Goodbye Ford

 I woke up this morning to news that Ontario political parties are already posting ads, leading up to what many presume, will be an early election call. For so many reasons, I'd love to say goodbye to this premier.

 Today I'll just focus on one; special education in Ontario schools...and how it could be better funded. Click on If I Had 3 Billion Dollars, to see the piece I had in the Ottawa Citizen a couple of weeks ago. 

Sex Ed in Alberta

 Last week, Alberta's premier introduced legislation that would , among other important matters, make it more difficult for students to receive sex education. Click  here to read a CBC article which outlines the details. 

Click here to read the Ottawa Citizen article I wrote on that subject in February, not that it made any difference. 

Alberta, the U.S...why does it seem that we are marching backwards, not forwards? 

Grateful #1

 What a historic day! While we don't  have many American decorations, we have put out this meagre offering to mark the occasion. 

What am I grateful for today...besides the fact that I live in Canada? Well today I am grateful for my son Aaron and the opportunity to be a parent.

You see, the U.S. elections always remind me of labour and delivery.

On November 4th, 1980, I was induced, as Aaron was then two weeks overdue. Going into the hospital that day felt like every important day of my life all rolled into one; exams, graduations, our wedding . . . but this was the main  event ! My life was about to be transformed.   

After my doctor finished the procedure he informed us that it would be a number of hours before anything happened, so he was going home. He joked that he was going to start building a bomb shelter in his back yard.  This was because Ronald Reagan was widely expected to win the election that day and we were worried about the possibility of renewed wars. Aaron didn't arrive until the following morning, around the time this paper was being distributed.

Of course we survived the Reagan years. Hopefully we will survive the outcome of this election with a minimum of disruption and violence. I am grateful that President Biden stepped aside for Kamala Harris, and grateful for the hope that her campaign has offered us.

But mostly today, I am grateful for Aaron. Happy Birthday!

Grateful and Grouchy

I've just read over my last post and can't believe it has been over a year since I've posted here.  I have no extraordinary excuses for my absence. Life simply got in the way. How do all the super busy people accomplish all that they do? I have no idea. 

At times I have felt bogged down by the world around us. As a lifelong news addict, everything seems to be heading in the wrong direction: war/peace, climate change, politics, poverty around the world and in our midst. 

As a boomer, I feel  lucky to have spent my childhood in that relatively carefree time of the fifties.  I wish our current time period was like that...not for me, as much as for our children and grandchildren. 

It is the love and support of my family that sustains me. It is a joy to be with them. There is still much to celebrate in our everyday lives.

And so, I'm going to try to write again. It is  a source of satisfaction , even when I write the grouchy stuff. In that spirit, I think this blog can be named Grateful and Grouchy. I will attempt to limit my grouchiness.

Remembering Mom and Dad

 

This past week would have been Mom and Dad's 71st wedding anniversary. They were married on August 30th, 1952. While many families make a regular practice of visiting their loved ones'  gravesites, I've never found much comfort there. It's not a familiar place, a place they spent time. 

Fortunately, our family had the opportunity to donate a bench in their honour at Champlain Park, across the street from their house, where they lived for over 60 years. That neighbourhood, that park, the nearby Ottawa River - that is where I feel their presence. 

So, on some of the special occasions,  some of us in the family decorate their bench. It is our way of celebrating them. On their anniversary this week, I tied on a photo from their wedding day and a poem I wrote for their 30th anniversary. There are still many "old time" residents of Champlain Park who remember Mom and Dad, but many more newcomers, who will not recognize their names on the bench. This way they'll learn a little bit about them. We were so lucky, to have them, for so long!

Only five minutes of fear

 It's been a summer of extreme weather. All around the world and across Canada, people have experienced drought, extreme heat, typhoons, floods, tornadoes and wildfires with their resulting smoke. Here in Ottawa we have mostly been lucky. We started off the summer with wildfire smoke and extreme heat but that all subsided into a fairly usual summer.

Except for the storms. Last Thursday, August 3rd, a tornado touched down in the southern section of Ottawa. It's the the thirrd time that has happened here this summer. We are getting used to alerts on our phones, warning us of damaging thunderstorms and/or tornados. Click here to read Bruce Deachman's piece in the Ottawa Citizen. 

On Friday July 28th, I was driving near the Experimental Farm, about ten minutes from our house, when a violent thunderstorm hit. I couldn't see where I was going so I pulled over and waited it out, as hail pounded the car. For those few minutes I was scared, as I wondered how long it would last and what else might happen. 

When it subsided I slowly drove home, to avoid the gigantic puddles on many streets. It turned out that I had stopped in an area that was not that hard hit, compared to our neighbourhood. The hail where I stopped my car was not large enough to leave any marks. However, any cars that were parked in our neighbourhood were left with dimpled roofs. The hail here was golf ball sized! One of the unexpected outcomes was our damaged screens. The sideways hail was so strong that the screens on the west side of our house now have holes. The flashing on our roof is dimpled. Homeowners with older windows found some to be cracked or broken. 

As I spoke to my husband and others who were home at the time of the storm, they all said the same thing. They were scared. They thought all their windows were going to break. After it all stopped we surveyed the damage and got to work, raking the leaves and branches. It seemed like fall when you drove around, with so many folks out raking, in the middle of summer. (And then there was the totally annoying sound of leaf blowers, at all hours. How I hate those things ! ) We were lucky. We didn't lose any trees around us.

                                          Strange to be raking in the middle of summer !

And so, we got off relatively unscathed. We have 5 small screens to repair but that's nothing compared to the catastrophic weather events happening all over. If we were scared for five minutes, what is it like for those caught in a flash flood, or in wildfires ? What it is like to go to bed, with your bags packed, knowing that you might suddenly have to evacuate your home?

The 5 minutes of trauma here is nothing compared to what so many experience every day in war torn countries. In Niger now, in Syria, in Ukraine...how do those people go about their daily lives, knowing that everything could be violently destroyed at any moment? 

As I write this, it's a sunny morning and the cicadas are singing. to tell me that it's going to be a hot day, a day to go for a swim perhaps. And so we go about our ordinary lives, spending summer time with family and friends, while evidence of climate change hovers around us. 

Other neighborhoods had it worse than us.

What to do? We all need to do what we can, to be kinder to the earth. We need to encourage our children, grandchildren, and our governments to pursue policies and practices to reduce climate change. And, whenever possible, we need to offer support to those caught in the middle of natural disasters and war. Their ongoing pain is so much worse than what we have experienced here. 

                                        Hail, still on the ground, two hours later.

Happy Pride !

 Thank goodness for the young people in our lives! Whether they are our children, nieces, nephews or grandchildren, our relationships with them help to keep us current. One of the areas that we have been helped with, is our familiarity with LGBTQ2+ issues. 

A few years ago, Norah's family, who lives in Toronto, gave us a rainbow flag. We often fly flags so that was appropriate but this flag was not one we would have bought ourselves. "Why does this rainbow flag look different?" we asked. "Grandma",  our grandchild answered, somewhat impatiently. "It's not a rainbow flag, This is a pride progress flag." This updated flag is meant to include more marginalized communities. 

So we have flown our flag during June for the past three years. In Toronto, many businesses and homes fly similar flags. In Ottawa, not so much. We haven't seen another flag like ours in our neighbourhood. I wondered what our neighbors thought. How does it make them feel? Do they appreciate us flying this flag? Do they think it's strange for us to fly it? 

As time has gone by, and I have listened to more media reports about how this community is being treated, I have felt more strongly about how important it is, to show solidarity with them. In a time with so many more pressing issues to worry about (climate change, the war in Ukraine etc.) why are people wasting their time and energy targeting a group of people for no good reason? 

And then, out of the blue, a couple of weeks ago, a friend in the neighbourhood thanked me for flying the flag. It means a lot to him and his partner. I was touched that he mentioned it and told him we are happy to fly it. This community, made up of our neighbors, our friends and our family members, need to know that we support them, especially now.

Last weekend we were in Toronto. On Saturday, the day before the Pride parade, we drove to the train station and then decided to walk around. We went to the wonderful St. Lawrence Market, then walked around Church St. which was blocked off for Pride weekend. After that, we ended up at the old Maple Leaf Gardens building, which now houses a large Loblaws on the ground floor. 

Everywhere we went, we encountered people in a happy mood. It was like being at a Christmas parade but instead of hearing "Merry Christmas" we kept hearing "Happy Pride ! " We bumped into a couple of Norah's friends from her high school days here in Ottawa.  It was good to see them and all the other families out for a stroll, in a celebratory mood. I was impressed with all the creative slogans and displays at various businesses. You can call it mere marketing but it worked for me. Having these businesses put their money into supporting Pride events should help to make us realize that all of us, regardless of our backgrounds, are all part of humanity. We all deserve happiness, safety, comfort and love in our lives. Visible signs and symbols really do matter.

Along Church Street

The lobby of the Royal York Hotel

Rainbow pizza at Loblaws

Bubly display

 

Bakery counter at Loblaws

                                           My favorite sign of the day !

Mother's Day, Service and the Coronation

As we celebrate Mother's Day and soon,  Father's Day, I think of my parents, but that is not unusual. Their expressions, their lessons, their care, is with me always.  If they were still with us, I would have watched the Coronation with them last weekend. Dad would have found it long and Charles' wardrobe changes ridiculous. Mom would have enjoyed the ceremony, especially the hymns. She would have been angry with Meghan and Harry.  However, I think they both would have appreciated the sermon, with its emphasis on service. 

When I awoke last Saturday morning,  I turned on the radio, expecting  CBC's usual Saturday morning show. Instead, I found myself listening to the sermon being delivered at the Coronation, by the Archbishop of Canterbury. 

"Service is love in action. We see active love in our care for the most vulnerable, the way we nurture and encourage the young, in the conservation of the natural world. We have seen those priorities in the life of duty lived by our King."

I was struck by his emphasis on the idea of service to others - that the King's role was to serve and that we, as well, were asked to serve. 

"Each of us is called by God to serve. Whatever that looks like in our own lives, each of us can choose God’s way today."

Later that morning, as we watched the Coronation, I took out this very special mug. 

My mother was in hospital on the Queen's Coronation Day, having recently given birth to me. On Coronation Day she received this mug, so it always makes me think of her and the start of her role as mother. There are no words to describe how well she served the six of us, as our devoted mother. As well, she served her church and community in many ways. She was always serving someone. 

Dad, as well, was a wonderful parent. Reminders of him are throughout our home, as he worked on it a lot.  Last weekend we got busy washing windows and putting in screens. One of our screens has seen better days. The metal framing is now wobbly and I was perturbed to see that the plastic lining that holds the mesh in place, had come out. 

I really didn't feel like dealing with it, but memories of Dad flooded back. I went downstairs and fetched a screwdriver. Dad was, among many other titles, our repair guy. He could fix just about anything and we relied on him a lot. At one point he taught me how to use a screwdriver to repair a screen. And so I did.

There is a sense of satisfaction that comes with fixing something - a feeling that Dad must have experienced a lot. I felt pleased with myself and my little job. Teaching screen repair is only one of so many lessons Dad taught us. Maybe the bigger lesson here is not to throw things out, but to fix them. Again, as with Mom, I could never list all the ways that Dad used his many talents, to take care of his family and others. 

My grandmother used to say, "Give every devil their due." And so, regardless of what a person might think about the validity of the monarchy today, I think many might appreciate that the idea of service was a theme of Coronation weekend. Last Monday was a Bank Holiday in the U.K. It was called "The Big Help Out"  -  a day of national volunteering. Chris Brown, on CBC's The National , said that The Royals encouraged people to spend part of their holiday helping out in their communities. There were over 50 000 volunteering events planned across the U.K. The idea was to inspire more people to serve their communities, in whatever ways possible. Click here to see his report. 

And so, as I think of my parents, I think of their example, of their service to others. As the  Archbishop of Canterbury declared last weekend,  service is love in action.  

Happily, we escaped the heavy snows of Ottawa for three weeks. We drove to Florida and really enjoyed our family time there. On the way home we visited Washington for the first time. Our two days in Washington were the same days that President Biden was in Ottawa. Along the way we met so many really friendly, helpful people. I wrote about them, in this  piece, which appears in The Ottawa Citizen. Click here to read it. 

The Virginia Welcome Centre, where Katrina helped me contact the restaurant

At the Lincoln Memorial

Cherry trees along the Tidal Basin

Inside the National Gallery

                                                 The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

                                          Cherry trees.  Me, with the famous purse

How do I loathe thee?

 I just read over my last blog post, from way back in March. In it I spoke of being tired of bullies like Trump, Putin and the trucker invaders. So who is it that has provoked me into writing again, after such a prolonged absence?  Another bully - Ontario's Premier, Doug Ford. 

With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning - How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways.

1. Last week Ford introduced and passed legislation that forced CUPE members to accept a lousy contract and then took away their right to strike. 

I don't believe Ford blinked on Monday because he cares about children being in the classroom. He withdrew the legislation because he realized that CUPE, along with  many other unions, were perhaps poised for a general strike. Also, public opinion seemed to favour the support workers  - the folks who actually keep our schools running.  

In September, in a conversation with my husband's cousin, we learned that she would likely be going out on strike this fall. She's a member of CUPE - a secretary in the student services department of a high school - an essential worker, if  ever there was one! (As a special eduction teacher, I relied on our student services secretary every day.) She was dreading a strike but it seemed inevitable.

If a strike seemed that likely to CUPE members a couple of months ago, why didn't the government take their concerns seriously and work to avoid the situation our schools found themselves in this past weekend? The untold hardship and stress that Ontario families found themselves in, could have been averted if this government had treated these workers with the respect they deserve. 

At the start of the pandemic I thought we came to the realization that we can't really function as a society without our essential workers - teachers assistants in our schools , cashiers in our grocery stores,  truck drivers who deliver our food,  personal support workers in our long term care facilities, nurses in our hospitals. Remember the mantra - we're all in this together? Where did all that goodwill go? If the Ontario government really valued the contributions of these employees they would pay them what they deserve. But no,  these education support workers needed to resort to drastic measures to get the government's attention. 

Instead of negotiating fair contracts with nurses and school support workers Ford gives handouts to the rest of us, to keep us compliant. Right now any student in Ontario is eligible to receive a $200. benefit. ($250. for students with special needs) . The province has set aside 365 million dollars for this program. What will the benefit be ? $200. might buy you four sessions of tutoring, if that is how a family decides to spend the money... if you can find a tutor for $50. However, these "Catch Up Payments"  are available to every student - the rich and the poor, the families with struggling students and the families with students who are at, or above grade level. What a foolish way to spend education dollars! 

Why not spend those millions on hiring another special education teacher for every school? And more social workers, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and psychologists for the schools? 

2. This mindless gesture of giving every student  cash, goes into the same category as the license plate rebate earlier this year. Sure, everybody loves to get a cheque in the mail but that giveaway was crazy. Well, maybe not crazy if you want to win an election.

The Ontario government made the announcement in March. They would scrap licence-plate renewal fees and sticker costs. They would also refund the sticker costs paid by private vehicle owners in the previous two years. Ford's vote-buying strategy worked - he was returned  in June's vote with another majority. 

In March's announcement, Ford said the move would cost the government $1.1 billion annually in revenue. The premier told reporters, “The best place for your money is in your pocket, not the government’s pocket. "

It was a ridiculous move. No one was asking for the license plate fees.  When we vote for a government, we trust that they will take our hard-earned money and carefully consider where it can be spent, for the greater good of all members of society. Ford alluded to that in his statement this Monday, when he announced that he would go back to the bargaining table with CUPE.

"As stewards of taxpayers dollars, we also have a responsibility to the entire province. A deal with CUPE has massive impact on broader public service salaries, as well as the government's ability to invest in services like health care, transit, education and hospital infrastructure alongside other vital public services. " Duh...exactly. That's what we were thinking, when you gave us the 1.1 billion back, last spring. We thought you should have used that money for those vital services . 

Don't give us back 1.1 billion just before an election , as if the province doesn't need that money,  tell us we know better than government how to spend money, and then turn around a few months later and tell us you can't afford to pay our essential workers a decent wage. That's what our taxes and fees are for. 

3. When Ford treats us to one of his prepared statements he usually ends his "speech" with a blessing. "God bless the people of Ontario." Where does that come from? Is he really a religious person? Does he think that copying the Americans' "God bless America" will bring him more followers ? Contrast his "God bless the people of Ontario," with his odious wire brush comment, revealed in this week's testimony at the Emergencies Act Inquiry. Which is the real Ford? 

4. During the conversation between Ford and Trudeau, that was revealed in this week's inquiry session, Ford made it obvious that clearing the truckers protest  in Windsor was his priority, not Ottawa's three week occupation. Thanks for nothing Premier Ford. Ottawa is actually located in Ontario. We deserved your support last winter. 

5. "I'm always for helping the little guy, little gal. " Ford declared on Monday. I don't think so. Along with his reluctance to pay education workers a living wage, he recently tabled another bill, the More Homes Built Faster, bill. Among its many controversial regulatory changes is the decrease in requirements for affordable housing. (Click here for more details.) His government is ignoring the hard work and suggestions from cities like Ottawa and Toronto which would have required builders to provide a larger percentage of affordable units in new developments. Ford likes to promote his image as helper of the common man, but it's his developer cronies who benefit from his policies. 

6. Last year Ford promised that he would never use Ontario's greenbelt for housing . That was then, this is now. His new housing bill will seriously curtail current environmental protection of the greenbelt, parkland and  watersheds.  The ability of conservation authorities to question development plans will also be scaled back.  (Click here for more details. ) Clearly, the recent severe storms experienced in Ontario and all across the globe have had little impact on his understanding of climate change.

We've got a very long, four years ahead of us. 

Words of Encouragement

 What a bleak time we are living through. There are so many layers of despair all around us. As I have written previously, I have been dealing with the loss of my parents. Mom's illness and death occurred in the early stages of the pandemic - a word that I had not paid attention to, before we were in the middle of one. We have all suffered, in unforeseen ways, over these past two years. 

Just as we were emerging from this dark period, Ottawa and many parts of Canada were subjected to the occupation of our city and other vital areas. Having to witness the selfish behaviour of the occupiers was a rude introduction to this section of Canadian society. 

Just when we finally got our city back, Russia invaded Ukraine, plunging us all into another dark hole.  The images we are now seeing are unbelievable. It is difficult to understand how one person can be responsible for so much destruction and profound sorrow. I am grateful that my dear parents are not alive to see how the world has turned backwards. 

What to do? How can we go about our days, knowing that so many are living in fear and misery? There are many agencies, working in Ukraine, looking for our donations.  Our local Ukranian Church is starting to accept donations of various items to send to Ukraine so I bought a few things this afternoon. As I put some boxes of baby food pouches into my cart I was overcome with sadness, wondering who might eat them - babies, or toddlers, children or even desperate adults? 

While standing in line for a cashier, I became aware of a disgruntled customer at an adjacent cash. A middle-aged man was berating a cashier because there were no No Name peanuts available in the store. He had a rain check for that brand and he was ticked off there were none available. She explained they were having trouble getting them  and he went on and on, about how was he going to use his rain check! The poor cashier was extremely patient with him. When he finally left, another customer and I talked to her about his behaviour and  empathized with her.  

The more I thought about it, afterwards, the more I wished I had told him off, instead of waiting to speak after he left. I wish I had told him to look at the images from Ukraine and then complain, only if he had a real problem. But I didn't. That's what we do with bullies, don't we? We let them talk. We let them have their way. That's what we did in Ottawa for three weeks. We let the occupiers, those bullies,  take over our city and treat our special places with complete disrespect. I'm sick and tired of bullies, like Trump and Putin. 

I was in a pretty foul mood until I heard an interview on CBC radio's All In A Day with Alan Neal. He was interviewing Andrew Hon, the Associate Musical Director with the Ottawa Choral Society. On Sunday they will perform a piece called Annelies, which is a musical evocation of the diary of Anne Frank.

As I listened to Mr. Hon, it seemed he was giving me the pep talk that I needed, to keep on going, to not give in to anger and despair. Here is some of what he said about the message of Annelies:

"My hope is that, as we contemplate the words of Anne Frank, that we realize, her diary is a reminder of how the human spirit can prevail,  even during the darkest of days. ...It's about the human spirit and the human condition and how we cope with isolation and adversity in life...We can still have some hope in how we live our life....I want the audience to walk out of the concert hall, feeling inspired with how to treat people....We are so capable of hurting each other, especially people who are different.....We are also capable of loving and caring for each other. That is the core message of this piece."

Thank you Andrew Hon. I needed to hear you today.

The last word

My last words about the dreadful situation in Ottawa are not mine at all. They belong to Bob Rae, who tweeted, 

" A truck is not a speech. A horn is not a voice. An occupation is not a protest. A blockade is not freedom, it blocks the liberty of all. A demand to overthrow a government is not a dialogue. The expression of hatred is not a difference of opinion. A lie is not the truth."

The Madness Continues

Okay, so call me naive. On January 30th, I wrote a fairly calm piece, expressing my total confidence in various levels of government and the many police forces in the Ottawa Gatineau area. I truly believed that they would ensure a safe and quick end to the protest  here in Ottawa.  I just assumed that they were all working together. Was I ever wrong ! Just this past Saturday, February 12th, there was an announcement that an integrated command centre was being set up, bringing together local police with the Ontario Provincial Police and the RCMP. Really ?! On the third weekend of protests you tell the citizens of Ottawa that you are setting up this joint desk? Why didn't you set that up before the protesters even arrived here? 

As if God would condone treating their fellow citizens in this abusive manner!

The news over the past week has been incredible. The province has rightly declared a state of emergency.   With the lack of both leadership and basic law enforcement, all kinds of people felt it necessary to take action of their own. A twenty-one year old woman launched a court injunction to stop the constant blaring of trucks,  the Ottawa mayor did some of his own negotiating with truckers, to remove their trucks from residential streets, regular citizens launched counter protests and prevented some protesters from going downtown. 

On February 14th, for the first time, Trudeau looked like he was truly interested in helping to stop this insanity. Bring on the Emergencies Act ! Do something, anything. Today while out for a walk in our area, we ran into a few neighbours and they all expressed the same opinion -  Ottawa has been failed by all levels of government . The people of Ottawa are sick and tired of squabbling among various elected officials. We need a coordinated effort. Yesterday, for better or worse, our police chief has resigned. Will that help matters ? 

There's so much to read on the current situation.   From yesterday's Ottawa Citizen, here are a couple of pieces to consider: Click here to read local writer Kelly Egan's assessment of the situation. Click here to read yesterday's editorial in the Ottawa Citizen.

There are many days that I can't believe the times we are living in. For so many reasons, this is a depressing era. My only consolation is that our grandchildren are young enough that we can still try to protect them from the very harsh realities of the current situation. We'll spend this coming family day weekend with our seven and nine year old grandkids. They're pretty big on rules. They know you can get a ticket if you break the law. They give me heck if I start to back the car out of the driveway, while still buckling up my seatbelt. They know we should all wear helmets when we ride our bikes. They trust that police officers are there to assist  them if they need help. 

I want them to continue to have faith and trust that police forces and government officials are there to take care of all of us. This weekend we'll play with them and if we watch television at all, we'll turn off the news and watch the Olympics instead. The Olympics aren't perfect but it's a good escape from this ongoing siege. 

What now?

 I wrote my last post on Sunday evening. By Monday morning I was furious. That was after I listened to several radio interviews, with folks affected by this occupation.  Tomorrow is Friday - a whole week of this unprecedented, outrageous situation. Tonight's At Issue panel (CBC ) was particularly vehement in their condemnation of the Conservative Party's reaction to the situation. Of course I have no idea how this should be resolved. All I know is that the personal stories that I have heard on the radio this week have been absolutely heartbreaking. Councillor Diane Deans, the head of Ottawa's Police Services Board apologized to the people who live and work in the downtown core  for the "living hell" they are enduring.  Alex Munter, the CEO of CHEO, was tweeting information in the mornings - traffic tips -  to advise hospital workers that if they showed their hospital ID at the closed Chaudiere Bridge, they would be allowed to use that bridge to cross from Quebec to Ottawa, to get into their shifts at the hospitals. That's so they could avoid the hours long delays on the other bridges. 

Today, as I drove around my own neighbourhood I was struck by the politeness of my fellow drivers. We still have a lot of very large snowbanks after our last storm, making it difficult for two cars to pass each other. So we patiently wait and duck into a laneway and let the other guy go first. It happens all the time. Same thing on the sidewalks. Often, when you are walking along, people will cross to the other side of the street or pull over into a lane way to let the other pedestrian walk by- because  of Covid concerns, That's the kind of city we are . Ottawans are, for the most part, polite, kind and patient. That's why we are so appalled at the extreme rudeness and selfishness of the thugs who have invaded our city. 

This is madness. 

Thanks to Ottawa Police

What a weekend in Ottawa!  Thank goodness we have been able to rely on several police forces to protect our city.

It's a privilege to live in Canada's capital. We can go skating on the Rideau Canal, visit the national museums, and attend shows at The National Arts Centre. Living here makes it easy for us to celebrate special occasions, whether that means going to the National War Memorial on Remembrance Day or to the grounds of Rideau Hall when a new government is sworn in. These are our country's special places and we're grateful to have easy access to them.

Parliament Hill is our gathering place, whether it's for Canada Day festivities or other more sombre events. I remember going to the lying-in-state for John Diefenbaker and  then being there years later, with throngs of people, to pay respects to Pierre Trudeau. In the summer, we always take out of town visitors to see the Sound and Light show.  Protests are a part of life in Ottawa and we've been to many.  Last fall we went to the Hill to view the sad displays after the Kamloops graves were discovered. 

So, we're used to Parliament Hill being the place where citizens express their triumphs, tragedies and frustrations. However, this weekend's protest is something altogether different than anything we've ever witnessed. Someone on the radio this afternoon said that some of this weekend's visitors clearly did not understand the significance of some of our nation's capitals  monuments, like the Tomb of the Unknown Solider and the statue of Terry Fox. Susan Delacourt stated on CBC Radio that this was like a "national temper tantrum". 

It feels like our city is being held hostage. No one really knows when this is going to end.  Roads are closed, most of the interprovincial bridges are closed, the downtown shopping mall (Rideau Centre) was forced to close because of unmasked demonstrators, and a soup kitchen felt harassed into providing meals to protesters. How is the city going to get back to business tomorrow? As I write this (10 pm Sunday) school boards are considering keeping some schools closed. After so many school closures, some parents may find out tomorrow morning that there is no school ?!

My sister lives close to a parkway where trucks parked all night. Last evening an unmasked protestor came to her door, asking for access to bathrooms and information about restaurants. The protester was told that many of the neighbourhood restaurants were closed - because of the truck convoys being nearby. My sister was awakened early this morning by the steady blaring of truck horns. Pity the residents of downtown Ottawa, listening to that blaring, all weekend.

Over the past couple of years we have heard demands to de-fund the police. Really? What would we have done this weekend, without a heavy police presence? We were told to stay away from the centre of the city. What could we do except remain in our neighbourhoods, hope that the demonstrations would remain peaceful and leave it all in the hands of the police? 

This afternoon we went cross country skiing along the Ottawa River. Usually the only sounds you hear are the crunchy squeaks as your ski poles pierce the hard-packed snow and the swish as your skiis glide along. 

Today though, there was an unusual accompaniment - the steady drone of a helicopter, as it hovered over the area. No doubt it was a surveillance operation, keeping an eye on the truckers' movements. 

I cannot imagine all the coordination and planning that has taken place, among the various police forces. There is the Parliamentary Protective Service, the RCMP,  the Ottawa Police. and the Ontario Provincial Police.  Across the river, we have the city of Gatineau Police, as well as the Surete Du Quebec. Toronto Police vehicles have also been seen. I am grateful to all of them. Imagine being a police officer last night, working outside, in frigid conditions, in such challenging circumstances! Imagine what this has cost all of us, in policing costs!

So, although police organizations could be improved with additional specialized personnel (social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists) to assist at challenging  situations, we cannot afford to reduce  overall funding. This weekend shows how much we rely on well-funded police forces. Thank you to all our hard-working police officers for protecting our city. 

Louise Penny

Well, here in the nation's capital we are awaiting the truck convoy. It is such a ridiculous, scary, unnecessary disruption that I'm not going to comment on it. Instead, I'll write about something positive and that is my enjoyment of Louise Penny's books. 

The last time we went to Parliament Hill was in early January, to see the Christmas lights, on and around the Hill. I love how they use the Parliament buildings as a movie screen, whether it's in the winter or summer.

However, it wasn't just the Parliament Hill display that entertained us that evening. Maybe it's because we just don't go out at night anymore, but I was surprised at the many homes that were still lit up for the holidays. All those lights reminded me of Louise Penny and a short but meaningful paragraph from her novel, A Great Reckoning:

" It was now early January. A peaceful time of year, when the cheery lights and wreaths were still up, but there was no longer the pressure of the season. Their fridges and freezers were full of shortbread and fruitcake and turkey casseroles. Their own form of insulation against the winter."

I enjoy Penny's novels for many reasons, but one of them is her ability to summarize something in such a concise and accurate manner.  "There was no longer the pressure of the season "

She doesn't go on and on about holiday season decisions and shopping and preparations - the endless job lists going through your head  (women's heads?) in December. In a deft manner she simply acknowledges that Christmas brings with it a lot of pressure. 

Another example just jumped out at me, in the book I've just started, Kingdom of the Blind. She writes about a man who is living with dementia. "For the last year of his life he no longer recognized family and friends. He was kindly to all, but beamed at some.They were the ones he loved. He knew them instinctively and kept them safe, not in his wounded head but in his heart. The memory of the heart was far stronger that whatever was kept in the mind."

Penny's husband Michael died in 2016. He had dementia, so her knowledge is first- hand. I love her observation about dementia. When we visit my mother in-law, people ask us how she's doing and if she recognizes us. Penny's description here, is very similar to what we experience. She beams at us. We are still in her heart, if not in her mind anymore.

Most of my reading is done at bedtime. It is a comfortable way to end my days, to snuggle under the duvet and resume my travels to the village of Three Pines, where her novels are set. 

That is not to say that her stories are predictable. She's not on the bestseller lists because she's predictable. These murder mysteries are riveting and entertaining. I love how her characters develop throughout the series. 

To call them murder mysteries is perhaps a disservice They are much more than interesting whodunnits. As Penny herself writes about her books, in the acknowledgements to Kingdom of the Blind,  "They're the common yearning for community. For belonging. They're about kindness, acceptance. Gratitude. They're not so much about death, as life. And the consequences of the choices we make."

To date, Louise Penny has written seventeen books in her popular Inspector Gamache series. If I like her books so much, why am I just starting number fourteen? Well, I am reading them slowly and interspersing them with other reading, so that I always have some of her books to look forward to. I don't want to be up to date. It makes me happy to know that I have four left, plus the one that she just wrote with Hilary Rodham Clinton, State of Terror. 

And so, on these dark winter evenings, I take comfort in the opportunity to end my days with the characters of Three Pines. They're much more admirable than the characters invading our city this weekend. 

I'm Back!

 I wonder how many times I have apologized here, for not writing more often. Who am I apologizing to? Myself? At any rate, here I am. As of January 10th, (after 15 long months) Mom's estate was more or less finalized. There will be some wrap up work in the spring, but that should be fairly straightforward. The worst is behind us. For the past couple of weeks I have enjoyed the lack of emails, meetings and phone calls. Now it is time to get on with my life. Hopefully that will include the usual New Years resolutions - more writing, exercise, piano playing, and reading.

Robert Munsch

If you want to hear a touching story, check out yesterday's interview with Robert Munsch on CBC radio's The Next Chapter. Like many parents and grandparents, I've been a Robert Munsch fan for a long time. His books hold a special place in our family library. 

In the 1980's we lived in Brampton. That's where our three children were born. Maybe it was in 1987 that we attended a reading by Robert Munsch, at the Four Corners branch of the Brampton Public Library. It was just a small group of young families. Lucky us! 

There's the image of Munsch as a hilarious guy, a writer who really relates well to kids. His books are just plain fun. Then there's the profound Munsch, the guy who wrote Love You Forever, as a tribute to his two stillborn children. On his official website you can read about his childhood and his journey to becoming a writer. It's not a straightforward story; there were a lot of detours along the way. 

While he has enjoyed enormous success as a children's author, he also reveals on his site that he has mental health and addiction challenges. In yesterday's rare interview, he bravely shared his latest diagnosis - he has dementia. "I kind of thought I would like to do this interview as a last hurrah."  

I am full of admiration for this man. What a brave person, to bare his soul and tell the country about his current condition. There is no pretence here, just the bare facts. In a world where many are happy to share only the best parts of their lives, their happiest days,  here is an honest man who plainly states, "I have dementia."  This gifted storyteller is now unable to do what has given him so much pleasure - to tell stories to groups of children. 

While his books will be treasured all over the world, for years to come, I hope that many will also be inspired by the example of his life. In spite of many difficulties he  persevered. He has succeeded in his profession (80 million books sold in North America) and he has brought enjoyment and happiness to families the world over. Robert Munsch, we will Love You Forever. 

Thinking of Dad

 Today would have been my father's 97th birthday. He's been gone for three and a half years now. It's surprising how memories are triggered - sometimes by a date, a song, a photo, an object. Because we live in a house that he often worked on, there are several spots in our house that remind me of him and his many talents.

Last week it was a smell that brought back happy memories with Dad. I was at my childhood home. It's an old place that when built,  was centred on two big oak trees. There is still one of those trees left and this year is a banner year for acorns. (Last year there were hardly any.) That oak tree stands in front of the verandah where Dad spent many happy hours on his "swinging bed,"  watching baseball games at the park across the street. 

Because there are so many acorns this year, I googled acorn crafts and was inspired to gather acorns from home. Perhaps,  on a winter day, I may use them to make a wreath or something else. Anyhow I was there at the house, shovelling acorns into a box. Along with the acorns came some twigs and leaves. They combined to produce a familiar smell. As I transferred them into the box I felt like I was smelling my childhood. 

After all these years I suddenly had a flash of being a kid again, of  Dad raking the oak leaves into big piles for us to jump into. We had a large front lawn, so there was lots of space to take a long run, before jumping into the piles he created for us. 

It's a simple memory, nothing outstanding, but that image of Dad, encouraging us to run and jump and have fun outside makes me feel good and reminds me of how lucky we were to have him. Raking leaves into piles for us was just one of the countless things he did, to provide us with a happy childhood. Lucky us !

Want to be an executor?

 Can you revive a blog after such a long absence? I haven't felt like writing for a very long time. Now, though, with summer behind us and indoor weather approaching, it feels like time to start again. 

For months, well, almost a year now, our family has been in the process of settling Mom's estate. The pandemic has added another layer of complications over this sorry business. 

A few weeks ago, I was at a bank, investigating a complication with one of Mom's accounts. The person serving me frequently deals with estate matters. I asked her if she had ever been the executor of someone's will. She immediately answered,  "No, I haven't, but I think it's one of the worst things that can happen to someone." She's not far off. 

Have you ever had someone casually say to you. "I hope you don't mind but we did our wills and I put you down as executor. You don't mind do you?"  Or, "We were thinking of naming you as executor, That's okay isn't it? "

The thing is, the person asking you this favour has probably never been anyone's executor themselves. They have no idea what it entails. Some people actually think it is an honour to name someone as executor and/or power of attorney for property or business. Acting as Power of Attorney for business or property could take years, if you are acting for a relative with dementia, who lives a long time in that state. The position of executor is not an honour. It is a job! 

When thinking of who to ask to be your executor you should consider the person's abilities. Are they organized? Do they possess good communication skills - verbally, as well as with written correspondence?Do you want your executor to act on their own or are you thinking of naming a couple of executors to work together? Does the person you are thinking of, have the time required to devote to this job? 

For the past year I have held this position, along with two of my siblings. To settle an estate you have to deal with the funeral home, your family members, the Canadian government, the Ontario government, and the municipal government for starters.  We have also consulted with appraisers, an arborist, an accountant, real estate agents, banks, and of course lawyers. I've probably forgotten others. Besides the hundreds of emails, there are meetings, phone calls and  paperwork to keep track of. Along with the legalities involved, there are the more mundane but necessary discussions about the distribution of furniture, family heirlooms and just plain stuff. 

As we near the end of this draining year, I look forward to next year and the years after that. With my position as executor behind me, my time will be my own, to spend as I wish. It's going to feel like a real luxury.