September 22, 2012
Autumn will officially arrive
today at 3:20pm EDT and will bring with it all it’s changeable beauty. Cold and
wet one day, hot and dry the next. Or, as David likes to say, it’s the season of
turning the furnace on for an hour in the morning—and the A/C on for an hour in
the afternoon.
We had an election here on this
Monday just passed, and the result was…practically no change at all. In our
parliamentary system, there are two “states” of government: a majority
government, and a minority government. In a Majority government, the winning
party has over 50% of the seats (a majority of the representatives); in a Minority
it has the most seats, but not 50% of them, and so must usually form a coalition
with another party in order to pass legislation.
We had a Liberal Minority government
before the election, and we have the same thing now, after the election. We
currently have, in parliament, 5 political parties that claim representation: the
Liberals, the Conservatives, the New Democratic Party, the Bloc Quebecois, and
the Green Party.
We don’t directly vote for our
prime minister. Instead, we vote for our local member of parliament. Who becomes
prime minister depends upon which party wins the most seats in the election. A
bit confusing, but one gets used to it. And for the first time ever, when I received
my ballot this time, there were a couple of people who were listed as “independent”
running in our “riding”.
My dear American friends, there
is one more major difference between our two countries when it comes to
governments and elections: our election campaign began on Sunday, August 15,
2021, and the election was held 36 days later, on Monday, September 20, 2021. The
election is now over and so too are all the TV ads, etc. It’s truly the
shortest season in Canada and I for one like it that way.
With the arrival of autumn, it’s
time to take stock of what jobs need to be done around the house before we
batten down the hatches and prepare for whatever kind of winter we’re going to
get. David has to go to the hardware store and pick up whatever stain or
varnish he plans to put on our new porch steps and railing. He didn’t use
treated wood when he built them, so this is the number one item on his “honey do”
list.
When I mentioned it to him the
other day, he told me to nag him until he gets it done. I told him I don’t nag.
I just remind him…. on a never-ending, looped playback. Actually, buying the
material is the smallest part of this endeavor. Once it’s in hand, we then have
to hope for a small, dry stretch of time in which he can do the actual work.
This is an old house, and when
it rains for several days in a row, the entire house feels clammy. The doors
like to stick and the floors do, too. Washing the floors in damp weather had always
been a little bit problematic as it would take them so long to dry. But we have
a spin mop now, which makes doing the floors so much easier. You can spin
nearly all the water out of the mop so that you get nearly all the water off
the floor.
My days of canning and
freezing and jam making are mostly behind me, now, though I do hope to have one
more go, next year, with the jam. I used to love this time of year with so many
interesting projects to look forward to. I’m still looking forward but to doing
things that don’t require as much physical ability.
There are books to be read,
and written, and the occasional movie to watch. I’m trying to cut back on some
of the news programs, because lately I get the feeling that there’s too much
hype. Just give me the facts, please, and leave the emoting to the afternoon serial
shows.
We might soon have to go to
the gas station and fill up the car for the second time since acquiring it the
first week of August. I am slowly getting used to this new-to-me car. For the
most part, I like it. I bought myself a little portable, foldable “step” that I
can use when my arthritis acts up. I do sit higher off the road in this car
than in my last, so getting into it can be a challenge. Getting out is not. It’s
a slow, controlled slide until my feet are on terra firma once more.
Life really is all about
adaptation, isn’t in? And the older we get, why, the more changes and
adjustments we get to adapt to.
Finally, a skill I can
practice—and on a much more regular basis, too!
Love,
Morgan
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
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