Building a Cottage Bed

My eldest daughter has a cottage which has the need of some rustic touches. She wants to rid the bedroom of some old iron single beds and replace them with some wooden ones. She saw a few pictures on the web and I volunteered to try to build  them with the help of my son.

I purchased the wood and had a very difficult time getting the quality I desired so rustic will be the name of the game. This was a labour of love as a day with my son on any project is a bonus.

The plans were simple enough and the tools required were available so any errors would be man made. I had help the other day from a grandson who is competent with power tools and loves to do projects. He is so busy with baseball, work and other events it is special when he can come by to help.

Part of the work is interrupted by a great lunch of baked chicken and we all love to eat good food. There is only a few little details left before Theresa and I deliver the beds to McKellar Lake and their new home.

How Old Is Too Old?

My partner when it comes to harvest time is Theresa of course. but her Mom is my partner when it comes to some of the other jobs. The only difference is that Doris, my mother-in-law is in her 96th year. She feels left our now as she can no longer climb the ladder nor do some of the jobs that she did all of her life.

Cleaning the strawberries seems to be one of her jobs that she is very fast at and helps, as we make our strawberry path a real productive part of our garden. As a young girl back on her parents' farm she was involved with all aspects of preserving and related chores expected of farmer wives and family.

Her memory is not great but when it comes to anything from the good old days she is still right on the money.We work well together and so far never had a spat. I must be doing something right.

Cherry Picking Time

This year we are blessed with a terrific crop of cherries. We have two trees, one has the yellow cherries which are so good. Sweet, large and grow in clusters so are easy to pick. Our other tree has been grafted and has five different varieties of cherries.

This tree is eight years old and is higher than the house. I pick what we can reach with a twelve foot ladder and can reach while standing on our roof. Two days ago be picked 30 pounds and today about 15 pounds. We wash, take off the stems, and take out the stones. It is tedious work but well worth the effort.

We freeze the whole stoned cherries for pies and make jam with most of the rest. Sometimes we make cherry jelly which becomes basically cherry coloured sugar so be avoid making too much.

We tell all of our neighbours to come and pick as there are plenty for all. Mother nature sends her black birds for a feast and our local chip monks and squirrels have a feast. Unwelcome visitors are the raccoons as they break the tree branches. All in all we are very happy to share our abundance with all who wish to come and share.

Fun At The Dentist Office

During the last few days in Florida I lost a crown off one of my front teeth. Besides looking like a character from Kentucky I was about to receive some bad news about the crown. I was able to find after it popped out during a golf game. I secured the crown and went to the local dentist who was kind enough to glue it on for $240. She said there was no guarantee for its life and she was correct as it broke off after a week or so.

Arriving home my dentist looked at the situation and after the x ray gave me the news that the roots of the tooth were cracked and broken and I would need a implant. He explained the procedure and gave me a forty day wait until the specialist came to his clinic. In the meantime he glued the well traveled crown on for the third time again with no guarantee.

For the next forty days I was careful to avoid eating some of my Favorite foods like peanuts and toffee.The day came for me to meet the specialist and he was accompanied by a excellent helper. He again explained the whole procedure and talked his way through the operation. Firstly he had to remove the crown which refused to go quietly.  It was so well glued he had to drill it off the base tooth.

After that he tried to remove the broken roots but they wanted to stay put, He finally managed to clear the jaw bone for the next step. I asked to see the little metallic device which cost $350. It was no larger then the eraser holder on a pencil  and was made of titanium .This added to the titanium used for my spinal fusion added great value to my old body.

He told me the rest of the procedure would result in a strong vibration and some rather uninviting pressure. The large drill proceeded to cut away my jaw bone and sent splinters throughout my mouth. Salt water was added to the mixture and the assistant touch the area where my gag reflex was ready to explode. He finished quickly and told me that everything was easy and OK. The final part was the installation of the device which would hold the new tooth. However he was about to stitch up my wound and it would be four months before I would get the new tooth. He left as he came fast and furious with a two page list of instructions for me to follow.

This is modern technology and of course it costs plenty. $2100 for that part of the deal and another $1000 for the new crown. I wonder what people do who cannot afford this procedure. All in all I had no option and there is a guarantee. I will be able to smile again in public... after four months.

Sparrow Family

Every year we are hosts to several families of sparrow who live in the bird houses we erected years ago. These are the most common of the birds in our area next to robins and are really interesting to watch. The have a unique social  behaviour that leads me to believe that they have a definite communication code with other sparrow families in the vicinity. 

They all live in pairs and each member of the family share in the work of building their nests. They share the house cleaning and gathering of food. When they have their babies and are attacked by blue jays or blackbirds they set up an alarm and all the sparrows in the area come to their aid.

It is really fascinating to watch the feeding of the young. Our one family has four young ones and this morning I observed them being fed by three different adults. 

This particular bird house has fostered more than score of families during the past ten years. We love to hear them singing their songs outside of our window at 3:30 am and end when the sun goes down.

Very soon these young ones will have to leave the nest and that is another display of tough love as the adults have to literally drag some of the reluctant chicks out of the safety of the house to fly on their own. Mother nature sometimes permits we mortals a look into the reality of bringing up young ones and we can learn plenty from the birds. I probably will write something about our little friends next year as they do impact our lives in a very positive manner. We are all for the birds I suppose.

Family Values

We are a family that came from parents that had values that made sense in every way for them. Our parents had little opportunity to have an education above the grade eight or nine level. Our Mom and Dad were placed in a situation where their parents needed to have another person with some use to help the family to succeed.

Our parents who were the recipients of this harsh and uncared for love which made them revolt and make sure that every one of their children would have an education . Mom and Dad made sure that all of our nine children had an opportunity Seven of the family did well and pursued an occupation that would  enable them to do better that they would have without the support and help of our family.

Now that I am in my seventies and see the family and extended family I am so proud of the seed planted in our heritage  of our family which is making a huge impact on our community. I might be bragging but maybe not but I do not know of any of our family unemployed or living off the welfare roles. This is a strong testimony of the strong beliefs of our mother and dad who said that there was no work too menial or too dirty for us to do.

I personally did so many menial jobs to get my education and  keep my family healthy and together that I feel like Charlie Brown  - that work is honourable and we should respect it.

Our family values have been passed down and as far as I know that the younger generation has grasped the concept and continue to feel empowered by having a job.

Good News Around

Some days we get mail that tells us of bad news . The last few days were the opposite and gave us news that  made us happy and informed. My oldest daughter who works for the federal government has been given a promotion that was well deserved. We were happy and know that the department she works in is better served in as a result.

My friend Doug is going to have some surgery  that will help him play golf better and give him a better perspective about his trees. Trees are important Doug but you are a hundred times more important. Go into that surgery as I did and within a minute that they black you out and you wake up miracles happen and the Dr's have fun making sure that they do everything possible to make you better. I have had a few times when I was worried and then I had a very good method of making the wait possible . I used to try to keep my mind on fishing for Char and as I awoke I was surprised I was in a bed with pretty nurses looking after me.

Doug have a great strong surgery and make sure you have dreams that will make the time pass and you will  awake strong and ready to face the few days of recovery. Theresa and I will be over to see you in a few days and we expect to see the Doug that we love so much. Polar Bear

Roses and Strawberries

This is a wonderful time of the year. Strawberries are at their best and the roses are coming into their own.We started off with two dozen  strawberries plants and after giving many away and culling out the older ones, half of our garden space is now strawberries.

Yesterday we pickled about 20 pounds or five large metal bowls. Our yield would have been much larger wee it not for the chip monks and squirrels. The black birds have not discovered the patch of berries or we would have been out of business. Our season lasts about two weeks of real good picking and then nature takes over and cleans up the leftovers.

We have climbing roses and some beautiful pink roses that seem to do best in the early spring and the late fall. Our red climbing roses are supposed to flower all season but do best in early June and late fall. During the hot summer the roses take a break and come to life again in September.

This spring started off with bad, cold days but plenty of rain. Nature rejoiced and the field crops flourished and everything was green. Now with the onset of hot days the corn will grow and the farmers can breathe a sigh of relief.

Our spring gives us the opportunity to have a visual feast of all the blooming flowers and a great taste to satisfy the hungry people who love strawberries.

Charlie Brown - My Dad

Imagine having a Father whose name was Charlie Brown who had a Dalmatian dog named Snoopy. That was my Dad. Dad came by the dog when it wandered into his yard one day and stayed despite the best efforts to find its owner. Dad built Snoopy a dog house and yes, Snoopy slept on the roof.

My Father could not be described in a simple blog as he was a very complicated person. He and his family lived in a place called Cranberry in the shadow of the largest submarine coal mine and when he was in grade eight was pulled from school and became a boy miner. He worked beside his father as a helper and received  practically nothing for his labour.

This early start for physical labor probably was the reason he grew to be the strongest man I knew for his size.He was a bright student his teacher told me as she taught many members of our family and my very favorite teacher of all time.Working in the mine never curbed Dad's thirst for learning and if he had the opportunity he would have made an excellent engineer as he had a natural ability to fix everything. He was never stopped from taking on projects and one year he built a hay baler from plans in the Family Herald.

He loved sports and played football and was an excellent skater and made his own skate blades from files. He skated with the seniors well after eighty and taught many to enjoy the activity.

As a father he helped the boys to love fishing and took us to secret places when we were young so we could enjoy the sport. He tied his own fish flies and shared them with friends. Dad also built the boats we fished from and built some for friends.He showed his love for the family in small ways. Always a good provider and hard worker he showed devotion by example. There was never a time when I heard the phrase that he was too tired to do anything. People sought his help and he was there for them.

Being the Father of nine children gave him a sense of pride by making sure we had that which escaped him, an education.When grand children came along and there were many Mom and Dad softened up and became different people. They were able to share emotions that they missed as younger parents. Dad had time to pass on many of the skills and tricks that made him a happy person and was granted the love and affection from his family.

There are few days that go bye when I do not think of Dad when I approach a task and would love to be able to phone him and ask for help as I did when I built my double garage with his guidance. Charlie Brown would smile now for sure if he was able to see the huge family he led and left as his legacy.

Ontario Minority Government Passes Budget

Yesterday the Ontario Government passed a budget which emphasized policies and programs of vital interest to the New Democratic Party. With a minority Liberal government , led by a lady and working with a second party, the NDP also led by a lady they structured a budget which included the best from both sides and passed the test of the Legislature without any great problem.

This was not the first time Ontario passed a budget with a minority government. Premier Bill Davis did the same a few years back and as it turned out he ruled a good Legislature with help from the opposition. What is unique with this budget is the fact that both parties were led by ladies. There were wide divides in the philosophy of the Liberal and New Democratic Parties but they managed to come to a consensus of what was important for Ontario.

In their budget speeches they each promoted their ideas and although there were differences they were presented in a civil manner. This was a good example of members working for the people they represent. If only our federal members were permitted to do the same what a difference it would make in the House of Commons where the ruling majority party scripts every word and the back trenchers are described by the press as trained seals.

I have a strong feeling that the people of Canada are sick and tired of the antics being carried out in our parliament. Our government does not elect a king at general election time but several hundred members who take an oath to work for the best interests of Canadians and their own riding.

Having lived in Nunavut for a number of years I was impressed with the idea of the elected representatives elected the premier. What a difference it would make if we in Canada did the same. The PM would be  the leader at the behest of the members and could be replaced if he or she was not effective. It would take away that power of the party hacks who are not elected but hold great power in electing the Prime Minister.

Womens' Rights at Stake

With Mr. Beard's chairmanship of a vital world health organization we should be concerned about his leadership. Already he has blocked the ability of women to have needed post-rape and sexual abuse  care  because of his penchant of putting his personal beliefs ahead of the women's needs.

It took years to put in place women's needs in countries where their rights had been diminished by becoming victims of war. In many of these countries rape and abuse is often used as a weapon of war and post rape and abuse cases required post trauma medical care. This required contraception and abortion education and medical services.

According to a recent report, our representative on the committee has been flaunting his personal agenda, but not the feelings of Canadians as a whole much, to the disdain of member countries who require these services and always looked to Canada as a strong supporter on women's issues.

On the world stage Canada has been a leader in aiding countries experiencing conflicts in Africa  and this role is now under close scrutiny by member nations. Canada's role in the area of controlling and treating HIV victims will surely be hampered as  well.

Although we as a country do not support the stand of our member on the world organization you can be sure the ultra right conservatives in the government see this as another move to making Canada look like a right wing entity and the fallout will come home to us through policies of the present government in the near future.

Our country should do everything possible to help the women of the world who require our aid by taking a positive leadership role such as the leadership of Stephen Lewis. He personally has taken on the leadership in supporting women's rights and is recognized as the world voice for needs in Africa.

Aboriginal Peoples' Great Hurt

While I lived with the Inuit and listened to their stories of the past there was one lasting thought I was left with. It was the issue of the schools . The government set out a policy that all children had to be educated.This meant that the aboriginal children who lived in small  family groups were forcibly carried off by the RCMP and brought to Residential Schools scattered over the North.

People who actually suffered under this system of education provided by religious groups told me their story. Few could talk about their experience without crying or having a emotional outburst because of the trauma they suffered.

Physical and emotional abuse was common and the policy of total integration drove many of the children to run away and many died.They told of an aeroplane landing close to their encampment and officers grabbing the children against the will of the parents and taking them away. It appeared that the school officials wished to take away the childrens language, their hair was cut short and they were punished for speaking their native tongue.

The parents of the children were equally punished as one of my close friends told me that in their encampment there were fifteen children but only two very young ones remained. He spoke of the change in the home. No laughter from the children, no games played and the lonely feeling from the lack of having children present. Sometimes the children returned for summer holidays but frequently they were away for a year at a time.

I felt the pain of these people who suffered so much and can understand the lasting effect on the children. Perhaps if Canadians lived among our first nations communities there would be more understanding. Unemployment, second and third rate schools because of lack of funding, reservations where clean water is a luxury for some and inside plumbing is second rate if available. All this is a recipe for discontent . The largest growth in our population is in our first nations and they could be a great source for economic development were the people trained so they could contribute to Canadian Society at a greater rate than the present.

Governments push this issue to the back burner until a problem rises and then they speak and have photo ops and go away. Our first nations people are not going away and we as a country should fix the problem before it becomes the elephant in the room and cannot be fixed.

Nature's Patience

We have many birds around our home but the most visible are the robins. This year as usual we have several nests in our trees.Usually the robin has three babies or more but this year we have one robin with only one chick.

This little mother has lost it's mate and the one chick stays pretty well within the confines of our front yard. Yesterday was a beautiful day and the baby robin took this occasion to perch in our Japanese Maple tree. It sat there all day and when nightfall came it remained there. Theresa and I checked at 11.pm and it seemed to be ready to stay there all night.

This morning when I checked at 7 am there it was in the same place. It began to rain and in fact pour but the little bird stayed fast in it's position. Finally the mother showed up and tried to coax it down with no success. The mother made numerous visits to feed the chick but as of now it remains firm in that location.It reminds me of the pole sitters of old who would sit on a pole for great lengths of time.

Nature has instilled great patience in the birds but this one takes the cake. We will watch and observe if the mother robin drives the chick off the branch or continues to feed it from that location.

Cracks Appearing in The Prime Minister's Armour

The Government of Canada has been Conservative now for a term and a half. The first term was a minority and the second was a strong majority. This party is made up of three factions and has drawn together many well meaning candidates who ran for election with the high ideal of contributing to Canada. The Prime Minster convinced the elected members that with a minority government they had to be silent, secretive and scripted and the back trenchers had to toe the line and act as trained seals.This mode was to make sure that the party wold win a majority and it did work.

After the second election with a strong majority the members thought that the party would take away all those restrictive, secretive and scripted rules that hog tied them for so long. The Prime Minister and a handful of cabinet ministers continued  to act as of before and never answered a question in the House unless it was approved by the PM and was read off a scripted message.

Without change the members were beginning to feel the pressure from their constituents about their lack of participation in the business of the country. Rumblings were heard in the caucus meetings but still the PM kept them in the dark and suppressed the back trenchers.The Senate scandal, the defections and the opposition questions were being felt by the PM and the party.

For a party which was elected partly because of the Liberal scandals promised a new day. Openness, transparency and honesty were their bylines but unfortunately they became what they apposed before they had power.The summer recess is about to begin and the PM will have some time to patch up the mess he created but the people in his party and the many Canadians who follow politics will not forget.

The PM and the Conservatives will have to cleanup their act or clear out of power.

Wednesday Fam-Jam

Normally we have family get togethers on the weekends but now that our family have many activities during that time we planned to try Wednesday. Except for Troy we all made it.It was fun to hear the gossip and news from the group. There was even some heated debates but in reality it was just a family gathering.

Our aging grand children have times set aside for the cottage, baseball is a reality and Troy was missed and actually weekends are not at all convenient any more except for special occasions. We are fortunate to have so many of our family in the immediate vicinity we are able to have a core group at any time.

Doris is back home with us and feels the love of her family on such events and we in turn enjoy seeing her happy and in better health. For a senior to suffer a fall it can be traumatic but Doris is recovering and becoming mobile again.

We all had a good time and plan more of the same in the future.

The Fifth Estate

Throughout our short history in Canada the Fifth Estate has always been our safety net or watchdog when needed.Our political system is designed to make mistakes and to fool people in power that they have entitlements that the ordinary citizen does not have.To this end powerful people or people with power begin to think that they are entitled to perks, have immunity to the laws of the land, make shady deals and act in their own interests without the danger of being caught in their unholy behaviour.

At the present time our papers and TV stations are lambasting several levels of government. For a change the news media see a danger in what is happening at the federal level with the Senate scandal, the environmental push back and the caving in to international companies who wish for concessions in order to make millions at the expense of weak oversight to protect the interests of Canadians.

During the years at university I studied philosophy and one of the big issues was the value of the Fifth Estate. It was always made clear that when the press is silent or silenced that bad things happen. We in Canada have a riled up press at this time because they were completely controlled by the policies of our controlling Prime Minister.

It seems childish to watch question period and to se senior ministers of the crown reading a scripted answer to questions when any simple minded person could freely answer. With these controls the press are not able to report the workings of the government. The press is rebelling now and are sending their very best people to seek answers and holding the government accountable.

The pressure is on and for the next few years we will be treated to solid scrutiny of our government and it's agencies. The balance will surely bring about change and the Fifth Estate will once again play its role of being on the side of justice and truth and the people of Canada.

Rain and Trees

Our yard is full of trees and shrubs. Every year we have a period of a few weeks when we wonder how the weather will be to enable the trees to flower and be visited by our friendly bees. Last year it was the warm weather followed by a late frost which killed much of the apple crop in Ontario.Another Year the bees did not appear in numbers and our trees were left unpollinated.

This year we had a beautiful beginning for the vegetation. Recently we have had plenty of rain and cool nights followed by humid days which is ideal for the growth cycle. The farmers are happy but the trees are even happier.I have rarely seen the amount and quality of growth in all of our trees.The fruit trees are heavy laden and the ground vegetables, specially the strawberries are doing very well. The squirrels and raccoons are visiting the parch every night checking the ripeness of the fruit and it is early in the season.

I expect to have ripe berries by the 8th or 9th  of June which will be a little early for us.It is really no consincedince .that the reaifall has been just perfect this year.In Oakville a few years we suffered a drought for two years and we lost a huge number of our mature oaks . The Ash trees have been attacked by a beetle which killed thousands of our ash trees which lined our streets . Most of them have been replaced by new trees ans in front of our home two Elm trees were planted. With this rainy spring they have flourished as well as the many across town.

You can water from the tap all you want but there is no replacement for a good all day or night rain .Mother nature controls the vital products  that make our earth live and breathe. It is curious that countries which do not support good growth patterns for the health of their forests eventually are left with virtual desert conditions.Our water resources are the life blood of the our nation and must be treated as such. Everyone can join in and help by planting a tree,  a bush or anything green to aid mother nature carrying out her vital role.