thing off.
One of the members of council is LDS (Latter Day Saints (Morman) and they do not have any tolerance toward LGBT issues. Just the other day one of their colleges pushed a ban on same sex activities...holding hands in public.
So a council that prided itself in being inclusive fumbled the ball. I'm not happy with my city council
We are much stronger if we include people in our communities. We are better people if we reach out to others. We have to be able to accept differences from some people but those differences should not demand that everyone conform.
One of the things I spent a few years of my life was teaching aboriginal people. We had the mistaken idea that we could make indigenous people into nice little white people. Look at the disaster we made.
However, last week an issue came up and the behavior was far from agreeable.
Most towns and cities in this area have passed motions to ban conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is a belief that ones sexual orientation can be changed by therapy. Now the believers of this idea play fast and loose with the term therapy. This therapy in some cases can be very abusive . There isn't evidence that sexual orientation can be changed . If you threaten and scare the hell out of somebody they may say that they change their sexual orientation but it's only words.
Now the intention of towns and cities banning conversion therapy is good but they do not have any way to enforce the issue.
So getting back to our council. They were definitely not on the same page on this issue. One or two of them were very much against a ban on conversion therapy. Things got nasty before they decided to call the thing off.
One of the members of council is LDS (Latter Day Saints (Morman) and they do not have any tolerance toward LGBT issues. Just the other day one of their colleges pushed a ban on same sex activities...holding hands in public.
So a council that prided itself in being inclusive fumbled the ball. I'm not happy with my city council
We are much stronger if we include people in our communities. We are better people if we reach out to others. We have to be able to accept differences from some people but those differences should not demand that everyone conform.
One of the things I spent a few years of my life was teaching aboriginal people. We had the mistaken idea that we could make indigenous people into nice little white people. Look at the disaster we made.
Saturday, March 7, 2020
STILL WINTER HERE BUT....
Today we had a high of minus 11 C and it snowed all day. It's not a typical March day but it happens. We get most of our snow in March.
However, it's not all bad. Owls are on the nests now. I will give you a link so that you can look at one of our well known owls on their nest. There has been a pair of great horned owls nesting at Ellis bird farm for quite a few years. Last year they had four hatch. The young were crawling around in trees. I'm not sure how many made it to adult hood.
Anyway take a look at our owls.
https://www.ellisbirdfarm.ca/ellie--albert.html
However, it's not all bad. Owls are on the nests now. I will give you a link so that you can look at one of our well known owls on their nest. There has been a pair of great horned owls nesting at Ellis bird farm for quite a few years. Last year they had four hatch. The young were crawling around in trees. I'm not sure how many made it to adult hood.
Anyway take a look at our owls.
https://www.ellisbirdfarm.ca/ellie--albert.html
Monday, March 2, 2020
EARLY EXPECTATIONS OF RADIO AND TELEVISION
Your comments give me an opportunity to reconsider what I've written in a previous post. For the post on the internet I was trying to comment on one of the problems with the internet. There are others. But I made it seem like all the internet was negative which isn't so. . The internet has allowed us to achieve much by having a much better communication system.
Then I got thinking about radio and television. I think they both started with hopes for better communication and keeping people together. Radio took a long time to get to the point where homes could have a radio . The first radios in homes where large affairs with poor quality reception. So people had to crowd around the machine and they also invited neighbors. The first radios were battery powered. Electric radios came later and transistor radios about 1954. So families and neighbors gathered around the radio. When the transistor arrived radio became an individual happening. In the beginning there were very few radio stations. Now there are thousands.
In 1953, I got my Grandpa's beautiful large wooden cabinet radio. I could listen to radio stations from very far away. There were many different languages and I heard different music. My experience with Grandpa's radio came to an end when I couldn't buy the battery that was required.
As a kid I made a small radio with parts obtained around the house. We used a magnet, cold of wire, flashlight battery and earphones and wow! We had to buy the crystal. Every kid could have a radio. This gizmo was called a crystal radio.
Television developed much the same as radio. We had one television station. All the family gathered around the TV. Neighbors got together to watch TV. We didn't have our own TV so we went to the neighbors to watch a very poor reception which was described as snowy. Does anybody have a snowy picture today? Soon homes had more than one television set. Kids had their own TV and watched their own shows. Now we have hundreds of channels to choose from and smart guys who charge us lots of money to see them.
So as communication devices develop and change, the listeners and viewers have to change and have a new experience. Or do the listeners and viewers have to change because of the guys with the money? We certainly hear and see far more ads so the money guys can get far more money.
Then I got thinking about radio and television. I think they both started with hopes for better communication and keeping people together. Radio took a long time to get to the point where homes could have a radio . The first radios in homes where large affairs with poor quality reception. So people had to crowd around the machine and they also invited neighbors. The first radios were battery powered. Electric radios came later and transistor radios about 1954. So families and neighbors gathered around the radio. When the transistor arrived radio became an individual happening. In the beginning there were very few radio stations. Now there are thousands.
In 1953, I got my Grandpa's beautiful large wooden cabinet radio. I could listen to radio stations from very far away. There were many different languages and I heard different music. My experience with Grandpa's radio came to an end when I couldn't buy the battery that was required.
As a kid I made a small radio with parts obtained around the house. We used a magnet, cold of wire, flashlight battery and earphones and wow! We had to buy the crystal. Every kid could have a radio. This gizmo was called a crystal radio.
Television developed much the same as radio. We had one television station. All the family gathered around the TV. Neighbors got together to watch TV. We didn't have our own TV so we went to the neighbors to watch a very poor reception which was described as snowy. Does anybody have a snowy picture today? Soon homes had more than one television set. Kids had their own TV and watched their own shows. Now we have hundreds of channels to choose from and smart guys who charge us lots of money to see them.
So as communication devices develop and change, the listeners and viewers have to change and have a new experience. Or do the listeners and viewers have to change because of the guys with the money? We certainly hear and see far more ads so the money guys can get far more money.
Friday, February 28, 2020
THE INTERNET PROMISE.
Ideas for the Internet were around in the 1950's . As with most things they start in a primitive form. Researchers kept pounding away on developing an internet where all people could communicate with each other.
I remember my first experience with the internet. In 1995 one of our teachers ,who was the main computer expert in the school, set up a noon hour where she would connect to the internet. She spent the whole noon hour hooking things up and getting a telephone line. What she showed us was an article in MacLean's magazine. The magical moment I was expecting turned out to be one of the bigger disappointments in my life.
Well, all things on the technical side of the internet continued to develop. It became much easier to get on the internet and use the internet for data storage , research and communication.
So before my first internet encounter in 1995 it was thought that the internet would draw us together as all people could communicate with each other. That sounded like it would bring about much improvement to our world. Nothing but positive things were predicted about the internet.
Then the internet got so good that a few sharp business operators thought of ways to make money on the internet. The hucksters decided that ads could be used to sell things. A guy invented Face Book so that we could say things to each other and he could make money ...lots of money.
The problem is that people felt free to say things...anything whether it was nasty, true or false. So we began fighting and in the process being divided and fighting with each other.
So it is a disappointment that something that was designed to bring us together ended up being used to bring all kinds of harm to society.
Now almost everything we do on the internet is traced and the sharp operator collects all our information and uses it to control our information.
At the present time I'm considering buying a recumbent trike. Guess what? I see many recumbent trike ads directed at me.
It looks like the genie has got out of the bottle. Will that genie ever be under control again?
I remember my first experience with the internet. In 1995 one of our teachers ,who was the main computer expert in the school, set up a noon hour where she would connect to the internet. She spent the whole noon hour hooking things up and getting a telephone line. What she showed us was an article in MacLean's magazine. The magical moment I was expecting turned out to be one of the bigger disappointments in my life.
Well, all things on the technical side of the internet continued to develop. It became much easier to get on the internet and use the internet for data storage , research and communication.
So before my first internet encounter in 1995 it was thought that the internet would draw us together as all people could communicate with each other. That sounded like it would bring about much improvement to our world. Nothing but positive things were predicted about the internet.
Then the internet got so good that a few sharp business operators thought of ways to make money on the internet. The hucksters decided that ads could be used to sell things. A guy invented Face Book so that we could say things to each other and he could make money ...lots of money.
The problem is that people felt free to say things...anything whether it was nasty, true or false. So we began fighting and in the process being divided and fighting with each other.
So it is a disappointment that something that was designed to bring us together ended up being used to bring all kinds of harm to society.
Now almost everything we do on the internet is traced and the sharp operator collects all our information and uses it to control our information.
At the present time I'm considering buying a recumbent trike. Guess what? I see many recumbent trike ads directed at me.
It looks like the genie has got out of the bottle. Will that genie ever be under control again?
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
KEEPING WITH TIME
I think that in many cases we have our own routines with
time. Some of us are early. Some of us are late. Some of us hurry and some of us dawdle along.
I am one of those annoying people who has to get to an event early. If church starts at 10:30 , I've got to be sitting down before 10:15. I get pretty antsy and a little testy if I'm not ahead of the game.
I'm also one of those people who doesn't set an alarm clock. Since about 1980 , I always get up at 7:00 AM. Even after I retired I still get up at 7:00 AM. I also haven't worn a watch since the day I retired.
Now there's someone else in this house who has a completely different pattern of rising from sleep. No, she doesn't sleep in. It's worse than that.
For about 4 to 6 months , the micro Manager will get up late...8:00 Am. Then for another 4 to 6 months the MM will get up early...6:00 AM. Now I don't care how early you get up. I don't care how late you get up. Just choose one or the other and stick with it. I can adapt my routine either way.
I often wonder how I can get up at the same time without an alarm clock. I'm starting to wonder if it's about coffee time. My body tells me that at 7:00 AM I need coffee so I get up! Or have I just developed a habit of rising at 7:00 Am over the years.
I also spent all of my working years watching the clock. When the bell went I had to be finished my lesson and send the kids on.
So how many of you have specific habits of keeping time? Do you have to keep a set time routine to be happy?
So I got thinking about these things after my last post about how time goes by so rapidly.
time. Some of us are early. Some of us are late. Some of us hurry and some of us dawdle along.
I am one of those annoying people who has to get to an event early. If church starts at 10:30 , I've got to be sitting down before 10:15. I get pretty antsy and a little testy if I'm not ahead of the game.
I'm also one of those people who doesn't set an alarm clock. Since about 1980 , I always get up at 7:00 AM. Even after I retired I still get up at 7:00 AM. I also haven't worn a watch since the day I retired.
Now there's someone else in this house who has a completely different pattern of rising from sleep. No, she doesn't sleep in. It's worse than that.
For about 4 to 6 months , the micro Manager will get up late...8:00 Am. Then for another 4 to 6 months the MM will get up early...6:00 AM. Now I don't care how early you get up. I don't care how late you get up. Just choose one or the other and stick with it. I can adapt my routine either way.
I often wonder how I can get up at the same time without an alarm clock. I'm starting to wonder if it's about coffee time. My body tells me that at 7:00 AM I need coffee so I get up! Or have I just developed a habit of rising at 7:00 Am over the years.
I also spent all of my working years watching the clock. When the bell went I had to be finished my lesson and send the kids on.
So how many of you have specific habits of keeping time? Do you have to keep a set time routine to be happy?
So I got thinking about these things after my last post about how time goes by so rapidly.
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