A Hint Of Coolness In The Air

My friend Don Root came out with this expression one day and took us all by surprise with his poetic excellence. Now every time it turns cooler or colder Theresa and I have a silent chuckle remembering our poet Don..

The air is cooler and fall is upon us. Yesterday I closed out my small garden and we turned in our ripe and over ripe tomatoes into 15 jars of spaghetti sauce. This caused us to clean out our freezer and as one thing turns into another we were faced with fall cleanup of freezer and basement. We do not wish to think of winter but fall does have its benefits. Doris came out to our house and we took a drive up into the Halton Hills where we experienced a beautiful sight as only Mother Nature can paint when the trees put on their annual blaze of colour.

Doris loves trees of any size, shape or colour and she expressed many times just how much she appreciated this little treat.Doris also loved the view from our small balcony overlooking a small stream. The array of vegetation and trees here makes for a beautiful picture and with the sunset in the background she had her fill of all that is beautiful in nature.

Thanksgiving Family Day

Thanksgiving in Canada is really family day as it ranks as the most important and popular for most people who enjoy time with their family. We in our family have traditionally shared this day with the hope that every member will be able to attend. On this past weekend we were blessed with perfect weather and 100 percent attendance

A special occasion like this also became the first open house of Lynda and Peter at their new country estate. A beautiful old stone schoolhouse with added rooms and living quarters and a new swimming pond made this the perfect manner to christen this home. There were 25 members of the family and friends exploring the four acres of landscaped gardens and wooded area. Mature trees surrounded the property and a new garden plot was established for future development.

Turkeys and ham along with a wide selection of vegetables made this event traditional but it was the variety of desserts brought by the guests that made the meal complete.  All the food and goodies became secondary to the fun that was had by the three generations of this crew who talked, shouted, argued and just had a great time with all our family in one room.

I always say that the most important gift we have is each other and as I always do sit back and wonder how I could be so fortunate to have such a wonderful family. The added benefit is that our grandchildren have attracted such a great new group of people which strengthens and diversify's our family .On a more somber note I wish that my Mother and Father could have lived long enough to see what a great family they started with a solid foundation of good moral bringing up.

The Big Trade Deal

The announcement about the huge trade deal with the dozen countries coming together to forge some rules about trading in a more open manner is a giant first step. Trade pacts like this will take years to actually become law as every separate country must get the legislation passed through their parliament . This will be a huge problem in places like the USA because of the lobbying directed at the house will cause at least years of work.

There will be some discussion in Canada's parliament as well if the Liberals win the election but with the secrecy shown so far by the Tories we will have to see. The trade accord is just that up to now and with so many different interests a good public debate should bring about a good democratic result.

Over the past ten years we as a country has shown a negative trade balance and this new trade deal could bring us to a positive black line if our industry can manage to out perform the other members of the deal. We as a country have been at a disadvantage because of our high dollar but now with our dollar at the 70 plus level we should do better.

Being a resource trader we always shadow the productive countries because they buy our raw materials. When they slow down so do we and that has to change. We must have an added value to our raw materials and become producers of product instead of just providing product to the productive countries.

Canada has lost over 400,000 jobs in Ontario alone in the manufacturing sector as company after company left to resettle in Mexico or some place where labor is cheap and human rights are ignored. This too has to change as we can no longer put dollars ahead of our moral obligation to trade with countries who are trying to promote human rights for their workers and protection of the environment.

In the years to come this trade deal could be a great boon for Canada but do not look for the benefit in the near future.

Federal Election

After ten years of an ultra right wing conservative government we live in a far different world than before Harper. Our country is more divided, more fearful, less respected in the world, less democratic and I could go on and on. Our safety net organizations and departments have been gutted, Water safety, environmental concerns. social structures, global warming and pure science institutes have been ignored and in many cases muted if their findings do not promote the Harper way.

How sad to see one of the great small country's status being dragged down by ideological rather than scientifically factual decisions. We as a country will have to work at years of undoing this tragic design of a conservative government rather than a healthy democracy standing tall in the world and standing for a peaceful force rather than a military puppet .

This extremely long election call has made all of us weary of the placates and tired rhetoric of fear mongering instead of the real issues . The issues of return to democracy, jobs and protection of our Canadian way of life should be addressed and sincere interest in real change so we will return to a more prosperous and gentler Canada.

The Real Rangers of the North

The rangers who help protect our North are having a difficult time. Some 49 have died in the past few years and this is out of a total force of 4,500. These volunteers are given a second world war rifle,a handful of bullets, a ranger cap and a sweat shirt in red with their crest. When on patrol they receive gas for their snow machines and food. They train often in winter and are dedicated to their task.

I worked with these rangers for five years and they would be the ones I would wish to be along side of if there was trouble in the North. These junior and senior Rangers are dedicated and take their role seriously. Our Prime Minister uses them for a photo Op and makes promises but they never see him again.

If that many soldiers died down here in lower Canada there would  be a task force to find the cause but these Rangers are not even classed as reserve soldiers so receive no money or special perks if they are hurt or die in the line of duty.

The Rangers are proud of their role and continue to be our first line of defense in the North and deserve better.This yer I heard that they are going to receive the standard FN C1 7.64 rifle used by our NATO forces.This will replace the old Lee Infield which was used during the second world war.

Bravo to the Rangers and lets hope that whoever gets elected they are better looked after than they have been in the past.

St. Louis Du Ha ! Ha !

For years Theresa and I have looked at a golf course along the highway in Quebec. It was in the town of Louis de Ha Ha and looked inviting. This year on our way to Cape Breton we decided to stop and enjoy a game of golf. We stayed at a Motel on Lake Cobano. This is truly one of the most beautiful areas in Quebec with over twenty miles of pristine lake and mountains in the background.

We booked a game of golf and when arriving at the course were quite surprised at just how advanced this course appeared. Great care of the fairways and greens and particular care of the cart paths. We were told of the dangerous rides from one hole to another but was not prepared at just how dangerous they were, Electric switches when entering the path from one hole to another and another electric switch to use when you left the hole. Steep hills with dangerous grades and mirrors on the turns. It was spectular

Theresa held on for dear life on nearly every hole. As we passed from one hole to another we enjoyed vista after vista as the course wandered through very hilly countryside. The game became secondary to the course itself and as we completed the course decided that we would have to pass this way again.

Playing With Marbles is For Children

I have been taking therapy for a condition involving my leg. There has been some nerve damage and the result is limited strength and agility. I have been getting help for some time now with little progress. A new program was designed by my helper and I received many useful sessions dealing with proper procedures in correcting with my problem.

The last week took a turn for getting help in improving my balance. The therapist assigned me a room for the treatment I was about to receive. I was surprised to see him enter the session with a small box and a small bucket. I was asked to remove my brace, shoe and socks. Next came the surprise activity. In the box were a dozen or so marbles and some clothes pins.

Much to my surprise he placed the marbles neatly in a line on the floor. He then asked me to pick up the marbles with my bare foot and place them in the bucket. After laughing and thinking this was some kind of joke I was quickly brought back to reality with a firm request to follow the instruction. In order to assist me the therapist demonstrated the procedure I was to follow. He had no difficulty in performing the task to perfection. Me on the other hand could not even grasp the marble and every time I tried I sent the marble flying across the floor.

I asked him what was the sense behind this activity and he gave me a long but thoughtful reason. In essence it was to get some life into that foot which was frozen and to loosen up the bones in my foot to aid me in my balance. For the next half hour I tried and tried to perform the exercise and was unsuccessful I thought. At the end of the session he said I had done well as I had caused some movement in my toes and that was the first step in gaining better balance.

We left as friends and as I looked around I never saw anyone laughing or staring in my direction at seeing an older man playing with marbles . Playing marbles is a game for children is it not ?