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The
Squamidian Report – May 6 / 23
Online
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Of This And Past Issues Issue
#1093 Maggie Russ Nova Scotia Sus The Ontarion
Well Now, If you’ve ever wondered why each entry to this letter is in the order that they are in, well, it’s because they go in, in the order that I receive them. It’s that simple. And, I use mine and Greg’s submissions as the bookends for continuity. Now you know. In some ways there has been a lot going on in our lives lately. As you may remember, we lost our family doctor just as Covid hit and that left us feeling very stressed and helpless. We had on several occasions put our names on the so-called lists of patients waiting for a replacement to take us on but to no avail. We’d watch the brain dead self serving politicians come on the 6 o'clock news and pat themselves on the back as they spewed useless babble about how great of a job they are doing to ‘fix’ the health system in this province. (The health system they broke). Their self congratulating verbal diarrhea simply pointed out how out of touch they are with the situation and plight of the every-day persons. Every few months I see a dermatologist who is situated in the same building as our old medical clinic is in. He’s actually a neighbor and lives just up the street from us. He has filled me in on just how badly the government has blown the public medical system and the government’s incompetence is far far worse than any of us are ever supposed to know, and he encouraged us to simply keep trying, keep calling our old clinic as at some point some new doctors should be turning up. Out of desperation we decided that to do that, and be the squeaky wheel that just might get greased. After several months of calling and being told to call back, or that they’d call us back but never did, Sue got through to a receptionist who told her to wait a few minutes while she check on something. She came back and told Sue that we now have a new family doctor, not a short term locum but a for real, family doctor. Wow, to say the least. She then set up a phone call appointment for each of us in order for us to talk to him and get things rolling. He in turned then ordered up lab work for both of us and given our ages etc he wanted to have us both checked for whatever it is they check, after which he’d see us in person. He sent lab requisitions to our local medical lab. We would then book appointments for the lab tests, but booking lab appointments here is more than a pain in the butt, it’s a convoluted bureaucratic process that is supposed to be done on-line but has proved to be beyond us and I’m basically pretty good with computer stuff, so its defiantly the system, not us. To get around that, we simply went up to the hospital where the lab is and walked in and pleaded ‘old and helpless’ when dealing with the booking system. We are more or less aloud to do that and so we did. It meant an hour’s wait but we got our lab work done except for the FIT tests which we will obviously do in the privacy of our own home. A huge load has been lifted from our shoulders just knowing we again have a family doctor and knowing that he is intending to be thorough and diligent. That means a lot to old farts like us. And, when my dermatologist looked at my medical records on his computer screen he noticed we now have a new doctor and with a smile on his face informed me that he also has a new family doctor, the same one we managed to get, and that this doctor of very good. * I haven’t been doing much music lately, mostly because I’ve been busy with motorcycles and life in general. However, a week or so ago Sue was in Maple Ridge granddaughter sitting and therefore I did have an opportunity to try some recording again which means I had to re-remember how to do it and how to get it all set up. After a search through the dark crevices of my memory I came up with an old 80’s country song called ‘When I Die I May Not Go To Heaven’ and decided to give it a try because what the heck, it seemed like such an easy, straight forward piece of music. To that end I fired up my ‘recording studio’ (my computer corner) and laid down the guitar tracks and vocals. As I worked on the mixing I realized that I hated how it was turning out and simply hit the delete button and deleted it. After some thought I started over from scratch with the song in a lower key and a different beat. It turned out a bit better but now seems to sound a bit hurried, at least to me it does. So I’m still not sure if it’s a keeper or destined to be relegated to the old ‘trash bin’ again, this time for good. However, this is what I’ve got for now so just follow the link if you are so inclined. When I Die I May Not Go To Heaven doug ****
From Maggie
Only in Panama
Ron and I recently had the great opportunity to visit our friends Sandra and Ingemar, who sold everything they owned here and retired to Panama. What a gorgeous country (but it can be VERY hot!). We had a great time with our more than gracious hosts not only at their place, but who also took us on a few long trips to see Panama.
Sandra and Ingemar have chosen to live a reasonably authentic life in Panama in a typical Panamanian home built out of concrete on about three-quarters of an acre of land – and the ocean is across the road. They don’t have a fancy condo with every North American convenience inside, or restaurants, golf courses and tennis courts nearby. Kitchen water is heated by the sun, laundry is outside in a Panama room, their gas stove has a small propane tank but they have internet, hot water in bathrooms and big fridges. Sometimes, the electricity goes out, but our friends have a generator. They are 20 minutes from Chitre where they can get most of what they need. Cost of living in Panama is cheap, as is medical care and there are no property taxes. Homes are passed from one generation to the next.
However, I don’t want to show you pictures of the beautiful ocean or us having food or sitting having a drink. No! I want to show a few pictures of the real Panama. Many times we found ourselves saying “only in Panama!”
Only in Panama have I been a car on a major highway, and seen a horse tied into the back of a pick-up truck!
Only in Panama have I driven on a main highway behind a truck of bananas - and surprise, none of them fell off. The Harry Chapin song “30,000 pounds of bananas” kept going through my head!
Only in Panama have I sat in a restaurant, and in the field next door, a young boy was giving a horse a very soapy bath.
Only in Panama, have I seen living fences. These are a very smart idea. They have young saplings that get cut back, and then wire is strung between them. This keeps the (very thin) cattle in the field and mostly off the roads. Most of Panama does not get rain for months – Sandra and Ingemar had not had rain since November – hence the skinny cows. We did see a farmer cutting back the foliage that was growing out of his living fence.
Only in Panama have I seen the indigenous Ngobe – who make up about 12% of the population of 4.4 million. The Ngobe women wear fabulously colourful dresses - you’d see them at bus stops, in stores and the best was seeing them in a cultural event in Boquete. The picture is of a couple dancers at that cultural event – quite amazing.
Only in Panama can you go into their equivalent of a Costco and buy a machete! Ron decided not to buy the knife. Machetes are used for cutting grass, bananas, cocoanuts and who knows what else!
We drove about the clouds (notice there is no Only in Panama- as I have been above the clouds before) – We were in Boquete and the scenery was spectacular!  A great trip! Maggie ****
From Russ
It's impossible! "A truly beautiful relaxing iconic voice" - One of his biggest hits - #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in 1968: "It's impossible" All I need do is hear his name, listen to his mellow crooning and I hear Perry Como sing; It's impossible Tell the sun to leave the sky It's just impossible It's impossible Ask a baby not to cry It's just impossible (Lyrics by Sid Wayne) Last Sunday, Rev. Robert (Rob) Hiscox gave a Sermon which seemed to speak directly to me and the book I'm presently writing, Doors and Corridors. As he was attempting to rush past me, being in a hurry to get to another church where he was speaking, I snagged him long enough to congratulate him on his fine Sermon, and that I'd like his permission for me to quote snippets of his Homily for a book I'm writing. "Be my guest!" he said, so I will. "How many times in your life have you said something like this? 'That could never happen. It's impossible. Not in my wildest dreams can I imagine that ever coming true'. He went on, "We've all bumped up against the impossible in our lives. We all live with our own version of what is and what isn't possible. Most of the time we live our life based on what we consider possible. We consider the range of possibilities and then we make a decision, choose a direction for our life, take our next step, all within the boundaries of what is possible. But what if life is bigger than that? What if the impossible can be made real? What if the impossible really does happen? What if the impossible is possible?" Right about now I'm thinking - that doesn't make sense - Rob's lost it! He admits he doesn't know how it happens - only that it does. I didn't know our minister was a 'gambler', but he's willing to bet, based upon what has happened in his life, that it's happened in my life too! He goes on, "Just think for a moment; what did you consider an impossibility that happened?" Here, Rob talks about things that happened you never imagined possible, but one day something happened - something changed. The world looked different. A door opened and what you once thought was impossible was your new reality. We all have stories like that. We could each tell about a time in our lives when the impossible was made real. It wasn't possible until it happened! That's the paradox". And here Rob quotes Richard Kearny and Jens Zimmerman (Re-imagining the Sacred, p.184) "The impossible becomes possible without being understandable, and when it does doors are flung open and a whole new field of possibilities lies before us" * Here, I'll share a very personal happening in my life which appears in Doors and Corridors. She was intelligent, capable, confident, beautiful, and the most sought-after Office Manager of "pre-need burial plots"; you may be familiar with - Memory Gardens Ltd. All the salesmen tried to "hit on her", including my brothers, Lorne and Howard (both married men!) Me? (also employed as a salesman, and still single) I could only dream of loving her to pieces - I didn't think I had a 'chance-in-Hell' of her giving me, a 21 year-old farm-boy, even a glance! But three years later we both said, "I do" - The impossible became possible. For the rest of the story, you'll have to wait until Doors and Corridors is printed. Russ ****
From Nova Scotia Sus
One of our favorite musicians is a man named Charlie A'Court. We have been following him and attending his shows for a number of years. Recently he has teamed up with two other amazing musicians...Susie Vinnick, a powerful singer and base / guitar player from Vancouver and Lloyd Spiegel an Australian who will knock you off your feet with his music and stories. The three musicians just finished a cross country tour and they were not tired. If you get a chance to hear them you will not regret it. We have been so busy around home that we decided to do a getaway and book a room in Truro for the concert at the Marigold Hall. It was great to just park the car and walk to dinner and the concert. We bought all their CD's so we can continue to enjoy their music. Sus ****
The Ontarion
Hello everyone! And “May The Fourth Be With You!” In case you don’t know what that means it’s a take off from “The Star Wars series” it’s a comment made up by the fans of this series and it is a reminder to all fans to watch that series over again this month every year! LOL! I’m not a fan of Star Wars or any other Science Fiction film or series so I said it here to make light of this date on the calendar! This statement made the news last night at 11:00pm and just happened to be on the tip of my tongue as I said hello to you today! It just so happens to be May the fourth when I’m writing this edition of The Ontarion! For those of you who don’t live in Waterloo Region or get into this region often I’ve been noticing the proliferation of orange coloured two wheeled scooters in Kitchener! It’s been on the news that The Region has now allowed a company to station rows of these bright orange rentable scooters in various spots around Kitchener Waterloo! You can rent them by the hour and drive them across either city and drop them off at another station after you’ve reached your destination! They are not allowed to be ridden on the sidewalks and must be only ridden on the bicycle lanes at the side of each road! The problem with that is not all of our streets have designated bike lanes! Where there is no bike lane, I’ve seen these scooters being ridden down the middle of the normal vehicle driving lanes. I’ve even seen two of these scooters riding side by side on the car lanes! That’s not only dangerous to the scooter riders but also is a hazard to the normal vehicles that drive on our roads! The other day Carole and I were out doing some shopping and there was a “Scooter Station” in front of the store we were at and Carole pointed out that each scooter had a white helmet hanging on it! This of course is a safety feature. However, I said to her that I wasn’t so sure I’d want to wear one of those helmets after someone else who might have Lice had ridden one of the public scooters and worn that public helmet! Since I have no hair, it might not affect me but people who have a full head of hair would be susceptible to the transfer of head lice from such a situation! The scooters are a convenience to those who ride them rather than take regional transit I guess but thinking about them, I’m not so sure they are the best idea in a busy city like Kitchener due to the safety factor! Since the LRT “Light Rail Transit” train system has been installed in KW, there have been quite a few accidents not only with vehicles but with pedestrians as well and these trains are huge and very visible! I can only imagine that these little scooters will in a matter of time bring collisions with any number of vehicles! I’m just waiting for the first death or major injury to make the evening news when I think of how careless some of these scooter riders I’ve seen around town are riding these tiny vehicles! I say once again “Maybe they are NOT a good idea!” Well, that’s all I have on my pea-pickin’ little mind for this week folks! Thanks for dropping in and I’ll look forward to talking to you all again next time in The Ontarion Report! Bye for now…. Stay safe and healthy…..Greg. ****
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