BC Meets Ontario

Theresa lived for years in BC and while there made lifelong friends in the nursing community.When the friends come east as Norma did to see her new grandson the ols friends linked together for ten hours of non stop sharing of news, gossip and just plain friendly talk.

Of course the new baby dominated the discussion and what a beautiful little fellow he is. Norma is the proud grandma and she literally beams when talking about this child.

The girls shared time in downtown Oakville and enjoyed the beauty of the waterfront and main street. This was not the first time that Norma has been here and one of her loves is photography. There is plenty of opportunities to ply her interest while out here in Ontario.

Norma is a world traveller and has a huge collection of pictures to document her travels. She is a very interesting person and we look forward to her visits. Since her grandchild is here perhaps we will see her more often and share time with Theresa.

Canada Day Weekend

This July weekend had great significance for me as a young lad. For us it was the real beginning of summer. School was closed and we were free as a bird. Yes we had our chores such as working in the garden and cleaning the hen house but most of our time was free. Free to go to the beach and swim, fish and boil those delicious creatures that lived in the ocean. Periwinkles, crabs and once in a while a lobster made our day. Our main joy was digging those clams and picking muscles off the rocks. All one needed for a treat was a can to boil them and the desire to satisfy your hunger.

Today I have a different point of view about our country. There has been a huge difference in the ethnic makeup of our population and I love the change. Our country is so much richer because of the diversity of our people and the new cultural advantages we have acquired. In Toronto alone there are a hundred cultures mixing together and one could actually attend a cultural activity every week if you cared.

We have been a wonderful example of how many peoples can live together in harmony. The negative ignorance which was brought on by prejudice is disappearing and our bill of rights guarantee us, all of us freedom to live without fear due to our differences of race, religion or sexual orientation. Our country is years ahead or was in human rights development. There is some undercurrents about which cause me some concern but I am confident we will not turn back the clock.

I live half a year in America and they are curious as to our way of life. Almost without exception they admire our country and caring attitude for the less fortunate.That too is under siege here at home but cooler heads will prevail.

With all our faults and differences we remain one of the most welcoming nations for our new citizens and a land with real opportunities for every person who truly seeks it. We are no longer a British and French country but one where we draw strength from many peoples and are recognized as one of the   countries where it is OK to keep your culture and still be Canadian.

So lets get going and celebrate being Canadian and share the weekend with friends and family and raise a glass to this wonderful land called CANADA.

Work Day With Theresa

I have been a little slack this past few days and the backyard has been growing into a jungle. We decided to share a day in the back yard and try to slow down the growth from the summer rains. It looked like an impossible task but we focused on specific areas and filled three large barrels of garden waste.

Our city picks up this greenery every two weeks and in turn we get free compost two times a year. Our Virginia climber and Boston red climber were really out of control. It was fun to work on specific areas and after three hours we looked at the change in our yard. Then came the pruning of the trees.

Cedars and most of our bushes were growing faster than we expected so we went forward and cut them down to size. Since our strawberries are finished for this year we permit the squash to roam through their area. Squash seem to explode and this year with the hot weather and rain they did just that.

I always expect to get a red tomato by the 12th of July. I have been disappointed for a couple of years but this year I believe we will succeed, I have many green tomatoes and the plants are wonderful growing to four feet already and filled with small green tomatoes.

I love my back yard and this year it has been great with conditions nearly perfect. I hope that Theresa always has the same zeal for her garden as I do so we can share time in our back yard working together.

Golf With The Grandchildren

On two occasions this past week I had the pleasure of getting out to play golf with three of my grandchildren. The Friday 18 holes of golf was with two brothers who are very competitive. We played a difficult course and Theresa played along with us and to be the referee on disputes. My youngest grandson is fifteen and he had being telling me of his feats of strength on the golf course.

Troy is a baseball and hockey player and I was anxious to see if his skill was as he boasted. Well on one hole he did just that. On a 389 yard hole he ended up three yards inside the hundred yard marker. We carefully marked it off and we granted him a 292 yard drive. We will never hear the end of it. Adam is a good player as well and every hole was a competition among we men. At the end of the day realized that it was so much fun that we had to do it again sometime in the future.

On Sunday my grand daughter and he father and boy friend invited me to be a fourth on a team to play in a tournament to help pay for a trip to Europe for a minor hockey team from Pickering. Darcy was a novice at golf as she is just beginning but ended up making some great drives. She was pleased with her showing and had fun.

We did not win the tournament but played a couple over par. We had much fun and laughter could be heard all over the course as many people were engaged in a skill game for the first time. It was also a dangerous place to be as the course has been called the hard hat course because of the layout. Balls were flying all over and many became near misses.

During the two days with the kids and friends on the golf course I became aware that our grand children are growing up far too quickly. It was fun and we plan to do more of the same in the future.

Aboriginal Day

When European people began exploring the unknown world back in the 14th century North and South America were settled by numerous Aboriginal groups of people that today we recognize as First  Nations.It did not take very long before these civilizations were in conflict with the invaders and because of their superior strength whole Nations were conquered and practically wiped out.

The Spanish were the worst as they came for gold and a flawed idea that their religion was superior  so the slaughter began. The French and English came to the Northern areas and met with the same results but the First Nations survived. The Aboriginal peoples survived the diseases,the slaughter and the reservations imposed on the people who settled and owned the land.Now after hundreds of years we recognize the wasteful policies of the past and the lost potential that could have realized had we worked with these talented and strong cultures. Instead we have ignored their value and placed these people on reservations where it was impossible for them to grow in dignity and become part of the national fabric.

Now we realize that the First Nations are not going to go away and are growing in numbers faster than any other ethnic group . In spite of this we the Canadian people through our federal government still keep these, our fellow Canadians on reserves, in conditions that can only be compared to as third world citizens. The United Nations inspector made a report that should have  shamed our government but instead the government attacked the messenger from the UN.

There are some bright spots with our Aboriginal people but more negative than positive. Canada can somehow find $35,000,000,000 for a fighter aircraft that we do not need and cannot provide clean water, housing, schooling and medical services to our First Nations citizens. Shame.

I have seen first hand what can be done with resource when I worked in the Arctic Territory, Nunavut. Strong leadership from within the Inuit community have made conditions better for their people.There are still problems but most of them have being addressed. The forgotten Aboriginals in the near north of our provinces suffer poverty and the children are growing up in a society which gives little value to their worth.

What a shame that we are crying for more immigrants to fill jobs when we have nearly a million first nations people who are mostly unemployed. What a waste of human resources. It will not be too long before some western cities will have a majority of their population from first nations communities. We must solve this shameful situation and return the Aboriginal people to their rightful status. The Aboriginal peoples have to show more leadership and the communities who have done so are doing better.Because they have been put down for such a long time our hope for the future is through the youth who must be educated so they can compete in the fast world of Canadian society.

On this special day set aside to recognize Aboriginal peoples and their place in Canadian society let us try to understand the plight of these our oldest settlers on this land that we must share. Together we can make a difference if we care.                     

Project Beginning

Today was the beginning of my basement project. I wished to build a wall unit in my basement museum but was unable to due to my surgery.With Father's Day on the weekend and my son unable to come to see us we decided to get together today. My son worked his early shift getting up at 2am and working to 10.30 am decided to come for a visit. He had dinner with us and we went to work.

There was a time when I directed him as my helper to become a very proficient worker around the house and in earlier times on our boat.Henry now directs me as I am amazed at the ability he shows in building skills. We set out today to just rip out the old wall unit and prepare the space for new construction.

I had all the material ready in case we did a little of the new work. On the hottest day of the year we went to the garage and set up for cutting materials and designing my unit. I had drafted plans for the construction but he helped to make changes that improved the design and we were off. During the next five hours we worked together sharing ideas and working with careful cuts with our power saws and ended by completing the first phase of the wall unit.

It is such a pleasure to work with Henry as he is cool and works quietly but with authority and we made progress for beyond what I expected. During our work together we had the usual father and son conversations but on a more equal level. I respect his ability and strength to carry out tasks that I no longer can do at this time in my life.

It always brings me back when I worked with my Dad and I remember the difficult and hard work of loading coal on weekends and helping with whatever jobs Dad took on. I learned many things about my Father when I worked with him and now as a senior citizen I realize the importance of working and demanding quality service when working with young people.We do no good service to our youth by not expecting them to contribute to family. Lessons learned from Mom and Dad are life lessons and stay with you all the days of your life.

My time with my children and grandchildren are precious times and I only hope that they value the work ethic and rewards one receives from honest efforts and a sense of pride from work. Today was just one of many with Henry and I am thankful for that privilege.

Oh My Papa

The older you get the more you look back at your life journey. Although my Dad has not been with us for many years I find myself reflecting on my relationship with Buddy Brown. Everyone called him Buddy but his name was Charles. Dad began his life in a little house in the shadow of Princess Colliery, a coal mine in Cranberry, Cape Breton.

His Mom died shortly after he was born so he was raised by his two sisters. He attended school at a small 2 room building in Queen Pitt. He was bright by all accounts and in grade 8 at the tender age he was taken away from school and began work as a boy helper. He was a small boy and life was difficult as he worked 10 hour shifts without much monetary gain.

Mrs. Farnsworth was Dad's teacher and she became my teacher some years later. Mrs. Farnsworth told me the story of how she tried to convince my grandfather to leave Dad in school but was unsuccessful. My memories of Dad are very mixed as I was one of many children seeking attention from Mom and Dad. Dad was the strongest man I knew for his size and attempted to make all the boys the same. We worked along side of our father whenever tasks were to be performed. Haying, gardening and shovelling coal when we were not in school.

Dad placed a high value on education and encouraged us to do well. He demanded much from us but gave back so much more. Today I credit my success in life to the parents I had. The work ethic was driven into us at a young age. Dad used to say that there was no work too menial but approach it as an opportunity. We did every type of work as kids and were proud to contribute to our well being.

The finer things Dad did for we children gave me life happiness. Fishing; dad was a happy fisherman. He tied his own flies and was happiest when fishing a brook with us. Dad was an athlete and as a young person he played football {rugby} and hockey. An excellent swimmer and skater up to his eighties. He played the accordion with a Cape Breton flavour and passed on the love of music to us.

Dad drove us everywhere: to picnics, school hockey and summer camp. He came to my graduation when I passed through Teachers College in Truro. All in all he did more than expected, along with his many jobs. As he aged and Mom passed on he came to visit me in Ontario. One time I wanted him to come for a visit so I told him I needed help building a double garage. He was over eighty but came and practically built the place by himself.

Finally I saw a great transformation in my Dad as he shared time with his grandchildren and left a lasting impression with all of them. I wish he was here today to experience the wonderful family he started and the legacy he left behind. My memories today are all positive and I share them with all who will listen. My Dad did the very best he could under very trying circumstances. I am sure all of our family share this strong feeling of our love for our father.

Grandparents and Graduates

Once in a while people come together spontaneously and it turns out to be a great visit. Yesterday we had a visit with two of our grandsons who just popped in for a visit. After three games of pool they had to run as the younger of the two had to get ready for a banquet at his school.

Last evening we had a visit from my daughter and her daughter who was over from Ottawa getting a first hand look at Ryerson University as she will attend there next September. Soon after my youngest daughter and her daughter dropped in. There we were ,four generations of girls and me. I was outnumbered but had a great warm feeling being among my family.

We talked about graduations and  it was an eye opener when you compared the graduation of today and 50 years ago. It was fun and brought out loud laughter from the young ones when they heard how we shared our graduation and prom in years gone by and theirs.One common thread was evident and that was graduation was a memorable moment in time.

As one of my granddaughters is getting married and today the girls are having a shower in her honour we turned our attention to this event. Later another granddaughter dropped in. She was late as she was in charge of the event which was going to be held at her home. The evening wore on and near 11.00 pm we decided it was time to get to bed as we had a big day ahead.

Theresa and I talked long after they were gone and mentioned how fortunate we are that we get to see and share time with our children and extended family. There was a great difference in age but it never seems to matter when you share common interests and values. I look forward to our next drop-in by the grandchildren.

Church Point Get Together

Our grade xii class at SMH were about to be graduates and the class was looking for ways to get together before our Prom.We were a small class and actually 12 members of our class began grade 1 together and now were leaving the system for bigger and better things. After looking for an event we decided to have a cook out and swim at Church Point. A dozen or more signed up for the trip and my Dad provided the transportation.

Dad's old coal truck was in use every day hauling coal but that night it was all clean and washed. Dad was to pick us up at 7:30 pm and drive us out to the point, about 15 miles. He would then come back at 10.30 pm to drive us home. We were excited and just to make matters better the weather was hot and calm.

We all packed into the old truck and sang and had a great time in the cramped quarters and arrived to begin a great evening of fun and frolics. We built a huge fire and after swimming in the cool June water we stood around the  fire and warmed up. Hot dogs and marsh mellows were cooked, burnt to perfection and we settled down to some of the most memorable conversations we ever had.

We remembered the good things and the sad things that occurred along our educational journey. We were a close knit group and as we talked of the future everyone of us except one were off to higher learning in the fall. Like all graduates we swore to keep in touch and mostly we did. Sixty years later we are smaller in number but still a robust gang.

The evening seemed to go so quickly and we ran out of time to say those special words to our special friends as Dad blew the horn calling us together for our drive home. We carefully put out the fire and it was almost symbolic as the flames went out so did our high school life. Rather than being happy we felt sad on the way home and we were very quiet. Thoughts screamed through our minds as the real true meaning of our future became a reality.

As Dad dropped off each of us at our home there were the good bye's as Dad went from home to home to make sure we safely delivered. When the last person was let off and Dad and I were alone in the front of the truck Dad asked me how the evening played out. I told him it was fun but sad as we were moving on. He said he wished he could have the opportunities we kids had as there was a wonderful world out there for us....one he never ever had the chance to experience as he became a miner as a boy helper. What could I say? Sorry Dad and thankyou for the wonderful evening, everyone enjoyed it.

Having Fun At A Jam Session

Every year for a very long time I get the urge to get in the kitchen and make jam from our garden. This year was and still is a bumper year fro strawberries. Theresa and I picked strawberries every morning for the past two weeks and gathered 10 to 12 quarts per session. Yesterday was the best day so we decided to get to work and make some jam.

Picking is fun specially when you are competing with the chip monks for the berry's.We managed to salvage enough for four batches of jam. Mostly we make cooked jam but this year we mixed it up so we made some freezer jam as well.

When we started we thought we might have enough strawberries for three batches but actually we made four. We now have enough preserves for the year with the other batches we already made. Next will come the cherries in about a week and finally the pear marmalade.

It is fun to make your own preserves as you know what is in them and you can be sure what you are eating. When you have a small yard and look foreword to harvesting your fruit you have to be prepared to share with the squirrels and chip monks. This year we have plenty but last year they received the lions share.

I am just happy to have fun at our annual Jam Session.

A Day of Shame

Our Prime Minster and a small group of his flunkies have taken democracy to a new low in Canadian history. A Bill which was supposed to be a budget turns out to be an almost 500 pages of Conservative demagogy. Under the guise of a financial plan for Canada, Harper has stuffed the bill with every list of wishes he had in his long term plans to make Canada a Conservative country, where business and jobs would be the goal without consideration for the environment, safety, or care for our natural resources. His sell-off of the oil patch to everyone or anyone who can come up with the cash is short-sighted and wasteful.

In order to get his wish, he has gutted the safeguards which had been established over the years and heralded by the world as the best of any country. If you say something over and over enough, as all the puppets in the cabinet have being doing for the past year, people will begin to believe it.

Let's look at a different picture. The prime minister has a clear majority in parliament and is pretty well assured to pass every bill presented. Had he been a democratic leader and not in such a hurry, he could have brought in every measure that is presently in the supposed budget and had it broken down into sections and presented. The members of parliament could have then gone through the committee system and come to a vote. It would be passed by the majority. It would have taken longer but there would be input from all the members of parliament - not just the government in power. Maybe, just maybe, with the discussion at committee level there could have been changes suggested that would make the bill better for the people of Canada.

This would be a good thing, and after some time and a second sober thought, we would have legislation that would be acceptable to all Canadians. Why the rush to lump all this important legislation into the budget? It is simply because they can - and thumb their noses at the rest of parliament and all Canadians. In my considerable years looking at the political scene, I have never seen anything approaching this level of shameful situation.

Shame on Harper; shame on his arrogant cabinet. Shame on all the Conservative back-benchers who sat silently. Shame for Canada for electing such a group of people who have driven us back years in areas that made Canada such a great and respected country. This day will be marked as a dark day for democracy  and we will be less respected around the world for the changes that will come about as a result of this so- called budget. Wearing the Canadian flag on our pack sacks will be less protective than it was. SHAME.

Cod Fishing Through The Ice

While living in the high Arctic I was surprised that few people there fished or ate black Arctic cod.I fished in the leads on Cambridge Bay on a regular basis and always caught all the cod fish I could eat. These black skinned fish are delicious but the local Enoks never bothered to use this resource because they claimed that these fish were too bony.

Codfish were always one of our staples when I was a child and we never complained about the bones. The fish can be filleted in a manner so as to avoid the bones. Inuit fed their dogs fish and the Eskimo dogs would not eat cod. Again it was because of the bones. I started to catch large numbers of cod and cleaned them up and served the fish to friends. Most were surprised at the good taste of this white fleshed fish and deep fried or pan fried they were excellent.

Inuit mainly boil their fish so after trying the cod boiled it was even better. After two years of trying to make this cod as a good source of protein for the Inuit I succeeded after I sponsored a fishing derby and fish fry during Omingmak Frolics. Today the Arctic Cod is a popular winter source of fresh fish and is no longer thought of as that ugly, bony fish that even dogs will not eat.

There is a growing commercial interest in Arctic Cod off the east coast of Nunavut and probably will play in the growing need for employment and fresh fish.

Minor League Baseball

With the warm weather which comes with spring baseball used to be on the minds of all the young people when I was young. There were few sports that could gather a crowd as fast as the call to play ball.Mostly we just played with our own group and the most organization we encountered was when we used to decide on who got first choice when we picked teams.

Everyone seemed to agree in general to the rules and played to that account. Picking the teams was rather traumatic for some because someone had to be picked last. We fixed that problem by having the captains pick four for each team and we just divided the rest. Mostly we played with home made baseballs which were no more than a ball of string held together with black tape. Dad could tape that string ball so well that we could get a whole game out of it before it had to be re-taped.

Today the young players are treated like a professional club with uniforms, warm up jackets, the latest and safest equipment and at least four coaches. The kids practice on a professional field and there are bleachers for the fans. My grandson plays on a travelling team for Oakville in the 15 to 16 year old players. These kids are huge and highly skilled and the coaches are very much involved and want the players to have fun but on more than one occasion I saw personal feelings getting in the way and tempers flared.

For many of the kids on elite teams it is a way to be noticed and maybe get a scholarship in the future. It takes a very great commitment on the part of the players and coaches and considerable financial outlay as well. I love to see the young play ball and become a team player. Studies have shown that young boys and girls who make the team a commitment rarely get involved with the law.

Theresa and I have watched many of our grandchildren play various sports and besides the entertainment value we saw the individual development of our children through sports.Yesterday Troy played in a tournament and although it rained they played on. I was equipped with a cushion, a umbrella and a hot chocolate but rather than sit in the rain I went and got a haircut. I will go back but the weather has to be OK. So play ball and have fun.

4.30 am Visitors

We have a quiet neighbourhood  and are located next to a large 80 acre natural park. This park is home to animals and birds who wander up to our homes and although cute cause some damage to our landscaping. This morning I awoke to a small party being held under our bedroom window. Four raccoons were visiting us. The two babies were enjoying our fish ponds and were having so much fun that when they finally came out of the water and shook off the excess water immediately fell asleep beside the pool.

The two adult raccoons attempted to climb to fence I constructed around the strawberry patch but the fine chicken wire did not agree with their little paws. Every time they would almost reach the top they would let go and drop to the ground. After many tries they gave up and proceeded to two of our composters. They knew just how to open the animal proof composters and had a late dinner from the material we deposited earlier that day.

The raccoons, chip monks, squirrels and birds make it difficult to reap a full harvest of anything we grow. My friend John and I usually plant enough for all of us to share. The raccoons came back to wake up the babies and after a few noisy grunts they were off. The one thing I can count on is their return and besides the damage they are fun to watch.

Buck

It is almost fifteen years to the day that I entered Buck in the dog pulling contest during Omingmak Frolics.This was one of the main events and Buck won it the past three years. I was a little worried about Buck this year as he did seem a little old for such a strain. He was anxious and showed this as the crowd gathered on the ice out in front of Ikaluktutiak on a cold day. The wind was cutting through our warm clothing and we each held a hot glass of chocolate  provided by the co-op.

Every year the rules are explained. They were simple ones but the main one was that the dog had to move the sled and weights a distance of sixty feet on each pull. Weight could be added between each pull in weights of 50 pounds. The weights were bags of sand. The owner of the dog could not touch the sled or dog once the pull began and only verbal commands could be used. No whips or cracking whips could be used.

Buck was ready but there were five other dogs ahead of him and several after him. There was betting among the crowd but it was not part of the planed event. The first dogs pulled amounts of just over 500 pounds plus the sled. When I placed Buck on the start I announced that I would only have Buck pull once as he was getting old. There was a little annoyance shown by the crowd but I held my ground. The official came to me and asked if I would change my mind. I firmly said no and that was that. The helpers placed 650 pounds pounds on the sled and I stepped ahead of Buck until I was at the finish line.

The crowd went quiet as I gave Buck the signal to come to me. He jerked left and right to free the sled and galloped to the finish line. It was over for him and he won the cup. I gave three of my grandchildren cups that buck won over the time I was up there.

Just to give the crowd a little something to talk about I jumped on the sled and asked Buck to pull me back to the start line. That was the last time I had Buck pull.The next year everyone wanted Buck to pull again but we went to the event as spectators and I was sure Buck was disappointed but probably inward happy as he was ten years old and that is old for a cross wolf-husky.

When I left the north I gave Buck to a boy who lived down the street. He promised to look after him and he did. Two years later Buck was killed by a pack of wolves who came into our Hamlet. I am sure Buck died as he lived....a fighter to the very end.

Love Letters

I am a collector and as such never throw out anything that I seem important. After several hours of cleaning up my files I came across this pack of letters from Theresa. All bundled up with a ribbon  to keep them separate from the routine mail. These letters were so personal and so important for our future life that I kept every one.

As I was cleaning up I stopped in mid stream and began to read these beautiful long letters from my loved one. We were thousand of kms from each other and letters were the main manner of communication. As I read these letters I realized again the tremendous feelings portrayed through words written by hand.

These letters are a great inspiration for me to realize the feelings expressed were the foundation of our future marriage. Theresa and I had a genuine understanding about love and marriage. We talked, fantasized and planned our future by committing our feelings towards verbal and the written word.Sometimes we projected our future with a five or ten year plan. We always plan and then make sure we reach our goal.

In our early love letters we spelled out what was important for us and we realized that we had the same goals. That made it easy for us to work our plan. Theresa's love letters were a revelation after more than ten years of marriage as they revealed the same objectives. for our future happiness.

Sometimes we forget the commitments we make when we marry and sometimes we just decide to forget about those ideas we had when we were madly in love. Theresa and I keep ourselves at the high alert by regularly going back to the beginning. Love letters are a wonderful way of keeping our commitments alive and after yesterday I have some bridge building to complete the promises we made when we wrote those wonderful and sweet love letters.

Love letters are the contract you make when you enter a love relation and because they are handwritten they are so ironclad. I love our contract and realize that this is the reality of a love relationship.

Our Queen Elizabeth

Every country has its iconic figures who become symbols and trademarks for the citizens. We in Canada have a few who stand out above all the rest and our Queen is by far the most outstanding. As a young girl she was thrust in the role as Queen when her father died suddenly at a young age.

Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited our island in 1949 and all the school children from Cape Breton had the opportunity to see her first hand as she came ashore from the royal yacht Britannia. Sydney was the meeting place and as thousands of people came out to see their Princess she passed only a few feet from we school children. She looked so young and beautiful that she won the hearts of the people attending that gathering.

In our family the Queen was respected and the Princess was likewise as the future Queen. Little did we know at that time Elizabeth would be our Queen in a few short years. On her coronation Queen Elizabeth gave a profound statement when she swore to serve her country and the commonwealth with all her strength and ability.

For the past 60 years she has done that and more. She performed her duties in a most royal manner and managed to keep the largest group of nations together in the form of the Commonwealth of Nations. In our democracy our queen is only a symbol of power as her appointed Govern General is the working partner in our government system. The Queen has such appointees in every country within the Commonwealth except the ones who chose to be a Republic.

Some people frown on the idea of having a Queen but the majority of people live with the idea of a Monarchy. Her strength is having the ability to be a sober, second thought on big questions and she has done that to perfection. Every prime minister of England met with her almost weekly for help and advice.

There is still a place in our society for our democracy with  symbolic head of state. Personally I cannot see a change at this time but we can all agree that if you have such a leader we have had the very best for 60 years. Support for Queen Elizabeth has never been stronger and we wish her many more years as our Queen and wonderful world leader.

FINALLY RAIN

With a new month comes rain, much needed and welcome as we were suffering through a dry spell. The farmers had their crops in and were anxiously  waiting for that precious commodity rain. Two days of blustery weather dropped several inches of cool water over the countryside.

What a difference as corn fields looking dry and dusty became a green oasis almost overnight. In my back yard which was watered from our tap water was doing OK but with the rain everything sprang up and looked so good. Our trees were so water heavy that the branches drooped nearly to the ground.

It is difficult to imagine a Canada with a water problem but there are some sections in western Canada that are suffering water shortages. North America possess much of the clean fresh water but the sun belt will become a literal desert in years to come with climate change. Some states right now are so dependent on water from out of state that great concern is shown. Last winter and the year before saw the south east experiencing a drought and as we travelled by huge lakes that were dry you could see the problem first hand. There has been a huge shift in populations from the north to the south thus the direct demand for water is critical.

America has access to our water reserves through Lake Michigan and although there is an international treaty over water rights I suspect that our water is drained to the thirsty rivers flowing to the Mississippi to keep this vital waterway viable to water transportation of bulk commodities like coal and grains.

We are thankful for our water and realize that this product is as valuable as oil. I hope we put in place proper legislation for a sharing of this natural resource. So much of the world is needy and if we do not protect and share we could have a major problem in the near future.