When The Horizon Seems Dark...

 Hi!

When what's on the horizon seems dark and uncertain, sometimes it's good to take a step back and get a broader perspective. Maybe ask a few questions that, ten years ago, would have seemed idiotic.

Things might not look much better, but every little bit helps... right?

Like, for instance...

Why are elected officials, and others on the people's payroll immediately south of the 49th, trying to string together a go-fund-me for one of, if not thee richest man in the world?

Why is this money-hoarding, attention-seeking, deadbeat dad, goose-stepper, who has stated many times that empathy is a virus, now begging for empathy?

Why do the willfully misinformed insist on staying that way?

Why can't there be a new reality gameshow, the "Almost Amazing Race," where flat-earthers race to the edge, and pit stops would include places like where they filmed the faked moon landing, Bigfoot's den, and the fishing shack where Elvis and JFK Jr. hang out?

Why aren't the people responsible for gutting the FAA and firing air traffic controllers forced to fly using commercial airlines?

Why would anyone want to sabotage the education of the future leaders of their own country?

Why can't some people fathom that not all intelligent children with natural aptitudes for leadership are born into privilege?

How did publicly funded police become a Tesla personal security team?

On what planet is it at all surprising that sovereign countries, threatened by bully morons, retaliate?

How can a 78-year-old not understand that countries aren't simply parcels of real estate? I mean, I know he doesn't have the intelligence of a half-dead goldfish, but... really?

Can critical thinking be taught?

Why is the Bloated Cheeto cult hosting infomercials on TrumpTV, trying to sell $100,000, dangerously problem-riddled "vehicles" to people who are struggling to afford basic breakfast ingredients?

Whatever happened to the caravans of evil immigrants of 2020, or the ones that wanted to chef up a Pet Cemetery buffet in 2024? Did they go the way of the boogeymen of yore?

What are all these super-rich people always so mad about?

Why are they so scared of everybody and that doesn't look exactly like them?

Why is the word "equality" so terrifying?

Do they really think that banning words, books, and pictures actually changes history?

How are some of these people so rich, and plagued with such incompetent idiocy at the same time?

Well, I think that's most of my questions, for now.

I'm sure there will be more... every... single... day,  now that the insanity circus is in full swing.

We'll get through this.

Elbows Up!

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Elbows Up!...

 Hi!

I just don't get it.

On what planet of some alternate, multi-verse, twilight-zone situation does the Bloated Orange live on?

I get that he's old, and that he has some definite progressive, cognitive degeneration speeding right along, but that was happening long before the IDIOTS (Intellectually Deficient Insipid Toddlers Society) put him back behind the big boy desk that used to be a serious place. 

I get that he has some special needs as far as he can't seem to muster the ability to comprehend anything more complicated than "person, woman, man, camera, tv." (Assuming he could still manage to do that... I mean that was several years ago, right?)

I get that he simply doesn't understand that, although governments don't and shouldn't be run like businesses, they definitely should NOT be run into the ground like the many businesses he either bankrupted or had to shut down due to all the frauding and whatnot. I mean even a Casino! People without high school educations built Vegas from scratch and made it a huge success! Sure there is rumoured lore as to the origins of the money that bankrolled it all, but..... I mean, maybe the Bloated Orange's backers' surnames are spelled with the Cyrillic instead of Roman alphabet... but still...

I get that he can't wrap his swiss-cheesed brain around the fact that countries outside of the US are just as sovereign, just as free, and have all the same rights that the US has to stay that way.

I get that he thinks he can bully his way across the world, betraying alliances, making idiotic demands,  fully expecting everyone to simply bow down and kiss the ring. 

I know that he has absolutely no understanding of actual, factual history.

I know he believes that if he just repeats the lies and demands loud enough and often enough, that if he kicks up a big enough stink, the world will crumble at his feet and submit. He believes it, because up to now, it has worked. But, up to now, he has only been dealing with people afraid of him, people who are intimidated.

The world, as a collective, wears very few red hats with misguided logos. 

The complete and utter disrespect. The dismissive verbiage. The absolute lack of foresight.

A toddler in desperate need of a nap, having been told that their favourite cup is broken, and they've just eaten the last of the yogurt.

I get all of that. Sadly, in the last ten years. the learning of this imbecile has been unavoidable. 

What I don't get, is everybody else. 

The placating, the boot-licking, the back-bending gymnastics, the soul-selling, the capitulating, the fear of him, the willingness to trash what you stand for... for... him. 

The news pretending that he and his minions have valid points.. about... anything, really. Trying to make cases for the fiction that up is really down, that the sky is green and the grass is blue, that the world might just be flat, that rain isn't wet, that what we are witnessing isn't, somehow, what we are witnessing.

That we don't recognize an evil salute when we see it. That we can't see what gutting the nuts and bolts of the day-to-day operations of agencies that provide money for veterans and pensioners will do when it comes to processing checks or answering phones. 

They wish their citizens to pay attention to the dog and pony show of teslas in the driveway, instead of the dismantling of the best parts of where you live, and who you are.

He, along with those who prop him up, is destroying your friendships and relationships around the world, ripping away your safety nets, and causing you unnecessary financial hardships, for absolutely no reason other than ego and their own personal greed. 

I don't get it. He's old. He's sick. The sun is going down on his time left on this earth... and this is how he is choosing to spend his golden years? Does he actually think he can take it all with him? I wouldn't put it past him. 

I don't get what makes him, and people like him tick. Making it their mission in life to hurt as many people as possible. Trying to make groups of people fear and hate each other. Creating and spreading devastating misery wherever and whenever possible. Accumulate... above all else... accumulate, without bounds, unfettered by integrity... accumulate.

The world is not for sale or for the taking just because you'd like to believe it is. 

So go ahead and have your tantrums, stamp your feet, scream and bellow, pout, do what you gotta do... 

We're still going to be Canada, Greenland will still be Greenland, the Panama Canal will remain the Panama Canal, and, yes, the Gulf of Mexico will still be the Gulf of Mexico long after you are gone. 

Redrawing maps with a sharpie didn't work during hurricane season any more than it will now. 

At some point somebody is going to have sit him down and tell him the truth, you know, have the big boy talk. 

Reality isn't going to bend to fit his fantasy.

Sorry. 

Elbows Up! 

 

  

59....Here I Come!

 

Hi!

And yes, these photos are here to remind those of us who live amongst snowbanks for a good chunk of the year that they WILL go away... eventually!

That's why Groundhog Day is kind of a joke around here. We would be absolutely stoked if winter ONLY lasted 6 weeks past Feb. 2nd! That would be fantastic! That would mean we would be snowless in about a week from now..... yeah.... not gonna happen. Not even close.

Anywayyyyyy.....

So, I turned 59 this week! 

Most of the time I have to stop and do the math to remind myself of my age. Sometimes, I feel every second of the 59 years. Always, I'm forever grateful for the chance to grow older.,for there are far too many who are robbed of the privilege. 

From a lifetime of physical labour, my body has had to endure more wear and tear than the average Gen X Grandma. The years of heavy lifting, long hours on concrete floors, having four babies in 41/2 years, waiting tables, running dayhome, cleaning commercial buildings, cleaning hotel rooms, all kinds of work-related injuries, and all that was part of growing up on a farm in the 70's and 80's... yeah, it's all present and accounted for.

Because of all of this, the knees aren't great, the hips don't lie, but they swear at me now and again, Arthiritis has begun to whisper sweet nothings into my hands, my shins like to scream at me every so often, and I'm slowly becoming a human barometer. 

I know for a fact, I am far from alone. There are more people who make their way through life putting their bodies through things they shouldn't in order to make a living than there are those who don't.

Don't get me wrong, if I would have had to ride a desk chair 40 hours a week for the last 40 years, I would have been miserable. I'd probably be able to kneel on the floor to look for something that rolled under the fridge without crying, but I would have been miserable.

Thankfully, some are built for desk jockey jobs, and some are not. The world couldn't survive without both being present. 

The thing is, historically, the jobs that break our bodies have always paid less than. They are equally important, and though they may not require as much formal education, they do require intelligence and an ability to acquire new skills, sometimes an entirely new skillset, as employment shifts, promotions are gained, or a complete shift in career is needed.

Society would like us to believe that people who live paycheck to paycheck just mismanage their money. That somehow if they would just work a little harder, or give up things they don't need, that they would be fine.

The thing is, people shouldn't have to work two or three jobs just so they can eat AND have power. 

We are supposed to be able to work to make a living. "Living" being the operative word.

We shouldn't have to spend every waking hour working or trying to think of ways to work more and still have more month at the end of the money than money at the end of the month.

Everyone should be able to afford a little joy, a little fun, a bit of a holiday now and again. 40 hours a week should make that possible.

The average income in Canada in 1980 was about $41,348.

The average income in Canada in 2021 was about $68,400.

So Joe and Joann Average got a raise of about 1.66% over 41 years.

The average monthly rent in Canada in 1980 was about $243.00.  That's about 7.5% of the income.

The average monthly rent in Canada in 2021 was about $1752.00. That's about 30.5% of the income.

If you factor in the disproportionate rise in other costs of living, such as utilities, groceries and owning a vehicle, let alone, I don't know, going to a movie, it doesn't take a genius to figure out why Millenials, and Gen Z's are getting burnt out before they even get started.

The idea of owning a home is out of reach for most. Hell, the idea of living without roommates feels like a pipedream. 

There isn't a person on the planet who wants to live on a hamster wheel, where they will simply run until they die. For a lot of young people right now, that's what it feels like.

Getting a degree guarantees only a lifetime of student loans, but not necessarily the promised career that will bring actual prosperity. 

When you ask little kids what they want to be when they grow up, anything short of being a superhero or a unicorn should be possible.

We need to find a way to make our kids' dreams possible again.

The status quo isn't sustainable. We need these next generations to run things when we are too old. They can't do it if they are burnt out by age 40 from working three jobs just to live on ramen, with 3 roommates, and little else to motivate them but the panic and anxiety that constantly living in survival mode provides. 

So yeah, these knees may have seen better days, but they still get me where I need to go. My wish for those that come after me is to have it a little easier. To be allowed to make a life, not just a living. To make enough money as to free up time to enjoy the life they are working for.

Not wanting to work all the damn time doesn't mean you are lazy. It means you're human. 

Comfort and financial stability should be for everyone, not just the few. 

Not having to worry how to cover next month's bills is what most dream about. 

That's it. It's that simple.

So, 59 here I come! Let's do what we can to lighten the load of those who will follow. 

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Just Be A Deer.....

Hi!

As the Asshats of the world seem to be, once again, eating up center stage, as the belligerent bully blowhards lose what little grip on reality they've held by a sweaty fingertip's grasp, as the delusions of grandeur take unfettered hold, in a world of jackals... just be a deer.

Deer work together to provide food and shelter for each other in harsh times. They stand together to weather storms. They understand the strength of numbers.

We seem to be living in a time when simple things, things like actual definitions of words are in question. 

Where long-held, well-thought-out names for historic places are being changed willy-nilly style by people who have profound, deep-rooted issues with people when they want to change their own, personal names that will affect no one but them.

It's reverse Robin Hood. Cancel food stamps and access to health care, so billionaires can pay even fewer  taxes.

It's ass-backward job creation. Fire thousands of essential workers, including veterans, gutting the fundamental workings of how day-to-day life functions for the majority of people.

Alienating your allies to befriend those who will eat you the second you show your belly. This fiddle-playing boy band toys with their groupie, waiting to take grotesque advantage of his murky mind, feeble body, and anal-dwelling lackeys.

The end goal is elusive. The attempted browbeating of citizens into any kind of submission, historically, has never lasted very long. People will only put up with so much before they simply say 'enough', and begin to become the vessels of real change.

What comes from trying to bully and shame allies in an office where history has cut its teeth? Do you truly believe the world will side with those who not only lick, but offer to devour the boots of a maniacal dictator? Do you truly think that people who still suffer from the echoes of the tormented battle cries that filled the rancid air of wars that never seem to end, will take up your twisted agenda? Those who are still here, ravaged now with age, gutted by watching what they sacrificed so much to fight against attempting to goose-step across a country that once was the beckoning light of freedom? 

The deer outnumber the jackals.

Standing together against this kind of cruel greed has been done before. It's just so incredibly sad that humanity refuses to learn the lessons history so desperately tries to teach. Cruel, soulless, cowardly monsters are handed power through the hands of the desperate, misinformed and willfully ignorant.

The truth has been, and continues to, be screamed from the mountain tops, falling only on the ears of those who already understand. Predjudices of every flavour create fears of imaginary dangers... Dangers that seem to magically disappear when sights are set on the next "other," the next "them." 

These fools will not stand... at least not for long. After all, they hate each other almost as much as they hate feeding hungry children. 

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You Just Don't Seem To Understand....

 Hi,

None of us survive without our fellow humans.

We just don't. The idea that any one person, any one province, state or territory, any one country can survive, let alone thrive without assistance of any kind from anyone, is nothing short of delusional.

To think you can simply walk through the world demanding what belongs to others, shaking your fists, stomping your heavily-booted feet, and, because you have money and are obnoxious, feel everyone should bend to your bidding without any thought to their own needs, is just absolutely insane.

To think that you alone are so important that the entire world needs to revolve around you, that the collective remainder of the planet can't thrive without you, is main character syndrome running amok. 

To think wielding ridiculous threats at those who have done nothing but be good friends, neighbours, and trading partners, who have stood with you through times of trouble, and cheered with you in times of triumph, somehow makes you anything but a pariah, you need to seek help. 

What are you trying to achieve? What is the long game? Do you even have the remotest clue as to what you are doing?  What you're doing to important, amicable relationships that are nearly a century old? Relationships not only with those who have aligned themselves with you in the past, but your relationship with your very own citizens?

What happens after you and those who think like you are gone? What kind of mess will be left? 

The kind of trust being broken in this moment will take generations to repair, if it ever can be repaired at all.

All of this damage, for what? To enhance the power and wealth of a select, delusional few who seem to truly believe they are actually better than everyone else? 

The fact that we need each other is generally learned very early in life, at least most of us become aware of this before we can walk. Then, there are some who think they get where they are completely on their own. They rewrite their histories to fit their narrative of self-aggrandization, minimizing the meaningful, crucial interactions with, and contributions from, those that have had a hand, lended a hand, and given a hand up, along the way.

The bad thing is, you just don't seem to understand...

The sad thing is, you just don't seem to care...

The worst thing is, you are creating a world filled with uncertainty and hate for absolutely no reason.

You are creating the threat, then convincing the gullible you are saving them from said threat.

Start a theoretical dumpster fire, level the entire city, convincing those who will believe anything, that you had to destroy everything to put out the fire that didn't actually exist, then throw yourself a parade to applaud your imagined strength and heroism. Sell your hero merch to the deceived for disgusting profit. Escalate. Repeat. 

You are, in this moment, creating a history from which we will all need to heal... not celebrate. 

Congratulations.

Happy Love Day!

 

Hi!

Valentine's Day, the day to celebrate love.

Well, the day for which all the ads tell us that we need to buy expensive gifts.

Another one.

Well, it's been my experience that if expensive gifts and grand gestures are needed to convince your Valentine that you care, there is definitely something bigger going on.

Am I saying you shouldn't buy gifts or put forth grand gestures? Absolutely not! If that's what blows your skirt up, do it! All I'm saying, is that it should never be required.

What you do on Valentine's Day is not a litmus test, or any other kind of test. 

It's not an annual performance review of your relationships or any other part of your life. 

From where I sit, romantic love, love of family, love of friends, love for others walking the planet, should be celebrated every day. Just imagine what the world would look like if that happened. 

Being 40 years deep in a true ride-or-die romantic relationship with my hubby, I can tell you this...

The rom-com version of romance actually accounts for a much smaller percentage of your overall relationship than you might think. The majority of it is spent growing a bond that nothing can break. It's caring so deeply that the thought of hurting them, even by some accidental slip of the tongue, makes you sick to your stomach. 

It's enjoying the things you have in common, while supporting and respecting interests that light them up, but might bore you to tears.

It's about getting through life's shit storms, each taking a turn holding the umbrella as needed.

It's about finding solutions to impossible problems in a way that, though may not make you both happy, you both can get okay with. 

It's about rolling with the changes that are inevitable. Kids, no kids. Kids activities, Kids leaving home, kids staying home. Health challenges, losses of loved ones, changes in jobs and finances. Where to live, where not to live. 

Everything is a compromise. Not because you have to, but because you choose to. Because you chose to create this team. This team in which you are co-captains. So you choose, each and every day, to do everything within your power to make your team stronger.

You create this team with the person you can't imagine a life without. You plan to be together forever. You keep striving to make it better, each and every day because, as you get older, you begin to understand that forever isn't nearly the vast distance you once thought it was. 

Time is precious, don't waste it by celebrating love only one day a year. By celebrating only one kind of love. 

Happy Love Day! 

When Beautiful Is Mistaken For Broken...

 

Hi!

At first glance, if you choose not to look too close, these images can seem to depict something shattered or broken.

But, if you take just a little bit of time, you soon come to realize it is simply beautiful. A result of the extreme. When things get so cold, when the bitterness seems so deep you feel it, not only in your bones, but in the marrow, buried within. 

The world seems to be drenched in the extreme bitterness, hate, and fear, wielded by those who believe they are the most important, smartest people in every room... always. 

If you don't look too close, the world seems broken. The misguided overreach from those who believe the world functions on bullying and greed. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely facets that do run that way. Facets that feed the greed, the greed that created an entire demographic called "the working poor." Greed on behalf of those who already have more than they need is the only reason that demographic exists.

If you look closer, you see those who are fighting against it all. They may not be as loud, they may not wield the same individual power, but as a collective? Never underestimate those who have truly had to fight for everything. We get tired, but never tired enough to make us give up. 

The beautiful. The coming together to fight a common enemy. Greed of money, greed of power, the bullying tactics that try to push through policies that benefit only those who already have too much. 

Although it feels like the current of corruption is strong, it is beatable. A tsunami of kindness and acceptance is coming. 

Those who cling to these hateful, antiquated ways are in the vast minority. They know it, we know it, and they are scared. The number of people who follow and believe in what they say and do is diminishing. The followers are finding that the "education" they receive through toxic, misinformed means, doesn't work in the real world, where they are regularly confronted with reality. The reality that most people are NOT okay with spewing hate. The reality that your toxic behavior will get you fired, or keep you from getting a job at all. The reality that most people don't want to hang around the kind of willful ignorance that goes with these twisted views of the world. 

These are the last desperate breaths of an old, sick, corrupt, backward, ignorant way of walking the earth. They are clinging to a power they should have never been so blindly given.

There will be a lot of swill to walk through to get there. We will have to fight for every right they try to trample. We will need to use every ounce of our power to slog through this muck to get to fertile gardens.

We will cease to support brands that support, or come from a place that supports those who want to be kings. We can aim our dollars at inclusive businesses who pay a living wage. When you are buying whiskey, when you are buying groceries, when you are buying cars... pay attention. Make sure your money is going where you want it to. 

To those who are living in the delusion that we are broken, that we are kind, therefore we are weak, that they have worn us down to the point of giving up... know this... you are wrong. 

History proves over and over again, that no matter how much damage evil does along the way, we always come back. Your power is temporary, you know it, we know it, the coming-of-age generations you have traumatized absolutely know it, the people of colour, the people of the LBGTQ+ community, those with souls not encrusted with evil  know it.

The world runs on people power. The cogs, the gears, the labourers, this was never more evident than when the world shut down. Nobody was missing the CEO's, the yacht owners, the tycoons. We needed the nurses, the grocery workers, the delivery drivers... the people who actually keep the world moving. 

Let them have their bravado, their evil nonsense, their delusions of superiority. We know the truth, and we will feed it to them soon. 

Let's go to work. 

We are not broken. We are beautiful, and we will be more than happy to show you what that looks like.