MOTHER'S DAY

       I wished my wife a happy mother's day ...yesterday. I got ahead of myself. 

       for days like Mother's day and other days marking special occasions or people, I like to think of their origin and how it was celebrated when I was young. Yes , they were all celebrated when I was young and in many parts of the world . Mny of the origins are similar. 

      My Father felt that special days were rather artificial so he did not give them much importance. So very little notice of mother's day was noted in our home. Our mother deserved recognition as she worked very hard with limited resources. She was a farmer's wife and had very few conveniences. Rural areas thought of these days as related to urban people. 

      So I looked up the origins of Mother's day to see where it originated and when it began to be celebrated. As with most of these special days , the origin goes far back in history. 

      As I said before, my mother was hard working but not only that a very caring person. My Mother died when she was 59. I often think of her and how her life was shortened by cancer. The older I get the more I see what a strong caring person she was. I also see that many of my strong points come from her either by teaching or inheritance. 

     I was looking for another photo of Mom when she was older. So this will have to do when she was younger and spending most of her time looking after me.

BOTTLES AND CANS

     I have been known in the past to think that Alberta is the best place you can be. I've been know to think that everybody is the same as us . 

     Well the comments on  The Money Machine was Empty, jerked my head up about these assumptions. By the way the comments were awesome and made me rethink the issue. 

    Many of you wondered about the idea of being paid for return of bottles and cans and other containers. Reading between the lines some of you are going, "What's going on here?" We always had a program of payment for return of bottles and cans. As a child I would walk along the ditches picking out bottles and cans. I got one or two cents for each container. 

    Okay you can see the first idea coming here. Paying for return of containers gets the garbage picked up. It also gathers material to be made into something else. 

    It also gets sillier. When we buy certain products that we can return we are charged a environmental fee. So when I return bottles and cans it's money that I've already paid. 

    Some groups have fund raisers by picking up containers from road allowances. 

    The homeless get some cash.

     So for the countries where people are wise enough to not throw things out the car window ao just drop something on the street. Great! That's the way it should be . We should all take responsibility for keeping the environment clean and tidy. 

CHAIRS

         In many public places chairs are a one size fits all. In restaurants after you get too big for a high chair all the chairs are the same size. 

         First, kids have to endure the big chair. No wonder you see kids swirling back and forth on their bum because the chair doesn't fit. I'm sure that there are are many messes because the chair doesn't fit.

         When it comes to adults some people are too small for the chair and some people overwhelm the poor chair. 

        I know a number of people whose feet do not touch the floor. Getting on and off a chair could be hazardous. Then there are the huge people whose bodies completely hide the chair.

       We have a brand new  casino with a large restaurant. All chairs and tables are exactly the same. The flooring is carpet and the chair legs are metal and do not slide. So try to move your chair closer to the table or further from the table. It's a challenge to move. And then the table legs have very little room for your feet. It's a crowded situation. 

        So I ask again, why can't there be a variation in size of chairs to accommodate large and small people as well as average sized people?

THE MONEY MACHINE WAS EMPTY

      I take my cans, bottles etc. to a large bottle depot. Sometimes you wait 30 minutes to drive through. 

      Once you get to a wicket your junk is quickly counted. It's high tech so a plastic card is issued. You take your card inside and tap the machine where it says tap. The machine spits out the amount of cash which was on the plastic card.

       Well, today the guy in front of me had a big surprise when the machine said that it had run out of cash? What? 

         There is an attendant nearby and she came quickly and found a supply of cash to pay us. 

        I don't know when they'll fill up the money machine.

        It's sort of like getting stuck in and elevator.

         On a happier note my friends are celebrating a 61st anniversary! Happy anniversary to B and A. 

I PUT MY SNOW SHOVEL AWAY

     Yesterday, I put my snow shovel away for the summer.

     What does it do today? You guessed it. It is snowing. There won' be any snow shoveling as the snow melts when it hits the ground.

JACK RABBIT REPRODUCTION.

      We  sometimes hear the expression breed like rabbits. Jack rabbits can had two or three litters a year. They can start in March or April. I have seen a young litter in September. 

      Today part of the breeding process was taking place in my front yard.

       We usually think of the rabbit as being a quiet gentle animal. Not so when it comes to breeding. First of all you see a number of rabbits chasing up and down the street at great speed. They are looking for the female who is coming near the time when she is ready for breeding. 

     Finally two to four bucks will find her and keep close to her so that she will not get away or other bucks take possession. If the female moves the bucks become instantly alert . The bucks compete with each other. They punch one another and scream very loudly. It's an interesting process. I have not observed behavior past the pushing shoving and screaming. 

     Usually I notice them at the punching and screaming stage. 

    Finally the deed is done and after a 42 day gestation period the little guys are born. They are hidden in plant growth. The female comes back at night to feed them. One time four little guys were placed in my tomato patch. They didn't like it when I watered my tomatoes but they stayed in place. 

    So today the two bucks and female left my yard so I did not get to see the serious pushing and shoving. I also did not get photos as I would frighten them if I went in the yard or tried to take a photo out of the window. 

SLOW COOKING

      My Mother always told me that if I was smart I shouldn't say that I disliked something. However, I cannot resist saying that I don't like slow cooking. 

      Now I know that I have already touched a nerve with those people who like slow cooking. Slow cooking is popular and is used to prepare food for busy people. 

      I like a good strong meat flavor. I don't like the meat flavor covered up with spices. 

      I liked the way my mother cooked. She had limited resources. So she could roast, fry or boil. She didn't have fancy dancy herbs and spices. She probably had some bacon fat. Do I remember great turkey dinners put on by Mom? You bet! Turkey dinners were common. 

     So most slow cooker recipes are heavy on the spices. Whatever combination of spices you use gives you a special flavor but I don't know what it is.

    As I said , I like the meat flavor.

    One time I shot a caribou with some aboriginals. The butchering began by removing the tongue and rinsing it in water. The tongue was cut into narrow strips. Willow sticks were cut and the strips of tongue put on the sticks over the camp fire. Butchering continued. The heart was prepared the same way as the tongue. By this time the tongue was ready to eat. This was the best tongue I had ever eaten. I will remember it for the rest of my lie. Most people don't like tongue. The same thing happened with the heart. We just kept butchering and eating. 

    And lastly slow cooking makes a mess of the crock container. I don't like cleaning it. 

    Now I probably need some education about slow cooking and I'm sure I'll get what I've asked for.