Discovery

What a story,Discovery lead the way to the space station 39 times without a problem we know about. Yesterday at 11.50am Discovery passed over our home and we heard the sonic double boom as it travelled to it's base at Cape Canaverol. We would have been able to see it but for the first time in days we had some cloud cover.

What a wonderful tribute to the brilliant minds and precise computers to see this spaceship make 39 round trips to the space station without a mishap. Travelling through space for over a year and making so many trips around the world puts this craft in a class by itself. I only saw one launch of a craft from this program and it was at night. It might have been the Discovery but the name was not important. I watched it from a rise in the land about 8 miles from the craft but it was close enough.

The sound was deaffening, the light so intense and the excitement of the on lookers so electric,  it left a pernament impression on my mind. This type of program although expensive , generates the type of motivation required to spur on our young minds to even greater heights. In a way this is the end of a chapter in space research and I can only marvel at the next stage.

Probably the station on the moon followed by a manned voyage to Mars would be a reasonable guess. In any case it was a special day for me to see the folks arrive home unharmed and technology taking a well deserved bow for the wonders it performed.

When Will The Crowning Begin

It would be funny or pathetic if it were not true. During the last weeks, official letters came from the Prime Ministers Office declaring that from now on people referring to the Government of Canada will refrain from that official name and instead call it the Harper Government. This means all departments and agencies of our government will now begin using this title. For those who think this is a prank just phone your member of parliament and seek the truth. This label gives free advertising for the party in power. How ridiculous.

There has been a steady but calculated move on the part of this government to stiffle the press and stage all information that comes from the PMO. Never in Canadian history has there been such attacks on the fifth estate and the Canadian people. A systematic clearing and axing of nearly every agency which disagrees with the PM has caused many to feel frustrated and angry.

Our country is doing quite well in the economic sphere because we, like the oil rich countries, suddenly realize that oil is power.With the oil coming from the west there has been a move to ursurp the influence from the engine of economic wealth in central Canada and move it to Alberta.This government has broken faith with the world in so far as environment issues and the latest is the scandel about asbestos again.

When the Canadian Government cut or eleminated agencies to try to balance the budget it increased the lobbying agencys budget to protect the asbestos industry in Quebec. Against all odds in the world and the Canadian Cancer Societies objections, backed by world science experts, this PM insists that there is no danger in the use of asbestos..I feel that living in one of the most enlightened countries in the world I am embarrassed and angered over such ridiculous policies.

Clearly the normal citizen does not realize what is going on but our representatives surely do. They should be speaking up to protect our integry in the eyes of the world or are they simply going to play dead and wait for the crowning of King Harper.

Empty Space

Our backyard is pretty well filled with garden and trees. There was, however, a small vacant piece of territory left after the frost killed several of our papaya trees. One tree survived and is doing well as new growth exploded from the nearly dead stock. A local told me to leave it alone and it might come back and it did.
My friend from Pine Island is a gardener and he exchanged star fruit for tomatoes. We liked the star fruit so thought about planting one.

At the market today I saw one for sale and it fitted the need to a tee. Seven feet tall and straight. After getting the lowdown on planting I packed it into the van and to no surprise Theresa agreed to the deal. This will complete the orchard and I hope we will have a good harvest next year. They grow quickly and bear fruit almost immedately. The good thing is that they bear fruit between Xmas and Easter when we are here. They have a taste not unlike Granny Smith Apples. We will watch it for a few weeks to give it a good start and then leave it on it's own for the summer when we are back in Ontario.

Spirituality

I was shocked to see a picture in our local paper and on national TV showing an extreme branch of the Baptist Church demonstrating at the funeral of a fallen veteran. Suddenly I realized what I believed all along ,that churches when out of control are part of the problem and not part of the solution. This group feel that the deaths of our troops are caused by God punishing them for their homosexual policies etc.

My belief is that every church or religious group have a doctrine which in print sounds quite good. All religions have some value and meet some criteria to be considered worthy of having universal currency. Most have a supernatural event which establishes it's right to be the one and only  in their direct contact with a supreme being. Some even have a direct link with God through human linage.Most feel that all the other beliefs are inferior to theirs and some will go far as to say that believe what we believe or you will go to hell.

Facts and more logical thinking has put that to rest by declaring that there is no physical hell but some who have returned from Haiti after serving for a time there might doubt that fact. In earlier times when the universe was small and extended as far as you could see and without the benefit of modern science it is practical for people to formulate some semblance of a religion to satisfy that need for assurance that there was some sort of a universal force controlling natural happenings.

Our Aboriginal Nations had a form of spirituality which met their needs and had many elements of universal religions. Some of them have met the trial of time and still exist. The Number of formalized religions which exist in America today are numerous and because they have not grown with the times do not meet the needs of many people. Some have made great strides and have become a powerful force. Many even delve into politics and get their hands burnt.

There are many people like me who have a spirituality which does not need the walls or creeds of an institutionalized organization to feel the great universal power which exists not only here on earth but beyond. Moral and social norms come from within and are taught through relationships in the home and community. Spirituality is not judgemental and does not exclude divergent thoughts and ideas. People who feel this power realize that man is a small part of the whole and understands that many secrets of the universe are still undiscovered. The beauty is in the journey of a short life where we just get a small slice of the total reality.

If only we could realize the beauty of all natural phenominum and seek to establish a life in harmony with the universe and their fellow man, the world would be a better place in which to live. Give me spirituality and less religion if you please.

Reluctant Reward

On a quiet Sunday I was hoping to achieve a degree of freedom to complete tasks I have been avoiding for some time. Theresa was in the mood for a look see at the huge gated community close by. We were given an invitation to look through the complex and have an opportunity to receive special gifts just for attending. I was not very motivated but finally said I would go.

We were greeted as usual bu an over enthusiastic corp of greeters who shuffled on and off buses to see what they had to offer. I was beautiful in every respect and I did enjoy the hour. Before we left we signed a card for the big draw. I looked over the prizes and was impressed with the goodies.

We left not giving it a thought but come yesterday we received a call saying we won the big one. We drove up to the office and Theresa went in to receive her gift. As she came out of the office she struggled to carry this large basket filled with Boar's Head goodies. Fifteen items valued at $150. were there in the gift basket and a ladies golf hat to boot.I suppose I should be grateful for Theresa pushing me to go. I had a good time and a bonus as well.

Little Sister

When you think of a little sister you rarely think in terms of a 68 year old grandmother. However my little sister is all the above and much more. Although we are six years apart in age we were very close in the latter part of our lives. As a child I remember the battles my Mom had in trying to get her to eat properly. I am sure she grew up on bread and molasses, without the crusts. She was sneeky that one in eating her home made bread and seperating the crusts and placing them on a ledge under the table. Mom probably knew but she being the baby was a little protected and spolied.

She sat in the fornt of our old Model A Ford truck while we suffered the dust in the open back and this little one was carried by Dad when we went for walks down to the big pond. Yes she was special and that was because she was the last of eight children. All this came to a close when Mom surprised us with a baby  boy years later.

I don't remember much about Carol as a youngster except she had great friends and was always happy. She and her sister were joined at the hip until later in life and shares many of the same friends.After high school Carol became a tearher and taught in Montreal with her brother and later a fellow who became her husband.

I was happy when Carol moved to Pembroke and lived close to me. She was the only member of my family to share a common area to live. During these years we became close friends and our family and hers blended together and created a happy situation for many years. During these times I realized what I missed about leaving home at a young age and never returning to become part of our family.

Carol moved away back home and has lived there ever since. The only time I shared time with her after that was in Florida where we had many happy times and again we talked of past happiness and planned future get togethers when we visited  Cape Breton.

Today is her birthday and I wish her all the happiness and I know I will have embarrassed her by writing this blog. I tried to phone her early this am and she was away looking after her grandson so this is the result. To the baby girl in our family I wish her all the best.

Leaving the Nest

Every day Theresa and I visit our Eagle families and this week the babies who are as large as their parents  are about to leave the nest. Every year we watch with interest this procedure whereby the adults feed and nurture the young until they are tired of the work and make a change. After feeding, cleaning and protecting the babies , Eagles show their tough love and shove the young ones out of the nest. Sometimes they fly within a few days but sometimes it takes a whole lot longer. In any case the babies are forced to go out on their own and face the world.

At this time of the year we observe the same ritual whereby young adults are preparing to complete their secondary school and move on to other things. Like the eagles some youngsters are prepared to move on to post secondary education  in one form or another. Like the eagles some youngsters are not so well prepared and are reluctant to fly on their own. They hang on to the safety of the family and parental support.

Facing the future is such a big step and parents have such a critical role in helping their children to gain the knowledge necessary to be successful. Giving your children the opportunity to forge ahead and make mistakes and learn consequences that will make them independent. Being there for your children no matter what and giving unconditional love and and support will give your children the confidence to be creative and productive.

We see the eagles year after year raising their young ones against difficult environment problems but they never give in. Parents who are having their children leave the nest must be strong and confident they did what had to be done to help their kids fly high and far to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.