Today is St Patrick’s Day, and although I don’t have any Irish antecedents, my husband does. He, in fact, is half Irish.
Photo courtesy of Paige Morris
I don’t really understand why St Patrick’s Day has become so popular (is it the green beer? the riddance of green snakes?), but since I’m a half French frog, I do understand the green background and that it confers a certain ability to stand up to the preconceived notions of others.
So here’s to the Irish! May they live as long as they want, and never want as long as they live.
… forward, that is. I find it unbelievably irritating and totally unnecessary. But what is probably a lot more irritating is that although politicians are listening to complaints about their time meddling, it’s only on their terms. Why? Because they want to nail it down to daylight “savings.”
Salvador Dali
Is it just me or is that totally thoughtless? Daylight “savings”? In December? The sun won’t peek over the horizon until 9 or 10 am. Apparently politicians don’t understand this concept. And summer? Try sending your kids to bed at 2 a.m., especially if you live anywhere northish. Yikes.
Salvador Dali
I want standard time. All year. Permanent daylight “savings” will feel like we are in the wrong time zone for most of the year and will affect our health. But apparently, daylight “savings” is supposed to be good for late shopping, so I guess that’s the only thing that matters. We’re just supposed to bow down and accept whatever is best for the God of Commercial Consumption.
Around a corner from a door at YZF. I’ve passed this spot many times without before noticing.
I am not a smoker, but I couldn’t resist a picture of this bristling butt disposal depot. Ugh. While I can’t imagine standing out in this cold for a puff – and I totally get why no one has bothered to clean this thing – I guess any proverbial butt in a storm will do!
You are facing gargantuan odds against the greedy Putinesque determination to have you, to take you, to force you against your will, and that is now threatening the use of nuclear weapons.
But you have united fiercely against him and are holding out. There’s not much I can practically do for you, but today I am making a donation to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. It’s how I can help.
With all my heart I wish you well. You have the support of huge chunks of the world. Sanctions are taking effect, and even many of Putin’s own citizens don’t support his actions. His oligarchs are becoming worried about their bank accounts. Maybe it will be enough. I hope it is.
Valentine’s Day can be a cute, lighthearted day, but I don’t like what has become of it. When I was in elementary school, it was fun to make cards, colour hearts and take them home for friends and family. There would likely be a few heart-shaped chocolates or a heart-shaped cake for dessert. It was a low-key, fun day.
Now, advertisers try to make us feel like moral degenerates if we don’t buy flowers, chocolates, restaurant meals and some sort of sexy present for our significant other, if we have one. It’s sort of, spend money, and spend THIS way, otherwise you don’t care about or love your people.
My M and I disagree. We don’t believe in giving special attention on just one day; we try to show it every day. We avoid going to restaurants or buying gifts for Valentine’s Day; the commercial demand that we celebrate in an “appropriate” way by spending money in a super-busy restaurant with over-worked staff who are serving up limp meals is not something on which we’re willing to spend money.
We would much rather go at a time of our choosing and really enjoy it. Give flowers at any time just because. Do little things and show in numerous ways how much we love and appreciate each other. Enjoy a chocolate heart.
But be guilted into a formulaic response so that big companies can collect money? No thank you.
Red is my favourite colour, so maybe that’s one reason why I like autumn so much; my favourite hue is on vibrant display everywhere!
October 30, 2021
The colour of energy and life and passion and adventure, red’s long wavelength is difficult for the visual cortex to ignore. That’s why it’s also the colour of stop signs and fire vehicles.
Red always says, hey, hey, look at me! And in the autumn, that exhortation is also a reminder that we had better enjoy our leafy canopy before it’s gone.
In the Net! - Pictures and Stories of Life 