The
Squamidian Report – Nov. 24 / 12
Issue #548
Including:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Its been a busy week, well the last several weeks have been busy but this week was the climax. I never knew there was so much involved when someone moves, in this case when a young family moves. Well, actually, I certainly did know but had managed to mercifully forget. As mentioned before, Ryan and family took possession of their new home a week ago and since then there has been painting and planning and moving stuff. Now to be fair, I have not had too much to do with any of it except for the ‘actual’ moving day where Ryan rented a big truck and rounded up a couple of friends and we went to work loading the truck. All the things they needed here over the last year were of course here so that needed to be loaded. Then we went to where they had most of the stuff in storage in Coquitlam and loaded that stuff. Then we headed on out to Maple Ridge and unloaded everything. Some stuff could be put where it was intended to go, and the rest was piled in their garage for future sorting so it could be put away or whatever when it got gotten to.
That was a long day for me. I’m not used to doing much physical labour any more and I sure don’t have the strength or stamina that I once had. By the end of the day the only thing keeping me awake was the pain in my bad shoulder and my bad knee. But, we got that job done. They still need a few days to get organized and set up and then that will be it, they will be living in the Frazer Valley. Visiting them won’t be too bad as long as we avoid heavy traffic times such as morning or afternoon rush hour. From here to Horseshoe Bay is never a problem but from there on can be bumper to bumper stop and go and if the weather is bad, or there has been a collision somewhere and there often is on those congested highways. That drive from West Van through North Van and Burnaby and Surrey and Coquitlam can be a nightmare. So, needless to say, we only intend to do that drive during mid day or late evening. And yes, we do intend to do it quite often. After all, ‘the Wife’s’ dog Willow is sure going to miss little Kyra. And Willow will quite quickly catch on to where we are going. Currently, when ever we head into the city we are usually heading for the airport and Willow can never figure out and stresses over whether we are ‘picking up’ or ‘dropping off’. She loves it when we pick someone up but hates it when one of us is being dropped off.
By the end of the weekend they will be living there and I will get my side of our garage back. Cool. We had given them the use of half the garage when they moved here and that meant MY side of the garage. It will be so nice to be able to park inside again, never having to scrape the truck windows or get wet getting to it or getting back into the house from it. Yes, the good life again. There will again be room for the snow blower which has spent the summer in the back shed. That’s where it always spends the non-winter part of the year but its nice to have it close to where its needed once the snow flies. Last year it was still in the back shed when we got our first and only major snowfall. That was mid November and I had intended to fetch it around to the garage at the end of November. I ended up having to wrestle it out of the back in order to get my driveway cleared. After that, I gave it the ‘once over’ that I would have given it before using it. Then, it really never got used again at all. So, this time there is no snow in the forecast and I’ll be able to bring it around and have it in the garage and ready. A snow blower is like an insurance policy, you have it incase you need it but you actually hope you won’t need it. At least that’s how it is with most people. I tend to like snow and like blowing the snow off my drive as well as a bunch of neighbours driveways. For me its fun and they all think I’m some sort of nice guy. We all win.
doug
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THE ONTARION REPORT
Hello Everyone!
It’s been several years since I first heard the term “Being Green” and the term applies to anything to do with conservation and recycling. Most times when this topic comes up in a conversation it’s pointed out that my generation is to blame for the state of this world we live in. Well, I’ve always defended my generation but it seems to be so easy for the younger generations of the past 30 or so years to point the finger at people who were teen agers in the ‘60’s and are known to have been free thinkers and doers back in those “Free Love, let it all hang out” days!
Grant it those were the days of “Let it be” but they were not the days of “Nobody Gives a Shit” and “Let’s let the world go to Hell”! My generation DID give a shit and they proved it by staging protests to show that they really did care if young people died for no good reason ie: The Viet Nam War and if the world was being poisoned by the modern society and industries of that day who polluted our air at will! Many a young person of the 60’s went to jail for protesting such massive problems and were given very little if any credit for bringing such problems to light! At least they were brave enough to stand up for what they believed in and disagreed with!
While perusing my e-mails the other day I came across a very poignant article about “Being Green” that I am going to include for you all to read. It’s one of the most direct hitting articles on the subject of “Who’s at fault” and “Who’s made an effort to keep our world Green” that I’ve ever read and it brings home the point that I’ve been trying to defend for many years when my generation is accused of being at fault for putting this world in the polluted state it’s in at this very moment! I’m not saying that my generation isn’t to blame for our fair share of the worlds condition problems, I’m merely pointing out that my generation made a good effort to keep this world clean and “GREEN” back in our younger days and it’s time to stop pointing the finger and let’s all get behind the “Being Green” movements of today to save this world!
BEING GREEN
“Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.
The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days."
The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."
She was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.
Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were truly recycled.
But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things, most memorable besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our schoolbooks. This was to ensure that public property, (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribblings. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags.
But too bad we didn't do the green thing back then.
We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.
But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.
Back then we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.
But that young lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
Back then we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.
We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
But we didn't have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.
But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?
Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smartass young person.”
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I hope this article opens a few eyes and minds when you all read it!
That’s it 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>
“I used to think I was indecisive but now I’m not so sure!”
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Have a good one..
the doug
The Fine Print!
The articles in these issues are the sole property of the persons writing them and should be respected as such.