Some thoughts on Canada Day

 Happy Canada Day!

When I was a young woman I lived in another country for about four years. Upon my return I realized how great my country was and I fell in love with it. 

Today I still love my country, but like every thing, as we grow older we tend to change and that is what has happened to my country.  

As a country we began to think that the grass was greener on the other side. Isn't that always the way? We began to change how we viewed the rest of the world.  In order to fit in we began to get into things that most Canadians find wrong. Like the war in Afghanistan. We began to think that we needed bigger and better and to get this we traded with countries like China,  that do not respect human rights. It meant that we can buy that note paper for pennies, but it also meant that we lost manufacturing jobs.  Canadians have always prided themselves on their position on human rights, but now to keep the lifestyle that most Canadians have come to enjoy many Canadians have chosen to turn a blind eye to trade with countries that routinely violate human rights.  I think that makes us more likely to become blind to the human rights violations that take place within our own Country at times. 

So now, I have to ask are we a better country for the changes? Do we want to give up our ideals;  health care for all, human rights, affordable housing? For what are we giving them up?

For me - I still love my country and cannot fathom living anywhere else in the world, but I am not sure that we have or are changing for the better. I think that maybe, sadly some day there will be a better place for my grand children to live. 

Blue Herons

It has been a long time since I have had the time, energy or ability to write in this blog.
I had spinal surgery in April and am still trudging the long road of recovery, but at least I am up and about and almost out of pain.
My recovery has been a challenge for Miss Lucy as I was unable to hold her leash for a long time which meant that I could not take her for a walk. She and I missed that a great deal.
Now that I am able to get out and do more I have started taking her to Deer Lake again and that means that I can also resume my passion for taking pictures.
Early Monday morning, despite the drizzle,  she and I headed down the hill to the lake and encountered a lovely Blue Heron perched on the map sign.

Just before my surgery I had spoken to a gentleman who walks here regularly and he had informed me that he counted over thirty Heron nests on the east side of the lake.  That is a lot for this little postage size lake, but have seen no real increase in the number of herons actually around the lake.

However, later in the day Fred and I went to the Stanley Park seawall for a walk as the day had begun to be sunny and warm. There we encountered an explosion of Blue herons. Everywhere you turned there were herons flying, feeding and sunning themselves.

 This picture told me why they are called BLUE herons and not Gray herons. If the sun hits them correctly they are the most beautiful shade of blue.
I am now hoping that the nests that my fellow walking friend saw are going to produce lots of babies that  I will be able to photograph almost in my back yard!

I took lots of photos that day and they can be seen  by clicking here Flickr to take you to my flickr page

Canada's Official Bird??

The Canada Goose is being proposed for our official bird. They have to be the most destructive bird we have. They literally chew up every blade of grass in the parks hour after hour while simultaneously squirting it  back  out the other end! However they are one of  the most amusing and beautiful birds we have. They come in droves to Deer Lake every summer.

  It is nesting season and all the little goslings are following mom all day long.

Meanwhile mom has absolutely no patience with anyone or anything that goes near her little ones.

 And when mom loses it everyone scrambles to get out of her way!!!

I'll Love You Forever Robert Munsch!

Today I read in the newspaper where story teller Robert Munsch has told the world about his mental health problems as well as his addictions to cocaine and alcohol.

As a young mother I loved his story "I'll Love You Forever". I read it many times to my children and was touched that Robert Munsch was so able to voice what pretty much every mother in the world feels.   My children would be so quite and thoughtful while I read this story and you could see the contentment in their eyes. They knew that I would always love them no matter what.

As I read the article, I realized why he was so good at this. He was human. He knew what it was to struggle and he knew what it was to find the perfect in times of imperfection. He also needed to know that even with his imperfections he would always be loved by someone. Isn't that what all of us want to know.

I only wish that he did not feel he had to apologize or ask for understanding that should be a given. As a society we are always reveling the perfect.... we never realize that there is little if anything in this world that is perfect and certainly there are no perfect people. There are just people with feelings and emotions.

As I listen to this story again for the first time in many years I marvel at the beautiful person who lives inside of Robert Munsch who was so able to write such lovely words that evoked such marvelous feelings all the while struggling with his own imperfections and need to know he was loved. 

Thank you for reassuring our children over and over again that they will always be loved. 

I for one will always love you Robert Munsch!

Cherokee Morning Song - Beautiful