TGIF

 

Some sad news from the VSO

It is with great sorrow that the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) recognizes the passing of our beloved friend, Maestro Kazuyoshi Akiyama (1941–2025).

 

Serving as our esteemed Music Director from 1972 to 1985, Maestro Akiyama was cherished by VSO musicians and audiences alike, frequently returning to Vancouver to conduct concerts through 2018. Renowned for championing rare and contemporary repertoire, Maestro Akiyama was honoured by the VSO as Conductor Laureate in 1985 and inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame. Beyond his profound connection with the VSO, Maestro Akiyama’s legacy extends to other leading orchestras across Canada, Japan, and beyond. In 2024, orchestras across the globe celebrated his remarkable 60th anniversary in classical music.

 

Kazuyoshi Akiyama’s profound impact on the world of music will continue to resonate for generations to come. The VSO dedicates this Friday's concert at the Orpheum to the Maestro’s memory and significant contributions to the musical vibrancy of our community.

Some good last minute cruise price drops!

I rarely see price drops but these caught my eye.  If you are interested in any of them you can message me or call your own travel agent.

Here are some last-minute deals departing in March, April, and May!

All are in CAD, including taxes, fees, and port expenses. Prices are subject to change and availability.

The cruise details tab will not work so check www.princess.com 

 

Deal #1 – have not seen any deals to Japan for months!!!

Deal #2 – Canada at Par is still on for this transatlantic sailing.

 

Deal #3 – Balcony rate is CAD 1861.

Cec and I did this one last spring and loved it!

A Buffalo, NY news article about Canadians!

Buffalo N.Y. News Article about Canadians. Nice bit of info that a lot of us don't even know. An article posted in the Buffalo News by Gerry Boley.

Misconceptions in the United States about Canada are quite common. They include: there is always snow in Canada; Canadians are boring, socialists and pacifists; their border is porous and allowed the Sept. 11 terrorists through; or, as the U.S. Ottawa embassy staff suggested to Washington, the country suffers from an inferiority complex. This is a great time to clarify some of these misconceptions and better appreciate a neighbour that the United States at times takes for granted.

With the exception of the occasional glacier, skiing in Canada in the summer just isn't happening. Frigid northern winters, however, have shaped the tough, fun-loving Canadian character. When it is 30-below, the Canucks get their sticks, shovel off the local pond and have a game of shinny hockey.

The harsh winters have also shaped Canadians' sense of humour. Canada has some of the world's greatest comedians, from early Wayne and Shuster, to Rich Little, Jim Carrey, Russel Peters, Seth Rogan, Mike Myers, Leslie Nielsen, John Candy, Martin Short, Eugene Levy and "Saturday Night Live" creator and movie producer Lorne Michaels.

The suggestion that Canadians are soft on terrorism is a myth. The 9/11 Commission reported that terrorists arrived in the United States from outside North America with documents issued to them by the U.S. government, but Canada was initially linked to allowing the terrorists into the U.S. because of laxed border control. The Canadians in Gander countered despicable terrorist acts with love and caring to their U.S. neighbours when planes were diverted there.

Americans glorify war with movies, but it is the Canadians who are often the real "Rambo." The Canadians are anything but pacifists and their history is certainly not dull. Be it on the ice or battlefield, this warrior nation has never lost a war that it fought in... - War of 1812 (versus the United States), World War I, World War II, Korea and Afghanistan. During the '72 Summit Series, Soviet goalie Vladislav Tretiak said, "'The Canadians have great skills and fight to the very end.'" 

In hunting the Taliban in Afghanistan, U.S. Commander and Navy SEAL Capt. Robert Harward stated that the Canadian Joint Task Force 2 team was "his first choice for any direct-action mission."

Contrary to Thomas Jefferson's 1812 comment that, "The acquisition of Canada will be a mere matter of marching," the wily Native American leader Tecumseh and Maj. Gen. Isaac Brock captured Brig. Gen. William Hull's Fort Detroit without firing a shot. The Americans never took Quebec and when they burned the Canadian Parliament Buildings at York, the White House was torched in retaliation.

Canada consolidated its status as a warrior nation during World War I battles at Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Somme and the Second Battle of Ypres, where soldiers were gassed twice by the Germans but refused to break the line. By the end of the war, the Canadians were the Allies' shock troops.

In the air, four of the top seven World War I aces were Canadians. Crack shots, the names William "Billy" Bishop, Raymond Collishaw, Donald MacLaren and William Barker, with 72, 60, 54 and 53 victories, respectively, were legendary. These were the original Crazy Canucks, who regularly dropped leaflets over enemy airfields advising German pilots that they were coming over at such and such a time, and to come on up. Bishop and Barker won the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry.

The pilot who is credited with shooting down the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, with a little help from the Australian down under, was not Snoopy but Roy Brown from Carleton Place, Ont.

During World War II, Winnipeg native and air ace Sir William Stephenson, the "Quiet Canadian," ran the undercover British Security Coordination under the code name Intrepid. From Rockefeller Center in New York, as a liaison between Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Stephenson invented the machine that transferred photos over the wire for the Daily Mail newspaper in 1922. Americans were not aware that the BSC was there or that it was stocked with Canadians secretly working to preserve North American freedom from the Nazis.

Also little known is that Intrepid trained Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond series, at Camp X, the secret spy school near Whitby, Ont. Five future directors of the CIA also received special training there. It is suggested that Fleming's reference to Bond's 007 license to kill status, his gadgetry and the "shaken not stirred" martinis, rumored to be the strongest in North America, came from Stephenson.

When Wild Bill Donovan, head of the U.S. OSS, forerunner of the CIA, presented Intrepid with the Presidential Medal of Merit in 1946, he said, "William Stephenson taught us everything we knew about espionage."

American military writer Max Boot wrote recently in Commentary magazine that Canada is a country that most Americans consider a "dull but slavishly friendly neighbour, sort of like a great St. Bernard." Boot needs to come to Canada, have a Molson Canadian and chat about Canadian history. He owes his freedom to Canucks such as Stephenson and the courageous soldiers and fliers of the world wars who held off the Germans while America struggled with isolationism.

Canadian inventions such as the oxygen mask Martin Baker ejection system, and anti-gravity suit, the forerunner of the astronaut suit, allowed U.S. and other Allied fighter pilots to fly higher, turn tighter and not black out with the resulting G-force. The 32 Canadians from the Avro Arrow team helped build the American space program and were, according to NASA, brilliant to a man. The most brilliant, Jim Chamberlin, chief designer of the Jetliner and Arrow, was responsible for the design and implementation of the Gemini and Apollo space programs.

Although Canadians have had a free, workable medical system for 50 years, they are not socialists and there are not long lineups, as some politicians opposed to Obama care suggest. This writer has had a ruptured appendix, hip replacement, pinned shoulder, blood clot, twist fracture of the fibula and broken foot, and in every case, there was zero cost to me. Canadians have and value a medical system for all Canadians that is free with minimal waits. That is not socialism; that is caring about fellow Canadians.

Americans may be surprised by the Canadian content in their life. Superman - "truth, justice and the American way" - was co-created by Canadian Joe Shuster, the Daily Planet is based on a Toronto newspaper, and the 1978 film's Lois Lane, Margot Kidder, and Superman's father, Glenn Ford, were both Canadians. The captain of the starship Enterprise was Montreal-born William Shatner. Torontonian Raymond Massey played Abraham Lincoln in 1956. And as American as apple pie? Ah, no. The McIntosh apple was developed in Dundela, Ont., in 1811 by John McIntosh.

Many of the sports that Americans excel at are Canadian in origin. James Naismith from Almonte, Ont., invented basketball. The tackling and ball carrying in football were introduced by the Canucks in games between Harvard and McGill in the 1870s. Five-pin bowling is also a Canadian game. Lacrosse is officially Canada's national sport, and hockey - well, Canadians are hockey. And Jackie Robinson called Montreal "the city that enabled me to go to the major leagues."

To make everyone's life easier, Canadians invented Pablum, the electric oven, the telephone, Marquis wheat, standard time, the rotary snow plow, the snowmobile, Plexiglas, oven cleaner, the jolly jumper, the pacemaker, the alkaline battery, the caulking gun, the gas mask, the goalie mask and many more. 

Canadian inferiority complex? That is another myth. Never pick a fight with a quiet kid in the schoolyard. Never mistake quiet confidence for weakness. Many a bully has learned that the hard way. Canadians are self-effacing and do not brag. That does not mean we do not know who we are. We are caring but tough, fun-loving but polite and creative, and we share with each other and the world. Our history is exciting but we don't toot our horn. The world does that for us. This is the third year in a row that Canada has been voted the most respected country in the world by the Reputation Institute global survey.

 Perhaps once a year around our collective birthdays, Americans can raise a toast to their friendly, confident neighbour in the Great White North.

Let's pretend it's 1973....

 

Playing with the scammers

I love reading about people who keep scammers on the phone, blow whistles into the phone and just mess around with them.  I don't answer any calls that aren't in my phone book.  If a name doesn't come up, I ignore it.  

I keep getting text messages from my "child", who keeps losing his/her phone or changes his/her number.  I've replied "tough luck buttercup" but I am changing my replies:

I need to come up with more of these.  The number shows a 204 area code that's in Manitoba.  The message number is long and I'm not sure where it's from.  They spoof the number so I'm not sure where this is coming from.  Blocking the number doesn't stop them as they keep changing the number.   I guess people do reply.

Buy Canadian

I have a Nexus card and before the American election, would travel to the US about every ten days when I was low on gas.  I would buy gas in Blaine sometimes but found it was worth the 20 minute trip down the I-5 to Costco in Bellingham.  It's a large Costco with many products we can't get in Canada.  The parking lot is huge and parking isn't a problem.  The gas bar has 36 pumps!  They started taking our Canadian Costco MasterCard so it's very convenient.

We came back from Florida on October 31st.  I have not been across the border since. Donald Trumps threat of becoming the 51st state angers me so much.  I listened to our Premier, David Eby, and while I certainly don't agree with him on many things, I agree with him on buy Canadian and don't plan a holiday to the US.  

Here's a list of US products and their Canadian equivalents you can keep handy for your next trip to the grocery store.

Dairy Products

Instead of Kraft (cheese, dairy) → Try Saputo, Black Diamond, Armstrong

Instead of Philadelphia (cream cheese) → Try Lactantia, Tre Stelle, Agropur

Instead of Yoplait (yogurt) → Try Astro, Olympic, Liberté

Instead of Land O'Lakes (butter) → Try Lactantia, Natrel, Gay Lea

Soft Drinks & Beverages

Instead of Coca-Cola, Pepsi → Try Canada Dry, PC Cola, Great Value (Walmart)

Instead of Tropicana (juice) → Try Oasis, SunRype, Arthur’s

Instead of Gatorade, Powerade → Try BioSteel (Canadian sports drink)

Instead of Starbucks bottled drinks → Try Tim Hortons, Second Cup ready-to-drink beverages

Packaged & Snack Foods

Instead of Lay's (chips) → Try Old Dutch, Covered Bridge, Hardbite

Instead of Doritos, Cheetos → Try Neal Brothers, Hardbite tortilla chips

Instead of Kellogg's (cereal) → Try Nature’s Path, Barbara’s, Quaker (some products Canadian-made)

Instead of Nabisco (cookies/crackers) → Try Dare, Leclerc, Voortman

Instead of Campbell's (soups) → Try Habitant (by Loblaws), President’s Choice soups

Instead of Heinz (ketchup, sauces) → Try French's (Canadian-made ketchup), President’s Choice

Meat & Processed Foods

Instead of Oscar Mayer (deli meats) → Try Maple Leaf, Schneiders, Pillers

Instead of Hormel (bacon, ham) → Try Olymel, Grimm’s

Instead of Tyson Foods (chicken products) → Try Lilydale, Maple Lodge Farms

Instead of Beyond Meat (plant-based) → Try Yves Veggie Cuisine, Gardein

Condiments & Sauces

Instead of Hellmann’s (mayonnaise) → Try President's Choice, Compliments

Instead of French's (mustard) → Try Kozlik’s, President's Choice

Instead of Hidden Valley (salad dressing) → Try Renee’s, Kraft (Canadian-made varieties)

Instead of Tabasco (hot sauce) → Try Dawson's, Piri Piri by PC, No Name hot sauce

Baking Products

Instead of Pillsbury (flour, baking mixes) → Try Robin Hood, Five Roses, Compliments

Instead of Betty Crocker (cake mixes) → Try President’s Choice, No Name

Instead of Hershey’s (chocolate chips) → Try Camino, Laura Secord, PC chocolate chips

Instead of Domino (sugar) → Try Redpath (Canadian brand)

Frozen Foods

Instead of Green Giant (vegetables) → Try Arctic Gardens, Compliments, No Name

Instead of Stouffer’s (frozen meals) → Try President’s Choice, M&M Food Market

Instead of Eggo (waffles) → Try Nature’s Path, President’s Choice

Instead of DiGiorno (frozen pizza) → Try Dr. Oetker (some made in Canada), President’s Choice

Coffee & Tea

Instead of Starbucks → Try Tim Hortons, Second Cup, Van Houtte

Instead of Folgers → Try Nabob, Kicking Horse Coffee

Instead of Lipton (tea) → Try Red Rose, Tetley (some products Canadian-made)

Instead of Nestlé (coffee creamers) → Try International Delight (Canadian-made), Beatrice creamers

Personal Care Products (found at grocery stores)

Instead of Colgate (toothpaste) → Try Green Beaver, Tom’s of Maine (some Canadian-made)

Instead of Dove (soap, shampoo) → Try Live Clean, The Green Beaver Company

Instead of Head & Shoulders → Try Attitude, The Unscented Company

Instead of Gillette (razors, shaving cream) → Try Schick (some Canadian-made), Personna

If you want a complete list of more than groceries, here is a great website:

https://madeinca.ca/

Today is National Peanut Butter day!

National Peanut Butter Day on January 24th recognizes a Canadian staple in our pantries. Whether creamy or chunky, with chocolate or with jelly, peanut butter gets the recognition it deserves each year on this day. 

I start every day with peanut butter.  I have always enjoyed it. 

The early peanut butter made by the Aztecs and Incas around 1000 BC was more of a paste and not nearly as creamy as the peanut butter we know now.

Peanut butter didn't become widely used until the 20th century. First, the peanut had to be considered more than animal feed, which wasn't until the late 1800s. At the turn of the century, inventions that made planting, cultivating, and harvesting the legume (the peanut isn't a nut at all) made it possible to see the peanut as a retail and wholesale food item.

We can thank four men for the inventions and processes that bring us the creamy, smooth peanut butter we enjoy today: Marcus Gilmore Edson of Canada, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, Dr. Ambrose Straub of St. Louis, Missouri, and chemist Joseph Rosefield.

In 1884, Edson developed a process to make peanut paste from milling roasted peanuts between two heated plates. The famous cereal maker and health food specialist of the time, Kellogg, patented a process with raw peanuts in 1895. Dr. Straub is responsible for patenting a peanut butter making machine in 1903.

Peanut butter was introduced to audiences at the 1904 Universal Exposition in St. Louis at C.H. Sumner's concession stand.

But the man who brought us the peanut butter we know and love today was Joseph Rosefield. In 1922, through homogenization, Rosefield was able to keep peanut oil from separating from the peanut solids. He later sold the patent to a company that began making Peter Pan peanut butter. Rosefield then went into business for himself selling Skippy peanut butter through Rosefield Packing. He also supplied peanut butter for military rations during World War II.

Ten Commandments for Seniors

 

A great TV advertisement

I don't usually laugh at commercials on television but this one is so funny.  It looks like it aired in the UK and now Canada has it!  

Another Red Hat lunch

Yesterday, 16 ladies went to Boston Pizza at Metrotown.  We find the lunches that are central at Metrotown are well attended.  Lots of parking and easy to access on Skytrain.  

Boston Pizza has the best lunch deal around!  $15.00 includes fries, or soup or salad, a lunch size entree and tea or coffee!  The $15.00 lunch includes your choice of  pizza, pasta and I had the 1/2 grilled chicken clubhouse served on a baguette.  They also have a January gourmet pasta special $15.99 for the month of January.

The food and the service was excellent!

https://bostonpizza.com/en/promotions.html

B C Health Care

I hear many complaints on TV, Facebook and on Twitter about patients who have had slow or bad service at our local hospital emergency wards.

I have a long time friend who had a bad fall on ice and broke her arm and elbow.  It required surgery and a metal plate about ten years ago.  She started getting pain recently and visits a friend at Dr. Al Hogg Pavilion next to Peace Arch Hospital.  As she drove into the parking lot and being in pain thought she should see an ER doctor.  

The wait at the E R at Peace Arch was not long and the Dr. said "you need immediate surgery".  She was No. 3 and was taken up to the OR that evening.  Two metal plates were in her arm and they were no longer needed and giving her the pain.  They were both taken out.  They kept her overnight in a proper hospital room.  She got excellent care and was released the next afternoon.  

Nice to hear Fraser Health getting a good review from a very appreciative patient!

Mothers

The fate of a mother is to wait for her children. You wait for them when you’re pregnant. You wait on them when they get out of school. You wait on for them to get home after a night out. You wait on them when they start their own lives. You wait for them when they get home from work to come home to a nice dinner. You wait for them with love, with anxiety and sometimes with anger that passes immediately when you see them and you can hug them.

Make sure your old mom doesn't have to wait any longer. Visit her, love her, hug the one who loved you like no one else ever will. Don't make her wait, she's expecting this from you.

Because the membranes get old but the heart of a mother never gets old. Love her as you can. No person will love you like your mother will.

Having a bad day?

 

San Andreas fault!

 

The Cascadia Subduction Zone is a 600-mile fault that runs from northern California up to British Columbia and is about 70-100 miles off the Pacific coast shoreline. There have been 41 earthquakes in the last 10,000 years within this fault that have occurred as few as 190 years or as much as 1200 years apart.

What causes earthquakes on the Pacific coast? Along the Ring of Fire girding the Pacific Ocean, for example, the seafloor plunges beneath Asia and the Americas, building mountains, feeding volcanoes, and triggering earthquakes. The ground first bends and then snaps—an earthquake—to release energy along faults.

What part of California has the most earthquakes? Central Valley South The San Andreas fault system is the major geologic boundary between the North American and Pacific tectonic plates and passes through much of the state. It will create the biggest earthquakes—as big as magnitude 8—that will disrupt the whole region.

Let's hope California fires settle down and no earthquakes hit these poor people!

I love You Tube

Whenever I don't know how to do something, I go to You Tube.  Descaling my Keurig, a weird thing happens to my laptop or how to fix something, it's such a good resource.

Yesterday my brother-in-laws cleaning lady told me his house has fruit flies.  She couldn't find anything in his house that would attract them.  No fruit or anything sweet in the kitchen so she asked me if I could get something to get rid of the nuisance bugs.

We were going out yesterday so I thought I would check out Canadian Tire, Home Depot or some other store that may sell pesticides.  Then I thought, check You Tube!  I went to you tube and found a few videos on using apple cider vinegar, Dawn dishing soap some fruit.  Put it in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and punch holes in the wrap with a fork.  The video said "the flies go in and can't get out".  

It's working!  They are loving the apple cider cocktail!  

To save you looking up the You Tube, here is the recipe:

• Make a trap: Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of vinegar, so you can use it to lure them into a trap. Here's how to make a trap using apple cider vinegar or white vinegar:
  1. Pour a small amount of vinegar into a bowl or jar
  2. Add a few drops of dish soap and some ripe fruit
  3. Cover the bowl or jar with plastic wrap
  4. Poke a few holes in the plastic wrap
  Place the trap where you've seen fruit flies

Let's Make a Deal

Last August Cheryl, Lexie and I flew to Los Angeles for a taping of Let's Make a Deal.  Lexie was chosen as a contestant and the episode was scheduled for Monday, January 13th, and then we were told it would be broadcast on Thursday January 16th.  It still shows broadcasting Thursday online!

It was broadcast on Monday!   If you are in the US, you can see it on CBS.com or if you have Paramount + it's also available.  Cec is trying to find a copy online but so far has not been successful.  

If we can get a copy, I will put it on this blog.  I apologize for everyone who missed it!

Things that make me laugh!

 

Coronation Street

 

Coronation Street is the longest running soap opera.  It started broadcasting in 1960 and is produced in Manchester, UK.  I've seen a couple of these talks and they are very enjoyable.

Joe Duttine, the actor who plays Tim Metcalf on Coronation Street was at the York Theatre yesterday.  He talked about his character and other characters.  I didn't know they have 24 writers.  Their filming day is 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM.  He was very personable and answered many questions from the audience.  No spoilers were revealed.  

It was a gorgeous day yesterday and seeing this "Tim Talk" was a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Jean Chretien

Yesterday, Jean Chretien turned 91 and he gave himself a birthday present. He told Donald J. Trump to piss off in the The Globe and Mail. Here's his column: 

Today is my 91st birthday.

It’s an opportunity to celebrate with family and friends. To look back on the life I’ve had the privilege to lead. And to reflect on how much this country we all love so much has grown and changed over the course of the nine decades I’ve been on this Earth.

This year, I’ve also decided to give myself a birthday present. I’m going to do something in this article that I don’t do very often anymore, and sound off on a big issue affecting the state of the nation and profoundly bothering me and so many other Canadians: The totally unacceptable insults and unprecedented threats to our very sovereignty from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.

I have two very clear and simple messages.

To Donald Trump, from one old guy to another: Give your head a shake! What could make you think that Canadians would ever give up the best country in the world – and make no mistake, that is what we are – to join the United States?

I can tell you Canadians prize our independence. We love our country. We have built something here that is the envy of the world – when it comes to compassion, understanding, tolerance and finding a way for people of different backgrounds and faiths to live together in harmony.

We’ve also built a strong social safety net – especially with public health care – that we are very proud of. It’s not perfect, but it’s based on the principle that the most vulnerable among us should be protected.

This may not be the “American Way” or “the Trump Way.” But it is the reality I have witnessed and lived my whole long life.

If you think that threatening and insulting us is going to win us over, you really don’t know a thing about us. You don’t know that when it came to fighting in two world wars for freedom, we signed up – both times – years before your country did. We fought and we sacrificed well beyond our numbers.

We also had the guts to say no to your country when it tried to drag us into a completely unjustified and destabilizing war in Iraq.

We built a nation across the most rugged, challenging geography imaginable. And we did it against the odds.

We may look easy-going. Mild-mannered. But make no mistake, we have spine and toughness.

And that leads me to my second message, to all our leaders, federal and provincial, as well as those who are aspiring to lead our country: Start showing that spine and toughness. That’s what Canadians want to see – what they need to see. It’s called leadership. You need to lead. Canadians are ready to follow.

I know the spirit is there. Ever since Mr. Trump’s attacks, every political party is speaking out in favour of Canada. In fact, it is to my great satisfaction that even the Bloc Québécois is defending Canada.

But you don’t win a hockey game by only playing defence. We all know that even when we satisfy one demand, Mr. Trump will come back with another, bigger demand. That’s not diplomacy; it’s blackmail.

We need another approach – one that will break this cycle.

Mr. Trump has accomplished one thing: He has unified Canadians more than we have been ever before! All leaders across our country have united in resolve to defend Canadian interests.

When I came into office as prime minister, Canada faced a national unity crisis. The threat of Quebec separation was very real. We took action to deal with this existential threat in a manner that made Canadians, including Quebeckers, stronger, more united and even prouder of Canadian values.

Now there is another existential threat. And we once again need to reduce our vulnerability. That is the challenge for this generation of political leaders.

And you won’t accomplish it by using the same old approaches. Just like we did 30 years ago, we need a Plan B for 2025.

Yes, telling the Americans we are their best friends and closest trading partner is good. So is lobbying hard in Washington and the state capitals, pointing out that tariffs will hurt the American economy too. So are retaliatory tariffs – when you are attacked, you have to defend yourself.

But we also have to play offence. Let’s tell Mr. Trump that we too have border issues with the United States. Canada has tough gun control legislation, but illegal guns are pouring in from the U.S. We need to tell him that we expect the United States to act to reduce the number of guns crossing into Canada.

We also want to protect the Arctic. But the United States refuses to recognize the Northwest Passage, insisting that it is an international waterway, even though it flows through the Canadian Arctic as Canadian waters. We need the United States to recognize the Northwest Passage as being Canadian waters.

We also need to reduce Canada’s vulnerability in the first place. We need to be stronger. There are more trade barriers between provinces than between Canada and the United States. Let’s launch a national project to get rid of those barriers! And let’s strengthen the ties that bind this vast nation together through projects such as real national energy grid.

We also have to understand that Mr. Trump isn’t just threatening us; he’s also targeting a growing list of other countries, as well as the European Union itself, and he is just getting started. Canada should quickly convene a meeting of the leaders of Denmark, Panama, Mexico, as well as with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to formulate a plan for fighting back these threats.

Every time that Mr. Trump opens his mouth, he creates new allies for all of us. So let’s get organized! To fight back against a big, powerful bully, you need strength in numbers.

The whole point is not to wait in dread for Donald Trump’s next blow. It’s to build a country and an international community that can withstand those blows.

Canadians know me. They know I am an optimist. That I am practical. And that I always speak my mind. I made my share of mistakes over a long career, but I never for a moment doubted the decency of my fellow Canadians – or of my political opponents.

The current and future generations of political leaders should remember they are not each other’s enemies – they are opponents. Nobody ever loved the cut-and-thrust of politics more than me, but I always understood that each of us was trying to make a positive contribution to make our community or country a better place.

That spirit is more important now than ever, as we address this new challenge. Our leaders should keep that in mind.

I am 91 today and blessed with good health. I am ready at the ramparts to help defend the independence of our country as I have done all my life.

Vive le Canada!

It's time to book my vacation

 

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was my husband's birthday.  He doesn't like to celebrate his birthday.  To him it's just another day.  Our daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter took us out for a wonderful brunch last Sunday.  We went to Brodeur's in Langley and it was delicious.  We decided a few years ago, no presents for adults, a family dinner and the birthday person chooses the restaurant.  Being together with family is the best present ever!  

Yesterday, I took my husband to Denny's for our free grand slam.  It never disappoints.  We go there other times for breakfast, not just on our birthdays.  

We were having lunch with a retired postal worker and his wife two months ago.  She told me he took her to Denny's for her birthday breakfast.  Later in the day he said "I'm taking you somewhere nice for dinner".  She got dressed up and got in the car.  Mike took her another Denny's and yes they gave her a grand slam!  He's quite the character but that dinner didn't go over well.  I thought it was really funny!  

No, I didn't take my husband to another Denny's for dinner.  I laugh every time I think of that story.

Musings of a Senior

Lying around, pondering the problems of the world, I have realized that…at my age…I don't really give a rat's arse anymore.

If walking is good for your health, the mailman would be immortal.

A whale swims all day, only eats fish, and drinks water, but is still fat.

A rabbit runs, hops, & only lives 15 years, while a tortoise doesn't run, does mostly nothing, yet it lives for 150 years. And they tell us to exercise? I don't think so.
 
Now that I'm older, here's what I've discovered:
 
1. I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it.
 
2. My wild oats are mostly enjoyed with prunes and all-bran.
 
3. Funny, I don't remember being absent-minded.
 
4. Funny, I don't remember being absent-minded.
 
5. If all is not lost, then where the heck is it?
 
6. It was a whole lot easier to get older, than it was to get wiser.
 
7. Some days, you're the top dog, some days you're the hydrant.
 
8. I wish the buck really did stop here; I sure could use a few of them.
 
9. Kids in the back seat cause accidents.
 
10. Accidents in the back seat cause kids.
 
11. It is hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere.
 
12. The world only beats a path to your door when you're in the bathroom.
 
13 If God wanted me to touch my toes, he'd have put them on my knees.
 
14. When I'm finally holding all the right cards, everyone wants to play chess.
 
15. It is not hard to meet expenses . . . They're everywhere.
 
16. The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
 
17. These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter . . . I go somewhere to get something, and then wonder what I'm "here after".
 

 

Let's Make a Deal!

Last August, Lexie got a casting call to Let's Make a Deal.  She was chosen and won some nice prizes.  CBS has changed her airing date again.  It shows now as broadcasting Thursday, January 16th on CBS in the United States and CITY TV in Canada.

I hope the date doesn't change again.  

Bill & Haley

If you watched the CTV Vancouver evening news, you would have seen the Bill and Haley love story.

I've known Bill and Haley for years.  They are an awesome couple with wonderful teenage daughters.  Bill owns an accounting firm and is my brother-in-law's accountant. 

This was at a Christmas Party in 2017.  Looks like snow outside!

This video shares their incredible love story and outlook on life!

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=3058274

The Golden Globes

I always enjoy awards shows.  Thanks to a PVR, I can fast forward all the commercials.  This was a very long show and how many times did Nikki Glaser change her gowns?  They were all lovely.

It's nice to find out about the good movies we haven't seen.  Now we've got a list of movies to see.  I already had some on my list, and I've seen some but this spring we've got some nice movie nights to look forward to.  We've seen Wicked and we loved it.   A Complete Unknown is on top of our list but we've been too busy over this holiday season to see it.  The Brutalist is not shown anywhere in the lower mainland but I will wait until it comes to a theatre in our area.  That movie looks amazing!

This year at the Golden Globes they teamed up Seth Rogan and Catherine O'Hara two very talented Canadians to present an award.  Unfortunately but no surprise they bleeped out some of Seth Rogan's words.  If you didn't see their spot, here is a link from Twitter/X, I hope it works for you:

Seth Rogan and Catherine O'Hara 

They just announced a new movie set to be released later this year.  Not sure it's one I'll see:

Amazon is set to bring Melania Trump's life story to the big screen in a highly anticipated documentary, giving audiences an intimate glimpse into the journey of the former and future first lady. 

The film, produced in partnership with Melania herself, is expected to premiere in cinemas worldwide in the latter half of 2025, marking a rare and unprecedented look into the life of one of the most enigmatic figures in modern American politics.

Happy Sunday

 

So many unanswered questions

I still haven't found out who let the Dogs Out...where's the beef...how to get to Sesame Street... why Dora doesn't just use Google Maps...

Why do all flavors of fruit loops taste exactly the same, or how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop......why eggs are packaged in a paper carton, but batteries are secured in plastic that's tough as nails... 

Why "abbreviated" is such a long word; or why is there a D in 'fridge' but not in refrigerator... why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor yet dish-washing liquid is made with real lemons...

Why they sterilize the needle for lethal injections... and, why do you have to "put your two cents in" but it's only a "penny for your thoughts" where's that extra penny going to... 

Why do The Alphabet Song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star have the same tune... why did you just try to sing those two previous songs...

and just what is Victoria's secret? ...and do you really think I am this witty?? ...

Having a bad day?

 

Last quarter of life

Many of us are now in the last quarter of our life and should read this interesting piece of advice.  I received this from my cousin, Stephen and thought it was worth sharing:

You know …… time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.
It seems just yesterday that I was young and embarking on my new life. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went.
I know that I lived them all.
I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

However, here it is …… the last quarter of my life and it catches me by surprise.
How did I get here so fast?
Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that I was only on the first quarter and that the fourth quarter was so far off that I could not visualize it or imagine fully what it would be like.

Yet, here it is …… my friends are retired and getting grey - they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me but I see the great change. They’re not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant …… but like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd become.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day and taking a nap is not a treat anymore. It's mandatory because if I don't of my own free will, I fall asleep where I sit.

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did. But at least I know that, though I’m on the last quarter and I'm not sure how long it will last, that when it's over on this earth, it's over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done; things I should have done but truly there are many things I'm happy to have done.  It's all in a lifetime.

So, if you're not on the last quarter yet, let me remind you that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life do it quickly.  Don't put things off too long. Life goes by so quickly.  So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you're on the last quarter or not.

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of life. So, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember - and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the past years.

‘Life’ is a gift to you.
Be Happy!
Have a great day!

Remember, it is “health” that is the real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

You may think:

Going out is good - but coming home is better!

You forget names - but it's okay because there are other people that forgot they even knew you!

You realize you're never going to be as good as you use to be at golf - but you like the outdoors!

The things you used to care to do, you aren't as interested in anymore - but you really don't care that you aren't as interested.

You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV on than in bed – you call it ‘pre-sleep’!

You miss the days when everything worked with just an ‘On’ and ‘Off’ switch!

You tend to use more 4 letter words – ‘what’ and ‘when’

You have lots of clothes in your wardrobe, more than half of which you will never wear – but just in case!

Old is good -
• Old is comfortable
• Old is safe
• Old songs
• Old movies
• …… and best of all,
• Friends of old!

So, stay well, ‘Old friend!’
Have a fantastic day!
Have an awesome quarter – whichever one you’re in!
Take care
 

It's not what you gather but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.