Adventures in the Hinter Land

In an effort to continue to commune with nature during this Social Distancing policy, I took advantage of some quality weather to take a solo stroll recently. I've reached that glorious (?) age where my old chassis reminds me that it was "rode hard and put away wet", what with all the creaks, snaps, and dad groans that emanate from my body as I navigate the world. Subsequently, I have been relegated to hiking, biking and resistance training over running and sports. While I relish the opportunity to explore in the company of my beautiful bride, I am equally appreciative of opportunities to take in nature's splendor on my own.

As I left our local neighbourhood, I turned toward the nearby farms looking to take in some of the rural beauty that is available only minutes from our home. Turning down the side road, meandering past the local Calvary Church, I quickly left the whir and buzz of civilization behind, replacing it with the sounds created by the multitude of Canada Geese inhabiting the area. My solitude was occasionally broken by vehicles as they travelled down the same road, going who knows where. As you can imagine, I left the safety of the sidewalk back in our subdivision, so walking a country road can be a harrowing adventure, depending on the mindset behind the wheel of said vehicles. Most were just fine, partly because I moved to the shoulder as the cars approached, partly because of the sanity ... or lack thereof ... of the drivers. I will admit that there were a few drivers that, if I could have smacked them upside their head, I would have been eager to take that shot because they roared by me at what I surmised was well past the posted limit, spewing stones in all directions and especially off my feet and legs. (Insert your favourite curse words here)

I continued my trek all the way down to where the side road connected with Shanty Bay Road, luckily avoiding any puncture wounds, and was faced with a decision. Do I turn left and make my trek a healthy distance OR turn right and start heading home. I would bet that those who know me can make a quality guess regarding my decision, but to speed things up, I chose to visit the hamlet of Shanty Bay, adding a number of km's to the journey. Along the way, I was again reminded of the beauty of Simcoe County as I sauntered past farmer's fields, wooded lots and a wide range of architecture. Although Shanty Bay Road is paved, the shoulder is not the widest I've seen so retreating from on coming vehicles offered a marginal amount of safety. Like the side road, the vast majority of the passing vehicles pulled as far into the center as they could, giving me a comfortable berth, but a few cause pangs of anxiety as their judgement cause me to retreat to the edge of the culvert a couple of times. TBH, if other vehicles were coming the opposite direction, I'll take that, but IMHO, that was the case when a small blue Mazda actually moved closer to the shoulder as the young driver passed. The young lady behind the wheel very narrowly missed getting a size 12 New Balance print on her side panel. (Insert even more of your favourite curse words here)

Arriving in Shanty Bay was anti-climatic, and I decided that in the interest of my safety, I would choose to take the Simcoe County Rail Trail as the route back home. I am please to tell you that there were no safety issues to report on the trail, unless you include being the source of inspection for each and the few dogs that I encountered. Truth be told, I was more concerned about getting gooey from the sniffs and licks than anything else. The trail is well used throughout the year, and although I have experienced how crowded it can be when out and about on the bike, it was eerily quiet on this day. The largest issue was navigating (a) the dog "bombs" left behind by unsympathetic travellers (and pet peeve of ours) and (b) the muck created by the still melting ice cover. In the end, that's a small price to pay for such a wonderful walk.

When it was all said and done, it was an almost 17 km hike, the likes of which my wife contends certifies my lack of common sense. I beg to differ, of course, because what else would I have to do with my time?

Let's see:
Social Distancing ... Check
Communing with nature ... Check
Physical activity ... Check

Changing my surroundings ... Priceless

Mother Nature can be cruel!

"Nature is not cruel, only pitilessly indifferent. This is one of the hardest lessons for humans to learn. We cannot admit that things might be neither good nor evil, neither cruel nor kind but simply callous - indifferent to all suffering, lacking all purpose."

Richard Dawkins

One of the most respected scientists in the world and the biggest draw in secularism, from 1995 to 2008 Richard Dawkins was the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. He is an internationally best-selling author.

I've heard and read a few things circulating around the Internet written by those who would have the world believe that the SARCoV-2 virus is some sort of Doomsday punishment created to teach humans a lesson of some sort. While I fully support a person's right to hold an opinion, even one so diametrically opposed to mine, I also embrace the right to disagree, using fact and tact to ensure that it is a rebuttal and not an attack. For the record, I believe that this current plight is a prime example of the nature's cruelty.

My pragmatic, science-infused opinion is that this pandemic was not caused by some higher power. I was raised in the Reverend Don Jay's United Church and, as an adult, I joined an adult Catechism course through Newmarket's St Christopher under the tutelage of Father Stephen. All of the teachings that I can recall from Rev Jay and Fr Stephen pointed towards a God that was benevolent and loving so I cannot condone the notion that an omnipotent creator is behind the virus' creation. Yes, there are a plethora of religious beliefs spread across the globe, each with their version of a Creator, and portions of every holy book written detailing fits of rage be it floods, plagues or seismic activity, all outlining potential for divine punishment, but I just can't accept that train of thought. I will admit, however, that there are some pretty incredible things in this universe that I can't simply chalk up to chance or coincidence.

My undergrad degree from Queen's University was a dual major in both Physical Education and Biology, so I feel competent in my understanding of the science behind nature and the ferocity it unleashes from time to time. I have read up in viruses during this Social Isolation period, and bolstered by my formal education, have a much clearer understanding of how they infect a host, multiply and mutate. Unless you're a microbiologist who understands the lingo, it's hard to find articles and videos that explain things in "laymen's terms". One of the easiest videos to understand I have watched was posted on YouTube by Dr Eric Berg, an American Chiropractor and author who also has taught nutrition as an adjunct professor at Howard University - Click Here to watch - although it is more about viruses and what you can do to lower your susceptibility to infection in general. Regardless of your opinion of chiropractors, Dr Berg makes understanding viral infections much, much easier.
DISCLAIMER: Dr Berg uses the title Dr because he is is a chiropractor and not a medical doctor.

Two things Dr Berg talks about were things I had not realized:
1. There can be over 100 Billion viruses in a single litre of sea water.
2. Susceptibility can be controlled through management of both stress levels and nutrition.

Regarding the 1st, once I watched the video and better understood what a virus is and how it goes about its business, I felt a little more at ease with the quantity of viruses he claims are out there. Bearing in mind that viruses are smaller sequences of code that seek out specific hosts or tissues, it makes outbreaks like C-19 much less intimidating, for me, because I can do specific and repeatable things to limit my exposure.

That dovetails directly into the 2nd with the knowledge that I (a) keep the stress reaction in check, (b) ensure that I get a regular amount of quality sleep plus exercise, and (c) plan my nutrition to include a wide variety of foods that are rich in the nutrients Dr Berg refers to. Since retiring in January, I can already notice a change in my eating habits and cravings, a trend that is having a positive effect on my waistline too.

If you're inclined toward science and generally have a need to know how things work, the site Nature.com has an article - Click Here - that does a decent job of explaining what viruses are and where scientists think they came from. It's a little technical in places but I personally found it interesting.

The popular site "How Stuff Works" posted in an article on viruses, 

"The human body does have some natural defences against a virus. A cell can initiate RNA interference when it detects viral infection, which works by decreasing the influence of the virus's genetic material in relation to the cell's usual material. The immune system also kicks into gear when it identifies a virus by producing antibodies that bind to the virus and render it unable to replicate. The immune system also releases T-cells, which work to kill the virus. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses, though vaccinations will provide immunity. Unfortunately for humans, some viral infections outpace the immune system. Viruses can evolve much more quickly than the immune system can, which gives them a leg up in uninterrupted reproduction. And some viruses, such as HIV, work essentially by tricking the immune system. Viruses cause many diseases, including colds, measles, chicken pox, HPV, herpes, rabies, SARS and the flu. Though they're small, they pack a big punch -- and they can only sometimes be sent into exile."

When it's all said and done, the popular notion is that we will be dealing with the covid-19 virus for a sustained length of time, or at least until a safe vaccine is approved to use, much like the influenza vaccine that many receive each winter. No one ever promised that life would be "a piece of cake". These viruses are fairly regular reminders that Mother Nature is all powerful, and despite how intelligent we think we've become, she likes to give us a reminder that we're only guests on this planet ... guests that she could easily evict should she care to. As Dawson alludes, she can be incredibly cruel and indifferent to the suffering caused. Although there are always exceptions, those that behave in the manner implored by the experts will continue with life after our smartest have beaten this thing and, hopefully, we as a species will have learned a valuable lesson.

Oh, and don't forget to wash your hands while you hum 20 sec of your favourite song.

Ahhhh, nothing better than the beach!

In a previous post, I wrote about the Social Distancing efforts Joyce and I are making, but as a confession, we are "Get Out in Nature" buffs, often hiking through the beautiful forests that Simcoe County offers, and were "down a quart" so we decided that we could keep our distance while enjoying the beach! We have friends that have a cottage in Allenwood Beach, right on Georgian Bay, and a quick text to them resulted in a convenient parking spot. Truth be told, my wife Joyce LOVES to walk the beaches at Wasaga so this whole affair was a huge hit with her ... Please don't tell her that I was quite okay with the hike considering that I had originally been skeptical of what we would find after driving all the way from Barrie to "The Beach". It was well worth the effort, and with gas prices significantly lower in our area right now, not much of a hit on the pocketbook.

We had previously made the trek to Wasaga during the winter months to marvel at the massive ice flows that creep up the shoreline, a testament to the wonders of nature that are on your doorstep, so we anticipated that there may be some visual treats waiting for us as we traversed the dunes to the water's edge. At our friend's beach, all was normal ... actually, it was "more than normal" because the waterline had retreated from the ridiculously high levels of last summer, revealing some of the erosion issues that were created with those levels. We were eager to enjoy a healthy stroll alongside the lapping waters of Lake Huron.

For those who do not live in the part of the world, Ontario has had temperatures of late that were a little cooler than normal, resulting in below freezing conditions overnight. On the day we visited Allenwood, the temps were hovering right around 1 Celcius, so as we walked, we intrigued by the various frozen pieces of nature's artwork and, being a bit of a shutterbug, I was eager to capture some of that beauty for later. Upon closer inspection, we discovered that the ice was actually round globes that had frozen together to form bubble-shaped conglomerates of water and sand. The heat of the bright sunshine being absorbed by the sand was causing the ice to melt in peculiar ways, resulting in formations that were of a sort neither of us had seen before. We were aware that the bay had not frozen over this winter so perhaps these globes of ice were a function of that? We weren't sure but it certainly coerced us in to a lot of stopping and gawking.

It was really a spectacular way to spend an afternoon free from the confines of our house, and equally convenient to see that only a handful of others had similar thoughts, making the mandatory 2 metres easily achievable. Despite the fact that we had to cover up quite a bit to escape the nip of the stiff northwest breeze blowing on shore, our exposed faces will have added a much welcomed shot of vitamin D, although we're likely well stocked after our Florida escapes. Rather than retrace our footprints, we decided to return using the variety of beachside roads Wasaga has to offer, which allowed for a casual snoop of the wide array of homes in the area. Should that sort of thing be of interest, and if you haven't treated yourself to this before, it would be well worth your time to peruse the wide assortment of architectural styles dotting the shore area. I have no clue how some of these folks can afford "summer homes" of the likes we witnessed, many of which that were not only incredibly beautiful but screamed of opulence. From 10 metre river rock chimneys, to multilevel decks, to 3 car garages, some of these cottages (???) were highly impressive. Colour me frugal but, as much as I can appreciate said architecture, I am not in the least interested in building + buying anything of that sort. Give me access to a small traditional style cottage, 75 m2 with minimalist amenities, and the ability to traipse through with sand crusted feet and I'd be as pleased as a pig in poo.

We really are a privileged lot to live in Simcoe County and all of its natural beauty. Do yourself a favour during these tentative times and recommune with your wild side ... your brain will thank you.

Go WILD!

When I retired in January, one of my good friends, Drew Forsyth, loaned me a book co-authored by Dr John Ratey called Go Wild. I had a couple of other reads on the my runway, so I finally got on the task a few days ago, found it an easy and entertaining read, and I thought I'd share some thoughts about what I will take away.

First of all, why would Drew wish to share the book in the first place? Drew and I were together at Central when Principal Russ Atkinson brought Dr Ratey's SPARK movement to the staff. Drew is a huge proponent of SPARK, bringing it with him to Barrie North with his transfer there, and he had followed up that by reading Go Wild. As a fellow SPARKler, he felt I would be interested ... and I am grateful that he did.

Secondly, some background ...

Dr John Ratey was the mastermind behind the SPARK movement. It was coined SPARK because Dr Ratey had authored a book of the same name that focused on the connection between activity and learning, especially the functions of the Prefrontal Cortex. In a nutshell, Dr Ratey proved that regular bouts of activity that lead to elevated heart rates, fired up the brain to accept and assimilate more information. Principal Atkinson LOVED the message and insisted this was something we should embrace at Central. A few of us really liked the idea, spent a week of that summer just outside of Boston at Eagle Hill Academy with Dr Ratey learning even more about SPARK, and opened that school year full of good intentions. We quickly found that students were receptive to the idea of more movement, but embracing the intensity level that Dr Ratey recommended was a bit of a learning curve. As they slowly warmed to the idea throughout the year, the staff at Central saw positive, albeit gradual, changes in academics, behaviour and mood. The community around Central was soon treated to the regularity of small hordes of students moving and grooving their way in and around the campus, laughing and giggling the whole time as they played like youngsters at recess ... EXACTLY what Dr Ratey prescribed.

Thirdly, why was the book called Go Wild?

Dr Ratey co-authored the Go Wild with a journalist named Richard Manning. The essence of the book was a recommendation that human beings, Homo Sapiens in particular, have been evolving for a very long time and much of our biology is the result of nature picking and choosing more efficient ways for us to continue to maintain our place near the top of the food chain. Evolution, for those that don't recall, is measured in REALLY long units of time, and although coined a theory, is the scientific explanation for the changes that the fossil record indicates. Since evolutionary units are so long, when compared with the length that humans have lived in civilizations, Dr Ratey and Mr Manning propose that much of the afflictions we suffer today (diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia, etc) can be traced back to ignoring our biological roots through practices that are counter-productive. They assert all can be addressed by returning to practices buried deep in our past.

The book is divided into different thought lines ... Nutrition, Activity, Mental State, Socializing and Stress Management ... with explanations about what science supports and recommendations for changes to habits and practices. There are many references to other experts and how their work supports what Ratey/Manning are saying so, by and large, the changes range from moderate to significant, largely dependent on where you are presently with respect to each thought line. The thrust of their argument is enshrined in the notion that our bodies work far more efficiently if we return to a way of life predating the agricultural movement, with its move toward wheat and corn as staples. Without spoiling your read, it's the move back to a Hunter-Gatherer lifestyle with it's broader family definitions, varied diet low on carbohydrates, daily movement, closeness to nature and living in the moment.

Being brutally honest, there are some things contained in this book that I would really struggle to adopt, not the least of which is the Keto-like diet that sacrifices carbs with the aim to kickstart our fat burning machinery. I have read up on this diet and I have what I feel is a good understanding of its premise, but I have to confess that it would take a Herculean effort to commit 100% to it. Ratey, in particular, stresses that he is not on the Paleo bandwagon, but reading his personal experiences makes it is clear that his consumption closely resembles it. Recently, in both response to the C19 changes coupled with the time retirement affords, Joyce and I have made a conscious decision to reduce our meat + prepared foods consumption by substituting a larger variety of deliciousness delivered mostly through the regular use of our Instapot. We have both found the move to be beneficial.

The other recommendation I would struggle with is running. Both Ratey and Manning are proponents and do a thorough job of outlining the biological reasons why this is the most human of activities. A few years ago, I exercised my way into a romance with running, but despite all of my best intentions, eventually had to succumb to the realization that my body type was not built for it, evidenced by creaking knees and ankles. I would support all that the book espouses in regard to this, but I would have to use the low-impact version of hiking or biking, and it is something that Joyce and I can share, since running was never her thing either.

In the end, that's it. The rest of the recommendations are things that we could certainly make an effort to adopt ... except the expansion of the family unit through increased socializing ... for obvious reasons right now. One of the recommendations I have zero experience with ... Meditation strikes me like one I should become more versed in. I think it will prove to be an interesting investigation.

As a final thought ...
Go Wild is a pretty neat read, and is certainly thought provoking, even if you don't choose to try anything that it recommends. If you're already inclined in its direction, you'll find a few gems of knowledge that justify those beliefs, and maybe even include ways to extend them. If you're not on this bandwagon yet ... and I am not saying you should be ... there's much to ponder about what is being said and the proof behind it. Since we're supposed to be quasi quarantined anyway, what a great thing to do, considering the increased time for developing your sense of self.

I have to give Drew his book back so I can't lend you this one.
The ISBN is 978-0-316-24610-1 and you can get a copy of Amazon.ca ... Click Here
Happy Hunting!

Doing our part with Social Isolation

My wife and I are embracing Social Isolation, the best that we know how, considering we've only recently known the term to exist. Like so many, we understood the idea in generalities, but we decided to use the good ol' Internet to make sure we understood it fully. Amidst the 90% doom 'n gloom dedicated to the actual virus and the government's reactions, we found a few useful pieces of advice here and there. Just like so many other topics buzzing around Social Media, there were so many conflicting tidbits of advice surrounding the In's and Out's that we decided to feel it out ourselves, using some plain old fashioned common sense. We understand that we have it pretty darn good being retired and, by writing that, I am not trying to upset anyone. We genuinely feel for the folks that find themselves between a rock and a hard place due to these restrictions, like those parents who have school-aged children and struggle to make ends meet because they are forced to miss work to care for them. Our own children have both been forced into a loss of wages due to work shut downs or slow downs and, thankfully, we're in a position to help them, should the need arise. IMHO, Canadians are overwhelmingly doing the best they can with what they've got, and it's really nice to see neighbours helping each other. Case in point, just this week many grocery stores announced early shopping hours for seniors and those in vulnerable states, all in an effort to relieve stress.

I'd be remiss if not publicly acknowledging the people in our community who have been tasked with keeping things going during all of this, due to the nature of their chosen field:

1. The health care system deserves as many accolades as we can heap upon them for their selflessness and sacrifice. It is for them that Joyce and I are doing our little bit to the best of our ability to reduce the pressure, even if just a wee bit, they feel during this crisis. 
2. The front line workers in grocery stores, gas stations, city services, trash collection, etc all deserve a thunderous applause, our empathy and appreciation. Life would be significantly more unbearable were it not for their bravery in putting themselves out there ... every day. We have to remember that the problems we encounter as we manage our lives are NOT their making, and frustrations should never be directed at them.
3. The infrastructure workers who continue to do their part to ensure that "business as usual" is as close as possible, given the restrictions. This is a huge number of workers ... police, ambulance, logistics, repair + maintenance, etc ... who have to leave their families each day, in the face of this pandemic, to bolster a floundering economy with hopes of staving off, or minimizing, a full-blown recession.
4. I am sure there are others that I neglected to mention. I apologize to them.

What it turns out to be ... for us ... is something strikingly similar to what we were doing in our new retirement routine, minus the socializing stuff like dining out, having a cocktail or two at a pub, or taking in an event or some kind.
True, we have cut down on the trips to this store or that.
True, we have been way more aware of thorough hygiene practices, especially when returning home.
True, we pay close attention to trips out to avoid the potential of close quarters with the Joe public.
True, I personally miss the regular trips to the gym because home workouts generally suck.
Having admitted to all of that, we don't find the rest of our situation that much of a change.

In a typical day:
We arise when it suits us ... read that as neither of us can sleep in anymore ... good morning Mr sun!
We are in data-collection mode for the first hour awake ... fuelled by a good cuppa Joe.
We do a job around the house ... recently, we generated multiple garbage bags of clothes to donate.
(RULE: If you haven't worn it in 12 months, you should consider letting someone else wear it.)
We go for a great walk either around our very quiet neighbourhood or a trail somewhere.
We get in some self-growth time ... she reads and I read or write or workout.
We cook a meal together ... and clean up the mess together ... tres cute, eh?
We watch a good show or movie ... we're working our way through Netflix' Vikings right now.
We head off to slumberland at a time that would disgust my teenage self.
Press Repeat

In the end, regardless of circumstances, we all have to be willing to do our part to, as the media keeps telling us, "Flatten the curve" by slowing the spread of this incredibly contagious virus. Things will go back to a new normal but first we have to ride the wave of what the WHO calls an INFODEMIC, a glut of intentionally misleading and cleverly synthesized stories, often spread through Social Media.  Here's a link to one case on the site "The Scientist" where an old article was picked apart to incite some completely false accusations CLICK HERE. As the article outlines, and many experts in the field have publicly agreed with, the evidence supports a natural progression for the SARCoV-2 virus, NOT something someone cooked up. This sort of thing drives my up the wall! I really cannot fathom what a person gets out of inciting panic through the spreading of false claims ... More Likes, Hearts, Thumbs, etc? I'd love to see this sort of thing punishable, although I have zero idea how to enforce it.

I'm not nearly intelligent enough to have a quality guess about what the world economy will look like on the other side of this pandemic, but I have faith that we will all make out well enough. Time Magazine recently posted an article that stated, 

"Economists say the sudden stop in spending could strike a bigger blow to the global economy than the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, since nobody knows when it will be safe for people to go out again. Compounding the crisis is the impact to the service sector, which weathered downturns in the past as people continued to get their hair cut and eat out. This time, that sector of the U.S. economy has come to a standstill since most of the jobs in it can’t be performed remotely." 

I watched a video the other day with a financial expert who said that it would take a particular percentage of the GDP to keep the economy afloat. He felt that the PM's recent announcement of 25 Billion in aid would be close to the figure needed. There is general disagreement about what the future holds but "The Economist" recently posted, 

"It is not all doom and gloom. So far there are few indications—either from weekly jobless claims or from company announcements—that joblessness is rising. Worries that broken supply chains would stoke inflation also look overdone, for now at least."

The optimist in me prescribes keeping my chin up, make the best of the situation, however difficult it becomes, and continue to live each day in the moment. Worry and dread never proved useful tools for anyone. Since we have a plethora of time, feel free to ask for a favour, should it be required. We promise I'll do my best. We'll see all y'all on the other side.

Faith and Begorra!

At the stroke of midnight, as the days rolled over into today, March 17th, a host of revellers raised their adult beverages in exaltation of an excuse to consume copious amounts of what ever ails them, all in celebration of the patron Saint of Ireland, St Patrick, for driving the snakes out of Ireland. 

What? That's not true? But that's what I was taught ... I think. I decided to look around the Internet for some info and what I found was a bit of a shock ... for me, at least. Many thanks to all of those sources for enlightening me.

When we think of St. Patrick’s Day, we generally think of green stuff, Ireland, Shamrocks, Leprechauns, and partying. We consume all things green, be it beer or treats, and feel perfectly justified in getting inebriated. That’s all well and good, but I bet you don’t know the truth behind the Saint and where all of these traditions came from.

Brace yourself ... You're about to get educated.

Ireland's patron Saint, St. Patrick, was actually born in a town in Roman Britain, sometime in the late 300s AD. Yep, good ol' Patrick wasn’t Irish ... and he wasn't born as Patrick ... but he curiously adopted a number of different names. History records his birth name as Maewyn Succat, but he didn’t dig that so he arbitrarily changed it to Patricius. TBH, he had many monikers throughout his life, being known by many as Magonus, by others as Succetus, and to some as Cothirthiacus. I guess he really liked Patricius because that's the one that stuck and why we celebrate his day each year as St Patrick's Day. St Magonus' Day is just too hard to do.

Paticius' father, Calpurnius, was a big deal in the early Christian church, but Patrick started out as not much of a believer. The obnoxiously religious might believe that is why he was captured by Irish pirates at the age of 16 and enslaved for six years as a shepherd. During this time, he chose to convert to Christianity, learned the Irish language and culture, and attempted to escape back home. It would turn out that Patrick wasn’t very good at escaping because he was captured again ... this time by the French. During his captivity, he learned about monasticism, and continued to study Christianity when he was finally sent back home in his late 20's. Like any pious cleric of that time, he claimed he had a vision that instructed him to bring Christianity to Ireland, in an attempt to cure them of their predominantly pagan and druidic ways of the time. Typical of that time in history, if you weren't Christian, you had to change because you were wrong.

When Patrick arrived back in Ireland, he found that his preaching ways were not welcomed, and he was he driven away, landing on some small islands off Ireland's coast. It was then he slowly gained followers, eventually returning to the mainland to convert the heathens for many years to come. There's no beating around the bush ... Patricius got busy baptizing, ordaining, guiding and converting ... not the least of which were sons of the region's Kings, which gave him the clout to assist in the formation of over 300 churches.

Not sure where the beer and Irish patriotism comes in? Keep reading.

St Patrick is credited with banishing all the snakes from Ireland, but as miraculous as that sounds, there were never actually any snakes on the island to begin with. 

Ol' Patricius was likely the one responsible for popularizing the brilliant green, three-leafed indigenous plant that you're so familiar with. According to legend, it was used to teach the Irish the concept of the Christian Holy Trinity ... The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Irish pagan and druid beliefs already regarded the number 3 as special and using the Shamrock to reinforce the idea was a big hit with the locals.

Patricius is known to most as Saint Patrick, although, technically, he not a canonized saint in the Catholic Church. Then, why the holiday and why always March 17? What’s with the green, and why do we think of a non-Irish, non-snake charmer as a symbol of Ireland?

St. Paddy’s Day was as a religious celebration, starting in the 17th century to commemorate the life of Saint Patrick, and his import of Christianity. The day, celebrated with a feast, always took place on the anniversary of the Patricius' death, believed to be March 17, 461 AD. With emigration to the colonies in America, early during the 18th century, travellers brought the tradition with them, and it was there that the celebration started to become the symbol of Irish heritage and culture that it is today. With more immigration, the Feast Day celebration slowly gained in popularity. The first ever St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in Boston in 1737. Fleeing the Great Famine in the mid 19th century, a large influx of Irish immigrants fuelled the explosion of the celebration, drawing in both patriots and non-Irish alike. Fast forward to today, St Paddy's Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival, transforming from a mass + meal to one of the biggest parties of the year.

The colour green, as previously stated, started with the Shamrock, but goes back to the Irish Rebellion, when Irish soldiers wore green as they fought off the British in their trademark red, instead of the traditional blue. During the war of 1798, "The Wearing of the Green" was adopted as the soldier's anthem, solidifying green as their national colour. When Chicago dyed a river green in 1962, the Americans embraced the wearing and decorating in green as a part of their pop culture.

So, how did the binge drinking grow out of a religious family meal that was tied to lifting Lent restrictions for a day? Irish pubs were actually forced, by law, to shut down for the day since drinking alcohol was frowned upon until the late '70s. In true American capitalism, a massive marketing campaign by Budweiser in the '80s convinced thirsty revellers that drinking beer and St. Patrick’s Day needed to be married for ever.

The rest is history nobody seems to remember (bad joke ... inebriation?), but, at least now you can take a swig of your Guinness in pride because you know the real story.

Sláinte!
(Irish/Scottish toast to health in Gaelic)

Life, for the next while, is changing!

The recent weeks have proven to be a completely new set of circumstances for my household. Starting with retirement on Jan 31st, and all that changes that brought, we spent time in the warmer temps out of country and missing the 2020 version of "snowmageddon," then arrived home just in time for the sweeping closures in response to the Covid19 pandemic, not the least of which was the Ontario government's decision to extend Spring Break by two weeks. I don't mind admitting that all of these combine to shake my resolve ... just a little.

The posts, articles, videos and opinions that are being shared via Social Media are worrisome. With this whole "false news" phenomenon, one has to be very careful of the sources used to keep informed about what Covid19 is, how it is spreading, where the concerning areas are, who is most at risk, and why so many people are panicking. I have no problem with people who have opinions, and I encourage all to speak truthfully, based on their understanding, BUT the sheer volume of fear mongering posts coupled with the reposting of obviously false information is, IMHO, causing people to act in very strange ways.

Life, for the next while, is changing!

Not the least of my perceived strangeness is the panic buying of goods from the wide variety of grocery-type stores that has resulted in a significant shortage of those same goods for people who have not gripped the same sense of dread. I have no problem with people stocking their pantry as a precaution in the very unlikely event that they will be quarantined in their home, BUT when that effects the vulnerable sector of the population, I personally draw the line. We were at the grocery store the other day and I personally witnessed a wide cross section of ages frantically hoarding PB+J, TP, canned goods and literally anything else that would store for a long time. I also witnessed some senior citizens who were going to be forced to go home without some of the things they went to the store for. In the end, I'm left simply shaking my head in a confused bewilderment.

Life, for the next while, is changing!

I have been involved in education for a very long time ... more than half of my life ... and I have never seen a broad local school closure, much less a province-wide decision, and while I am in full agreement with the why, it is the how that gives me pause. As an educator, I have always been preached to about the validity of the school year and the need to ensure ample learning time is available for students, but now 10 school days will be removed from this semester's 90, and so far, with little explanation the effect it will have on the system. It is the unknown that makes it so difficult, and I guess they have the regularly scheduled Spring Break to iron out the details, but given the recent lack of cooperation between the government and the education system, I am left pondering how this will play out. Both sides are going to have their ideas AND both sides are going to have to cooperate.
Question: Will the government propose teachers use e-learning to attempt to keep the proverbial ball rolling during those extra two weeks? Like many, that immediately conjures questions about the nuts and bolts of delivery and access. I have used D2L (an on line class portal) for the past 5 years and I have to say that some students are awesome with it! Alas, some are not awesome with it.
Question: Will the 10 days be pushed into July? That creates a whole new set of issues that the summer temperatures will pose.
To be clear, I applaud the decision in response to a very serious and irregular scenario, but it definitely adds to the uncertainty of the times.

Life, for the next while, is changing!

Until the surge of cancellations, I had never really sat and pondered the place of entertainment in western society. With concerts, sports, conferences and rallies being postponed or outright cancelled, individuals and families will be faced with the task of entertaining themselves, something that many alive right now have never had to do. There have been jokes and memes circulating around Social Media about the void that these cancellations will create, and I have to admit that while meant to be humorous, there's a great deal of truth behind them. Case in point, I coerced Joyce to join me at a variety of sporting events recently, and the Collective We were looking forward to the NCAA's annual March Madness, our tickets purchased last fall for the regionals in Albany, NY. Following the NCAA's decision to cancel the men's and women's tournaments, those plans are scuttled and we will be "doing the dance" with StubHub for a refund of a pretty significant amount of money. Likewise, have many stopped to think about the various professional leagues suspending play for a month? Each franchise has hard costs that will need to be paid ... where will the money come from? Owners, most likely, but from the players, too? How many franchises will be on the brink of bankruptcy? My point here is that entertainment means BIG BUCKS world wide and the impact of those postponements and/or cancellations will have far greater effect that many would have thought when first hearing the announcement. The tentacles of this issue will dig deep into the global economy, and we all need to understand that the likelihood of recessionary-like conditions is high. We cannot lose our minds over this.

Life, for the next while, is changing!

In light of the panic that has already ensued, it will be even more important that we collectively take a deep breath and hold it (a daily Covid19 check anyway), so that we think before we act. Although minor, there has been a rise in prejudice toward China, the supposed source of the virus in the first place. I say supposed because I am not sure there is agreement on that and people are way too busy dealing with the virus to play detective. I have watched a few news reports about the Chinese "Wet Markets" and the business of consuming less common beasts, and the theories sound logical, but who are we to point fingers at other cultures and cast an evil eye? In the end, the "milk has been spilt" and it doesn't matter who "knocked the glass over", we have a pandemic to deal with and the health systems around the world need our support and assistance.

Life, for the next while, is changing!

I was taught that there's always a silver lining ... the glass is half full ... it's better to deal with issues than complain about them. Even though the Covid19 pandemic is a major concern, what it will do is make all cultures around the globe take a hard look at themselves, their daily habits, their systems, their infrastructures, and actively seek to improve. In the end, if we, as a species, make some positive changes, the earth will become a better place to live on. Just like previous global events, our incredible brains will come together to figure this out and how best to deal with the changes it prompts.

Life, for the next while, is changing ... let's make it a good thing!

Coaching is a part of my DNA.

This retirement gig is pretty gosh darn good!

Having said that, now that I have had a little more than a month of "the good life" under my belt, there are a couple of things that make me miss education ... the daily interaction with teens both on the court/pitch and in the classroom. Now, don't go panicking on my behalf, I won't be returning to full time teaching any time soon, but I have to confess that I am especially missing coaching ... more than I thought I would.

I felt drawn to education from a very early age, but in my later high school years, I got sidetracked by the possibility of following in my father's medical footsteps, but I realized early in my university years that I wasn't interested in the academic discipline needed for Med School. I even spent a short time in business, running a hotel/restaurant/nightclub in Kingston right after graduating from Queen's, but I soon came to see that education was the career path for me.

I have often told people that the only way to get paid for coaching young people in Canada was teaching, though, to be truthful, I would have done it for a lot less than my teacher salary. With that in mind, I feel strongly that, while I was never up for any Teacher of the Year awards, I was a good teacher who fully earned my wage, each and every year. Many pundits claim that learning to teach helped make then better coaches ... for me, it was the exact opposite. IMHO, I was a great coach who used those skills and abilities to become a better teacher. It made perfect sense, to me, to coach as much as possible and I am very proud of my 30 years of 3 seasons (at minimum) a year.

During those 30 years I developed some thoughts on coaching that I wished someone would have shared with me early in my career because they directly apply to teaching as well. Here's my top 10:

1. I believe, with 100% of my soul, that a good coach wakes up excited to get to work coaching. They may have varying levels of excitement, and even have some “off” days, but a good coach loves what they do. I was always hyped to get to the time of day when I could work with my athletes.
2. A good coach loves the athletes/people they work with. They acknowledge that everyone is different and unique, that they will connect more with some than others, but they also respect the path that everyone is on. TBH, if you don't like the athletes you're working with, step aside and let someone else have a go. Everyone involved will be happier.
3. A good coach constantly seeks out ways to connect with athletes, understanding it’s not just about X’s and O’s but rather, the communication and dialogue that goes on between him/her and their athletes. If the communication breaks down, there'll a problem. There are tons of easy ways to stay in touch with your athletes ... A good coach makes sure everyone is on the same page.
4. Young people are different today than they were 10 years ago, so a coach can either groan and moan about it, or can work to find ways to relate to them. Like any relationship, coaching comes down to three things: communication, trust and respect ... and this is a two-way street ... video yourself at practice to see if you're holding those three truths close to your chest.
5. A good coach understands that athletes are easy to guide. They come in full of motivation and energy, seeking assistance, looking for guidance, but MOST IMPORTANTLY, they want to have fun! A good coach understands that there will be rough spots to iron out since both the coach and athletes are Alphas and are used to being in charge. The challenge will always be getting Alphas to work cooperatively for the greater good. In my experience, the teams that do this well hoist trophies and banners at season's end.
6. Good coaches actively seek their coaching style. Every coach has different interests, personalities, and even senses of humour. If anyone tried to coach like someone else, they would come off as fake or contrived. Even if the coaching is deemed successful early-on, a good coach allows his/her true personality shine through, trusting instincts and focusing on developing his/her coaching ability after the athletes have gone home. I often found the time was split in a 2:1 ratio of practice to planning/learning.
7. STOP TRYING TO BE PERFECT! A good coach admits they made mistakes in the past, that they are making mistakes now, and will make mistakes in the future, but treats those mistakes as an opportunity to learn and progress. If a coach is unwilling to own his/her mistakes, his/her athletes will learn that too, and the team's performance will suffer. A little humility goes a long way.
8. Nothing is worse than a coach who thinks/acts like they know everything. It comes back to humility ... there’s so much information that is readily accessible out there, it’s overwhelming. If you get great results, that's awesome, but keep in mind that the second any coach acts like his/her crap doesn’t stink, his/her athletes will sniff it out immediately and rough patches are sure to follow. Involve your athletes in the decision making ... there's a great chance they'll surprise you ... because the ownership breeds confidence and that leads to success.
9. Realize that coaching is a life-long process and a good coach is never done learning/improving. Some of the things that I believe most strongly in, I learned halfway through my coaching career. It would be awesome if I could have known more in the beginning but the process of learning only comes with the investment of time. Still, some mentoring would have gone a long way!
10. Good coaches are competitive and that's not a character flaw. That "itch" percolates through life and they understand their athletes through it. As my dearly departed father share early on, "That's why they keep score - someone has to win - it might as well be you." Having said that, a good coach never loses sight that it really is all about the athlete's enjoyment, and if you do things correctly, the "DUBS" will find you.

I must confess that I have not completely abandoned coaching.

I recently had discussions with the Georgian College Varsity Coordinator and Men's Rugby Head coach about returning to the sidelines of Massie Field in the fall of 2020. Under the leadership of Head Coach John Daggett, the Grizzlies have become the premier program in the OCAA, winning an OCAA medal in the last 5 consecutive seasons ... with all humility, 5 seasons I have been an assistant ... and it is a very satisfying experience.

Once a coach, always a coach.

They may not be able to UNDO the damage.

As a retired educator, I am personally not as impacted by the continuing political strife between the government and education workers, but that doesn't mean that I don't care. I have actively stayed up to date with the lack of progress in the collective bargaining process and, every now and again, I come across people who share some pretty well worded thoughts. The following is one of those times. Mr Howard is a teacher in Ontario and since I don't personally know him, I cannot ask permission to share his thoughts so should he read this post, I hope that he is okay with me sharing. He did post this on line so I am assuming he'd be agreeable.

Dear Mr. Ford and Mr. Lecce,
I am writing to you again, this time to express my deep disappointment in the manner in which you have both chosen to disrespect all educators across the province. You have repeatedly called members of our dedicated profession "greedy", "selfish", and numerous other derogatory terms. You have chosen to suggest our profession has somehow been over paid for over 50 years. You have suggested our jobs are easy and privileged. You have suggested teachers don't understand what hard work is. You have chosen to "negotiate" in public. Quite frankly, I am disgusted by the divisive, sexist, and irresponsible rhetoric you publicly present on an almost daily basis.

Neither of you have any expertise in the field of education yet you repeatedly demonize teachers while purporting to know what is best for children and parents in our education system. You can not fathom the sacrifices that are made by educators on a daily basis. We sacrifice our pay cheques as we subsidize resources in schools for teaching the curriculum. We sacrifice our paycheques to subsidize for children struggling coming from lower socioeconomic situations. We sacrifice our paycheques to pay for fun activities, birthday treats, and basic reward celebrations for our students. We sacrifice our time from our own families before work and after work and yes even on weekends to support student learning and extracurricular activities. We sacrifice our own mental health as we struggle to support kids with addiction issues, mental health problems, physical health problems, children of abuse, children who have lost parents, children exhibiting suicidal behaviours, etc. We do this because we want what is best for Ontario's kids.

Teachers pay out of their own pockets every year to put bandaids on funding problems in our schools that come from a never ending struggle to meet the needs of diverse learners, increasingly scarce resources, increasing demands as educational structure has downloaded more responsibilities on the classroom teacher, increasing numbers of ESL students, increasing numbers of special needs students, increasing numbers of IEP students, increasing numbers of accommodated students, and increasing behavioural issues in schools stemming from everything from difficult homes, changing family expectations, to a lack of consistent discipline structure from administration.

Mr. Ford and Mr. Lecce, you are both forever damaging not only the relationship between educators and the Conservative Party but the very fabric of the professional relationship between the Ministry of Education, Boards, OPSBA, Trustees, teachers, parents, students, and all education support staff. You have put partisan politics ahead of sound educational research, expertise, and the collective knowledge of an entire profession about what is best for kids. Playing partisan politics may be acceptable and expected in Queens Park but it is not ok to play partisan politics with my kids, my students, or my professional future.

If you honestly believe the current teacher action is simply about a difference of 1% in salary and benefits you are gravely mistaken. Your proposed cuts are the straw that broke the camel's back.

You have an opportunity to truly discuss avenues for finding system efficiencies that are long overdue and you are squandering it. You have an opportunity to put together a team of public education experts and find solutions to the concerns of teachers, students, parents, and tax payers but because of partisan politics you are choosing not to. You could create an environment for intelligent policy debate and research driven bipartisan solutions but instead you are choosing damaging rhetoric.

There are systemic structural opportunities for savings in the $billions annually in Ontario. If only Ontario had the leadership to look for longterm solutions.

Please stop the destructive path we are on. Bargain in good faith or turn to binding arbitration provided for under current legislation. Ontario needs education leadership not partisan rhetoric.

Steven Howard OCT,
Bachelor of Education
Honours B.A. Economics, Environmental Economics Specialization, Legal Studies Option, Reading Specialist P/J, Math 1 P/J,
ABQ HPE Intermediate

Caveat Emptor!

Things always sound more ominous in Latin ... Caveat Emptor means Buyer Beware ... and as the saying goes, "If it seems too good to be true, it usually isn't." Our son Keaton recently went through an ordeal that left our whole family shaking our heads in exasperation.

Firstly, you'll need a little background knowledge to fully appreciate the feelings involved in this. Keaton used to be in a relationship with a lovely young lady who owned an adorable Australian Shepherd puppy named Finnigan and KP fell head over heels for it. When they finally realized that they should move on from their relationship, KP realized that there were two holes in his heart ... one for her and one for Finn ... and although he lived with room mates that owned a puppy, he decided that he really wished a puppy of his very own.

That brings us to the crazy situation.

Keaton looked for quite a while on the various sites that that offered access to dogs. He finally settled one that he thought was just right and he reached out to the family that was offering him up. A long story short, after a bunch of visits to play, negotiate about the process, testing the house pup and new pup together, and loads of thinking about whether this was the right choice, he made the decision to move forward ... a decision that would turn out to be a major problem. The family had recently taken the pup to their local vet and, as a part of the transfer, wished KP to pay for that vet bill. They said that they were moving out of the country and couldn't take the dog. Sounds logical, no? They also said that the pup came with a training service, but neglected to include the fact that the transfer fee for the service was $300.

The first night was full of one on one cuddles, belly rubs, and puppy kisses, but the following morning the pup was out of sorts, turned aggressive and nipped KP on the hand. The situation was dealt with and, although perplexing, seemed to be an abberation. That day was KP's day off work and he arranged to meet with the training service the family had alluded to. It turned out that the trainer was aware that there was a history of aggressive behaviour. HMMMMM.

The following day at work, KP received a call from his room mate that his dog had him cornered and KP rushed home to deal with the problem, resorting to physically wrestling the dog to the ground and locking him in his room. What transpired over the next 24 hours gravely concerned the entire house and led to KP contacting the previous owners about returning the pup. Incredibly, they refused, basically telling KP, "It's your problem now." WHAAAAT?

Caveat Emptor.

The group decision was that the dog could not continue to live there because the attacks were random and some had drawn blood. The crazy part of it was that one on one, the pup was as good as gold. It was becoming clear that there had been some abuse in its past, triggering aggressions when faced with unfamiliar males.

Keaton spent the new day phoning around to every shelter, vet clinic and dog service he could find about options regarding an aggressive dog. He was met with continual road blocks and shrugged shoulders, creating significant frustration. With great angst, KP decided that his only option was to euthanize and, out of respect, he contacted the previous owners about the decision. Again, they asserted that it was no longer their problem, even though only 48 hours had transpired, adding proof to the suspicion that they were well aware of the aggressive behaviours and there had likely been abuse.

The culmination of this entire situation is unbelievable.

Keaton's heart was breaking but he had explored every other option and had no choice but to proceed with the euthanization. All of the vets he contacted indicated that they would not do the procedure without first doing an examination, so he contacted the vet the previous owners had used in Waterloo (KP lives in Guelph). It was agreed that KP would bring the dog in after work the next day. This meant getting it back in the crate once the crate was in the car, a feat that was easier said than done. Incredibly, following the vet's examination, he told KP that he was refusing the procedure because the pup was behaving and he couldn't proceed in good conscience. PARDON? He did try to help find KP some help but it was a Friday night and no one was answering their phones. If you know Keaton at all, you will understand that he was very angry and upset by all of this, being stuck between the proverbial "Rock and a hard place." No one would take the dog, he couldn't get it euthanized, it couldn't live with them ... What now? All through this, we had numerous phone calls with him as sympathetic ears and, together, we decided he had to surrender the dog to the Humane Society or call the Police to report an aggressive animal. Thankfully, the Guelph Humane Society accepted the dog, costing KP $150, which he paid willingly through teary eyes. Our collective hearts were broken, both for Keaton and for this poor puppy that human beings had broken through neglect.

The entire scenario played out over 72 hours, cost KP over $300, and was a tough "School of Hard Knocks" lesson for him to learn. As a testament to his character, he was adamant that he was still going to get himself a four-legged companion, but that he would be take manny more precautions. Joyce and I wanted so badly to solve this for him, but it is all a part of the maturation process ... "Tough Love" doesn't even begin to describe our emotions ... and we are beaming with pride from the way our son handled to entire thing.

Caveat Emptor, people, Caveat Emptor.

Pure Canadiana!

It's a gorgeous soon-to-be-spring Saturday with brilliant sunshine and temperature creeping north of freezing so I found myself in the same scenario as many true-blood Canadians ... I was at a local ice rink watching a gaggle of youngsters learning how to play our national pastime.

Humour me on how this actually came to pass.

I have clearly explained how much of a super hero my wife is in previous posts. By the time that our own children flew the coop into full blown adulthood, my wife was down a cup or two of motherin' so she cured her mama-bear instincts by helping a friend of a friend with her newborns. That was 5 years ago and she is very motivated to be involved where "her babies" are concerned. Their bio-mom has put them into hockey at a local training facility in Barrie called NTR (National Training Rink) so, naturally, that is where Joyce wished to be.

That's how we found ourselves in a rink on the aforementioned Saturday afternoon.

I will be honest with you that when the suggestion of heading out to the rink to watch 5 + 6 year olds play hockey was posed, I was agreeable but not very motivated. That quickly changed as these youngsters took to the ice. The league is a Sr K + Gr 1 combination which means that most true Canadians can immediately conjure up clear images of the quality of play ... BUT YOU'D BE WRONG! While it's true that there was a wide variation in both skill and ability, the overall entertainment factor was pretty gosh-darned high and I found myself grinning ear to ear. The whole experience screamed red+white Canadiana!

Joyce's babies are a brother-sister combo, who are pretty close in age, and really active. They aren't super competitive and find themselves simply enjoying the present rather than being focused on winning. That being said, the brother leans toward the idea of hockey, while the sister loves skating around the rink, occasionally taking a random swipe at the puck should it pass in her general area. Although I can immediately think of a few parents from my past that would not handle the situation well, bio-mom and Joyce think they are the cutest thing imaginable, and I have to agree with them. In the end, it was one of the better hours we have spent on youngsters that weren't biologically related to us.

If you live in the Barrie area, slide on over to NTR on Huronia Road some Saturday to behold the spectacle for yourself. Oh sure, it helps of you resemble a grandparent so no one looks at you oddly, but it sure seemed to me to be a pretty accepting crowd, so I'm sure you'll be fine. If you don't live in Barrie, I am sure there's a local NTR, but if not, I'm also sure that one of your local rinks hosts something similar. As a true Canuk or Hoser, do yourself a favour and check it out.

I'm still a Mama's boy!

My mother turned 80 recently. Now, that's not so big a deal when you consider that her mother ... my Nana ... passed at the ripe old age of 99 3/4, so our family figures she's going to be with us quite a while longer. I have to tell you that she is still one of the smartest people that I know ... Watching Jeopardy together is like watching it with Carter Chambers, the character Morgan Freeman brought to life in "The Bucket List". She's also one of the most generous people that I know, a fact that has thrilled all 7 of her grandkids and her 2 great grand-babies. She recently allowed both Joyce and I PLUS Maddi and Chris to invade her Florida Paradise for a week, together, and didn't think anything of it. In case you're missing the point, I think the world of her.

Growing up in my family was a parental challenge. My parents had 4 children, 4 boys to be exact, and with my father being the only Orthopod in Barrie for a number of years, she was blessed with raising 4 boys on her own for portions of every day as my father spent 100 hour weeks putting people back together that had wrecked themselves in one manner or another. I have written previously how different my brothers and I are (click here), so I don't have to repeat that, but you should know that it was a BUSY household and she ruled it "with an iron fist" ... actually, it would be better phased "with a wooden spoon" ... in those days a whack on the backside was not considered a federal offence. Now that I am through the child-rearing phase and into retirement, I can look back on those memories with great wonder and appreciation for her abilities to balance it all.

My parents were the stuff of a Hollywood Blockbuster. They were high school sweethearts ... him the all star athlete and her the head cheerleader ... survived the separation of years of university before reuniting, marrying and starting a family. They stayed deeply in love for the rest of their years until my father's passing in 2006. Letting you in on a secret, when the rest of the world thought my mom would struggle with losing her beau after all those years, my brothers and I were resolute in the opinion that she would soldier on ... we grew up with her and knew how strong she was. She was devastated, grieved, and then dealt with her loss exactly the way we anticipated. She still misses him, each and every day, but she's accepted her fate and has made lemonade out of her lemons.

Growing up, I didn't fully appreciate my mother's incredible parenting super powers. She dealt with the trials and tribulations of day to day life with 4 very active, and at times ignorant, male-types who wanted to "suck the marrow out of life" and experience as much as possible, lest they miss out on something. My parents moved a young family from Toronto to Barrie, bought a place on the east end of town, then decided to choose between purchasing a cottage verses putting in a pool. When the back hoe finished, my mother inherited a large majority of the neighbourhood kids as we made great use of that wonderful pool. When they chose to move across town to the west end, the four of us were delighted that the new house came with a pool and we, once again, inherited the neighbour's kids. I tell you this because it makes her legend all the more incredible as she lifeguarded, fed and often clothed (we always had extra bathing suits) the neighbourhood. In a testament to her super powers, she never batted an eyelash doing it.

Growing up first born with the same middle name as my father, liking the same sports as he shone in at East York CI, and resembling him significantly, the joke in our house was, "you can go to any university you wish ... but we're only paying for Queen's", the same school where my father was a demi-legend. TBH, I really never considered any other university and I hold the memories of those 5 years near and dear to my heart. What does that have to do with my mother? To my knowledge, she never wavered in her support of that decision and she figured out the complicated logistics of my younger brothers as my father expected them to attend as many of my Queen's Football games as they could. They even surprised my one game, enlisting a friend to fly them from Barrie to Lennoxville, QB for a road game at Bishop's U ... I didn't know they were coming and was shocked to see them in the stands. Making time to do all that while ensuring that my brothers were looked after can't have been easy to arrange. I wasn't there, but I'll bet my Nana + Papa (her parents) were left in charge.

All in all, when I take stock of my 56+ years on this planet, I have to admit that I struck gold becoming my mother's child. She is the rock of our immediate family and I love her with all that I am. Enjoy your 80th lap around the sun mom ... And I hope that you have a few left in you yet.