Commentary, musings

What to Boycott

64 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot about social media and how it and other services are subject to the Canadian boycott – and I realise that many other countries are doing the same – of American services and products.

Not that I have an answer, as the very service I’m using right now WordPress, is an American amenity.

So I’m posing a few questions which I hope you will be kind enough to answer. Have you dropped any American services such as AppleTV, Amazon, Wayfair or Netflix? Have you dropped any social media services such as X, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram? If you have dropped some but not others, why?

I have dropped Amazon, Amazon Prime, Wayfair, Facebook and Instagram but have kept Netflix and of course, WordPress. My reasoning is that Netflix is a publicly traded company whose founder and chairman is clearly anti-Trump. WordPress, on the other hand, is non-profit, open-source project, which means that no one really owns it.

Nevertheless, while I am very conscious about shopping local and Canadian I really don’t want to stop Netflix and certainly not WordPress, although it frankly feels a bit uncomfortable.

What are your feelings?

Reblogs

Reblog: Vancouver in Verse – A Little Lighthouse Keeping

4 Comments

All photos taken on October 31, 2024. The main reason for visiting this park was for the lighthouse views. The lighthouse viewpoint is up a short …

Vancouver in Verse – A Little Lighthouse Keeping

A beautifully photographed Vancouver lighthouse trail hike from Allan at Picture This. Please click the link above to see the entire post and also to browse Allan’s gorgeous landscape photography.

nature, Photography

Magnolia Beauty

31 Comments

Some of the magnolia trees have started to bloom.

They are a startling study in contrasts with their large, grandiose and beautifully fragrant blooms against a background of bare greyish-brown branches, gloriously emerging from their fuzzy capsules like petalled butterflies.

I could smell the scent from this small tree about half a block away and was so delighted to see it.

Magnolia blooms only last about a week so they have to be enjoyed in the fleeting moment.

Happy Tuesday.

nature, Photography

Early Rhododendrons

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The first little rhodie bud that I saw a few days back has now opened!

The bush with this single bloom doesn’t seem to be ready yet to produce those beautiful rhodie clusters but the bush next to this one is going to pop in the next few days.

The header picture shows flowers from 2024 but soon there will be some present spring lovelies for our viewing enjoyment.

Happy Monday.

nature, Photography

A Wonderful Time of Year

37 Comments

M and I recently spent the day checking out the Okanagan Valley’s spring progress.

We had beautiful weather; windless, sunny and 16 C (61 F).

We sat outside at Skaha Lake – it’s the smaller of the two lakes between which sits our city – to enjoy lunch at a favourite restaurant. It was warm enough that I had to move into the shade! The sun had a bit of power happening, As we ate, we saw a bald eagle swoop down and grab some lunch from the lake, too.

The weeping willows are all showing the light green of new growth.

We headed out into farming country where the wine grape vines are greening, the orchards are blooming and the farmers are very, very busy.

It was lovely not only to see spring but to feel it, too. 🍃

Sometimes, life is like that.