Rains bring lush greens!

Sadly, the Conservatives won the provincial election. He is a premier who myopically focused on Toronto, not the entire province, and wants all disabled people off the ODSP program. People who need our support. He is on the side of big business and his rich landowner buddies want to pave paradise, through precious Ontario wetlands, creating a new highway around Toronto (#413) near underused #407, a toll highway. He is cutting budgets and privatizing healthcare, as well, while his buddies earn millions as CEOs.  David agrees with me.

The Liberal and NDP leaders have stepped down. OK, 'nuff said.

Back to Nature

It's been quite rainy over the past few days, not a lot of rain, but cloudy, buggy days. The goldfish pond was overflowing, getting water as it does from the water barrel. Everything is green and lush from the rain. 

The iris are in bloom.

After all the damage by the Spongy Moth (LDD) caterpillars last year, I am happy to see the new growth on our white pines. The photo cannot do it justice, but there are lovely soft green buds at the end of the branches.

I wanted a close up of them, but the bugs are so bad on these cloudy days!

The jack-in-the-pulpit is looking good. 

On the Home Front

Well, the good news is that more Ottawans have power, as well as Ontarians. We're down to 12,000 without power, from an Ontario high of 277,000. 

Grampa, Caitlin and Isabelle went to our local market Saturday morning. They had some breakfast and brought home some supplies. 

The big news is the kids went home yesterday. Come hell or high water they wanted to be their own home in their own beds. They'd been checking their neighbourhood Facebook page, and residents nearby to their house were reporting that they had power, they were hopeful. When they arrived home, Caitlin texted me that they had power AND hot water! What a blessed relief.  YIPPEE!!!

It was the kids' 17th anniversary, and they went out to dinner after doing groceries.  What a fine end to the week for them.

I had a haircut, and came home to do cleanup and laundry. It was a beautiful day. I managed to get some outdoor chores done in the sunshine, including hanging clothes outdoors. We've had two days of rain. 

The cherry tomato plants is coming along! I watered them, filled the fountain, and enjoyed the sunshine.

My fuschia plant fell off the soffat onto the ground. I had just put more earth in it, it seemed to have compacted. I rehung it on another hook, topped up the soil, and hoped for the best. I like its new placement, it is in the middle of the picture window. The hummingbirds visit it.

We've had a lot of rain, and they are like jewels, these blossoms. I realized there are two different types of species in the planter. I actually went outside with my reading glasses on, this time, in order to get a better image. 

They are so pretty. If I had Anvilcloud's skills I'd fiddle around with this image, but I lack patience these days!

 Ontario Election

We've a provincial election. We went into town, Monday, May 21st, for the early voting. The actual voting day is June 2nd. I worry, as we've some whacko fringe parties represented on the ballot. They are represented by this person in this truck. 

This is the last weekend of the election period. Our former premier has been absent from the issues around the Ottawa power outages, he's too busy campaigning. He was absent from the Trucker Convoy on Parliament Hill, as well. He is all about cutting corners, putting in a new highway Toronto does not need, across environmentally significant lands. He cancelled LTC inspections. He cancelled 750 energy farm contracts, wind farms, at great expense in penalties costing Windsor $2.5 Billion in an LG factory contract. He failed thousands who died of dehydration in long-term care (LTC) during March 2020, from COVID, accounting for 69% of all COVID deaths. Then he extended the licences of the very worst LTC home chains, his buddies. He's doubled the waiting list for children to get help with autism. Routine lab tests are now costing individuals, including cancer screening ($86).

Thankfully. We've too many local candidates. Happily, the fringe right have split into separate parties, and won't get many votes.  We've local candidates for the main parties:  NDP, PC, Liberal and Greens. Canada doesn't have 'incumbents' per se, as the previous government is no longer in power after the writs are drawn up and signed. Once parliament was dissolved, we start the slate clean. 

Then there are these folks: Chelsea Hillier (Populist Ontario), Craig Timothy Massey Rogers (Independent), Marcin Lewandowski (New Blue Party of Ontario), Thomas Mulder (Ontario Party). 

We cast our votes electronically, this was the day that power came up in town! And headed home. This is what happened when we stopped in order to turn left on the highway into our driveway. It amazes me that people cannot wait 10 seconds while there is a break in traffic. One day they will take out our mailbox in their anxiety to get to where they are going.

Well, another sunny day. Here is Big Bear, video #2 from May 25th. He was there at 7, 7:24, and 10 p.m.!

Bear May 25 #2 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Ontario Municipal Election 2018: Vote Early! Vote Often!

Just kidding! Just vote once... We voted last week in the advance polls.

A municipal election hits very close to home: parks, transit, taxes, roads, garbage pickup, recycling, etc. It's not that long ago that women could not vote, weren't even considered PERSONS.

October 18, 1929, was a turning point in Canada. This was the day a constitutional case ensured that women were included in the word "person" – thanks to five determined activists who brought #ThePersonsCase to the highest court of appeal. #PersonsDay #MakeAnImpact pic.twitter.com/9onBrNpGlp

— Canada (@Canada) October 18, 2018

We have had a nice article in our local newspaper, briefly covering their platforms. Despite this, when we went to the office to vote, a man spoke loudly to the elections clerk and declared, "I don't know who to vote for, there's been nothing in the paper!" I beg to differ!!!!!

Then, on my Facebook page, an ad. "Suggested page," me arse! Thing is, I'm not in Tay Valley!



Yes, another election. The signage is everywhere. There has to be a better way. I'm not voting for someone whose platform is unarticulated, like our Premier, Doug Ford. Neither am I voting for someone by signage!
Here is what we've seen across the region.