Florida Spring

Around this time every year Florida comes alive with fresh fruit and   vegetables.The signal is the showing of the Plant City strawberries. These berries are red right through and for about two months we have this special treat. In our garden the yellow and green beans are great and the tomatoes are beginning to ripen.

The bananas are maturing and several have begun that transition from a palm tree to a productive plant with hanging stocks of these small but sweet fruit. I marvel at the speed of the growth cycle from these plants. These palms have a crop of one stock and then their life cycle is over.Once you cut the palm another one grows in its place. We have about 15 trees now and started with two. Several times they were frozen off but they always come back.

The flowering trees like the hibiscus and bougainvilia make every street a colorful display.We have been hurricane free since 2005 so the trees and nature has renewed itself.

My friend asked me out for a deep sea fishing trip to fill our freezer with grouper again . Out on the gulf you don't see the beauty of the land this time of year but we experience another gift from Mother Nature, the beauty of the sea.

Always Something To Do Here

Just when I was settling down to some vacation time new jobs crop up. Our garage door opener has had a mind of it's own and will open and close on it's own time. As I know little about these openers I did what any mechanically inclined person would do. I jerked the electrical cables and that did not help. I cleaned the electric eyes and tried to line them up better with no positive response.

Then I did what I should not do and that is open up the box. Common sense tells me to phone the man who installed it but I decided to try to get some satisfaction. on my own. There were some set screws on the side mount and with a screwdriver I attempted to adjust the door. First it came down hard and bounced right up again. I readjusted the setting and it went down but not back up. Then the lights started blinking and that was the signal to take a break. I pulled the plug and got down off my chair carefully and left the adventure for a rest.

I thought about this for a while and went back out. I read the instructions on the other side of the device and low and behold it worked. Not the first time nor the second but the third time it worked OK. Guess I should have read the instructions before starting the job.. I only hope that the next time I try to use this door it will work to perfection and I will get away from standing on that blasted chair with Theresa prepared to save me if I slipped or fell. Good to have a strong partner.

Making Adjustments

Every time Theresa and I change homes for the different seasons I find myself taking a few days to get myself tuned in to my new environment. It would be easier if our homes were quite similar but they are not and everything seems to be in a different place. Even the dishes and cooking utensils are located in a place quite opposite to our home in Oakville.

With the weather here breaking records nearly every day with a heat wave we find the change to be pleasant but it could be a little more moderate. Our paper delivery comes at the same time, 5  am but here it is tossed somewhere on the driveway but at home it is placed near the front door. Our mail here is delivered to a mailbox across the road and comes every day but Sunday. We like the services that the mail person offers and when we go home it is delivered to Canada free for the six months we are home free.To have our mail delivered from Canada to the USA costs about $160.

Some of the main issues that capture the news media are surprising. In all the years I have been coming to Florida I never saw such a fuss over GUNS. Discussions about arming teachers, permitting everyone to carry a concealed weapon and every other twist connected to the gun issue is overpowering. Talk shows on the radio, huge adds in the paper and headlines in nearly every paper gives you the feeling that it is not safe to live in the USA.

We feel quite the contrary and never feel unsafe. As a matter of fact Cape Coral ranks high in the safety issue and ranks in the very top for cities our size in Florida and America. I do see and hear much about guns and feelings run very high so it is a good idea to stay out of the discussion about Amendment #2.Gun sales have jumped through the roof since there is a movement to change the gun laws in America. Even minor changes cause strong resistance. We in Canada had a good gun registry in place but our copy cat government is looking more like the USA regarding gun control. Both here in the USA and Canada the vast majority wish reasonable gun control legislation but a minority ,led by the NRA in the USA and some red necks from the west in Canada  hold the country in a vice like grip because of the rich lobby from gun and ammunition manufacturing plants  both here and in the USA.

Something nice before I close this blog is the fact that this year we are going to have some visitors from home and we are looking forward to sharing time with these friends.

Back In Florida

After a beautiful month of shared time with my family and friends it is good to be back here to put my house in order. I don't mean the house but the yard. Much can happen in a month here and as I drove up to our home I could see major growth in the flowers and bushes. The weeds did not take a holiday but seemed to take advantage of my not being there to keep them in check.

Our pool looks great as the neighbour's took good care of it as they always do.My garden looks a little shabby but actually I was surprised at the condition because the weather was not the greatest. On arrival the weatherman announced that this day broke all existing records as the temperature jumped to 89 degrees. The old record for that day was 85.

What were we to do with these conditions? What everyone does ... pour a cold drink and relax.  Order in a pizza ans relax. Relax was the operative word as we were a little tired from he early starting time of our departure and the flight itself.

Today we will make up for the resting and get all the little thigs completed to make our home and garden acceptable.

Comfort Food

On a cold day there is nothing better to eat than a nice hot stew and home made biscuits. Doris was here and I suggested that she make her home made biscuits. At 95 Doris had to  look up the recipe but it did not take long for her to make a small batch to go with the stew. Sometimes the simplest of meals are the best.

Turning 76

I used to think that people who were over 75 were very old. Being one of these old people now I have a change of heart. I know for sure I am slower but still get where I am going, quieter as I listen more - especially to the young folks who have much to say - and less judgmental as you accept many answers as all being acceptable.

On this birthday I was surrounded by all my family except number two daughter Darlene who was in Ottawa. It felt comfortable to be among the family where there were no issues that divide us but many common values that become the framework of our family. As we branch out and become inclusive and bring more people into the fold, we become stronger with our acceptance of new and exciting cultural ideas.

I feel that my life passed so quickly, and the remainder years will be filled with exciting new adventures, but there will be more looking back and cherishing the happiness received from belonging to a loving family and friends. I will have a strong desire to make sure that our young people know and understand where they have come from and the rich heritage they are so fortunate to share. I am still seeking information about my past and it helps me to understand why I am what I am. I don't mean to quote Moses but that statement by God in answer to Moses at the burning bush is profound by itself. "I am who I am."

I have a few wishes for the next period of time. The doctors  gave me a new back and I must lose weight to help in the healing process. I should begin a service to others by volunteering for a good cause. I must keep in touch with those who have made my life rich and exciting and share my joy of life with them. Finally I must advocate for Mother Earth and Mother Nature and make the world a better place in which to live. All these objectives will only be achieved with the help of my wife Theresa May.

News Year's Eve

This year while we were home for a few weeks at Christmas we experienced a large number of family visits. This was the main reason for flying home and we were not disappointed. We thought of some resolutions that would make positive changes in our life and are determined to see these to the end. It was a time for seeking solutions to our health and our weight which seemed to just  increase without us taking steps to modify the end result.

Beyond the personal agenda I had some very heavy resolutions to help frame one of Canada's growing problem... the environment. This foolish government appointed a former broadcaster to oversea our most critical portfolio - the environment. Mr. Kent seems like an okay person but lacks vision and is a puppet to the plans that the prime minister lays out. The government will do anything and everything to create jobs, even at the expense of Mother Earth. Our once wonderful environment safeguards were the envy of the western world  This Prime Minister has done everything to erode the system by taking away the funding to oversea the vast problems of the oil patch.

The oil patch is our greatest ugly environmental issue and the government is making it easier for companies to continue to leave tremendous amounts of water and earth pollutants that scar the pristine water and tundra area. It sickens one to see the mess they leave. Yes, they have show places where everything looks just fine, but it is estimated that only 4 percent of the earth is returned to an acceptable level.

Animals and birds suffer and die as the mining proceeds with wild abandon. I have seen first hand the results of the carnage done to the earth by these greedy oil barons. This year I shall write letters every week to the respective groups to help correct the terrible mess we have created.

This appears to be the age of the First Nations and their demands are reasonable and I can only wonder how long they have to wait to have their treaty rights recognized and acted upon. We as Canadians have a solemn duty to take the treaties signed years ago seriously, and to bring the people affected into the Canadian fold with all the rights and privileges contained therein.This is just a beginning as we must take measures to hold the Government accountable.