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Issue #976
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From Russ

The Ontarion

Hi All,

So what’s the difference between and ‘early spring’ and ‘6 more weeks of winter’? Seems to me they both take you to about the same time, that being mid March. I don’t know what the Groundhog Day results from most of the weather rodents across the country were but out here the closest thing we have to groundhogs are the mountain marmots and they would all still be hibernating under meters of snow way up in the mountains. Therefore we don’t really know when to expect the arrival of spring and its doubtful we will be able to recognize it when it does come because we are still waiting for winter. It just never quite got here. We’ve basically been having late November weather since about September. Now of course I’m talking about south western BC, at lower elevations. Higher up its a different story but thats not were ‘we’ lives.

Where this topic is going is that I’m BORED. As with most of us, we are and have been in lockdown for ‘ever’. Each day is truly ‘Groundhog Day’ with no change in anything including the weather. There is nothing new, nothing to do and any news on TV is just the same old crap, over and over, just adding to the frustration with the situation and frustration with our elected officials at all levels. There is however one highlight to each day, as long as its not raining so hard that we can’t do our usual morning walk, we do our morning walk. You see, most people around here have dogs and we tend to run into them on our morning walk. We like dogs and dogs like us. There is one dog down the street who thinks we are her grandparents. Her name is Zoe, shes a chocolate lab and has all the energy and exuberance of that breed. It’s not abnormal for us to hear a banging at our front door only to find it is Zoe. She has a tendency to come visit whenever she ‘escapes’. A funny aside is that our real granddaughters have known Zoe since they were very young and (back when they could visit) would ask to borrow Zoe so they could play with her. Anyway, later in their young lives they met a girl near where they live who’s name is Zoe. Much to that kids puzzlement and that kids mother’s puzzlement, they tend to refer to their friend as ‘human Zoe’.

Out on our walk each morning we run into quite a few dogs (and their people) including Zoe who walks with a couple of dogs from further up the street. All the dogs we meet head straight for me, for good reason. I keep a bag of freeze dried liver in my coat pocket and the dogs go nuts for that stuff. Even the stand-offish shy dogs can’t resist and would shove their heads right into my pocket if permitted. Several of the local dogs are rescues and have had pretty bad life experiences. They can require a bit of patience and tenderness to make friends with but those liver treats are very persuasive. So, we have our morning walks to look forward to each day. One issue we do have is that when we run into several dogs at the same time, the competition between them can cause them to get a bit excited and that can be hard on my fingers. So far, I still have all of them and thats a good thing too.

Five years or six ago we were having a very smoky summer due to forest fires burning all around. Several were within an hours drive of us. For most of that summer the air was brown, the smoke choking. That was when I was busily trying to write some original music, most of which you’ve already heard if you’ve been paying attention. This song, ‘The Forests Burn’, was one of those songs. The difference is, this song linked here is the video version, so bare-bones with no extra harmonies etc. And yes, this is not summer and there is no fire smoke anywhere near here but this is the song I’ve chosen for this week’s high brow uppity musical indulgence. So, give it a listen if you are so inclined, don’t bother if you are not.

The Forests Burn

doug

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From Russ

Temper-temper.

Out she came – in a flash! First she darted right pushing her loaded shopping cart – then hung-a-left – the cart tumbling off the curb, spilling it’s contents! We shouldn’t have, but we started laughing out loud, she could neither see nor hear us as we were sitting in the truck with the windows up, trying to get warm. It was bitterly cold, the wind inflicting painful wind-chill. Sand and salt had been spread on the road making for a heavy brown slush where her groceries landed with a splat! She must have felt stupid and angry as she failed to use the ramp in front of Sobey’s.

She’d come well prepared to shop, bringing her own insulated containers – the cube-shaped kind. Miraculously they remained in the cart – flipping their lids and dumping her carefully-packed produce onto the roadway. Strangely, nobody came to her assistance, but several people watched her bending down, her big, brown bag slipping off her shoulder, knocking her off balance. Angerly, she heaved the bag, the momentum carrying it over her back onto the other side, where it dropped into the slush! This stunt was repeated several times. Her temper getting the best of her, now throwing apples, oranges, peaches, onions, etc. back into the cart with such force the stuff bounced out onto the street! The madder she got – the harder she threw the produce – much of it landing back onto the road again! Not until she was finished did someone from the store come out offering help.

“We shouldn’t laugh” I said.

“No – we shouldn’t” replied Bettie (laughing even more)

We were ashamed laughing at someone’s ‘pain’.

Normally, Bettie (Daughter-in- law) would have helped her, but the girl should not have been shopping that early. Seniors are authorized to shop from 8:AM to 9:00AM, and this girl was NOT a senior. She was a selfish ‘me-firster’!

We’ve all run into them while shopping – not following the Rules; rushing around the store, going against the arrows, not maintaining ‘socially-distance’. Rude/ignorant!

In her defense; she was wearing two masks (as now recommended) one covering her mouth, the other covering her eyes!

Your old Uncle Russ.

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Can't seem to give this section away :(

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THE ONTARION REPORT

Hello everyone!

Although we are experiencing a rather mild winter here in Southern Ontario, the rest of the world is having some different weather. For example, Maui Hawaii just had 4” of snow in one of their national parks. There were several motor vehicle accidents caused by their snow fall and also several injuries to people that were playing in the recent snow. They tend to receive a sprinkling of snow every year at the higher elevations on the island but this year’s event was much more than usual and stayed on the ground for almost a week, according to news reports. I guess nobody is immune to the changes in the world’s weather patterns these days. Here’s hoping our summer weather is normal in the coming 6 months!

This winter has been a difficult one for me not weather wise but health wise once again! As it turned out, my doctor discovered that I have some more serious skin cancer on my bald head. I guess it’s from too much time in the sun without wearing a hat! 6 weeks ago the doctor diagnosed more cancer on my head and recommended that I use a product called Efudex on the problem. Well, as it turned out this product is a cream in a tube that I have to smear on my head twice a day every day for three weeks, then take one week off from using it and then repeat the process for a second three weeks. Then I have to go to see him again for a check up about 5 weeks later. He didn’t tell me the exact outcome of the use of this drug but it said in the instructions that it is a form of chemo therapy. So, I’ve been spreading it on my head for the past three weeks and taken the one week off using it. As it turns out, the entire outer layer of skin on my head is now pealing off my scalp! The sensation that one feels with the use of this cream is one of intense burning! It has caused all of the many cancer spots on my head to begin to bleed and then form large scabs. I assume that they will eventually fall off before I have to attend the next visit to the surgeon in late March. It’s been one of the least comfortable treatments anyone could experience, for sure! I’ve just started the second set of three weeks worth of treatments and with the tenderness of the fresh skin on my scalp, it’s burning even more than it did for the first three weeks! I guess it’s just something I have to put up with to affect a cure for the skin cancer! The only thing that the surgeon told me was that my scalp would look terrible and feel terrible during the use of this cream and he sure wasn’t kidding! It’s been a long haul so far and isn’t over with yet! Hopefully this treatment will be successful and I won’t have to repeat it or have any more surgery to rid myself of this terrible problem! I guess this session has been better than the previous one where the surgeon had to cut open my scalp and remove the cancerous lumps of the past! That time I looked like DR Frankenstein had done a job on my head! At least this time it’s topical and not invasive like the surgery! Oh well, Life goes on and maybe this well be the end of my medical problems for years to come! I’m looking forward to the good weather of the coming spring and summer and I’ll be sure to wear my hat every moment that I’m out in the sunshine!

That’s about all I have for this week folks!
Thanks for tuning in and I’ll look forward to talking to you all again next week in The Ontarion Report.

Bye for now … Greg

PS: Something To Think About>
Unless you want to join the club, be sure to wear a hat when out in the sunshine, especially if you’ve got a haircut like mine!

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Take Care And Be Safe
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