Well, this morning just seems like the right time to totally spew my venom.Hey, I am aware it may indeed shut the door on some folks I know, but, at this point I don't give a sh*t! Besides being totally pissed at things, I am scared to freaking death! I will tell you what pushed me over the edge, and you will get a clue what the rest of this is all about. BTW, after reading this, I appear to be repeating my last blog quite often..but keep in mind, I am scared silly by what is happening around me, so forgive the repetition.
This morning I read how some professor at a Canadian college is resigning ..he is resigning early because if he doesn't, he will be fired. Why will he be fired? Because he spoke his mind, and it does not conform with the political correct one, that has developed over the past few years. So...because one person states their personal opinion, and it is not candy coated, and apparently offends a specific group, he is thrown under the bus. When did this happen?
Hate crimes, racism, phobics, red necks, privileged, supremacists, all words that are heard far more today, than ever before. In a world that one, for an instant, thought times were a'changing, suddenly, they have done a full 360, and those of us who are not involved in social groups, are left wondering WTF has happened. We have been left behind in the dust cloud, and clearly should be handed the latest government pamphlet that informs us what is, and is not, allowed when it comes to voicing our personal opinion. Honest to goodness, Orwellian is indeed the only word that comes to mind, in these times. Who could have imagined this would happen in our lifetime? It seems so unreal, but it is splashed across media on a daily basis. Now at this point, I am sure I am one of a few who is old enough to remember the McCarthy days. Now this was a time when folks were tagged for possible communist leanings, and lost jobs, went to court, went to jail, all on the basis of perhaps stating something that condoned some tiny link to socialist belief. Back then this was geared very close to the Movies, scores of film folk were dragged into the gutter, because someone in government decided their words were not suitable. Maybe take a moment to read up on this, because, we are clearly returning to a time such as this.
Personal opinions are just what the words state, they are how one feels about matters. I grew up in a time that insisted I develop my own personal opinion on matters. I was taught not to just accept someone else's word for things, but to investigate, and take time, use my thought process and make my own conclusion. I was never (o.K. maybe a few times) punished or told I was wrong, once I made my conclusion. I had to show how I came to my personal opinion, to prove I had indeed put some thought into it, but, I had facts, I had reasons, and arguments that supported me, and therefore, I had clearly learned my lesson on how to form opinions. I did not understand, at the time, how important the right to opinions was, because, although not everyone agreed with mine, they were open to debate, and through debate, sometimes new facts were proven, to change opinions on either side. Many times debate did NOT change opinions, because both sides had strong arguments, and therein lies the pleasure of living in a free world.
Fast forward to the present. My gosh, what a scary place! We have become a Country were personal opinions are bashed on a daily basis. They are Not allowed if they do not conform to the opinion of the Voices. The Voices, well I am unsure exactly how they won the right to power, but through media (and yes, entertainers now seem to weld the supreme power in the world, because citizens clearly believe they are the most intelligent) and government, and yes, schools, these voices now inform us what is right or wrong. If we do not agree with this embrace all , without question, we are branded with extremely nasty, hurtful words. Now branding others with these words, well, if you use your own grey matter, goes against everything these voices are screaming for. Equality!!! Well..the way this is working now, there is no equality. There is only blind acceptance of what the voices feel is correct. There is no equal rights, there are far too many special rights, which today are suppose to be ignored.
So as to stay in the safe zone (well sort of) I will simply focus on one area, to make my point of special rights. I think I can speak on this area, because..I am a female. Born, raised, and identified, as such!Oh, don't get me on the other crap, because just when the world was finally getting to a good place with sexuality, it went off the deep end..so we will stay with females. Old as I am, I was around when Bra burning began. Let us say, I was all for that..hate the damn things! However, at the same time this was going on, Hugh Heffner had his Play boy bunnies, and women were jumping at the chance to be one (Gloria Steinem). So, we have women who want equality in the work place...well..I can assure you, no men were bunnies. So we get to a place where Boy Scouts have to include girls, but Girl Guides get to remain one gender. Hummmm. Women groups remain closed to men, but Men's clubs have to accept women. Can you see where this is going? A government decides they will be gender equal, a decision based on sex instead of ability. Honest folks, the reason Women's rights began was simply to demand equal pay for equal work. Simple fix, and definitely something necessary, so how the hell did we get to this point? So, to say now, that we are on equal footing, is false. Now companies must attempt to balance the genders to be acceptable. Our country apparently needs 50% women to sit in Parliament, so it can run at it's best capabilities. This is just stupid!! As a woman I am ashamed! A pay cheque for work done is one thing, a position because of a fate of birth, well that is disgusting! The goal was, to ensure a female who works hard, has more experience,and abilities than the male handing over his resume, gets the job, and gets the same rate of pay. Instead, we have someone with the politically correct body parts handed a job, while now, the male is ignored because it is the socially acceptable thing to do. How can this be right?
And..if we question this? We are branded as ignorant, non-feminist, women haters, red necked, old fashioned, uneducated, privileged, etc etc. Only the politically "correct" are allowed to bash those who do not agree with their propaganda.information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.
Does this not frighten you? It scares me to death!! I have never witnessed what is happening in our world today, beyond my reading of Animal House, and here it is erupting in my own Free world. Taking personal opinions and flushing them down the toilet. Branding anyone who disagrees as uneducated, making rules that hand special rights to those simply because of gender, or race. Encouraging hate towards one section of the population, and making it law not to profess issues with another.
Back in my day, if anyone felt the need to speak their mind in public, and if their personal opinions were not the same basis as mine, I may not have always listened, and I might have labelled them, in my own mind, as a nut case, but....that was their right. I left it at that, and moved on. Oh, I would be sure not to allow myself to be trapped in a corner at a social gathering with the nut case, but again, the world is filled with different people, and that is what makes life interesting.
How f*cking boring would it be, if we all agreed, all the time? How miserable would it be if the world was uniformed, and each day, the people woke up, got their rules for the day, and went about their time silently? How willing is this country to accept the word of one group, to control their ability to think, speak, and act? Where is it written (well at least so far) that one must accept everyone without question? What law states personal opinions must conform to the ruling power?
Just because I may have a different personal opinion than Joe Blow..or..oops..JoAnne Blow, does not make me wrong! Just because I cannot accept everything without question or argument, does not make me a racist! Just because I believe I have rights, the same as every single other person in this bloody country, does not make me privileged! I do believe in equality for women, I also believe in equality for men.
Like every other fix our government is attempting to make, they seem to think it is alright to break something else. The trick for equality is balance, done correctly. The trick is to ignore gender, skin, appearance, and simply focus on abilities. The moral "Never judge a book by it's cover", seems to have evaded the political correct world. Like everything else in this insane Liberal party, appearance is of utmost importance. Justice is blind...for a reason, however, now, even Justice is basing rulings on appearance. We have arrived at a very slippery slope, and if we do not re-focus on reality, we are doomed.
Just because someone like Oprah, or Entertainment Tonight, or Jimmy Fallon, do not like a particular political party, does not mean folks should jump on their personal band wagon..people have to begin to use their own brains, and thought process. Oprah is NOT your average citizen, she is loaded, and lives a completely different life than the middle class worker. Entertainment tonight, wants someone who loves the limelight, and looks nice on camera. Jimmy Fallon, well, much as I love listening to him, he is not running the country. These folks do NOT pay your bills, they do NOT control the economy, they simply have their own personal opinions based on what is important to them..NOT you!!
So, in My Personal Opinion, Canada, open your eyes! See what rights have been taken from you in the past few years, by Liberal rulings. Look at the massive increase in Tax dollars, leaving your (possibly equal) paycheques. Look at what so called Feminism appears to mean with this picture perfect collection of genders, and balanced variety of races. See what transparency means in their world. And, for goodness sake, close your eyes to appearances, because those are often, and clearly in this case, deceiving. Think long and hard on what you want for your future...maybe read a book by Orwell, perhaps that might just get you thinking....
Wednesday, 5 June 2019
Friday, 24 May 2019
The Sky Is Falling
I have always been a fan of morals. I read and re-read Grimms Fairy tales, and Chinese Tales of the boy who drank the ocean, and even a Fish out of Water(trust me, read that one hundreds of times). I enjoy the story and the lesson learned. Most of which are very easy to glean.
Those who grew up in my time period, and maybe even those earlier and later, might remember the Story of Chicken Little. This story attempted to teach the lesson of always ensuring one did not simply jump on the bandwagon and accept what another said was fact. Maybe check things out, before going off the deep end, and spreading lies? Old Chicken Little got herself in quite the state thinking the world was going to end, and spread that crap around like chicken manure. She latched on to something and went squawking about scaring everyone. Sound familiar?
Well, as an old biddie, I have been around for awhile now. I have lived through a Cold War, that had the whole continent digging underground shelters to ensure survival. I have lived through a hole in the Ozone layer that was going to fry every last one of us. I have lived through acid rain...eeeech..even the sound of that is scary. Oh, and Y2K ..I will admit that one had me a tad bit concerned, enough that I bought an oil filled heater, just in case the power went off. That one had me a wee bit baffled, because it concerned mathematical stuff, and I have never been good at numbers. That said...aside from a few sun burns because of my lily white sensitive skin (not because of Ozone) somehow I am still alive and kicking.
Now I see children walking out of schools because they are protesting Climate change..WTF? I will again admit, I once, and only once, protested, and that was a lifetime ago when the US decided to detonate an Atomic bomb near Amchitka in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, keep in mind where I lived Alaska was right next door. I also joined an in school protest in the hallway when our Guidance/PE teacher reneged on the promise of a skating class and decided on a guidance class, instead. Failed PE because of that little escapade. However, walking out of school, with what appears to be the consent of school staff, because of Climate change, is insane. What do these folks think they will accomplish? These same folks putting children who somehow get the ability to have media coverage to spew their uneducated rants regarding the necessity to combat climate change because the past generations have destroyed their world. Sorry, this is stupidity at it's finest. What the heck do these children know? They simply know what someone else is telling them, and they are sucking it down like soda pop. Children who spend day after day on their computers or I suppose now, their cell phones. Children who have never had to work a day in their lives, and who have simply listened to their educators in the classroom, or perhaps flown from one country to another and traveled about, in the atmosphere, assisting the very issue they are warning the world about. Hypocrites at a young age, but put on a pedestal by those who wish to spread false fear.
I call it false fear. The same fear I grew up with thinking the Russians were going to kill everyone. Ignorance! Perhaps that is a more fitting word to use. Ignorance of the facts. Thinking somehow they can change what cannot be changed. The same mindset that imagines humans can change rain to sunshine. In truth, that is what they are attempting to do..control something that is naturally occurring. Sure you can change climate in your home. Furnaces, air conditioners, they can fight heat or cold in a small area that is closed off from the elements. What perversion makes these folks assume they can do this all over the world?
My country has decided they will "Tax Pollution". Clearly in this government's mind, life is pollution. Attempting to keep warm in winter is pollution. A city cannot have wood fires like those in the past, before these horrid climate change fear mongers attacked. Nope..no coal burning, like the industrial age saw billowing smoke into the air. What the heck do they suggest folks do? One can only turn the heat down so far, before they freeze to death, so is the plan to kill off people so the world lasts longer? No driving, unless it is an electric car (don't get me started on this foolishness). So, you can take polluting large vehicles in a city spewing out noxious fumes (until they are all plugging into that amazing green hydro electric source), but you cannot drive in the middle of Hell's 1/2 acre unless you pay a tax? Is this giving you pause for thought?
Climate change is the new Pied Piper. It is focusing on young minds, and scaring the sh*t out of them, so they follow the music. Yes..see..morals..they are all about you, and they are the basis of my life, I see them in all that goes on around me. Young minds, open to accept things so easily, prey for those who have agendas..Look to history and see.
I sit in my house, today, one that we own, simply because of resource based income, as the rain pours down (non acidic). I am surrounded by trees ( proven healthy for the environment). I am kilometers away from a small town, and drive very seldom. I pay an average of $250 a month to keep my home warm enough to be comfortable wearing a sweater and slippers. The last time I was on a plane was about 5 years ago. If I vacation it is a trip into the back country, where I sit in silence, without cell phones or video games. I certainly do not wear designer clothing, and attempt to purchase items made in North America where regulations are strict, unlike countries such as China or India (yes, I believe my actions assist for a healthier environment). However, now those who claim they are doing something absolutely critical for my well being, and those who follow, have decided I am going to have to pay a tax on absolutely everything in life. I already pay higher utilities than those pushing this agenda, because of my location. I pay obscenely higher for my groceries already because of shipping, and now they will go up even higher (because of that nasty fuel pollution).
I am a simple person. I am quite happy with the basics of life (O.K. yes, I love my internet, because it along with social activities that are pretty limited where I live, it allows me access to knowledge), I don't have the latest phone, or a new vehicle (which apparently would be better for Climate change) I live sparsely, not a lot of fluffy extras in my world, and that is pretty much by choice. I don't know when the last time I was in a shopping mall, I don't have access to concerts, or museums, or art, but again, pretty much a personal choice. However, I am somehow being told I am at fault for pollution.
It is time for Chicken Little to hit the stew pot. Chances are with all these new tax hikes, she would be gone long before she lays another egg. Stop listening to the music of the pipes, and following the crowd, because we all know what happened when the Piper got to the end of that road. The sky is NOT falling..the climate is changing..but that is the natural course of things, and we can only adjust..we cannot change what is inevitable. Go with the flow folks..fear is your enemy. Clean up your space, use less, conserve, and maybe stop with the plastic..or at least limit it. Carbon Dioxide is a fact of life..lord I hated science almost as much as math, but I think my trees give me enough carbon credits for a tank of gasoline!!
Those who grew up in my time period, and maybe even those earlier and later, might remember the Story of Chicken Little. This story attempted to teach the lesson of always ensuring one did not simply jump on the bandwagon and accept what another said was fact. Maybe check things out, before going off the deep end, and spreading lies? Old Chicken Little got herself in quite the state thinking the world was going to end, and spread that crap around like chicken manure. She latched on to something and went squawking about scaring everyone. Sound familiar?
Well, as an old biddie, I have been around for awhile now. I have lived through a Cold War, that had the whole continent digging underground shelters to ensure survival. I have lived through a hole in the Ozone layer that was going to fry every last one of us. I have lived through acid rain...eeeech..even the sound of that is scary. Oh, and Y2K ..I will admit that one had me a tad bit concerned, enough that I bought an oil filled heater, just in case the power went off. That one had me a wee bit baffled, because it concerned mathematical stuff, and I have never been good at numbers. That said...aside from a few sun burns because of my lily white sensitive skin (not because of Ozone) somehow I am still alive and kicking.
Now I see children walking out of schools because they are protesting Climate change..WTF? I will again admit, I once, and only once, protested, and that was a lifetime ago when the US decided to detonate an Atomic bomb near Amchitka in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, keep in mind where I lived Alaska was right next door. I also joined an in school protest in the hallway when our Guidance/PE teacher reneged on the promise of a skating class and decided on a guidance class, instead. Failed PE because of that little escapade. However, walking out of school, with what appears to be the consent of school staff, because of Climate change, is insane. What do these folks think they will accomplish? These same folks putting children who somehow get the ability to have media coverage to spew their uneducated rants regarding the necessity to combat climate change because the past generations have destroyed their world. Sorry, this is stupidity at it's finest. What the heck do these children know? They simply know what someone else is telling them, and they are sucking it down like soda pop. Children who spend day after day on their computers or I suppose now, their cell phones. Children who have never had to work a day in their lives, and who have simply listened to their educators in the classroom, or perhaps flown from one country to another and traveled about, in the atmosphere, assisting the very issue they are warning the world about. Hypocrites at a young age, but put on a pedestal by those who wish to spread false fear.
I call it false fear. The same fear I grew up with thinking the Russians were going to kill everyone. Ignorance! Perhaps that is a more fitting word to use. Ignorance of the facts. Thinking somehow they can change what cannot be changed. The same mindset that imagines humans can change rain to sunshine. In truth, that is what they are attempting to do..control something that is naturally occurring. Sure you can change climate in your home. Furnaces, air conditioners, they can fight heat or cold in a small area that is closed off from the elements. What perversion makes these folks assume they can do this all over the world?
My country has decided they will "Tax Pollution". Clearly in this government's mind, life is pollution. Attempting to keep warm in winter is pollution. A city cannot have wood fires like those in the past, before these horrid climate change fear mongers attacked. Nope..no coal burning, like the industrial age saw billowing smoke into the air. What the heck do they suggest folks do? One can only turn the heat down so far, before they freeze to death, so is the plan to kill off people so the world lasts longer? No driving, unless it is an electric car (don't get me started on this foolishness). So, you can take polluting large vehicles in a city spewing out noxious fumes (until they are all plugging into that amazing green hydro electric source), but you cannot drive in the middle of Hell's 1/2 acre unless you pay a tax? Is this giving you pause for thought?
Climate change is the new Pied Piper. It is focusing on young minds, and scaring the sh*t out of them, so they follow the music. Yes..see..morals..they are all about you, and they are the basis of my life, I see them in all that goes on around me. Young minds, open to accept things so easily, prey for those who have agendas..Look to history and see.
I sit in my house, today, one that we own, simply because of resource based income, as the rain pours down (non acidic). I am surrounded by trees ( proven healthy for the environment). I am kilometers away from a small town, and drive very seldom. I pay an average of $250 a month to keep my home warm enough to be comfortable wearing a sweater and slippers. The last time I was on a plane was about 5 years ago. If I vacation it is a trip into the back country, where I sit in silence, without cell phones or video games. I certainly do not wear designer clothing, and attempt to purchase items made in North America where regulations are strict, unlike countries such as China or India (yes, I believe my actions assist for a healthier environment). However, now those who claim they are doing something absolutely critical for my well being, and those who follow, have decided I am going to have to pay a tax on absolutely everything in life. I already pay higher utilities than those pushing this agenda, because of my location. I pay obscenely higher for my groceries already because of shipping, and now they will go up even higher (because of that nasty fuel pollution).
I am a simple person. I am quite happy with the basics of life (O.K. yes, I love my internet, because it along with social activities that are pretty limited where I live, it allows me access to knowledge), I don't have the latest phone, or a new vehicle (which apparently would be better for Climate change) I live sparsely, not a lot of fluffy extras in my world, and that is pretty much by choice. I don't know when the last time I was in a shopping mall, I don't have access to concerts, or museums, or art, but again, pretty much a personal choice. However, I am somehow being told I am at fault for pollution.
It is time for Chicken Little to hit the stew pot. Chances are with all these new tax hikes, she would be gone long before she lays another egg. Stop listening to the music of the pipes, and following the crowd, because we all know what happened when the Piper got to the end of that road. The sky is NOT falling..the climate is changing..but that is the natural course of things, and we can only adjust..we cannot change what is inevitable. Go with the flow folks..fear is your enemy. Clean up your space, use less, conserve, and maybe stop with the plastic..or at least limit it. Carbon Dioxide is a fact of life..lord I hated science almost as much as math, but I think my trees give me enough carbon credits for a tank of gasoline!!
Thursday, 16 May 2019
Time Waits For No One
Been awhile, eh, folks? Hey not that I haven't sat down and typed a thousand words, because I have. They all sit in drafts , because I am not quite ready to set them free. Clearly hitting the post button has not been an issue in the past, but today, it has become harder to send my rants out into the world. I seldom get that feeling of relief after spewing..Not sure why, but, I have to follow my feelings, so..they will sit.
This morning, I felt the urge to bare my personal journey with my lifelong partner, Time. I seem to recall a point in life when Time was my friend, and it brought me the ability to do things I dreamed of. Specific ages were so very important, and without Time, they were impossible to reach. Oh you know what I am talking about, old enough to begin school, old enough to be called a teenager (that seemed so exciting, hah!), old enough to go to restricted movies,old enough to go to the bar..and then suddenly Time just started moving so damn fast, and all I had in the future was old enough for a pension and Dennys discounts.
Since a pension is not going to allow me much, and I have probably been to Dennys about 3 times in the past 5 years, age has lost it's glow, and I would very much like to have Time take off in another direction. We don't get along anymore. Not a single day, or night for that matter, goes by, without Time ticking me off (get the pun?). All I seem to get from it, is aches, pains, lack of sleep, trips to the toilet, and loss of the simple things in life. When I speak of simple things, I mean the ability to open bloody doors! Suddenly, my companion forever, has decided to throw a wrench in my option of leaving or entering a place, by making it impossible to turn a door knob!! WTF is that all about? Yes, it was a recent issue in my household. I was constantly informing my beloved and my son, that the door knobs had to be changed, because they would not turn! I would stand there trying to turn them one way and the other as they watched, until they would wander over, and poof..they would throw the door open, while looking at me like I was insane. I argued the knob wouldn't do that for me, even two hands, would be difficult. Of course, with my mind, I suddenly was overcome with the thought.."what if there was a fire, and I had to get out quickly? Damn doorknobs would have to be changed, because clearly, I would be trapped." Yes, folks, that is how my mind works..Some days, those knobs would open easily, most days, I would have to place whatever I had in one hand on the floor, so I could use both to attempt to turn them. My Honey watched me one day, clearly I was trying my best to get out the door, he saw me use both hands. Now, I am someone who friends used to hand hard to open jars to, I had hands like plumber's wrenches, that changed years ago. It happened overnight, Time decided to throw those wrenches away, and replace them with bits of tinfoil incapable of opening an aspirin container. I don't know why it took me so long to realize my parasite, Time, was responsible for my inability to turn a damn door knob.
That is indeed how I feel about Time now. It is living off of me, sucking the life out of me. I lay in bed and make a move to get comfortable, and suddenly I have pulled a muscle in my back. Those wonderful stretches one would have to get themselves aligned, no longer happen. If I accidentally attempt one, I am in agony, twisting about, trying to unlock knots that scream. Stubbing my toe, means tears of pain shoot out of my eyes, and that appendage will throb for hours. Rub my knuckles against a wall..well there will be blood..because my skin has decided to drop a layer (a small weight loss, but not enough to compensate). Cripes, even trying to cut my damn toe nails is a effort of frustration. I can't put my foot up and lean over quite far enough for the period of time necessary, so this process drags on forever.
My skin has changed, my bones have changed, my hair has changed, my eyes...well those suckers were not nice to begin with, and now they seem to get irritated by the smallest gust of wind. Oh..wind..we won't even touch that issue...Now, as for hearing..I truly believe I still have full volume, but family members dispute this..I think they are full of crap, but I will allow them to use my time travel issues if they want.
Of course Time plays games with itself, as well. That allocation that used to be given to sleep, well..Time has decided to screw that up totally. Long before darkness sets in (well at least in the summer), Time will start hinting I must replenish by hauling my sorry ass up the stairs and hitting the hay. It doesn't allow much leeway, anymore. I do acknowledge I am one of the lucky ones, I will plop down in bed, turn on the TV watch for about 20 minutes, and I am out like the lights. But...that is when Time plays it's tricks. Long before my energy level has recharged, I am awake..in the darkness. I have to get out of bed to head directly into a specific room, and once that business has been taken care of, there is no way in the world I can return to allow myself to have my batteries restored to full charge. So..I am aware that once again, my days will end sooner than a decade ago. Thankfully my life is seldom full of excitement, and there is nothing that requires me to attempt to fight Time, and stay awake longer than allowed, so..we have reached a mutual understanding of sorts. I just don't argue with the boss.
yes, Time is my boss. It rules my world. In childhood I had extra time, as an adult, I had enough time, now as an old fart, Time is limited. I could waste it , once , but now it is precious. I begin my days, hoping to make the best of Time, but generally, somehow Time gets away from me, and I am left blowing my daily limit. The clock keeps spinning, and it goes faster every year. I am afraid that learning to make the best of time, is a lesson I missed. It is not like I can rewind , and go back to a point that I can correct my mistakes, and renew my friendship with Time..we are now enemies, destined to be together until the end of Time, and of course ultimately the end of me. Time...perhaps if it waited, and we caught up to it, we would be sorry?
This morning, I felt the urge to bare my personal journey with my lifelong partner, Time. I seem to recall a point in life when Time was my friend, and it brought me the ability to do things I dreamed of. Specific ages were so very important, and without Time, they were impossible to reach. Oh you know what I am talking about, old enough to begin school, old enough to be called a teenager (that seemed so exciting, hah!), old enough to go to restricted movies,old enough to go to the bar..and then suddenly Time just started moving so damn fast, and all I had in the future was old enough for a pension and Dennys discounts.
Since a pension is not going to allow me much, and I have probably been to Dennys about 3 times in the past 5 years, age has lost it's glow, and I would very much like to have Time take off in another direction. We don't get along anymore. Not a single day, or night for that matter, goes by, without Time ticking me off (get the pun?). All I seem to get from it, is aches, pains, lack of sleep, trips to the toilet, and loss of the simple things in life. When I speak of simple things, I mean the ability to open bloody doors! Suddenly, my companion forever, has decided to throw a wrench in my option of leaving or entering a place, by making it impossible to turn a door knob!! WTF is that all about? Yes, it was a recent issue in my household. I was constantly informing my beloved and my son, that the door knobs had to be changed, because they would not turn! I would stand there trying to turn them one way and the other as they watched, until they would wander over, and poof..they would throw the door open, while looking at me like I was insane. I argued the knob wouldn't do that for me, even two hands, would be difficult. Of course, with my mind, I suddenly was overcome with the thought.."what if there was a fire, and I had to get out quickly? Damn doorknobs would have to be changed, because clearly, I would be trapped." Yes, folks, that is how my mind works..Some days, those knobs would open easily, most days, I would have to place whatever I had in one hand on the floor, so I could use both to attempt to turn them. My Honey watched me one day, clearly I was trying my best to get out the door, he saw me use both hands. Now, I am someone who friends used to hand hard to open jars to, I had hands like plumber's wrenches, that changed years ago. It happened overnight, Time decided to throw those wrenches away, and replace them with bits of tinfoil incapable of opening an aspirin container. I don't know why it took me so long to realize my parasite, Time, was responsible for my inability to turn a damn door knob.
That is indeed how I feel about Time now. It is living off of me, sucking the life out of me. I lay in bed and make a move to get comfortable, and suddenly I have pulled a muscle in my back. Those wonderful stretches one would have to get themselves aligned, no longer happen. If I accidentally attempt one, I am in agony, twisting about, trying to unlock knots that scream. Stubbing my toe, means tears of pain shoot out of my eyes, and that appendage will throb for hours. Rub my knuckles against a wall..well there will be blood..because my skin has decided to drop a layer (a small weight loss, but not enough to compensate). Cripes, even trying to cut my damn toe nails is a effort of frustration. I can't put my foot up and lean over quite far enough for the period of time necessary, so this process drags on forever.
My skin has changed, my bones have changed, my hair has changed, my eyes...well those suckers were not nice to begin with, and now they seem to get irritated by the smallest gust of wind. Oh..wind..we won't even touch that issue...Now, as for hearing..I truly believe I still have full volume, but family members dispute this..I think they are full of crap, but I will allow them to use my time travel issues if they want.
Of course Time plays games with itself, as well. That allocation that used to be given to sleep, well..Time has decided to screw that up totally. Long before darkness sets in (well at least in the summer), Time will start hinting I must replenish by hauling my sorry ass up the stairs and hitting the hay. It doesn't allow much leeway, anymore. I do acknowledge I am one of the lucky ones, I will plop down in bed, turn on the TV watch for about 20 minutes, and I am out like the lights. But...that is when Time plays it's tricks. Long before my energy level has recharged, I am awake..in the darkness. I have to get out of bed to head directly into a specific room, and once that business has been taken care of, there is no way in the world I can return to allow myself to have my batteries restored to full charge. So..I am aware that once again, my days will end sooner than a decade ago. Thankfully my life is seldom full of excitement, and there is nothing that requires me to attempt to fight Time, and stay awake longer than allowed, so..we have reached a mutual understanding of sorts. I just don't argue with the boss.
yes, Time is my boss. It rules my world. In childhood I had extra time, as an adult, I had enough time, now as an old fart, Time is limited. I could waste it , once , but now it is precious. I begin my days, hoping to make the best of Time, but generally, somehow Time gets away from me, and I am left blowing my daily limit. The clock keeps spinning, and it goes faster every year. I am afraid that learning to make the best of time, is a lesson I missed. It is not like I can rewind , and go back to a point that I can correct my mistakes, and renew my friendship with Time..we are now enemies, destined to be together until the end of Time, and of course ultimately the end of me. Time...perhaps if it waited, and we caught up to it, we would be sorry?
Sunday, 11 November 2018
November 11th 2018
Today, as I took my time to remember, my thoughts have been on the past , not for an hour, but for the whole of the day.
I was born September 1956! World War 2 ended September 1945! Suddenly I realized, in the pages of history, my birth was simply moments after the war. Perhaps that is why Remembrance Day is so important to me?
I understood today, why old people seem so alien to young folks. It is because we live in such different worlds. Old people have a past, a suitcase full of memories, that the young can simply not understand.
I began school in 1962, the very first year we moved to Stewart. For reasons I cannot explain, some of the memories from way back then, are vivid in my mind, while clearly book learning might have evaporated. I can see the large picture of Queen Elizabeth in her crown watching all of us in our little desks with the hole the inkwell would sit in (yep) . I wrote with a fountain pen, and then the more modern cartridge ink pen. I learned to curtsy, and the boys learned to bow, in case royalty ever arrived. Yes, we had to wear dresses to school, so I know when curtsying , one holds the right side of their bottom hem, between two fingers. Trust me..again, why this remained with me, I do not know!!
We said the Lord's prayer every morning, standing beside our desks. We got smacked by the yardstick, a ruler, the blackboard erasers. We sat on stools in the corner of the classroom, facing the wall for punishment. There was the ever present "strap", the fear of a phonecall to our parents. Notes from the teacher were delivered with quaking hands, without a moments thought of not handing them over.
Back when I was a child, Remembrance day was not a "holiday". I doubt anyone slept in that day. It was a day that was recognized by our community with as much heart and soul as July 1st. All school children would be at the local Cenotaph, in fact, it is likely almost the whole town would show up. Our Cenotaph was a fair walk from town. Back in those days, it was along the road to the dock and Hyder. It was never nice weather on this day, and perhaps feeling a little of the cold and wet, gave us a glimpse into what those we honour on this day suffered? The Cenotaph had a plaque, I remember it clearly, with names, some of which I recognized the surnames. Those were surnames of some who stood in silence, see, in 1962, these would have been the parents, or wives, or children of those who perished in World War 1 and 2. See, today, I realized, War was very recent to the child I was.
I joined Girl Guides when I was old enough, come November 11th, we were on parade, beside the Legion members, the RCMP, the Boy Scouts, the Missionaries, the Mayor, and all those who could not, and would not forget!
I did not grow up with air raid sirens..although I did live with the Cold War. But, I know now, many of those who stood beside me, back then, had indeed lived in fear of that sound. I didn't know what war brides were back then, but..I know there were some. We had people from other countries stand in silence. I had no clue what they had suffered then, but now I realize, they lived with war. My school friend with a Japanese Mother..who indeed lived in an internment camp in our country! German friends whose parents had escaped in war time, Dutch friends, the same...
I grew older, and in High school, once again, War entered my world. A classmate from Alaska, drafted..He lived just a couple of miles down the road, and suddenly, one minute he is in the middle of Science Lab, and the next, his country is telling him he has to grow up immediately, and go to battle.
So, again, perhaps because it is still so clear to this old mind, why we take this time to stop, the time to place a Poppy by our heart, a moment of silence for those long since passed, or, sadly for those young lives that we seldom hear about, fighting today..Perhaps this is why so many do not understand the importance, because it is too far away from them?
It is NOT a holiday!! It is NOT just a time to put a few dollars in the box to purchase a red poppy with a pin. It is, however, a time to understand, through a fluke of fate, we now live in a time we are not ordered or, even feel obligated, to protect our home and our loved ones, by going to battle.
My past has given me the opportunity to remember so much that those today, never had. It has only taken me till today, to recognize how privileged I have been, to be a part of over 6 decades. So, I will try to understand the world today, as selfish, and self centered as it seems. I will tell myself it is because so few understand our lives could have been so different, if the outcome of War had been in favour of the opposition, on more than one occasion.
Lest we forget...
I was born September 1956! World War 2 ended September 1945! Suddenly I realized, in the pages of history, my birth was simply moments after the war. Perhaps that is why Remembrance Day is so important to me?
I understood today, why old people seem so alien to young folks. It is because we live in such different worlds. Old people have a past, a suitcase full of memories, that the young can simply not understand.
I began school in 1962, the very first year we moved to Stewart. For reasons I cannot explain, some of the memories from way back then, are vivid in my mind, while clearly book learning might have evaporated. I can see the large picture of Queen Elizabeth in her crown watching all of us in our little desks with the hole the inkwell would sit in (yep) . I wrote with a fountain pen, and then the more modern cartridge ink pen. I learned to curtsy, and the boys learned to bow, in case royalty ever arrived. Yes, we had to wear dresses to school, so I know when curtsying , one holds the right side of their bottom hem, between two fingers. Trust me..again, why this remained with me, I do not know!!
We said the Lord's prayer every morning, standing beside our desks. We got smacked by the yardstick, a ruler, the blackboard erasers. We sat on stools in the corner of the classroom, facing the wall for punishment. There was the ever present "strap", the fear of a phonecall to our parents. Notes from the teacher were delivered with quaking hands, without a moments thought of not handing them over.
Back when I was a child, Remembrance day was not a "holiday". I doubt anyone slept in that day. It was a day that was recognized by our community with as much heart and soul as July 1st. All school children would be at the local Cenotaph, in fact, it is likely almost the whole town would show up. Our Cenotaph was a fair walk from town. Back in those days, it was along the road to the dock and Hyder. It was never nice weather on this day, and perhaps feeling a little of the cold and wet, gave us a glimpse into what those we honour on this day suffered? The Cenotaph had a plaque, I remember it clearly, with names, some of which I recognized the surnames. Those were surnames of some who stood in silence, see, in 1962, these would have been the parents, or wives, or children of those who perished in World War 1 and 2. See, today, I realized, War was very recent to the child I was.
I joined Girl Guides when I was old enough, come November 11th, we were on parade, beside the Legion members, the RCMP, the Boy Scouts, the Missionaries, the Mayor, and all those who could not, and would not forget!
I did not grow up with air raid sirens..although I did live with the Cold War. But, I know now, many of those who stood beside me, back then, had indeed lived in fear of that sound. I didn't know what war brides were back then, but..I know there were some. We had people from other countries stand in silence. I had no clue what they had suffered then, but now I realize, they lived with war. My school friend with a Japanese Mother..who indeed lived in an internment camp in our country! German friends whose parents had escaped in war time, Dutch friends, the same...
I grew older, and in High school, once again, War entered my world. A classmate from Alaska, drafted..He lived just a couple of miles down the road, and suddenly, one minute he is in the middle of Science Lab, and the next, his country is telling him he has to grow up immediately, and go to battle.
So, again, perhaps because it is still so clear to this old mind, why we take this time to stop, the time to place a Poppy by our heart, a moment of silence for those long since passed, or, sadly for those young lives that we seldom hear about, fighting today..Perhaps this is why so many do not understand the importance, because it is too far away from them?
It is NOT a holiday!! It is NOT just a time to put a few dollars in the box to purchase a red poppy with a pin. It is, however, a time to understand, through a fluke of fate, we now live in a time we are not ordered or, even feel obligated, to protect our home and our loved ones, by going to battle.
My past has given me the opportunity to remember so much that those today, never had. It has only taken me till today, to recognize how privileged I have been, to be a part of over 6 decades. So, I will try to understand the world today, as selfish, and self centered as it seems. I will tell myself it is because so few understand our lives could have been so different, if the outcome of War had been in favour of the opposition, on more than one occasion.
Lest we forget...
Wednesday, 3 October 2018
Childicide
Sitting here, wondering.....Did my parents give a rats ass whether I died? How did my mind come up with this question? Bears!!!
As you all know, I grew up in a very small isolated community in northern British Columbia. When I say small..I mean that!! There were times when the community was counted in hundreds..and those were in the few. It was in what the world now calls the Great Bear Rain forest..LOL..that term always brings a smile to my face. The same area that we now see all the advertisements about Kermode Bears and save the Bears..and such..Big tourist pulls. The same tourists that are prone to initiating near death experiences along the highways now, when they screech to a stop with no care who is behind them, to photograph these bears.
O.K. I understand, if I took a trip to Australia and a Kangaroo hopped out in front of me, I might..and I say, might, screech to a stop..although it is unlikely I would even consider driving there..because it would be something new to me. But, like folks who come from Kangaroo prone areas, a Bear is simply a fact of life in my Rain Forest. It is no different than an Eagle, or a Wolverine, (O.K. I have indeed stopped to gaze at one of those, but I was hiking, and there was no one behind me), commonplace.
So Bears were everywhere. They were in the backyard, in the school yard, around every single corner. They were all black..never once saw a Grizzly in town..I understand this has changed over time..but..back in the day..just big black bears with cubs. I remember often checking out the window to see the bears in the yard, and having to wait until they left, before going outside. However, once outside..we were fair game. None of us carried a rifle while we walked. We were instinctively loud. We also never walked alone in certain areas, and we had enough respect for bears that we understood they were up the food chain from us.
We wandered off in the bush continually. Not once.ever..was a single child harmed by a bear. We did not have cell phones to call home if one was spotted close by, and why would we bother..they were a fact of life. My mother would have told me not to bother her over something so silly as a bear!
Clearly not a single child at that time was cared for near as much as children today!! Did our parents send us outside with the knowledge we may be eaten by a bear, without any warning or weapon? Were we less important than children today? I doubt this is true..although perhaps sometimes a Mother would have said something like "get outside, and don't come back" but, again, doubtful she would mean never, and silently hope her child was chomped to bits by Bruno the bear. So.....why suddenly is bear spotting immediately cause for a phone call to the RCMP (who generally just shoot to kill the animal) and blasting bear fear all about? Bears have not changed from the 60's....I think...it is unlikely suddenly their brains have adapted to a mindset to go off and chew up children..Why is it so important to call officials when wildlife shows it's face in areas that clearly border their environment?
Yes, we the people have created garbage far beyond what we had back in the 60's. Insane amounts of smelly crap, diapers, food containers, stink that shouts to bears..Garbage that used to stay inside homes until garbage pickup, now is stacked outside. Only ones to blame are people..who clearly fear bears.
I have apple trees, which each year bear massive fruit, and that is not used by us. Every year at least one bear shows up to feast on the apples. There are not a lot of home close by, I now have the yard fenced, but somehow the buggers still manage to climb over and satisfy themselves..and..I don't care!! They have chowed down on anthills behind the house, chewed up clover, and the only issue I have with this is..poop..they do not always poop in the bush! But..I have never, and will never, call on a bear!!
You got kids? Teach them common Bear sense!! You chose to live next door to the bush..expect wildlife, and learn to share. Don't call the killer every time you see one, because that is the solution now, shoot the problem, and stop the complaints. Get a grip, and use your head. The bear doesn't want to deal with you, any more than you do with the bloody bear! Wait a while, and it will disappear, back to where it feels comfortable, and you can take a few precautions in your world to ensure there will be no problem.
I am just fed up with a world that does not understand they are not the sole residents of the area. I am fed up with folks who see fit to pick up a phone every time a creature wanders into their "space" not giving a minutes consideration they are basically assisting in the murder of this animal. No one is so clueless now to claim they didn't realize the solution would be a bullet. I'm fine with letting folks know there is a bear in the area..folks who may possibly come in contact, just a heads up..like we used to do.."take a friend when you go down Crawford's road"..because without a doubt there were bears wandering about. Make noise..stop look and listen..just like when crossing the road..keep an eye out..use your frigging senses!!
People have become so damn lazy!! They want someone to come along and take the "problem" off their hands, they just can't be bothered to expend a wee bit of energy to share their space.
Now, I hear how people are so concerned about the earth, and how my generation is the reason we have so many environmental problems..KISS MY ASS!! The past 25 years have caused far more damage to our planet than we ever imagined! Now..clue in..use common sense, and clean up your holier than thou acts! Teach your damn kids they don't own the land, drive your electric cars, and feel so smug, when you place a call because a wild animal has wandered into your world..because you care so much more than those you blame this mess on. Plastic people, bottled water people, battery people..throw away people..Recycled is not something you invented..recycled is something we used to live by..things lasted back in the day..now they are disposable..along with any bear that has the bad luck to step foot on your space!!
Teach your children to share, and respect..put down the phone, and enjoy nature, it is still all around us, and we need to learn to live with it!
As you all know, I grew up in a very small isolated community in northern British Columbia. When I say small..I mean that!! There were times when the community was counted in hundreds..and those were in the few. It was in what the world now calls the Great Bear Rain forest..LOL..that term always brings a smile to my face. The same area that we now see all the advertisements about Kermode Bears and save the Bears..and such..Big tourist pulls. The same tourists that are prone to initiating near death experiences along the highways now, when they screech to a stop with no care who is behind them, to photograph these bears.
O.K. I understand, if I took a trip to Australia and a Kangaroo hopped out in front of me, I might..and I say, might, screech to a stop..although it is unlikely I would even consider driving there..because it would be something new to me. But, like folks who come from Kangaroo prone areas, a Bear is simply a fact of life in my Rain Forest. It is no different than an Eagle, or a Wolverine, (O.K. I have indeed stopped to gaze at one of those, but I was hiking, and there was no one behind me), commonplace.
So Bears were everywhere. They were in the backyard, in the school yard, around every single corner. They were all black..never once saw a Grizzly in town..I understand this has changed over time..but..back in the day..just big black bears with cubs. I remember often checking out the window to see the bears in the yard, and having to wait until they left, before going outside. However, once outside..we were fair game. None of us carried a rifle while we walked. We were instinctively loud. We also never walked alone in certain areas, and we had enough respect for bears that we understood they were up the food chain from us.
We wandered off in the bush continually. Not once.ever..was a single child harmed by a bear. We did not have cell phones to call home if one was spotted close by, and why would we bother..they were a fact of life. My mother would have told me not to bother her over something so silly as a bear!
Clearly not a single child at that time was cared for near as much as children today!! Did our parents send us outside with the knowledge we may be eaten by a bear, without any warning or weapon? Were we less important than children today? I doubt this is true..although perhaps sometimes a Mother would have said something like "get outside, and don't come back" but, again, doubtful she would mean never, and silently hope her child was chomped to bits by Bruno the bear. So.....why suddenly is bear spotting immediately cause for a phone call to the RCMP (who generally just shoot to kill the animal) and blasting bear fear all about? Bears have not changed from the 60's....I think...it is unlikely suddenly their brains have adapted to a mindset to go off and chew up children..Why is it so important to call officials when wildlife shows it's face in areas that clearly border their environment?
Yes, we the people have created garbage far beyond what we had back in the 60's. Insane amounts of smelly crap, diapers, food containers, stink that shouts to bears..Garbage that used to stay inside homes until garbage pickup, now is stacked outside. Only ones to blame are people..who clearly fear bears.
I have apple trees, which each year bear massive fruit, and that is not used by us. Every year at least one bear shows up to feast on the apples. There are not a lot of home close by, I now have the yard fenced, but somehow the buggers still manage to climb over and satisfy themselves..and..I don't care!! They have chowed down on anthills behind the house, chewed up clover, and the only issue I have with this is..poop..they do not always poop in the bush! But..I have never, and will never, call on a bear!!
You got kids? Teach them common Bear sense!! You chose to live next door to the bush..expect wildlife, and learn to share. Don't call the killer every time you see one, because that is the solution now, shoot the problem, and stop the complaints. Get a grip, and use your head. The bear doesn't want to deal with you, any more than you do with the bloody bear! Wait a while, and it will disappear, back to where it feels comfortable, and you can take a few precautions in your world to ensure there will be no problem.
I am just fed up with a world that does not understand they are not the sole residents of the area. I am fed up with folks who see fit to pick up a phone every time a creature wanders into their "space" not giving a minutes consideration they are basically assisting in the murder of this animal. No one is so clueless now to claim they didn't realize the solution would be a bullet. I'm fine with letting folks know there is a bear in the area..folks who may possibly come in contact, just a heads up..like we used to do.."take a friend when you go down Crawford's road"..because without a doubt there were bears wandering about. Make noise..stop look and listen..just like when crossing the road..keep an eye out..use your frigging senses!!
People have become so damn lazy!! They want someone to come along and take the "problem" off their hands, they just can't be bothered to expend a wee bit of energy to share their space.
Now, I hear how people are so concerned about the earth, and how my generation is the reason we have so many environmental problems..KISS MY ASS!! The past 25 years have caused far more damage to our planet than we ever imagined! Now..clue in..use common sense, and clean up your holier than thou acts! Teach your damn kids they don't own the land, drive your electric cars, and feel so smug, when you place a call because a wild animal has wandered into your world..because you care so much more than those you blame this mess on. Plastic people, bottled water people, battery people..throw away people..Recycled is not something you invented..recycled is something we used to live by..things lasted back in the day..now they are disposable..along with any bear that has the bad luck to step foot on your space!!
Teach your children to share, and respect..put down the phone, and enjoy nature, it is still all around us, and we need to learn to live with it!
Friday, 24 August 2018
Sad Times
Well, if you have ever popped by to visit my little blog, you will know that I grew up in what would be called "Hick town, B.C.". A very small town that was pretty much isolated from the rest of the world for most of my growing years..very small town, no way out, was our postal code. Yes..there were ways out, by plane or by boat, but no road, so we were as isolated as they come..just like remote Alaska.
My town was resource based. That means, it boomed or busted depending on the price of metals, or wood. And, during my growing years, it did indeed boom and bust. When I first entered this town, it was a whopping maybe 400 people, but in a 5 year old eyes, population numbers did not matter. When I became a teenager that number rose dramatically when the mine brought in barge load after barge load of homes and cleared a ginormous (well in my eyes)town site which they set up for their employees and their families. This increase created schools, an ice arena and an olympic size swimming pool. That folks, is a "Boom". A Boom means the whole town's economy goes way up. Grocery stores enjoy an increase in profit, restaurants thrive, and town taxes enjoy a terrific boost, allowing more services for the community.
Now, keep in mind, this "boom" created massive changes in our little town. A whole town site..can you imagine this going on now? Oh, all holy hell would break lose, folks would whine about their special hiking places been destroyed, or their enjoyment of peace and quiet being lost. They would moan about noise and pollution, and traffic, because a boom changes everything. But, in a town that survived solely on mining and logging, we welcomed this change, because it allowed our community to continue on, and grow.
O.K. those days have been gone a very long time. Resource based economies are no longer tolerated in many places. I for one can remember when our NDP government assured us that tourism was going to save the day.
Tourism may indeed assist big cities, with large ports and airports, and massive populations. But, truth is, tourism in many parts of this province is a short season. Not a whole lot of folks survive on tourist dollars when they are sitting in 5-6 feet of snow, and continual grey skies. and truth be told, even in the summer season, tourists do not bring many towns enough money to provide employment for more than a few folks. Not everyplace is Whistler , nor are they Victoria. Most simply offer .5 of a days interest for tourists, and then they move along. That does not allow much more than a few bucks spent in the local grocery store and restaurant, certainly not enough to pay Joe Blows rent. So, excuse me if I offend, but tourism is not and never will be the saving grace of many small towns.
Mining and logging, though never something that one will see in the middle of vacation heaven, can still allow Hick town B.C. to survive. They are NOT pretty, but strangely enough, the places these industries usually occur, are often incredibly beautiful, because they are often in the middle of no where. The people who live in the middle of no where do so without so many of the benefits those living in large places take for granted. Schools often have few teachers, hospitals (well since NDP, medical clinics) are generally just stop gap places with few services, and health is something that doesn't get near the same service as large communities. Discount stores, and malls are things that folks do without. They do not have the ability to "shop around" and look for the cheapest grapes, or a special on case lot bread. Their utilities are often far more expensive than large places, because seasons hit much harder.
That said, when a resource based economy is strong, workers can provide a pretty decent life for their families. They can ensure their family gets out of Hick town once in awhile to enjoy the bright city lights, because they are making a good living.
Growing up, along with the massive town site, days began very early in the summer, with the sounds of bush planes flying at the crack of dawn. Log trucks would go through main street on a steady basis, dumping their loads off the side of the road on the way to Alaska, right near the boat dock. Mine buses would roar through the town site bright and early, and in the middle of the night, hauling workers back and forth up the road. Arrow trucks would haul day and night to the barge landing from Cassiar Asbestos. As a small note, back in those days, many of the town streets were gravel, and in the summer all that traffic would indeed cause dust. But, dust was a sign of a booming economy, and we thought it was good.Traffic and movement were blessings after years of bust, far more smiles when folks had a regular pay cheque coming in and could live life, instead of existing.
Those times have totally disappeared. Suddenly we now live in a world where the majority have no clue what physical labour is all about. Blue collar workers are frowned upon, because they have become "dirty" ,"noisy", and unacceptable, especially when the picture one wants to share with the economic boon tourists bring for the split second, does not include workers! No, we want to show the world a pristine community, with lovely painted buildings (trust me, I grew up when all of those buildings were actual retail places, and no one was worried if the outside paint was peeling).
I took a drive around what was once the booming community I grew up in. I remember when all the town site homes were brand new. I remember when the schools were filled with students. I remember when the amazing Olympic sized swimming pool was brought into our tiny town by the dirty old mine. My recent drive, as maybe a "tourist" shocked the sh*t out of me!! Sure Main street was lovely....big boardwalk out into the Tide flats we used to wander about losing a rubber boot or two..lovely signs, and flowers. But, dead!! I say dead, because all it is is facade. It is not a bustling community. It is a pretty tourist picture, in a small section of town, the reality is shown when one leaves that tourist mecca.
Whole building that used to house large numbers of workers, falling to ruin. Townhouses, row upon row, that once were filled with families, now hidden behind years of brush. Homes boarded up, many in disrepair, yards overgrown, memories of trips up to the old Premier mine site long ago abandoned,came back, when I viewed what I remembered as a whole new town, filled with workers and wives, and children. It was, in truth, a painful experience. To see what happens so quickly when a town loses it's major employer, and nothing comes in quickly enough to keep it going. I find it difficult to believe those living there now do not remember these times, instead they appear to believe they are doing fine.
Now, my husband and son are working back in this town. They are indeed Blue collar...because...I was raised by one who got dirty when he provided for our home, my husband was raised by one who drove truck for a living, and..my son sat next to his Dad in a log truck, before he even walked. So, now they have returned to the place it all began, to try and make a living.
Yesterday, my son was confronted by the local RCMP in that very town. He was told that he could no longer park his log truck outside of the hotel they were staying at. Log trucks were NOT allowed to park on any street in town, including side streets! If they were parked on property, it had to be 15 meters from the center of any road. They were not allowed to be in town with their trailers down. There is a parking lot close to the hotel, however there is also a sign stating no long term parking, no large trucks until after 10 PM, etc etc. The hotel has a parking lot, but clearly with two log trucks in it, there would not be room for other guests. The RCMP stated this was geared to any commercial vehicle over a specific GVW, and that he was giving warning for 2 days and then he would be handing out tickets. WTF??? So, my son and husband are working in this community, they are paying hotel rates and eating at local restaurants, all putting into the community economy, but now they will have to find some place acceptable to the District Bylaws, they can park and make their way to the hotel on foot.
You have a whole section of a town that is falling to pieces, and since they are not the only log trucks from out of town, or, for that matter in town, you have a number of folks putting into the economy, but..they are not welcome. We will bend over backwards to kiss the a$$ of a tourist pulling into town for .5 of a day, someone who will hopefully at least buy fuel, and maybe a meal, but more likely they just want to get over the border for a quick visit and maybe glimpse a bear or two, and then head back the way they came in. You have a school now that covers all the grades, the elementary school sits boarded up, and 1/2 the classes are done by correspondence. In fact I believe this year you had one student graduate...Some restaurants close up for the winter. But, you spent time and money making sure that nasty dirty trucks did not offend your streets. Your water sucks..when it used to be the world's absolute best water...Your community moral sucks, no matter how hard one tries to make a silk purse out of a sows ear, it just won't work. Your goal is to make this town something it will never be, you cannot survive on a seasonal economy like tourism in a Hick town.When you take time and effort to put up road blocks to resource in a town that will only survive with resource (you have got to see that is fact by now) you will be the first to destroy what little you still have.
I admit..I am old!! I am shocked at who I have become.I am that old B*tch that goes on and on about the "old days". But in today's world, I live confused. I am confused that the whining of a few, can affect the majority. I am confused when laws are set in place to make work difficult. I am confused when some accept so little, and assume that is good enough. I am confused when some can pay property taxes for a lifetime in a community, and suddenly someone new shows up, and calls the shots.
It is no secret I have social issues, mostly because I can't stand things that don't make sense. I admit I am not always right, but I was taught that common sense would allow me to survive..now I wonder if this was the proper lesson, because it is blatantly clear common sense does NOT prevail.
I have once again had my world turned upside down by things way beyond my control, even though I try very hard to stay in my own little bubble. This time, I am going to try and get as far away from people as possible..because when a community of hard working resource based folks turns into a Bylaw spewing, slowly but surely dying town, nothing makes sense to me, common or uncommon! BTW..No matter what I ranted on about..there are still some in that small town, those who were there back in the "old days" who remember what brings that town to life, I was just visiting..I respect those "oldtimers", who stayed, and wonder if they shake their heads at what has become of their town.
My town was resource based. That means, it boomed or busted depending on the price of metals, or wood. And, during my growing years, it did indeed boom and bust. When I first entered this town, it was a whopping maybe 400 people, but in a 5 year old eyes, population numbers did not matter. When I became a teenager that number rose dramatically when the mine brought in barge load after barge load of homes and cleared a ginormous (well in my eyes)town site which they set up for their employees and their families. This increase created schools, an ice arena and an olympic size swimming pool. That folks, is a "Boom". A Boom means the whole town's economy goes way up. Grocery stores enjoy an increase in profit, restaurants thrive, and town taxes enjoy a terrific boost, allowing more services for the community.
Now, keep in mind, this "boom" created massive changes in our little town. A whole town site..can you imagine this going on now? Oh, all holy hell would break lose, folks would whine about their special hiking places been destroyed, or their enjoyment of peace and quiet being lost. They would moan about noise and pollution, and traffic, because a boom changes everything. But, in a town that survived solely on mining and logging, we welcomed this change, because it allowed our community to continue on, and grow.
O.K. those days have been gone a very long time. Resource based economies are no longer tolerated in many places. I for one can remember when our NDP government assured us that tourism was going to save the day.
Tourism may indeed assist big cities, with large ports and airports, and massive populations. But, truth is, tourism in many parts of this province is a short season. Not a whole lot of folks survive on tourist dollars when they are sitting in 5-6 feet of snow, and continual grey skies. and truth be told, even in the summer season, tourists do not bring many towns enough money to provide employment for more than a few folks. Not everyplace is Whistler , nor are they Victoria. Most simply offer .5 of a days interest for tourists, and then they move along. That does not allow much more than a few bucks spent in the local grocery store and restaurant, certainly not enough to pay Joe Blows rent. So, excuse me if I offend, but tourism is not and never will be the saving grace of many small towns.
Mining and logging, though never something that one will see in the middle of vacation heaven, can still allow Hick town B.C. to survive. They are NOT pretty, but strangely enough, the places these industries usually occur, are often incredibly beautiful, because they are often in the middle of no where. The people who live in the middle of no where do so without so many of the benefits those living in large places take for granted. Schools often have few teachers, hospitals (well since NDP, medical clinics) are generally just stop gap places with few services, and health is something that doesn't get near the same service as large communities. Discount stores, and malls are things that folks do without. They do not have the ability to "shop around" and look for the cheapest grapes, or a special on case lot bread. Their utilities are often far more expensive than large places, because seasons hit much harder.
That said, when a resource based economy is strong, workers can provide a pretty decent life for their families. They can ensure their family gets out of Hick town once in awhile to enjoy the bright city lights, because they are making a good living.
Growing up, along with the massive town site, days began very early in the summer, with the sounds of bush planes flying at the crack of dawn. Log trucks would go through main street on a steady basis, dumping their loads off the side of the road on the way to Alaska, right near the boat dock. Mine buses would roar through the town site bright and early, and in the middle of the night, hauling workers back and forth up the road. Arrow trucks would haul day and night to the barge landing from Cassiar Asbestos. As a small note, back in those days, many of the town streets were gravel, and in the summer all that traffic would indeed cause dust. But, dust was a sign of a booming economy, and we thought it was good.Traffic and movement were blessings after years of bust, far more smiles when folks had a regular pay cheque coming in and could live life, instead of existing.
Those times have totally disappeared. Suddenly we now live in a world where the majority have no clue what physical labour is all about. Blue collar workers are frowned upon, because they have become "dirty" ,"noisy", and unacceptable, especially when the picture one wants to share with the economic boon tourists bring for the split second, does not include workers! No, we want to show the world a pristine community, with lovely painted buildings (trust me, I grew up when all of those buildings were actual retail places, and no one was worried if the outside paint was peeling).
I took a drive around what was once the booming community I grew up in. I remember when all the town site homes were brand new. I remember when the schools were filled with students. I remember when the amazing Olympic sized swimming pool was brought into our tiny town by the dirty old mine. My recent drive, as maybe a "tourist" shocked the sh*t out of me!! Sure Main street was lovely....big boardwalk out into the Tide flats we used to wander about losing a rubber boot or two..lovely signs, and flowers. But, dead!! I say dead, because all it is is facade. It is not a bustling community. It is a pretty tourist picture, in a small section of town, the reality is shown when one leaves that tourist mecca.
Whole building that used to house large numbers of workers, falling to ruin. Townhouses, row upon row, that once were filled with families, now hidden behind years of brush. Homes boarded up, many in disrepair, yards overgrown, memories of trips up to the old Premier mine site long ago abandoned,came back, when I viewed what I remembered as a whole new town, filled with workers and wives, and children. It was, in truth, a painful experience. To see what happens so quickly when a town loses it's major employer, and nothing comes in quickly enough to keep it going. I find it difficult to believe those living there now do not remember these times, instead they appear to believe they are doing fine.
Now, my husband and son are working back in this town. They are indeed Blue collar...because...I was raised by one who got dirty when he provided for our home, my husband was raised by one who drove truck for a living, and..my son sat next to his Dad in a log truck, before he even walked. So, now they have returned to the place it all began, to try and make a living.
Yesterday, my son was confronted by the local RCMP in that very town. He was told that he could no longer park his log truck outside of the hotel they were staying at. Log trucks were NOT allowed to park on any street in town, including side streets! If they were parked on property, it had to be 15 meters from the center of any road. They were not allowed to be in town with their trailers down. There is a parking lot close to the hotel, however there is also a sign stating no long term parking, no large trucks until after 10 PM, etc etc. The hotel has a parking lot, but clearly with two log trucks in it, there would not be room for other guests. The RCMP stated this was geared to any commercial vehicle over a specific GVW, and that he was giving warning for 2 days and then he would be handing out tickets. WTF??? So, my son and husband are working in this community, they are paying hotel rates and eating at local restaurants, all putting into the community economy, but now they will have to find some place acceptable to the District Bylaws, they can park and make their way to the hotel on foot.
You have a whole section of a town that is falling to pieces, and since they are not the only log trucks from out of town, or, for that matter in town, you have a number of folks putting into the economy, but..they are not welcome. We will bend over backwards to kiss the a$$ of a tourist pulling into town for .5 of a day, someone who will hopefully at least buy fuel, and maybe a meal, but more likely they just want to get over the border for a quick visit and maybe glimpse a bear or two, and then head back the way they came in. You have a school now that covers all the grades, the elementary school sits boarded up, and 1/2 the classes are done by correspondence. In fact I believe this year you had one student graduate...Some restaurants close up for the winter. But, you spent time and money making sure that nasty dirty trucks did not offend your streets. Your water sucks..when it used to be the world's absolute best water...Your community moral sucks, no matter how hard one tries to make a silk purse out of a sows ear, it just won't work. Your goal is to make this town something it will never be, you cannot survive on a seasonal economy like tourism in a Hick town.When you take time and effort to put up road blocks to resource in a town that will only survive with resource (you have got to see that is fact by now) you will be the first to destroy what little you still have.
I admit..I am old!! I am shocked at who I have become.I am that old B*tch that goes on and on about the "old days". But in today's world, I live confused. I am confused that the whining of a few, can affect the majority. I am confused when laws are set in place to make work difficult. I am confused when some accept so little, and assume that is good enough. I am confused when some can pay property taxes for a lifetime in a community, and suddenly someone new shows up, and calls the shots.
It is no secret I have social issues, mostly because I can't stand things that don't make sense. I admit I am not always right, but I was taught that common sense would allow me to survive..now I wonder if this was the proper lesson, because it is blatantly clear common sense does NOT prevail.
I have once again had my world turned upside down by things way beyond my control, even though I try very hard to stay in my own little bubble. This time, I am going to try and get as far away from people as possible..because when a community of hard working resource based folks turns into a Bylaw spewing, slowly but surely dying town, nothing makes sense to me, common or uncommon! BTW..No matter what I ranted on about..there are still some in that small town, those who were there back in the "old days" who remember what brings that town to life, I was just visiting..I respect those "oldtimers", who stayed, and wonder if they shake their heads at what has become of their town.
Wednesday, 15 August 2018
B.C. Is Burning
Sometimes when I sit down and begin, I know immediately what I am going to put down is going to raise hackles. But, see, I can't keep quiet when something rubs me wrong, so just going to have to go with the flow, and likely pi$$ some folks off.
Yes, my title, B.C. is burning. It is!! Forest fires all over the province, causing folks to lose their possessions, their homes, their way of life. Pushing stress and anxiety to the limits. I speak from some experience, as a few years back I , also had to pack up what was important to me, and flee my home.
My heart goes out to all of those who have suffered through this. Unlike myself, many of these folks have indeed learned their homes have been destroyed. Without doubt, livestock has been lost, worlds turned totally upside down.
I understand, forest fires are a fact of nature. As one who loves a good thunder storm, I know each time I sit and enjoy the flash of lightening, there is a chance it will spark a blaze that will cause damage. Such is the force of Mother Nature, and..sometimes the result of human carelessness. This happens without our control, this is a fact of life in the forest. Natural fires cause damage, and then Nature rebuilds, beginning with the cycle that has continued through time.
However!!! As one who has grown up in this province, through many decades, and seen and heard about many fires, I find myself with more than a few questions on the Forestry practices in modern day fire fighting.
Months ago, I was driving back from Prince George, and as I went through Fraser Lake, I could see smoke on the horizon. I stopped at a pull out along the way, and could see quite clearly where this fire was. It wasn't huge, but clearly it had potential for disaster. Now this is when the Forest Practices come into question. This is when one checks out the fire on-line (yes everything is on-line now) and reads "this fire is being monitored". O.K. no structures at risk, we will fly over it daily and use our beady little university trained eyes to decide if we are going to attempt to put it out. Hey, that is my personal take on things. Our fault for living in an area of the province that is sparsely populated. Not a whole whack of fancy vacation homes scattered about the back roads, here. Just farms, and the odd family who clearly enjoys space. Just because the eyes in the sky don't see any structures being compromised, does not mean the fire should not be put out! So, all this monitoring, clearly was a mistake. Now suddenly we have more than one community at risk, because Mother Nature pulled a few surprises, and it took off..like...Wildfire! Resources are stretched to the max, because there are so many other fires burning.
I am sorry....But I believe this monitoring business is sh*t!Winds in mountain valleys have minds of their own. They can change in an instant, and that is what happens between the time those eyes in the sky land, and spend their off time, before checking stuff out again. Mother nature does not do a 9-5 job, she is on the job 24-7. So unless these book trained monitors can hang around day and night flying back and forth, they are useless!! One too many times we have seen this happen in our province, and one too many times with disastrous results. Forest fires must be watched all the time, because they change so quickly. Did the books not teach this? With all the new doo dads and internet, and weather reports, and yes, university training..our Forest Fire suppression is worse than it was 20 years ago. Too many people who do not respect Mother Nature, and assume everything goes by the book!
Have you ever seen Foresty fire crews at work? I did when I went through this blasted evacuation crap! I saw a lovely group brought in from New Zealand or Australia. I know... on the news we think yippee..help from abroad. This help is not free, by any means. This help costs far more than our own. This help would sit in the local restaurant because the road to where their equipment was left (oh, and at one time, burned up) was too muddy to travel. Oh, and also their camp was set up in a totally different community, 45 minutes from our town. This meant every morning at starting time..they would all pile in the vehicles and drive out to the fire area, and every afternoon, they would pile in and drive back to the other community. I do not have access to the time sheets, but I imagine the travel time is either extra, or...taken off the actual time worked.I also expect there was a monitor left out in the area. But..while these folks were going back to the camp, local loggers were busy building fire guards, and....they were not stopping when the bell rang.
Forest fire fighting has like so many other things, become big business. Our government has no issue dishing out big contracts, for those in business. Rules and regulations, well, yes, I cannot dispute the serious dangers involved in this work. But, I remember a time when locals could volunteer to try and save their community. Now, well, like everything else, you need a ticket for this, a ticket for that, and few are qualified. I remember when folks would simply be driving through an area with a fire, and they would be stopped and conscripted to fight it. I remember when someone with a pair of binoculars would spot a fire and almost instantly someone was fighting it. I remember as a kid a fire breaking out on the mountain above town, and within hours along came a plane, flew over a few times dousing the flames, and it was out. No one monitored it! Back in those days, we had locals who knew the area, who knew the winds, and would use their expert knowledge to do what was needed. Now we have "experts" who have read all sorts of books, but live in the lower mainland, or maybe the Okanagen, or even Ontario! These folks show up with their minds wrapped around some concept that worked in the last fire in Timbuktu, and figure we can just repeat the game plan here.
This time B.C. is burning quickly. We have found ourselves with monitored fires suddenly becoming aggressive overnight. Hellooooo!! That is what bloody well happens! We have locals asking if fire guards should be built, and the experts stating they are studying this to see where would be best...Talk to the locals!! Talk to the loggers, talk to the guides, talk to those who know their land, and their winds. Leave the bloody books and computers at home. Each and every forest fire in British Columbia is a dangerous one. It does not matter if they are miles from structures, they move quickly when they want, and then it is too late.
Statistics will prove that monitored fires often go rogue, and wind is usually the catalyst. Our fire fighting resource is often pushed to the max in the Okanagen. This area takes up a huge part each and every year, because of population. Structures abound in these parts, and fires occur continually. In MPO our provincial Fire protection is based solely in this area..the rest of the province must deal with whatever is left. Government weighs the population numbers, and look, Telegraph Creek, Fraser Lake, Burns Lake, hummm..low numbers, low media coverage, we will give them what we can, but we must concentrate on the important areas. Go ahead..call me on this...
Maybe it is time for our less populated, heavily forested areas to have their own Fire Protection services, provincially funded, of course. Let the Okanagen have theirs, but let us have a resource in place that can stand up when needed, and concentrate on our area. Don't leave our area to sit and accept monitoring, instead of attack. You only monitor when you assume something is going to stop, you don't monitor until something has grown too large to handle. Let those who know their land, save their land. Instead we have to accept someone who does not have a stake in anything, telling us what the proper procedures are, and then, when they f*ck up (because they have!) they simply walk away after the fact, with nothing lost.
When humans are confronted with the possibility of losing all they have acquired, they will fight to save what they can. I am well aware that personal property is not worth lives..however there is a line, and our government has removed the ability to fight to that line. They clearly believe they know better. I think we now see they don't.
As a blurb, near the end..let me say, never do I dispute the fact fighting forest fires is a dangerous profession. I admire those who spend their lives keeping fit, and working in extreme conditions. Thank you, so much for what you do!! That said...it is past time to change the policies of Forestry when it comes to fighting fires..because this just is not working!!
MPO
Yes, my title, B.C. is burning. It is!! Forest fires all over the province, causing folks to lose their possessions, their homes, their way of life. Pushing stress and anxiety to the limits. I speak from some experience, as a few years back I , also had to pack up what was important to me, and flee my home.
My heart goes out to all of those who have suffered through this. Unlike myself, many of these folks have indeed learned their homes have been destroyed. Without doubt, livestock has been lost, worlds turned totally upside down.
I understand, forest fires are a fact of nature. As one who loves a good thunder storm, I know each time I sit and enjoy the flash of lightening, there is a chance it will spark a blaze that will cause damage. Such is the force of Mother Nature, and..sometimes the result of human carelessness. This happens without our control, this is a fact of life in the forest. Natural fires cause damage, and then Nature rebuilds, beginning with the cycle that has continued through time.
However!!! As one who has grown up in this province, through many decades, and seen and heard about many fires, I find myself with more than a few questions on the Forestry practices in modern day fire fighting.
Months ago, I was driving back from Prince George, and as I went through Fraser Lake, I could see smoke on the horizon. I stopped at a pull out along the way, and could see quite clearly where this fire was. It wasn't huge, but clearly it had potential for disaster. Now this is when the Forest Practices come into question. This is when one checks out the fire on-line (yes everything is on-line now) and reads "this fire is being monitored". O.K. no structures at risk, we will fly over it daily and use our beady little university trained eyes to decide if we are going to attempt to put it out. Hey, that is my personal take on things. Our fault for living in an area of the province that is sparsely populated. Not a whole whack of fancy vacation homes scattered about the back roads, here. Just farms, and the odd family who clearly enjoys space. Just because the eyes in the sky don't see any structures being compromised, does not mean the fire should not be put out! So, all this monitoring, clearly was a mistake. Now suddenly we have more than one community at risk, because Mother Nature pulled a few surprises, and it took off..like...Wildfire! Resources are stretched to the max, because there are so many other fires burning.
I am sorry....But I believe this monitoring business is sh*t!Winds in mountain valleys have minds of their own. They can change in an instant, and that is what happens between the time those eyes in the sky land, and spend their off time, before checking stuff out again. Mother nature does not do a 9-5 job, she is on the job 24-7. So unless these book trained monitors can hang around day and night flying back and forth, they are useless!! One too many times we have seen this happen in our province, and one too many times with disastrous results. Forest fires must be watched all the time, because they change so quickly. Did the books not teach this? With all the new doo dads and internet, and weather reports, and yes, university training..our Forest Fire suppression is worse than it was 20 years ago. Too many people who do not respect Mother Nature, and assume everything goes by the book!
Have you ever seen Foresty fire crews at work? I did when I went through this blasted evacuation crap! I saw a lovely group brought in from New Zealand or Australia. I know... on the news we think yippee..help from abroad. This help is not free, by any means. This help costs far more than our own. This help would sit in the local restaurant because the road to where their equipment was left (oh, and at one time, burned up) was too muddy to travel. Oh, and also their camp was set up in a totally different community, 45 minutes from our town. This meant every morning at starting time..they would all pile in the vehicles and drive out to the fire area, and every afternoon, they would pile in and drive back to the other community. I do not have access to the time sheets, but I imagine the travel time is either extra, or...taken off the actual time worked.I also expect there was a monitor left out in the area. But..while these folks were going back to the camp, local loggers were busy building fire guards, and....they were not stopping when the bell rang.
Forest fire fighting has like so many other things, become big business. Our government has no issue dishing out big contracts, for those in business. Rules and regulations, well, yes, I cannot dispute the serious dangers involved in this work. But, I remember a time when locals could volunteer to try and save their community. Now, well, like everything else, you need a ticket for this, a ticket for that, and few are qualified. I remember when folks would simply be driving through an area with a fire, and they would be stopped and conscripted to fight it. I remember when someone with a pair of binoculars would spot a fire and almost instantly someone was fighting it. I remember as a kid a fire breaking out on the mountain above town, and within hours along came a plane, flew over a few times dousing the flames, and it was out. No one monitored it! Back in those days, we had locals who knew the area, who knew the winds, and would use their expert knowledge to do what was needed. Now we have "experts" who have read all sorts of books, but live in the lower mainland, or maybe the Okanagen, or even Ontario! These folks show up with their minds wrapped around some concept that worked in the last fire in Timbuktu, and figure we can just repeat the game plan here.
This time B.C. is burning quickly. We have found ourselves with monitored fires suddenly becoming aggressive overnight. Hellooooo!! That is what bloody well happens! We have locals asking if fire guards should be built, and the experts stating they are studying this to see where would be best...Talk to the locals!! Talk to the loggers, talk to the guides, talk to those who know their land, and their winds. Leave the bloody books and computers at home. Each and every forest fire in British Columbia is a dangerous one. It does not matter if they are miles from structures, they move quickly when they want, and then it is too late.
Statistics will prove that monitored fires often go rogue, and wind is usually the catalyst. Our fire fighting resource is often pushed to the max in the Okanagen. This area takes up a huge part each and every year, because of population. Structures abound in these parts, and fires occur continually. In MPO our provincial Fire protection is based solely in this area..the rest of the province must deal with whatever is left. Government weighs the population numbers, and look, Telegraph Creek, Fraser Lake, Burns Lake, hummm..low numbers, low media coverage, we will give them what we can, but we must concentrate on the important areas. Go ahead..call me on this...
Maybe it is time for our less populated, heavily forested areas to have their own Fire Protection services, provincially funded, of course. Let the Okanagen have theirs, but let us have a resource in place that can stand up when needed, and concentrate on our area. Don't leave our area to sit and accept monitoring, instead of attack. You only monitor when you assume something is going to stop, you don't monitor until something has grown too large to handle. Let those who know their land, save their land. Instead we have to accept someone who does not have a stake in anything, telling us what the proper procedures are, and then, when they f*ck up (because they have!) they simply walk away after the fact, with nothing lost.
When humans are confronted with the possibility of losing all they have acquired, they will fight to save what they can. I am well aware that personal property is not worth lives..however there is a line, and our government has removed the ability to fight to that line. They clearly believe they know better. I think we now see they don't.
As a blurb, near the end..let me say, never do I dispute the fact fighting forest fires is a dangerous profession. I admire those who spend their lives keeping fit, and working in extreme conditions. Thank you, so much for what you do!! That said...it is past time to change the policies of Forestry when it comes to fighting fires..because this just is not working!!
MPO
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