A Couple Things...

 

Hi!

So, this "protest" has been going on for three weeks now.

I've been watching live feeds that are being recorded by the 'freedom fighters', I've been watching live news broadcasts, I've been watching from every angle available to me. 

A couple things...

Most of the people supporting and participating in this occupation live in some kind of delusional state wherein they really thought that them showing up and bogarting our Capitol city would result in the entirety of the country caving in to their demands. They thought they could stomp their feet long enough and loud enough that our democracy would just step aside and let them appoint some sort of leader and take over our country. 

They really thought that was a logical outcome. For real. 

Their definition of  "truth" is interesting.

Apparently "truth" means holding misinformation and insane conspiracy theories in the same regard as actual facts. Like they are somehow equal. 

"Truth" means giving the same credence to self-proclaimed "experts" with little education and even less experience in epidemiology as you do to lifelong immunologists. 

Their "freedom" is apparently way more important than yours, mine, or that of anyone else. 

They decided to occupy our Capitol city under the guise of fighting for freedom. 

First, none of your freedoms have ever been taken away. 

Nobody forced you to get vaccinated. That has been, and will always be your choice. Nobody forced you to wear a mask. That was a choice. 

These choices carry consequences. You might not like them, the consequences, but they are the result of the choices you make. 

Any legitimate hesitations you've had about masks or vaccines have been laid to rest by real-world data. With the emphasis on the word "real." 

So many that are involved in this craziness have been, and continue to be, willingly and tragically misinformed.

Some brought small children, and kept them in the mix, blatantly at times, even after police started enforcing the law, and walking them back.

But I digress. "Freedom"

So I heard many times from occupiers that they were fighting for the freedoms of 'all' Canadians.

Okay, cool.

So what about the freedom of the citizens of Ottawa? Occupiers made it impossible for stores, restaurants, and other places of business to remain open because of their brutal disregard for civility.

What about the freedom of the people who live in the neighbourhood you've taken hostage? The constant noise not letting them sleep, their children sleep, and in one case cause their autistic children undeserved distress?

What about the freedom of the press? I watched as journalists trying to do their job and cover what was going on, be attacked, spit on, called Nazis, liars and traitors. 

What about the freedom of the 95% of the country that doesn't appreciate you costing our country in trade, reputation, peace, and whatever it will cost to shut you down and clean up your mess?

This was, by no definition, a peaceful protest. Sure you had hot tubs, bouncy castles, and DJ's. Sure, YOU gleaned some twisted sense of fun at the expense of everyone else. You tried to portray this as some sort of block party with a purpose.

It wasn't.

This was a pathetic, failed coup attempt organized by racist grifters under the guise of a tantrum over pandemic protections. 

That's it. 

So some of you are now going to cry about how you were 'mistreated' by police.

You were given endless opportunities to leave, it's been your choice to stay.

Again, choices have consequences, and nowhere is it ever promised that you will enjoy those consequences. 

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Until next time...

May we get past this, and once again show the world who we REALLY are.

May we find a way to be us again, we can't keep doing this, it's too hard.

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Her Hand, Holding His, For Us All...

 Hi.

This week, I'm taking a break from the big picture. This week, we say goodbye to Uncle Bob. 

I wish everyone, every single person on the planet, through the course of their lifetime, could experience someone like Uncle Bob.

A sweeter soul, you'll never find. The uncle to an overwhelming number of nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and nephews, even some double greats, always ready with a smile, and a "Hey, Turkey."

A quiet guy, loved by soooooo many. 

Bob was special. Never in a hurry, always having time to help in any way he could, always ready to chat, and always ready to take the side of an underdog. He grew up in a time in which his uniqueness wasn't always appreciated as it should have been. This made him resilient and contributed to a strength the rest of us can only wish for. 

My memories of Uncle Bob come from when I still lived at home and he still lived with Grandma and Grandpa. When he was at the house, you could usually find him in the basement, either reading a Louis L'Amour novel, or playing pool. He was always willing to show you how to play, and was more than patient, at least until you became good enough to win the odd game.

Bob carried within him, such a profound gentleness, especially for those he deemed in need of protection. An amazing spirit with so much to teach everyone around him. I regret that when I lived near, when the opportunities were most abundant, I was too young, too oblivious, to understand and appreciate what a precious resource he was.

He navigated through his life under the protective wings of Grandma and Grandpa, and when they became unable to do so, his siblings. A life made as big as possible. Sadly, his final years were pretty tough,  having to deal with a lot of discomfort, loss, and pain, but still able to muster a smile. 

Thankfully and gratefully, he didn't have to do any of that alone.

In his final moments, his hand was held by his baby sister, someone who loved him dearly. My hope is that she, and he, could feel the love for him, coming from so many, flowing through her fingers, washing over him, as he breathed his last breaths. Her hand, holding his, for all of us. 

I hope he really understood just how much he was loved and will be missed.

Now, he's at peace. No more discomfort, no more pain. No more doctors. No more people fussing. 

Now, he's free.

The impact Uncle Bob had on each of us will be different. Each of us will have our own memories, our own lessons, our own experiences.

My plan is to revisit some of my favourites, sit with them a minute, and, with any luck, glean the lessons I was too young to appreciate when they happened. 

We love you Uncle Bob. Rest in blissful peace. You earned it. 

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Until next time...

May everything you ever dreamed of be laid at your feet.

May everything be easy, without even a hint of struggle, your bliss, complete.

May you now know, if you didn't before, just how much you were loved and will be missed.

May you ride off into one of the famed sunsets you loved to read about, the hero, writing your own plot twist. 

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You Don't Get To Claim Victory In A War You Refused To Fight...

 

Hi!

What these 'freedom fighters' fail to realize...

This whole time, and I do mean this WHOLE time, this has not been a war of 

Us vs. them

The government vs. them

The science vs. them

Some crazy notion of some "one world order' crap vs. them.

No, this whole entire time the real war has been

Humanity vs. Pandemic

That's it. The rest has been a shit storm of noise and masterful manipulation.

The restrictions WILL be lifted. Because that has been the plan the entire time. They were never meant to be permanent, they were just one of the weapons we had in our arsenal to fight against this Pandemic.

They WILL be lifted... when the science says it's safe to do so.

No amount of convoys and protests change the facts. We slack off too soon, our health care system takes a hit. That's been proven over and over when restrictions have been relaxed too soon in the past. 

It's a balancing act, for sure, and no matter what you do, a faction of people are going to be pissed. 

We all want to go back to life as we knew it.

We ALL do. We are ALL tired, frustrated, anxious, and fed up.

But, if we jump the gun, we'll set ourselves back, and NOBODY wants that.

So, yes, we are close. The restrictions will be lifted, likely slowly, and not all at once, but lifted... soon.

The lift won't have anything to do with convoys, protests, harassment of health care workers, or screaming at other front-line workers about mask mandates.

No, we did this. We made it so this can happen. Those of us who did drive-by holidays, wore masks without complaint, kept our distance, sacrificed time with loved ones, got vaccinated, and all the other things. 

While you've been busy screaming into the abyss, and abusing grocery clerks, we've been out here doing the hard things, what needed to be done. 

You're welcome. 

You don't get to claim victory in a war you refused to fight. 

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Until next time...

May we get to the end of this in one piece.

May the victims of the occupation get peace.

May those who harass, insult, and assault, take a breath, and really look at what they're doing.

May those who are being held hostage by this insanity get their lives back, released from what's brewing.

May those who somehow believe that their rights trump all others and laws, to them simply don't apply,

May they come to understand the reality of what they are doing, your freedom is NOT more important than mine. 

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Tell Me Again How This Makes Sense...

 

Hi!

So much that is going on with Covid, the vaccines, the mandates, the restrictions, some would love you to believe, falls into a very grey area.

The thing is, the majority of it, well, just really doesn't.

We live in a democracy. In a democracy, the majority rules. When you are not part of that majority, it can be a tough pill to swallow, but we do, because we want to maintain our democracy. 

Those fighting against mandates, restrictions, basically using any of the tools we have to fight this virus, would love you to believe that they represent all of us. As you can see from my photos, the vast majority of our country and our province are vaccinated. This same majority have no problem with the mandates, in fact, some of them think there should be more. 

None of us enjoy the restrictions. But, most of us understand that this is a worldwide medical crisis, and as citizens of the world, we need to treat it as such, and must each do our part to do what we can. 

The big rally in Ottawa.

Explain to me why there are confederate flags present. 

Explain to me in a way that makes sense, how wearing a mask, and needing to be vaccinated in to go to Red Lobster, is the same as the Holocaust? 

Explain to me how a child wearing a mask is 'abuse' but not doing what you can to protect them from every variant of this virus with every tool in your tool chest, isn't?

Let's say you get your wish. Let's say all the mandates, all the restrictions, every safeguard is lifted, and we simply go back to life as it was before Covid. 

Will that magically make the virus disappear? No, no it will not.

Right now, almost all  Covid patients landing in ICU's, getting hit with long-haul symptoms, or dying, are unvaccinated. If safeguards are all lifted, do you think that changes? No, there would just be more. For those of us who are adhering to the protocols, we aren't doing it for us. This far in, we are doing it for those most vulnerable, and, those who remain shot free are just that, the most vulnerable. 

Our health care system is already strained to its limits. What do you think a free-for-all would look like?

The only reason mandates had to be put in place at all was to encourage people to use the tools available to them. The choices have always, and continue to be, up to the individual. But, choices have consequences. With every choice, there is a consequence. What about this don't anti-vaxers understand?

I'm watching as journalists interview participants.

I'm tired of Covid

The vaccine will turn me into half a robot.

I just want to go to hockey.

I want to go to concerts again.

I don't like being told what to do.

These are their reasons. 

Freedom!

Freedom? You have that. You've always had that. You are free not to get vaccinated and accept the consequences of that choice. You are free to not wear a mask. You just have to do it at home. 

We wear seatbelts, we drive without drinking, we wear clothes. We choose to do all of these things knowing that if we don't, there are consequences. 

I hate to break it to you, but you are being told what to do every freakin' day. 

If you work for someone else.

If you pay your bills.

If you exchange money for goods and services.

Unless you are independently wealthy, and are on permanent vacation without any financial limitations, you are being told what to do on some level all the time. 

Don't pay your power bill for while, the consequences will get real pretty quickly. 

This freedom you crave, simply doesn't exist on any real level. 

So, a select few have been raising money from hardworking people to do what? Well, that remains to be seen. 

The stripping of mandates won't happen until it's deemed safe to do so by medical experts. Stomping your feet isn't going to change that. But you know what would? Getting everybody who is eligible, vaccinated. 

The rallying folks like to say that the mandates are divisive. You know what is divisive? The 20% of people holding the other 80% hostage. 

Yes, you are louder. Ok.

Yes, you like to believe all kinds of things that don't have any basis in reality. Ok. 

Yes, you like to make life miserable for service workers. Ok.

None of this makes it any more real.

2+2=4

You can not like that it equals four. You can not believe that it equals four, if you so choose. You can create narratives about how the fact that it equals four infringes upon your freedoms. You can find people who believe that the fact that it equals four is trying to control you, or turn you into a robot, or a magnet, or change your DNA. You can create/follow entire communities that like to believe all of the things you do.

You have the freedom to do and believe all these things. Does it change the fact that the answer is four? No... no it does not. 

20% of our population wants to drive the narrative, and pretend that they are the majority.

Two plus two is still four. 

Don't let these people make you think they have a bigger voice than they actually do. 

This rally will change nothing. Why? Because that isn't how our system works. We are a democracy with procedures, and protocols that dictate how things are done. 

This rally is further proof of the profound ignorance that is fed to the gullible by the greedy. 

At this writing, organizers of this particular rally have raised $8.1 million, without saying what exactly they will be using the money for. Hmmmmmmmm

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May we get to the end of this in one piece. 

 

Serenity In The Midst Of Insanity...

 

Hi!

So...

The world, right now, seems crazier than ever. And that, as we all know, is saying a lot. There is so much happening all over the world, at breakneck speed.

From underwater volcanos erupting, causing heartache, devastation, and tsunamis, to Putin flexing, to North Korea testing, to long-overdue residential school documentation finally being put in their rightful, indigenous, hands, to consequences creeping ever closer to landing in Trump's lap, to Omicron, the latest, catchiest Corona tune to hit the charts. 

 First, the underwater volcano. Tonga, a gathering of islands in Oceania, 105,697 souls call it home. Or at least, they did until it was devastated. Now, so many are displaced, left without water, shelter, or food. A horrible tragedy that gives the rest of the world a beautiful opportunity to help. They were closest, so, of course, hit the hardest. The ripple effects of this volcano, however, have touched shores thousands of miles, away affecting hundreds of thousands of people. It's almost like Mother Nature is trying to show us something. 

Then there's Putin. His whole "I'm not touching you" defense about his aggression toward Ukraine. He is a toddler seeing just how far he can push boundaries before consequences kick in. Driven by a toxic, narcissistic ego, an insatiable hunger for power, and bottomless pit of greed, this gluttonous asshat needs to be kept in check. If the allies of NATO hold strong, his spanking is inevitable. 

Now, North Korea, also run by an egomaniacal troll who has been silver spoon-fed a constant diet of "who's a good boy?" to bolster a self-esteem that needs nothing more than to be brought down to earth... testing. Testing what? Nobody is saying with 100% certainty. Let's just say NATO has its hands full. 

Next, the Canadian Government finally, and I do mean finally, handed over records regarding the horrendous, concentration camps that they, and the Catholic church, tried to pass off as residential schools, to the Indigenous leaders they should have handed them to decades ago. With the information provided by these documents, so many families will finally know where their loved ones were taken to, where they were abused, where they died from neglect, straight-up murdered, and where they are buried in mass, unmarked graves. So many families will finally get some excruciatingly overdue closure. 

Okay... Trump. All the money, lawyers, fixers, and intimidators in the world haven't been able to stave off reality. Grand juries in two states, an array of special, civil, and criminal. He has nothing left to throw at the wall, and nothing has stuck, thus far. It's not hard to figure out why, at least not for sane people. You see, the courts deal in facts. That's it. They don't care about your ego, your foot-stomping, your tantrums, or your lies. They don't care how much money you pretend to have, or pretend not to have, depending who you are trying to impress, banks or IRS. Obvious bull crap like the square footage of your apartment... really? Such an easily disproved lie. I mean, if he didn't think he'd get caught with such a blatant lie, I can only imagine the whoppers they've found and will continue to find in more hidden places. 

Okay, last but definitely not least, Omicron. It's taken over the planet. Because it's soooo transmissible, more breakthrough cases are happening. But, my friends the vaccines are still working to keep us from getting super sick and dying. In my home province, for example, we are sitting, today at an 80% rate of eligible people being fully vaccinated. In the hospitals, 60% of Covid patients are not vaccinated. So 20% of the population is using 60% of our hospitals' Covid resources. It costs about $23000 per day to treat a covid patient in the ICU. We have 215 of those cases, with about 80% of them being unvaccinated. Vaccines are working. They are doing everything they were designed to do. How much money, and precious human and hospital resources are we using to treat people who wouldn't have to be there if they had just gotten vaccinated? The anti-vax, antimask, anti-restriction people are doing worse than nothing to help put this virus in the rearview mirror. They are actively helping it to put a strain on an already exhausted system. 

Just one question. Why? I just don't get it. 

So.... what do we do with all the chaos swirling around us? Our best. That's what. Whatever that looks like for each of us. We try not to let it devour us. We remind ourselves that we can't control or fix other people or their behavior. We learn when to stand our ground, and when doing so is futile. 

As I sit here, writing this, I can't help but picture a poker table. Around it sits Betty White, Bob Saget, Louie Anderson, and Meatloaf. Bob, Betty, and Louie writing bits about Trump and all the other chaos, working them into a script, while Meatloaf composes the soundtrack.

I'd buy tickets to that show, for sure. 

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Until next time...

May you find calm in the midst of chaos, peace in the Malay, serenity in the midst of this insanity. 

May we seek refuge in what makes us shine, what makes us laugh, in what puts the human in our humanity.

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Sitting In The Minute...

 Hi!

What you find when you discover an SD card from an old camera. We had one turn up at the bottom of a drawer. It had 163 photos on it. I downloaded it onto my laptop.

The pictures were from a scattered stretch of time seeming to range from about 2004 to about 2010. Taking some pics? Grab a card from the stash. I always had more than one card floating around at a time. So finding one with photos spanning 6 years really isn't all that surprising.

 A digital time capsule.

The pics I chose to share here, now, though not all from the prementioned card, are ones of our third daughter. From then til now, in a blink, but also a lifetime. 

There were other photos. Nieces, nephews, grandbabies, my Mom, the sisters who no longer walk the planet. There were camping trips, tournaments, family functions, and photos commemorating nothing more than being together. They are memories, all good, some, though, still scrape at the scars of grief. 

As the circumstances of the world we currently live in keeps pushing us to recalibrate, as we continue to reevaluate priorities, a surprise glimpse into the past reveals much.

In those moments, those original moments, I know now, I took them for granted.

There would have been no way to fathom the twists and turns life would take. 

No way to predict the challenges, the tragedies, the loss, the milestones achieved, the strides taken. As a parent, I can't help but look back and think, if I had only had a crystal ball at pivotal moments, I could have prevented so much pain for my girls. If I had known then, what I know..... well, so many things. 

But, this is life. 

If we had that crystal ball, if we prevented our kids from experiencing the heartaches, would we be cheating them out of who they were meant to be? 

Our life experiences, both good and bad, fundamentally shape who we are. If we are open, and very lucky, they continue to do so until our souls take flight. 

In those moments, I know now, I took them for granted.

You get so caught up in doing what you have to do to make life work, it's easy to lose sight of what really makes life work. 

I'm trying to do better. I'm trying to be more present. I'm trying to give myself permission to be still more. I'm trying to be in each moment more fully, allowing those moments to soak in. 

One minute, your baby is just that, the next, she's 31, with three kidlets of her own. 

In those moments, I know now, I took them for granted.

My big sisters.

The begrudged sharing of space, and other things. The teaching of lessons, no matter how accidental. The late-night heart-to-hearts that bared our souls. The protection given, although, sometimes misguided, always came from a loving heart. Always there to do things first, if not clearing, at least revealing different paths, there for the taking. There to catch me when I fell. 

The family gatherings, the phone calls, the rides to dialysis, the trivial pursuit marathons, the movie discussions, the heated debates about endless things, the belly laughs, and cleansing tears. We solved the world's problems countless times over, simultaneously lifting and grounding each other like only sisters can. 

I miss them every day. Char, gone at 46. Yvonne, weeks before turning 60. Our time here is never guaranteed. 

Now, I'm doing my best to be the best I can for my little sister, like only sisters can. 

Moving forward, I'm going to practice. Practice sitting in the minute, soaking in the moments. If, by some wisdom of the universe, I have the opportunity, years from now, to find another 'time capsule', I want to be able to sift through those memories, knowing, without doubt, that I didn't take any of it for granted. 

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Until next time...

May we hug sincerely, love fully, and do our best to never take our time here for granted.

May we do our best to wade through life's noise, leaving room for what's really important.

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Sometimes You Just Need A Bit Of July...

 

Hi!

So the new year has begun. We're in it. Boy, are we ever.

I know the photos above don't exactly depict my surroundings in good old Saskatchewan in January, but, ya know, sometimes you just need a bit of July to hold your hand in the dark. And it IS dark. A lot. Oh, and don't forget about the fact that it hurts to breathe outside because of the -40-ish windchills we have been dealing with.... for over a week straight. So.... yeah.... a couple of pics of July were in order. 

We do have some barnacles from 2021 hanging on, but, hopefully, they will be removed before too long. New variants of this nasty bug are wreaking havoc all over the world.

There are breakthrough cases, for sure, but you are still much better off with a full regimen of vaccines on board. Unvaccinated folks are still much more likely to get really sick, become long haulers, or die.

Throughout this ordeal, I've known people who have had covid and didn't get much more than a bit of a cough. I've known people who have had covid, flirted with death more than once, and continue to suffer long haul symptoms, and likely will for the rest of their lives. I've known people who contracted this virus, and in little more than a blink, were gone forever. The ones with the sniffles? Vaccinated. The others? Not. 

Throughout this ordeal, predators and grifters have fed those who choose to listen, a continuous, gluttonous diet of pure, unadulterated bull crap, using misinformation to gain wealth, fame, and ratings. They prey upon those most susceptible to conspiracies, those easily drawn to the drama, those who tend to gravitate toward the 'us against them' narrative. 

They have used their nonsense to fundraise, and cause mistrust, spinning their twisted tales to grease the wheels of whatever self-serving, flavour-of-the-week fear they draw from that week's hat. They have tried to portray lifelong epidemiologists who have spent their lifetimes researching and fighting disease and viruses the world over, as villains. They've lied about them to the point that they receive death threats, threats to their children, and grandchildren. These scientists and doctors are not villains. They are just trying to do their jobs, just like they have for decades. This is no different. At least it wasn't until the storm of BS took over. 

The liars have tried to show information sussed out through peer-reviewed scrutiny, the data put together, picked apart, and then put back together by long-standing medical journals as equivalent to some person in a lab coat, with no confirmable credentials, on youtube, declaring that they've 'done their own research.' 

Their theory. If you repeat lies long enough, loud enough, and often enough, you will get just enough people to believe you to fulfill your needs.

The lies need not make sense. Obviously.

The lies need to stoke fear. Stoke enough fear to fold into anger. Stoke the anger to make it big, and loud. Stoke the noise to try and drown out the truth. 

Does this change facts? No. Not even a little. Facts are stubborn things. It just makes it so just enough people don't trust them. 

I've seen interview after interview with people who believe the garbage. The garbage about the virus, the vaccines, garbage about how the asshat former president should somehow still be President of the USA, garbage about JFK jr coming back to life, an endless sea of garbage.

Although we don't have as many cult followers here in Canada, we do have some. The poison seems to have seeped Northward. 

From where I sit, what I feel will have the most perilous outcome, are the lies that are threatening America's democracy. 

Eventually, and I know it's cold to say so, the Covid thing will sort itself out. Eventually. Vaccines are readily, and plentifully available, and free. Either people will take it, or not. People will choose to play Russian roulette with this thing or they won't. You can't fix stupid. My heart breaks for the children. The children who, through no fault or choice of their own, become unwitting collateral damage in this race to the death in this idiot Olympics. 

There are too many people on this planet who would love nothing more than to have the opportunity to get themselves and their families vaccinated. 

Privilege. 

So, the other thing. A year ago, our friends to the south came very close to having their free, and fair election overturned by a mob of delusional lunatics who were following the orders of their cult leader. When that didn't work, the Cheeto's buddies went to work to change things at the local levels so they can do a better job next time. They are busily putting rules and people in place at state and county levels so that if the outcome of future elections doesn't fit their game plan, they can just get rid of ballots, and/or hinder enough votes, to make the result more to their liking. 

This sounds dystopian. This sounds like something out of a bad movie. If you check into it though, that's exactly what is happening. The swing states are the only states that matter. The way their elections are set up, the way the electoral college dictates who wins, the swing states are all they need. So that is where they are focusing their efforts. 

Why do I care? I'm not American. I don't live there. I've never been there. So.... why?

America is inarguably the biggest democracy in the world. They are dangerously close to becoming a country in which the Republican party could very well stack the deck to the point of autocracy. Republicans are maneuvering the system in a way that will make it impossible for another party to win. They will have perpetual power.

Republicans have given up trying to win on policy and ideas. Any ideas they have put forward are wildly unpopular. Stripping abortion rights, strangling voter rights, making the rich richer and, well, if you're poor it's your own fault, work 70 or 80 hours a week to make rent and your boss richer. How dare you ask for healthcare, I will lecture you on how we can't afford it from my private golf club. 

What happens if they succeed?

Having a country run by the worst of the queerphobic, anti-science, underprivilege-stomping, racist Karens as a next-door neighbour. Forgive me if this doesn't thrill me. 

For now, we watch and wait. For now, we hope. 

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Until next time.... for our fellow Canucks in the cold...

May your block heater always work, your shovel never disappear, your furnace never quit.

May your cord never get accidentally unplugged, and last year's car emergency gear still fit.

May you stay toasty and warm, in the layers of clothing other countries will never understand.

May your kids lose no toques, come home in their own boots, their own mittens on their hands.

May you stay safe, here, where it hurts to breathe, and frostbite happens more often than a sunburn.

May those who are new here, we apologize, we know it sucks, how cold can burn. 

May we get through the lack of sun, the lack of heat, the abundance of homicidal ground.

May we take advantage, snuggle, read, watch movies, in the darkness, light can always be found. 

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