But Then, There's This...

 

Happy Week that is the blurry one between Christmas and the New Year!

Yes, I live in a place where it cant physically hurt to breathe the outdoor air many days of the year... not because of pollutants, no the air is crystal clean. No, it's because it can get so cold the crystals form in the actual air and make it feel like you're breathing in tiny, shards of glass that simply melt when they hit your lungs.

I mean, I'm no scientist, but it seems like an accurate depiction of what happens.

But, then there's this... the deer literally playing in my yard. I mean, I basically live in Narnia.

Aaaaanywaaaayyyy....

By next weekend 2025 will be in the rearview mirror. I don't really do the resolution thing, but it's nice to reflect on the past 12 months, and think about what the next twelve might bring.

Personally, 2025 was one of the most stressful, but most rewarding years I've experienced, maybe, ever. It was such a mix of high and lows, stress that makes you feel like it actually might take your legs out from under you, to some of the best experiences, outside of family, I've ever had.

It was kind of like the weather in Saskatchewan, if you don't like what's going on, just hang in there for a minute, things will change. 

Some things that resonated...

,

We live in an incredible country, full of kind, amazing people. Canada is not broken, it's a beautifully diverse tapestry of culture and character, and should be celebrated, treasured, and never taken for granted.

If you stay true to the core of who you are, follow what continues to light you up, good things will happen. Maybe not on the timeline you would most appreciate, but they happen, when the time is right, which isn't always right now. 

Carrying plates that are over-filled and too heavy is not a sustainable way to walk through life. You can do it for a while, most people have to, now and again, but those times are never meant to be a permanent way of being. Not everything is ours to carry.

As we move into 2026, I have a feeling...

Accountability is going to be something some people will experience, maybe for the first time in their lives. Careers and lives built on lies crumble, they have no choice, as the foundation is made of rotted materials. 

You can't redact everything. 

Our neighbours to the south, I believe, and hope, will finally see some kind of sanity prevail in their country, once again.

Our own Temu Trump, who likes to push the Maple Maga buttons, will likely lose his job... finally. I'm tired of paying that guy's bills. He has only ever been a politician... never passed one bill. 20 years living on the taxpayers' dime. Time to go earn your keep and pay your own bills, Pierre.

I believe the redrawn world trade maps are going to be a good thing. No one country should be considered so essential that the world economy rides on the whims of one leader. 

I have a good feeling about 2026...

There is hope. Always.

Happy Holidays!!

 Hi,

As I sit in my cozy little space, in the early morning hours, I can't help but be filled with deep gratitude. does that mean everything is perfect? Absolutely not, perfection is an illusion, one that I have chosen to abandon years ago.

No, perfection is never something I strive for. what I choose to set my sights on, especially this time of year, is to make sure everyone that comes through our door feels welcome, comfortable, and loved.

I am so grateful to have everyone under one roof, even if it's just for a day. 

This time of year can be incredibly stressful, for some, it represents the furthest thing from joy, please keep that in mind as you hustle and bustle through this busy time. Maybe yours is the only kindness they will experience that day, don't keep it to yourself. 

Whatever holiday you celebrate during this time of year, enjoy! 

I still have some last minute baking to do, so I gotta run!

Take Care!!!!!

As The Blustering Is Made To Give Way...

 Hi,

This time of year, dawn breaks during my commute to work. It's always beautiful, but I don't always take the time to stop and shoot a photo.

This particular morning a blustering storm was heading out, a gorgeous clear sky following, ready to make a better day.

This is kind of what it feels like our neighbours to the south are in the midst of. Only their storm is stubborn and desperate and simply doesn't understand that his time causing problems is at its end.

As more and more details come to light about the Grand Cheeto and his BFF, a convicted child trafficker, the harder it's going to become to stand by him and defend him.

As more info surfaces about his corrupt dealings, enriching himself shamelessly on the taxpayers' dime, the harder it's going to become to support him. 

As his mental state's deterioration becomes more and more evident, it's going to get harder and harder to pretend that he's okay.

This storm, as it's been proven in the past, won't likely leave gracefully, as that is a completely foreign concept to the Cheeto and his gang of idiots. The tantrums thrown during the exit will be loud, obnoxious, and as damaging as he can make them.

For those who still support him... what more do you need to know, to see? Do you truly believe that the only people in the entire world who are telling the truth are he and his minions? You truly believe that everybody, and I do mean everybody, the world over, is conspiring to lie about him?

First off, the world, as a whole is very much looking forward to the day that we never have to think about this asshat ever again, and the second he's out of the Whitehouse he will cease to exist, leaving only his devastating mess in his wake. His stench will fade, and the damage he has caused will eventually be repaired. It won't be the same, as the world has had no choice but to move on without the US in some things, but a new, peaceful, sane, state will be welcomed. 

As the blustering is made to give way, you can smell the desperation and fear in the air. So many have committed crimes simply to please him, or maybe out of fear of his retaliation. The consequences of those choices will come knocking, I'm not sure how they didn't know that? 

He's trying to start a war with Venezuela just to distract you from the Epstein mess, for Christ's sake!

Don't let him drag your babies into harm's way, into a combat he created to cover his own ass. 

Don't let him drag you.

His time is almost up. He knows it. and he's scared shitless... 

And It Begins....

 Hi!

Well, it's that time of year again!

Holiday season? Sure! But, the time of year I'm talking about is the minus double digit temperatures and snow!

We do have to admit, at least where I live, that having this kind of weather wait until the clock strikes December is a win!  But, somehow even when you know it's coming, even when you appreciate the reprieve of waiting, the cold still hits, especially for the first few days. 

It's kind of like having an old acquaintance to whom you manage to be civil, that you even kind of like, depending on the circumstances, show up at your your door. They appear sort of within the time frame they said they would, but they are kind of obnoxious, full of bluster, they make a bunch of extra work for you when they visit, and make a habit of overstaying their welcome. 

When I step outside and the familiar prickle of the air hitting my face makes me wince, I think for about a microsecond, why do I live where it hurts to breathe for way too much of the year?

And then I remember... because it's Canada.

Sometimes I receive comments on here and through other means that tell me I'm a hypocrite, that Canada is a mess, is horribly corrupt, and a garbage place to live. 

I can only assume these comments come from people who either have never experienced Canada, or have a tough time with the process of critical thinking, and/or are not incredibly discerning when it comes to distinguishing fact from fiction. 

So, this next bit is for you.

From World Atlas's list of most loved countries in the world right now, Canada ranks #1

From Reputation Labs' list of countries with the best reputations, Canada ranks #2, right behind Switzerland.

Fun fact: The United States was nowhere to be found on either list.

Our unemployment rate is down, our GDP is growing, as are our wages, although at a slower pace than we'd like, and our inflation has flatlined. 

I'm not making this up, you can google it. 

So, before you come for me because I make fun of your sleepy, creepy, Cheeto in charge, calling me names, and exposing your ignorance for all the world to see, please do some homework. 

Donnie dearest is sleeping in meetings and press conferences, but is up all night frantically exposing his senility in rants on social media.

He's old, his brain is mush, and he was never that bright to begin with, so the slide down is from a short hill. 

I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to watch your hero fall. To discover things about him and his buddy Epstein that you wish you could explain away. To have sooooo many truths come to the surface all at once, truths that aren't going away.

It was bound to happen. Truth always finds it's way from shadows into the light, exposed for all to see. The trick for some will be the willingness to finally accept the reality that follows. 

We tried to warn you that this is who he is. We tried over and over again, to no avail.

Yeah....

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One day You're Just Driving Along...

 

Hi!

Life, as you know, can, and usually is, completely unpredictable. It takes you to places you didn't plan on going. It nudges you toward and away from spaces. You plan, you agonize over what might happen ten years from now, assuming that you have some sort of control over what that may be.

We all do it. It gives us a sense of comfort to feel like we control what happens in our lives. I think it's natural to want to do so.

If you look back on your adult life, how much of it was under your control compared to responding to circumstances you had no hand in creating. You, then, found yourself relying on your gut instincts as to what the next move should be, making choices. We make choices for sure, but the reasons we are needing to make them are the result of life just... lifing. 

The good news is this. If we truly follow what the deepest parts of us guide us to do, we generally land just where we are supposed to be when we are supposed to be there. We feel it when it happens. there is a sense of contentment, of belonging. Life becomes less stressful, peace becomes more than just a possibility.

It doesn't mean where you land is always going to be without challenges, because we need those to grow, but it makes the challenges more palatable, turning what would have felt like climbing a treacherous, ice-covered mountain into a nice hike up a hill with incredible scenery along the way. 

Lean into what lights you up, it will always get you closer to the kind of peace that feeds true contentment. 

One day you are just driving along, the next, there are dinosaurs dancing at a wedding! Embrace the dinosaurs! Unpredictability... embrace it.

****************************************************

This weekend, our neighbours to the south are celebrating Thanksgiving. They are doing so as some of their leadership sends out messages of well wishes for the holiday, while they, in the same breath say horrible things about immigrants.

Did they miss the part of history class that explains the reason there is a "thanksgiving?"

It's truly baffling, the lack of thought process. These are the people making the most important decisions in your government.

Anyway, happy Thanksgiving neighbour! I sincerely hope you and your families have a fabulous weekend!

Full Of Laughter And Light...

 Hi.

This week, it's personal.

When you come from a family, the size of which would fill a forest, not just a tree, the unwelcome heaviness of saying good-bye comes far too often.  

This is Debbie. 

Although a family the size of ours tends to spread out over time, the connections remain. Debbie was one of my cousins who grew up and lived in the same town as I. She was a few years older, but I spent a ton of time at their house growing up, and was privileged to spend some time in the same town as she and her husband lived when they were a new family finding their legs, and I was fresh from the nest. 

From what seemed like a mount Everest type adventure with Katimavik, right out of high school to the shenanigans of her country kitchen days, to becoming a wife and mom, and caring for people for a living, she lived a big life, though, not nearly long enough.

I will always remember Debbie as a kind, adventurous spirit, always full of life and laughter. Although we didn't see much of each other as full grown adults, she was such a bright light for so many, even when she was so young, I can't imagine that diminished in any capacity as she spread her wings, over time, further from home.

I know she was surrounded by love as her soul took flight from the confines of the body that could no longer support her. As there is some solace in that, because of that love, there will be far too many that will so deeply feel this loss.

It's a privilege to love deep enough to mourn someone once they've gone, and a privilege to be loved enough to be mourned. That privilege does little to ease the pain, especially in the moment, but is what helps us put one foot in front of the the other as we walk through the fog of it. 

When the memories begin to bring more smiles than tears, and the deepest, darkest heaviness begins to fade, and we, once again, can begin to take in full breaths, the privilege of that love is what encourages  us as we keep going, doing our best to live the life they would have wanted for us. 

*****************************************

Deb...

So full of mischief and light, laughter and love.

You will be sooooooo missed. 

This Is What A New Day Looks Like...

 

Hi!

Truth is tough. Truth is resilient. Truth can only be hidden for so long before it makes itself known. It finds its way to the surface... always... even when weighed down in the darkest deepest cesspool. 

Truth doesn't disappear because you want to pretend it isn't true, you pretend its a hoax. 

Truth is making its way to the surface, honing in on the Cheeto in Chief and is about to celebrate with the best come-back story ever. The truth has been beaten up, abused, ignored, trampled on, almost murdered in plain sight, and dismissed as non-existent by this horrible being and his minions for far too long. 

The survivors are not a hoax. 

When the most disgusting pedophile in modern history calls his buddy Donnie dirty... it makes you wonder what qualifies as dirty to a guy like that. What would he find "dirty." Obviously what he deemed acceptable was heinous in any decent human's mind, what does "dirty" even look like? I can't imagine, and, frankly, don't want to give it too much thought or I might throw up.

The disgusting squatter of the Whitehouse has openly admitted, repeatedly, while being recorded, to things that make our skin crawl. He's oblivious as to the difference between right and wrong, good and evil. He can't seem to comprehend that female humans are people with rights equal to his own. In his mind, these children were his play things for him to do with as he pleased. He wanted... so he took. 

The Truth is patient, but determined. It can't be avoided forever. 

I guess my question is this.

Once everything that has been hidden in the shadows finally comes irrefutably to light, will that finally be the line in the sand? Will that finally be a bridge too far? Will raping children be the final straw? Or is the kool-aid so potent that even this horrific truth can't penetrate the fog?

One can only hope those that are left worshipping this bag of crap will finally have the blinders lifted.

Let's hope. 

This is what a new day looks like. Truth always wins.