Harperland Part 2

Well, it's been quite a day... an all day Harperfest! Things started off this morning on CBC radio with an interview on The Current with Paul Wells. His new book, The Longer I'm Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Canada, looks back from Harper's rise to power up to today. It was an interesting interview. Wells asserted that Harper is the most right wing PM we have had in his lifetime, far to the right of Diefenbaker and Mulroney. He said that Harper is such a control freak he never eats in public in case an awkward photo might be taken. He rehearses his speeches over and over, never taking chances, never giving impromptu remarks. Say what you want about Michael Ignatieff but I remember reading that his campaign speeches were often different and he always took questions. Harper, on the other hand, gave the same campaign speech over and over again.

Later, on Q, Jian Gomeshi interviewed veteran journalist Don Newman about his memoir, Welcome to the Broadcast. Again, a very interesting conversation about all kinds of political figures.

The day has been capped off with Mike Duffy's bombshell speech in the Senate. Now I am not about to start the Mike Duffy fan club but really..... at last..... someone is going to be able to show Harper for the person he really is. According to Duffy, Harper was in on the money deal from the start. Here we have a big name Conservative insider telling us how Harper operates. It is confirmation of exactly what many observers have been saying for a long time.  In Duffy's words, there is "unaccountable power in the PMO." To hear such a  totally blunt speech, as opposed to the usual Conservative  message machine is unbelievable.

Today was the political equivalent of a hockey playoff game, near the end of a series. The day has ended with CBC's The National, complete with At Issue and Rex Murphy. Murphy thinks that now Harper "must haul himself out of his surly cocoon." We'll see.

New Wardrobe Item

"What's that smell?" Pat asked. "That would be the rubbing alcohol," I replied. "Why on earth do you smell like rubbing alcohol?" he persisted. " I need it. It's my latest attempt to make this work."

You see, it all goes back to my new wardrobe item. I'll give you a hint. It has to do with a part of my aging anatomy now being officially declared incompetent.

I know what you're thinking. There are so many parts of me that could be declared incompetent. We could start with my brain that has such difficulty remembering names and book and movie titles. What about other body parts? As anyone who has seen me lately might observe...there's a whole lot of sagging going on.

My feet should have been declared incompetent years ago. Now I only wear footwear that will accomodate my orthotics. Even my eyelashes are duds. I scrub them with baby shampoo to keep the blepharitis (crusty eyelids) at bay. And no, this has nothing to do with my hair. My profile photo shows me with the curls that I had for approximately 45 years. It turns out they were hormonal. They arrived with puberty and left with menopause. Nothing remains the same.

Give up? Well the part of me that has most recently been examined are my legs. While they have looked pretty horrendous for years, I never cared because I can't see the back of my legs. They felt okay so I ignored them. However, they've gradually been getting more sore. Around the time we spent five days straight painting all the verandah spindles, in the extreme heat in July, they really made their prescence known. They were all crampy and achy.

I had an ultrasound done and the official diagnosis came back..."venous incompetence". Basically, the valves in my deep veins are not working. Of course this is not a particularly unusual problem. All kinds of people have bad veins and in my case I should not be surprised. My mother has had serious leg problems for  most of her life. One of the doctors who operated on her legs years ago, pronounced her legs the worst in the city of Ottawa. So really, I am lucky that mine have not bothered me much until now.

I should do more reading about it but basically, two of the common suggestions for treatment are to elevate your legs and to wear compression (support) stockings. So, I got a prescription for the stockings and set out to buy them. I chose a pair but the cashier convinced me to buy the next size up. I took them home, put them on and they promptly fell down. Because she had recommended the size change the salesperson agreed to exchange them.

Compression stockings don't look quite as bad as they used to. Yes, they're kind of shiny but I can live with that. I put on my new stockings and they felt good...tight but good. These are a thigh high model with a wide band at the top. On the outside the band looks lacey but on the inside it has a rubber backing. The idea is that the rubber just sticks to the top of your leg.

Well, they did stick and stay up there at first. But after a couple of days I decided I should wash them. Ever since that I have had trouble keeping them up. They start off fine but once I have walked around the house a bit there they are, down at my ankles.

So, I spoke to the salesperson who advised me to wet the rubber band before I put on the stockings. That worked for about 15 minutes. Next I was advised to clean off the rubber band with rubbing alcohol every time I put them on. That would clean off all my dead skin cells and help them to stick better. I cleaned off the offending skin cells but again, down they went. 

And so, later today I am going back to the store. Apparently the last resort is to buy a roll on glue stick, which you apply to your legs before you put on the stockings. 

Maybe this is the real reason that people my age retire. It takes so much time to get ready to get out the door. By the time do your back exercises so you can get out of bed, scrub your crusty eyelids, put your orthotics in the right shoes, put in your hearing aid, glue on your stockings, and cream up your wrinkly skin, it's almost lunch time!

A Happier Note - Culture Days in Ottawa

If you were in Ottawa in 1969 you may recognize this. It's not often we get to see it. Happily, last weekend, Culture Days were celebrated in many cities and towns across Canada. As part of Ottawa's celebration, the National Arts Centre was home to several events.

That lovely collection of colours is a section of the curtain in the NAC's main venue, Southam Hall. I remember seeing it when the Arts Centre opened in 1969 but have rarely seen it since. They simply don't use it much. Most of the time it hangs unseen, way up high above the stage.

For a half hour last Sunday it was lowered and members of the public were invited to see it. Then it disappeared again, so that people could participate in a variety of activities, one being backstage tours. 

It was fun to stand on that stage and see Southam Hall from the other side.

We enjoyed speaking to a carpenter in the props area and viewed some of the dressing rooms, which are pretty ordinary.

Besides the tours there were also free concerts.

These brass players from the NAC orchestra put on a fun show.

Coincidentally, there was another unique event  last Sunday afternoon that was not connected to Culture Days. Heritage Ottawa is an organization that offers guided walks through various Ottawa neighbourhoods. Last Sunday's was downtown, at a couple of parks that we'd never been to. Do you recognize this one?

Give up? Those three photos were taken on the roof of the Rideau Centre! The guided walk was on the rooftop gardens of the Rideau Centre and the National Arts Centre. I certainly did not know that there are three hundred trees growing on top of the shopping centre along with two kilometeres of walking paths. So much for thinking that green roofs are a relatively new idea! (The Rideau Centre opened in 1983.)

From the vantage point of the Rideau Centre garden, tour leader David Jeans pointed out various heriatge buildings. 

The best known of those were the Chateau Laurier and the former train station, now known as the government conference centre.

We then crossed over the Canal 

and onto the gardens of the NAC. While these are not nearly as large as those on top of the Rideau Centre, it was still great to realize that they are there and open for the public to enjoy. 

David Jeans pointed out that the NAC rooftop affords wonderful vantage points for viewing the Canada Day fireworks so we'll try to remember that next July. We finished our afternoon feeling pretty darn lucky to be living here.

Living in Harperland Part 1

Originally I thought I would start a separate blog about our pal Stephen Harper and that blog would start at the time of the next federal election. However, I simply cannot wait that long. Almost daily I come across something in the paper, radio, TV or internet about how our lives are being affected by this government.  So, if you are, by any chance, a Harper fan, then you'll want to skip my upcoming Living In Harperland items. Eventually I'd also like to start another series...about life in Ottawa. There's bound to be a lot of overlap in those two series.

It's hard to know where to begin. Let's start with the enemies of the government list which came out this summer, at the time of the swearing in of the new cabinet members....a heads up for them, of who to avoid‎. Now of course I have not seen the complete list but just for the record..Mr. Harper....if my name is not on that list, it was an omission. Sign me up. There are all kinds of articles about this list. Here's Andrew Coyne's.

You know when you listen to news reports they often will say something like, "Meanwhile Ottawa says"....or "while the provinces say ...Ottawa says...." For folks not living in Ottawa, you might get the superficial impression that the reference to Ottawa refers to the citizens of Ottawa. That is ...we might all be pals of the current government. It reminds me of driving to Saskatchewan when Trudeau was the PM. We were at a gas station in a small prairie town and the attendant (yes, back in the days when there was service at all gas stations) asked us where we were from. When we told him Ottawa, he got all riled up and told us exactly what we could do with Mr. Trudeau! Anyhow, just for the record, in the last federal election, in the 7 Ottawa area ridings there were 2 Liberals and 4 Conservatives elected. I live in Ottawa Centre which elected an NDP member. Ottawa Centre reflect my own personal brand. I've always been an ABC voter..Anyone But Conservative. Ottawa Centre goes back and forth between the Liberals and New Democrats.

Since summer has just ended and with it, the season for watching Mosaika..that's what I will start with. There have long been summer evening shows on Parliament Hill. They used to be called Sound and Light shows. I enjoyed them but they were nothing compared to the Mosaika show which started in 2010. It uses the Parliament buildings as a screen with amazing visual effects. It's about a half hour long and entertaining for folks of all ages.  We have seen it every year since it started and all of our out of town visitors have enjoyed it.

So last month we took friends to see it and I was really looking forward to seeing it again. While I enjoyed it,  I wasn't as enthusiastic this time. The next day I spoke to my niece about it and she asked, "Mary Ellen, is it true... what my friend told me? that Mosaika has been Harperized?"

That hit the nail on the head...it has indeed been Harperized. (There is almost nothing in Ottawa that has been left untouched by this man.) What struck me as I watched it was the increase in military history. Of course the war of 1812 was given prominent mention. Besides the increased time with reminders of military glory I couldn't help but notice the Prime Ministers who were recognized and not recognized. If you were a Conservative you had a lot better chance at airtime than your Liberal counterparts.  I'm not sure how to check out the script but from my sometimes faulty memory.... John Deifenbaker is prominenently quoted...."the right honourable John Diefenbaker" intro, then his voice giving a part of  a speech, while Lester Pearson, winner of the Nobel Peach Prize and our flag guy, is not. Also lacking almost any mention is a certain Pierre Trudeau.

 The increase in military content was discussed in another piece in The Citizen.

“This year we’re aligning ourselves more with some of the milestones and celebrations in Canadian history,” said NCC spokeswoman Denise LeBlanc, noting the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. “Those choices were made by the NCC, of course in consultation with our partners. We went to our board of directors in April and brought that proposal to them.”

The program content would have been reviewed by the office of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, the federal minister responsible for the NCC, the ministry of Canadian Heritage, and the Prime Minister’s Office, she said.

“It has a very high level of government awareness,” said LeBlanc. “It’s a very visible program on Parliament Hill on one of the most iconic buildings in the country, so it’s reviewed at a high level.” That has been the case all along, she says. 

Yup...Harperized for sure! Mosaika finished its run on September 7th but it will be back next year. If you're in Ottawa next summer you really should see it. In spite of the new political slant, it's still worth seeing!

Still here !

My sincere apologies. It's been a long time since I have written. I won't bore you with mundane details but suffice it to say that I have been a busy grandma and daughter in law. Many folks worry that if they retire they will be bored but so far, I am constantly busy. Our grandson's first birthday was the highlight of the past month for sure.

As for the blog, well, I simply got discouraged. At one point I checked back and realized that many of my links were not working...how embarrassing. Happily, I visited Brendan last night and he has patiently re-taught me that skill. I think I have managed to restore all the links. So, I'm back!

train travel

I love travelling by train! Yesterday I travelled from Ottawa to Toronto and decided to treat myself and spend the extra $25.00 to take the train instead of a bus. What a difference! I love the seat and legroom, the opportunity to get up and walk around, the sound of the whistle and the scenery.

 Farmer's fields, small towns and backyards are a big improvement over the boring 401 with all its truck traffic.  Happily my trip yesterday was also totally on schedule.

I only wish that the federal government was putting more emphasis, planning and dollars into train travel. While yesterday's train  made good time, it is a turtle compared to the ones we travelled on in Germany and Holland last year. Canadian trains aren't even in the same game as their European counterparts. In Canada we continue to tear up track instead of laying more down. I wonder when and if ever, train travel in Canada will get the cash infusion it deserves.

Education

Well, I'm feeling lazy today. It's the first day of school and as a retired teacher I feel lucky. I have time to attend to family and house jobs without the stress of schoolwork crowding my thoughts. My day started off well. Jian Gomeshi's opening  essay on CBC radio Q was called Unbottling our water. Amen Jian! 
Because I am in a lazy mood I will cheat and post a piece that I wrote a while back. This one appeared in the Ottawa Citizen  on September 6, 2011. They called it Education is a long road. This time around I'd like to dedicate it to my darling grandson who just went to daycare for the very first time. The journey commences!

.....................

It’s the first month of school and for the first time in twenty seven years, we do not have a child in school. In 1984 we put our first born on a school bus.  Up until this past spring, we have had kids in school ever since. Two years after him, his sister followed him to St Mary’s School in Brampton. Their little brother  joined his siblings at Elmdale Public School, in 1989, after our move to Ottawa.

When you enrol your little one in kindergarten, you don’t envision the long road ahead for them and you. You concentrate on this year’s teacher and classmates. When you attend that first parent /teacher meeting, you don’t realize that this is the first, of possibly 14 such meetings, 18 if you go again in the second semesters of high school.  That’s just the night you meet the teachers. We’re not even talking about parent /teacher interview nights – probably about 84 for us. It’s probably a good idea not to think about the big numbers – just take it a year at a time.

We don’t regret spending any of that time and energy going to those meetings, helping with homework, going on class trips, or volunteering in the classroom. Is there any better way to be involved in your child’s life than to become a partner in their education? We were always eager to meet the people with whom our children were spending their days. Although the news was not always positive, we appreciated the frank feedback that we received on interview nights.

There have been bumps and detours over the years, but the “kids” have emerged from the process as a teacher/small business owner, a social worker and a translator.  We know that we are very fortunate that our children were blessed with the ability to succeed in school and that they were motivated to work diligently to achieve their goals - lucky us!

It has often been said that it takes a village to raise a child; we had such a village. Our extended families have provided care, interest and enthusiasm from the very start. Our neighbours have been patient with ball hockey and other games that spilled onto their properties. These neighbours were friendly customers when our children were delivering newspapers or selling Girl Guide cookies. They served in countless volunteer roles:  making ice at the local rink, serving on school committees and acting as Cub leaders, Brownie leaders, or Sunday School teachers. Every adult that a child meets has an impact on a youngster, whether it is the compassionate doctors who have served our needs or the instructors who guided them through tennis, swim, music and other lessons.

But it was at school where they spent the bulk of their time away from home. Kids are affected by everyone on staff, whether it is a welcoming secretary in the office, a friendly caretaker or a compassionate guidance counsellor.   

Of course their teachers played a major role in their formation. To all those who  taught  our children- at St. Mary’s,  Elmdale, Connaught, or Fisher Park elementary schools, Nepean or Canterbury High Schools, the University of Guelph, SUNY at Potsdam, Queen’s, Carleton or Ottawa U  – a sincere thank you. We are very grateful for your diligence and encouragement. Thank you for your patience with us. Like all parents, we have made our fair share of mistakes over the years.

School has changed tremendously since that fall of 1984. Laptops, Smart Boards and the internet were not a part of classrooms then. However, in spite of all the technological advances, today’s students mostly require caring adults in their lives; they need actively involved parents, attentive and informed teachers, and an encouraging community.

When our children were babies, I naively thought that parenting was about a twenty year job. Of course I now realize that it’s a lifelong vocation; we will be parents for the rest of our lives. However, this school portion of our journey is over.  Many thanks to our supportive community. Good luck to those just starting out.