Michael Buble and the Junos

I've watched Michael Buble grow into the wonderful man he is.  We saw him originally at a performance in the Michael J. Fox theatre, I don't remember the year but it was before he had a contract with a record company.  He made a CD of songs his grandfather taught him.  He talked about his grandfather and sang the songs.  It was a concert of people in Burnaby who were "up and coming".  I won the tickets on the radio.  I was starting work at 6 AM so we left early.  When we left the concert was still going on and I felt bad in leaving but we had to get up so early.  Michael was at a table selling his CD's.  We had a lovely talk with him.  He spoke fondly of his grandfather.  I will never forget him as he seemed like such a lovely person.

The years have passed and he's a wonderful husband, father and a decent person.  His music has always been great and I've loved seeing him get famous.  Cheryl and I went to his concert at BC Place a few years ago.  It was great.

Last night he hosted the Juno Awards.  They are the Canadian Music awards that are given out every year.  I've never watched it but turned it on because I wanted to see him.  His opening speech was awesome!  What a proud Canadian!

If you love Anne Murray and you missed the Juno's, you will enjoy this:

These two talented musicians deserve all the awards and applause they receive.  They are both proud Canadians!

Nine Important Facts

• Number 9:  Death is the number 1 killer in the world.
• Number 8:  Life is sexually transmitted.
• Number 7:  Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
• Number 6:  Men have two emotions: hungry and horny, and they can't tell them apart.  If you see a gleam in his eyes make him a sandwich.
• Number 5:  Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day.  Teach a person to use the Internet and they won't both you for weeks, months, maybe years.
• Number 4:  Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in the hospital, dying of nothing.
• Number 3:  All of us could take a lesson from the weather,  It pays no attention to criticism.
• Number 2:  In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird.  Now the world is weird, and people take Prozac to make it normal.
• Number 1:  Life is like a jar of jalapeno peppers.  What you do today might burn your ass tomorrow.

Canada

This post is for those who don’t know a lot about Canada, items which we Canucks are extremely proud of:

1. Canada is the second-largest country in the world by land area.

2. Canada has the longest coastline in the world, with over 243,000 kilometers of shoreline.

3. Canada has more lakes than any other country, with over 2 million lakes covering about 8% of its land area.

4. The country's name comes from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian word "kanata," meaning "village" or "settlement."

5. Canada is home to the world's oldest known rock, the Acasta Gneiss, which is approximately 4.01 billion years old.

6. The country has six time zones: Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern, Atlantic, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

7. Canada is home to the world's longest street, the Trans-Canada Highway, which spans over 7,800 kilometers.

8. The country has a vast array of wildlife, including bears, moose, wolves, and beavers.

9. Canada is the world's largest producer of maple syrup, accounting for over 70% of global production.

10. The country has a diverse population, with over 20% of Canadians being foreign-born.

11. Canada has two official languages: English and French.

12. The country is home to the world's largest freshwater island, Manitoulin Island, located in Lake Huron.

13. Canada has a strong reputation for its natural beauty, with many famous attractions like Niagara Falls, Banff National Park, and the Canadian Rockies.

14. The country has a thriving arts and culture scene, with numerous museums, galleries, and festivals.

15. Canada is known for its friendly and welcoming people, with a high standard of living and a strong social safety net.

PEO International

Yesterday, my neighbour Nancy invited me to an afternoon tea fundraiser for PEO International.  Two ladies in our strata are involved in the organization.  PEO International is a Sisterhood of women who are purposeful and passionate about celebrating, supporting and motivating women.  They take pride in transforming the lives of women by providing grants, scholarships, awards and loans for higher education.

There was a lovely three piece group who entertained us:

The fancy sandwiches and goodies were delicious:

When we purchased our tickets from our neighbour Maureen, she told us to make sure we wore a hat or fascinator to the tea.  Nancy came over and checked out my fascinators, but she was wearing aqua and my selection of red, purple and white wouldn't go with her outfit so she made her own!  During the tea this nice lady came and asked Nancy about her fascinator.  They had a hat contest and Nancy won!

I didn't recognize the lady hat judge, but they introduced her.  Penny Priddy, the only woman in Canada that served on all four levels of Government in Canada.  She started out on the Surrey school board, was elected to the Surrey City Council, she was a member of the BC Legislature and a Member of Parliament! 

The lady in the Red Hat is our neighbour Maureen

It was a lovely afternoon supporting a great organization.

It's back up!

After two days of not being able to get into my blog from either Microsoft Edge or Chrome, I am now able to view it.  Thanks to Myrna's son for letting me know it should be okay.  I appreciate all the messages I got and I will continue to blog.

After hearing of a French Scientist who was denied entry to the US when the Customs Officer read his phone.  I will be careful in what I post online.  I don't plan on visiting the United States for the next four years, but they may go way back.  I'm glad I had so many wonderful visits in the last few years.  

I loved this:

 

I am concerned

For an unknown reason, my computer security system is not letting me into this blog.  I tried both Edge and Chrome and sent a message to Microsoft.  They are saying it's not safe.

I will stop blogging until I know it's safe.  I'm not sure what's going on with the site but I wouldn't want anyone to get any virus or malware on their computers.

This is what I get when I try my own blog:

I started blogging a few years ago as my long time friend Janice blogs too.  When I access her blog I get this:

I select proceed anyway and it connects.  Is there a security risk?  I'm not sure but hopefully Microsoft will reply to my request.   

If you know my email, please let me know if you can access this blog.  Thanks!  Linda

23andMe

My genealogy DNA data is registered with Ancestry.  23andme is another DNA genetic testing site.  If you have genetic data with 23 & me:

23andMe has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, this will likely have affect on the whole company.

You may wish to download and delete your data from the site, as it’s possible the data maybe sold to another party.

Election call for April 28th

 We have their qualifications, now to hear what they are going to promise us.  

Jagmeet Singh - it's not on this poster so I looked it up:

He was born in Canada

University of Western Ontario BSc 2001

York University 2005  LLB

Go to an All Candidates Meeting.  I always find these interesting.  I am looking to answers for my questions and I have yet to met my MP who sent me a lovely pamphlet, with little information on it.  

If you candidate has been in office and you haven't followed what they stood for, do a search.  I did and found this:

Tamara Jensen MP 2021 Petition to the House of Commons

Has she changed her views?  What does she think about other controversial legislation and are we going back to the 1950's?

How to make your day better:

 

Goodbye Hudson Bay Company in Western Canada

The china department in Hudson Bay Company, year unknown

I knew The Bay was founded on May 2, 1670 but I didn't realize the founders were Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Medard des Groseillers the French explorers!  After having their furs confiscated by French officials, approached the English court, highlighting the riches to be found in Canada.  

After failing to obtain French support on their terms, they went to England in 1665 and interested Prince Rupert, cousin of Charles II.  Rupert persuaded the king, several merchants and noblemen to back the venture.

The Hudson Bay Company became the largest fur trading company in North America, establishing trading posts along the coasts of Hudson Bay, James Bay and the Arctic Ocean. The company traded with Indigenous peoples, exchanging goods like weapons, gunpowder, and blankets for furs from animals like beavers, foxes, and bear.  As the demand for furs declined, the Hudson Bay Company diversified its activities, eventually evolving into a mercantile business selling a wide variety of products.

For 355 years, Hudson Bay Company operated in Canada.  Yesterday, they decided to close all their stores but six in order to save the company.

I'm sorry to see this retailer leave our province.  They will still have stores in Ontario and Quebec and I hope they remain open.

Friday smiles

 The more I read the news, the more I need some laughs:

In mourning

It's been almost five months I've stayed away from the USA.  I feel sad so we went to one of our favorite restaurants; the Washington Avenue Grill.  It's in White Rock and overlooks Semiahmoo Bay.  You can see the Peace Arch and Blaine from your table.  I took a picture to remind me of how lovely it is down there.

I couldn't get the Peace Arch in this picture but you can see it if you look left.  A Burlington Northern passenger train went by when we were eating.  I didn't hear it in time to get a picture but it looked pretty empty.

BREAKING: Canadian Member of Parliament Charlie Angus humiliates MAGA Secretary of State Marco Rubio for his reckless remarks — says that he "needs to be sent back to school" before really tearing in.

America has become the laughingstock of the world under Donald Trump...

"Well, I think Marco Rubio probably needs to be sent back to school because when you say that someone doesn’t have a right to have a country, that’s an act of war," Angus told MeidasTouch.

He was referring to Rubio's support of Trump's idiotic demand that Canada become America's "51st state." Supposedly, the disastrous tariffs are an effort to coerce Canada into surrendering its sovereignty but there is simply no scenario in which they'll agree to do that.

"When you rip up arbitrarily trade agreements, and threaten, and say you're going to break a country, that’s an act of war," said Angus. "And Canadians have responded in kind."

"The boycott that Canada has launched against the United States is punishing," he continued. "We were told in January a 10% drop in Canadian travel to the United States would cost 140,000 jobs. We’re seeing at least a 40% drop now..."

"...and we’re hearing these nightmare stories of ICE detention centers, of people who are traveling across the border to fix their visa or that, that have been strip-searched, chained, and kept in deplorable conditions," he went on.  

"Is Donald Trump really trying to destroy the tourism industry in the United States?" asked Angus. "And then like three days before St. Patrick's Day picks a fight with the Irish of all people? You're going to pick a fight with the Irish on the eve of St. Patrick's day, throwing 200% tariffs and then 200% tariffs on France?"

"I mean that's the last bottle of bourbon that'll be sold in a generation in Europe so what we're really picking up here is not just the rising level of resistance in Canada — and I've been on a tour through the industrial heartland of Canada and the resistance is so much stronger than I could have even dreamed — but we're picking up now the rest of the world is watching Canada and following our strategy..." he said.

"...which is just disengage and to disengage economically," he continued. "So the United States has become a much weaker force on the stage of the world. If people aren't buying products, if people aren't traveling, if people aren't willing to buy anything American right now that's hurting so many American businesses who are basically collateral damage in Donald Trump and Marco Rubio and J.D. Vance's idiotic campaign to please the MAGA voters."

"Its hurting us to some degree but it's right now, we think the impact on the average American business that has always had good relations with people in their markets, they're getting punched in the face right now because of what Donald Trump's doing."

Angus is absolutely right. America gains nothing from these destructive trade wars. All Trump is accomplishing is the immiseration of his own people. Meanwhile, our adversaries are starting to look like far more stable trading partners to our former allies.

Soon, America will stand alone.

Have you ever been stuck in an elevator?

I've never been afraid of elevators but often wondered what would happen if one stopped.  Yesterday we went to Superstore.  We always park in the underground and take the elevator up one floor.  I didn't have to get many groceries but enjoy walking around buying everything Canadian.  I used my new app "is it Canadian".  

After we paid for our groceries, we went to the elevator and there was a man waiting for the elevator.  He let me go in first with my cart and when he got in I pushed "P" for parkade.  The doors nicely closed.  The elevator was making a few noises but I didn't think much of it.  He asked "are we moving?".  I said no and noticed on his hat was an elevator repair company!  Nice guy went over to the buttons and pushed a few and we started to go down.  When we finally stopped, nothing.  The door didn't open.  Nice guy started playing with the control panel and magically and to my delight the door opened.  

If you ever get stuck in an elevator it's awesome to have the repair man with you!  Next time, I'll take the escalator and get my basket on the main level!  

Happy Tuesday!

 

Costco Canada

I read this online and thank the person posting.  

Please the most important thing right now is supporting Canadian! I am sort of putting my neck on the line here because I am a Costco employee. I will say that for Costco everything takes time. The items you see on the shelves right now we're purchased/negotiated a year ago.

I will say that yes Costco is an American company, but as far as the Canadian stores we are our own company. We have a Canadian head office with Canadian buyers that purchase from Canadian vendors. We pay Canadian taxes and hire Canadian employees from coast to coast.

The Kirkland all butter croissants are manufactured in Vaughan, Ontario. They supply a majority of North America and even go as far south as Mexico. The Triangle buns, ciabatta buns, cheese buns and brioche buns and most of the Kirkland cookies are also manufactured there as well. es all those people who may work for US companies, but are trying their best to get you Canadian products.

Is spring just around the corner??

Canadian Pride

In 1967 Canada celebrated 100 years of confederation.  The pride to be Canadian was very good.  Bobby Gimby wrote a song we all sang not only in 1967 but for years!  

Canada held the Olympics in 1976, 1988 and 2010. Expo 67 in Montreal, Expo 86 in Vancouver, the many Canadian Men's Hockey Games, Christine Sinclair in Women's Soccer all brought us together as a country.  The patriotism we feel when we watch the RCMP Musical Ride or the Snow Birds perform is euphoric!  I have never seen Canadians come together in the last few months as they have after listening to the despicable spew that's come out of your current president's mouth.  

Canadians are going to the grocery store checking every item we buy to make sure it's not from the USA.  Fruit and vegetables from the USA stay on the shelves, while the products from Mexico, South America and Europe are purchased.  Have you ever eaten Israeli grapefruit?  It's at Costco and not cheap but it's fantastic!  I don't care what I pay but I care where it's grown.  BC hot house first, then any other country but the United States.  

I have never seen the loyalty to Canada by Canadians be as high as it is now.  It's great to hear people belt out Oh Canada at sports games.  My Nexus card is put away and I don't plan on using it for four years.  I need to renew it in three years so I'll see how I feel as I would hate to lose it.  From my home, it's a ten minute drive to the US border.  When the US had previous governments, we would go south every ten days.  We would fill the car with gas at Costco, go out for a nice lunch and buy things we couldn't get in Canada or groceries that were cheaper than home.  The last time I bought anything in the US was October 31st.  

I have no quarrel with the American people.  We have a lot of friends and relatives in the US.  Until your current president is out of office, there is no way I will go to their country.

Exennials

They call us "The Elderly"

We were born in the 40-50-60’s.

We grew up in the 50-60-70's.

We studied in the 60-70-80's.

We were dating in the 70-80-90's.

We got married and discovered the world in the 70-80-90's.

We venture into the 80-90’s.

We stabilize in the 2000’s.

We got wiser in the 2010’s.

And we are going firmly through and beyond 2020.

Turns out we've lived through EIGHT different decades..

TWO different centuries..

TWO different millennia..

We have gone from the telephone with an operator for long–distance calls to video calls to anywhere in the world.

We have gone from slides to YouTube, from vinyl records to online music, from handwritten letters to email and Whats App.

From live matches on the radio, to black and white TV, colour TV and then to 3D HD TV.

We went to the Video store and now we watch Netflix.

We got to know the first computers, punch cards, floppy disks and now we have gigabytes and megabytes on our smartphones.

We wore shorts throughout our childhood and then long trousers, Oxfords, flares, shell suits & blue jeans..

We dodged infantile paralysis, meningitis, polio, tuberculosis, swine flu and now COVID-19.

We rode skates, tricycles, bicycles, mopeds, petrol or diesel cars and now we drive hybrids or electric..

Yes, we've been through a lot but what a great life we've had!

They could describe us as "exennials," people who were born in that world of the fifties, who had an analog childhood and a digital adulthood.

We've kind of "Seen-It-All"!

Our generation has literally lived through and witnessed more than any other in every dimension of life..

It is our generation that has literally adapted to "CHANGE."

A big round of applause to all the members of a very special generation, which will be UNIQUE!!!!

Happy Commonwealth Day

I hope King Charles speaks on Canada's situation soon with Donald Trump and the Brits don't invite him to a state dinner until he backs off with our tariffs!

Dairy markets explained

Let's talk about why egg prices are so high in the USA compared to Canada. 

 

The short answer: Canada has a better system in place to protect consumers, farmers, and food quality.

Canada's superior dairy system is one of Trump's supposed beefs with the Canada-United-States-Mexico-Agreement (CUSMA), which as you all know, Trump personally instigated, negotiated, and signed in 2018.

The U.S. has an open dairy market with minimal regulation. This leads to the rapid spread of disease, frequent crashes and hefty federal bailouts. In the United States, the Dairy Price Support Program subsidizes their dairy farmers and they also have a series of bailout bills like the 2018 Farm Bill for Dairy and Livestock. The USA doled out a subsidy of $32 billion to farms in 2018, $22.6 billion in 2019, 35.1 billion in 2020... you get the idea.

Canada uses supply management for dairy production, so our dairy is better quality, with fewer supply chain & disease issues (again - this is why our eggs are still affordable!) 

In CUSMA, the U.S. agreed to limit their dairy exports to Canada so they don’t crush our Canadian dairy producers. Only when they go OVER THE QUOTA, do they pay the higher tariffs. So normally Canada has no tariffs on US dairy unless they go over the very reasonable quota - unlike Trump's misleading nonsense you might be hearing.

Canada's Supply Management means we produce a particular amount of dairy each year to ensure that our farms can be profitable and Canadian consumers have access to a "high-quality, secure" supply at stable prices without shortages.

Canada's system means we can have many small and medium dairy farms. The USA's system means enormous mega farms and the death of family farms. The mega farms are susceptible to the rapid spread of disease like Bird Flu and massive culls which lead to price surges. 

Musk's DOGE has cut back funding for the USA's disease prevention, reporting, and food safety which is going to be a calamity. No Canadian in their right mind would want American dairy (full of growth hormones!) or their terrible unregulated system up here.

Elbows Up!

International Women's Day

March 8 is International Women's Day. It’s a global day to recognize and celebrate women’s and girls’ social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. It’s also a time to highlight the progress made in advancing women’s rights and the ongoing efforts needed to ensure their full participation in all aspects of society.

Laurie and I celebrated yesterday at an event presented by our Member of Parliament, Kerry-Lynne Findlay.  It was held again this year at the Morgan Creek Golf Course.  They celebrated by a fashion show from five clothing stores in South Surrey and White Rock.  There was a woman who has a very successful clothing online store called Silver Icing.  She started her business in South Surrey and is very successful.  https://www.silvericing.com/

There were five different stores that showed their fashions.  This is one of the groups!  I loved the Lululemon presentation.  She explained all the different fabrics and other items they are selling at their stores.  Great afternoon with some inspiring women!

We are Canadian

Twenty-five years ago, Canada rallied behind a TV commercial character named Joe, or as many came to know and love him, Molson’s “I am Canadian” guy.

In 2025, he’s back with a new video that taps into the nostalgia of the original as a renewed sense of patriotism sweeps the nation.

Joe, played by Canadian actor Jeff Douglas, was the fictional star of Molson’s iconic beer ad back in 2000, which was released just ahead of the NHL playoffs that year. In it, Douglas plays a humble Canuck who introduces quintessential elements of Canadian sensibility to the viewer.

In a new, independently-made video posted on You Tube,  Douglas reprises Joe’s patriotism, this time opening with a cheeky remark pointed at U.S. President Donald Trump, suggesting that he shouldn’t mistake Canadians’ kindness for weakness, and joking that the president could do with a cup of Tim Hortons coffee.

2000:

2025:

How to occupy your cat

I loved this picture.  I bought a VHS tape for my cat years ago.  I think it was called "Cat Nip for Cats". 

The video showed birds flying around, squirrels climbing trees and lots of action.  The cat would start by wagging his tail and then swipe at the TV.  Cheryl would play the video and we would watch the cat and listen to him meow to the TV.  When we moved, our cat was over the rainbow bridge.  I still had the VCR tape and my cousin Nancy had two cats and still had her VCR so it had a good home.  Mowgli and Calypso had a lot of happy hours! 

PM Justin Trudeau

On January 6th, Justin Trudeau resigned as Prime Minister.  You either love or hate him, but you need to admire him for continuing to do his job!  He's been in Europe discussing trade, AI and security.  Today he meets with King Charles:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to meet King Charles on Monday to discuss "matters of importance to Canada and to Canadians." The meeting comes as questions swirl over why King Charles, Canada's head of state, has not publicly commented on Donald Trump's threats to annex Canada.

Trudeau, who's in London meeting with European leaders as they try to shore up support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, mentioned the meeting during a Sunday press conference.

"I look forward to sitting down with His Majesty tomorrow," Trudeau said.

"As always, we will discuss matters of importance to Canada and to Canadians, and I can tell you that nothing seems more important to Canadians right now than standing up for our sovereignty and our independence as a nation."

She was beautiful

 

SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL....

.... but she didn't know what that meant.

When she was a little girl

they told her she was beautiful

but it had no meaning

in her world of bicycles

and pigtails

and adventures in make-believe.

Later, she hoped she was beautiful

as boys started taking notice

of her friends

and phones rang for

Saturday night dates.

She felt beautiful on her wedding day,

hopeful with her

new life partner by her side

but, later,

when her children called

her beautiful,

she was often exhausted,

her hair messily tied back,

no make up,

wide in the waist

where it used to be narrow;

she just couldn't take it in.

Over the years, as she tried,

in fits and starts,

to look beautiful,

she found other things

to take priority,

like bills

and meals,

as she and her life partner

worked hard

to make a family,

to make ends meet,

to make children into adults,

to make a life.

Now,

she sat.

Alone.

Her children grown,

her partner flown,

and she couldn't remember

the last time

she was called beautiful.

But she was.

It was in every line on her face,

in the strength of her arthritic hands,

the ampleness that had

a million hugs imprinted

on its very skin,

and in the jiggly thighs and

thickened ankles

that had run her race for her.

She had lived her life with a loving

and generous heart,

had wrapped her arms

around so many to

to give them comfort and peace.

Her ears had

heard both terrible news

and lovely songs,

and her eyes

had brimmed with,

oh, so many tears,

they were now bright

even as they dimmed.

She had lived and she was.

And because she was,

she was made beautiful.

~ Suzanne Reynolds, © 2019