Univer-city

Many Canadians, who live somewhere other than Toronto, sometimes refer to our great city as the “Centre Of the Universe.” And not in a nice way! But the other day, as Peter and I had a chance to wander down University Ave, we both felt proud.

We started our journey along Hospital Row which is itself a cause for pride. There we passed Sick Kids’ Hospital, and Princess Margaret Hospital, both of which are known world-wide for their specialties. Then we came to Toronto General Hospital which has been chosen as the 2nd best hospital in the entire world. Pretty good, I’d say from personal experience, as I pat my new pacemaker!

Farther down on the right is the Canada Life Building, built in 1931 in the Beaux Arts style. It is particularly well-known for having the oldest weather beacon in Canada on top. The signals are clear: red for cloudy, flashing red for rain, white for snow, and green for sunny. Lights flashing up mean temperature going up, and flashing down means the opposite. The weather “report” is updated every 6 hours, but mostly this winter it has been white! Apparently the interior is magnificently adorned with gold leaf and marble, but we were on the other side of the street and had more things to see.

Back on the left side of the street are the McMurtry Gardens of Justice, enhancing the Superior Court of Justice building. In the gardens’ centre stands a provocative statue called the Pillars Of Justice by Edwina Sandys, 2007. The sculpture denotes the 12 jurors in our justice system, except – one of the jurors is missing. That spot is reserved for us, the ordinary citizens who are called upon to be part of our legal system.

At University and Queen we find the Four Seasons Centre For the Performing Arts. From the outside in the daytime, it’s uninspiring. The entrance looks like a square concrete box. But go inside for an event and enjoy the magnificent glass staircase, and the wood trim which enhance acoustics. Both the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet call this centre home.

Once again on University Ave, we are attracted to a pile of shiny metal on the right. We cross over again to inspect. In front of the Shangri La hotel stands a sculpture titled Rising. And indeed from some angles a dragon arises. This unique sculpture was designed and built in Shanghai, China, 2012, by artist Zhang Huan. In order to transport it to its destination in Toronto, it had to be disassembled, stored in 15 crates, and delivered by ship. Then it had to be re-assembled! The owner of Summit Metal in the village of Nobleton was selected for this painstaking work. Grant Kimber says it took him over 360 hours to assemble and weld all the pieces, including 300 birds, together.

Continuing south we notice the variety of architectural designs. We come upon this streetscape, with an historic church, a couple of modern glass office buildings, Roy Thompson Hall snuggled in between, and Metro Hall in the distance.

Finally we come to an end of University Ave as it intersects Front St,. For the grand finle we we come to a sweet folk art interpretation of our city:

Sue

Words We Live By

In 2026 our day to day vocabulary has changed. For example, the name of my occupation at this moment is not writer, or author, or even editor; it’s “content creator.”

Words we use make a difference. They are our primary tools of communication. They can be easily misunderstood or misinterpreted. How many times, after a heated exchange with someone else, have you said or heard: ” That’s not what I meant!” The clearest example of this kind of misunderstanding was first created in 2017, by President Trump’s Whitehouse Advisor, Kellyanne Conway, when she referred to “alternative facts” as she reported on some fake news. Now alternative facts are all we know from the US government.

Today’s technology provides some good examples of this misinterpretation as we learn a whole new vocabulary. We used to have a couple of words like “swindle” or “fraud” to describe somebody taking advantage of us. “Scam” wasn’t even included in my dictionary of 1998. Now we have an even newer word ” spam” which means something just slightly different but a lot more invasive: an inappropriate or illegal message sent to millions of readers on the Internet.

Then there’s the technological advancement which, only a couple of years ago, was called Artificial Intelligence. So cultivated! So important! Who uses all those sophisticated syllables these days? Today people just think of it as plain old AI, part of life, even as it continues to grow far more destructive to our economy than anything in the past.

As social media takes over our lives, we now know the meaning of “influencers” – people with a lot of charisma, charm, whatever name you want to make up, who can coax us into their beliefs about lifestyle, religion, politics. We begin to “follow” them, not on an innocent path through the woods, but on a virtual journey through a landmine of spam. If they are hosting an event, we can even get an invitation to attend, not by snail mail or even taxi, but “virtually.” We can meet up with other “followers” all over the world, from the privacy of our homes. The socializing arrangements of meeting for coffee in a restaurant, or hoisting a beer in a pub together seem antiquated.

Some of the most formidable influencers perform in the area of “wellness.” It seems that everyone wants to live past 90 these days, and they want to do it well. Most influencers in this field focus on diet; peddling supplements, and pills. Others sell expensive machines like Peleton bikes, Smart Fit mirrors, Dr Ho’s circulation machines. Then there are medications for weight loss, names that were only whispered by druggists in the past. Now Ozempic is a part of everyone’s vocabulary. Will the devoted followers live past 90? Nobody knows for sure.

Words can lead us in many different political directions. They themselves act as influencers. They make the impossible seem normal. Trump’s constant use of the word “war” makes violence seem more acceptable, more commonplace. You’d think that 3 attempts on his life would have a positive effect on him. But no, they just inflame his rhetoric even more. He faced journalist Norah O’Donnell with anger and insults in front of millions of viewers, after she questioned him about it.

In the political world of today, if things aren’t going well between political adversaries, we don’t even have a war. We use a new word to replace those events in the past, which now appear as skirmishes between small foreign countries, like North Korea or Iraq. These days influencers are calling the current world situation an “existential threat.” Let’s all hope that this multi-syllable word doesn’t become part of our everyday vocabulary.

Sue

Toronto In a Day

Last week we had friends Louis and Dennis, visiting from Ottawa. Since they hadn’t been to Toronto for more than 20 years, they were anxious to see all of our new buildings and attractions. They couldn’t stay very long, so we had just one day to accomplish this.. Peter and I gladly accepted the challenge. We put on our running shoes, packed our umbrellas, and set off. It was just after 10:00 am.

We took our first subway ride from our stop at Old Mill to Bloor and St George. This is near the apartment where Louise and I lived together with another friend while we attended the Ontario College of education. (Three girls living in a tiny apartment with one bathroom is another post entirely, so I’ll move on). The Royal Conservatory Of Music has added Koerner Hall, an ultra-modern concert venue snuggled up beside a majestic old edifice. As we walked farther along Bloor we got to the ROM Crystal. Dennis had read about the controversy surrounding this addition and was anxious to view it for himself. Unfortunately the Crystal, less than 20 years old, is already being reconstructed. Our stop there was short.

Then we took our next subway ride south along University to Dundas. The trip was free since it had been less than 2 hours since our last ride. We walked over to the AGO and discovered that this building too has construction going on inside. And, since our time was limited, the entrance fee of $30 per person seemed a little pricey. Instead, we checked the wood-enhanced lobby and admired the glass and wood facade, all designed by Frank Gehry. Then we walked back to University Ave where we got on the subway, once again for free. We rode south to Union Station and walked down York St. to the waterfront.

Here we stopped to admire Love Park, created by the late Claude Cormier, a well-know landscape artist. Dennis tried to find a tree he could climb so he could take a picture of the heart-shaped pond from above, while the rest of us took in the view of the CN Tower and the boats on the water. Then we walked along the shoreline, all of it newly developed in the last 20 years. We passed unique shops, the market area which is bustling with cultural vents during the summer, and a wave-like sculpture made of wood; every little kid’s dream of a skateboard park. Sadly, skateboarding is prohibited on this piece of art.

Finally we reached our destination; the Amsterdam Brewhouse. This pub/restaurant is a favourite spot for Peter and me during the summer. It has a huge patio along the waterfront with an amazing view of the islands, and the ferries, and the small planes landing at Billy Bishop airport. We got a window seat and ordered beers and lunch. By the time we had finished, it was after 2:00 pm and we had 2 more stops to make. Actually 3, if you count the bathroom.

We walked back to the subway and went north to the stop which Louise and Dennis called Dundas. We had to spend a few minutes explaining that this stop was now TMU, and Dundas Square was now Sankofa. Next Louise and I headed towards the Eaton Centre as Peter and Dennis cried out in horror. They hadn’t realized that this tour included shopping. Really??

Then the truth came out – we were all too tired for shopping or much else. We had walked far more than 10,000 steps. We looked around, found a comfortable bench that would hold 4, and sat there for half an hour. Then we took our 4th subway ride north to College St and ended our tour at one of Canada’s National Historic Sites: the CARLU.

Opened in 1932, this venue, part of the former Eaton’s College St, has hosted Royalty on several occasions. The Round Room, where a Lalique crystal fountain takes centre stage, was a high-end restaurant for many years. The Concert Hall has seen performers like Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Frank Sinatra. Pianist Glen Gould claimed that the acoustics were the best in Canada. The venue is only open for special occasions.

So how did we get in? The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Fund Management team holds an annual meeting there and, since we were all teachers before retiring, we were invited. The meeting was informative and the food and drinks were even better. But what we loved the most, after our busy day, were the sofas! relaxing there was the perfect way to end our tour of Toronto In a Day.

Sue

To the Moon.. And Back!

My post on March 31, about the astronauts and their recent trip to the moon, received a lot of feedback.

Several readers brought it up at restaurants, on the phone, and by email. The subject even caused a major discussion, with a few raised voices, at Easter Dinner. The arguments for and against are based on feasibility. Those of us in love with the moon argued on the side of hope. Just think of the idea of a new start for humanity! No more climate disaster. No more wars. No more autocrats!

The naysayers felt differently: How could one even begin to build a livable settlement there without vegetation, water and especially AIR? The costs would be astronomical ( forgive the pun). And as for money, what about all the starving people in Gaza? Or homeless people in our own country, never mind Ukraine and Lebanon? And this doesn’t even account for all the money foolishly wasted on weapons of war.

One devoted reader of my posts usually sends very positive comments. Not this time. She began with “Please forgive me.” oh oh. Then she went on to say that it is “a childish fantasy to consider relocating our civilization to another planet” when we can Barely manage this one. That last part is certainly true!

A few days later she sent me some music, a Bette Midler song you probably know: “From a distance the world looks blue and green …there is harmony and it echoes through the land… the voice of hope… the voice of peace…. the voice of every man…” Jeremy Hansen would probably agree.

Then, after more thought, this same reader sent me a song by Ernie of Sesame Street fame. An adorable little video of Ernie the philosopher goes like this:
“Oh I’d like to visit the moon, but I don’t think I’d like to live there. I’d like to look down on the earth from above, but I’d miss all the places and people I love.” It’s a Youtube video and worth playing to your grandkids. Thank you so much Dorita.

Check it out on the Youtube channel

Meanwhile, back at home: the astronauts landed safely. All four emerged from their capsule into the bright sunshine, no doubt grateful for the ride, but happy to be home again. Their trip produced an incredible amount of data: using new technology to photograph the moon’s surface, checking out new communication tools, trying out the spacecraft’s design for living in a confined area with other people for an extended period of time.

And they came home in time to welcome Spring.

Yes! Spring IS here! The dirty piles of brown slush have finally melted. The snow tires are put away. The Blue Jays have begun their season. Our double duty oleander bush has been moved, from inside where it sits at Christmas festooned with lights, to the back yard patio where it blooms in bright red flowers all summer.

The first robin, plump with possibility, visited our driveway:

Actually, I would really miss the changing seasons on the moon.

Sue

Little Cinema

Yesterday, Easter Monday, it seemed that everyone was busy. Peter was working on his taxes, the astronauts were piloting their space craft around to the back of the moon, Trump was going on and on and on about his army’s fantastic rescue operation on Sunday, (the likes of which nobody’s ever seen before in the history of the country), and most other people were at the grocery store filling up the fridge again after their Easter banquets. What was I going to write about today?

Last week I had read in the Toronto Star, about a Little Cinema, similar to the Little Libraries popping up all over neighbourhoods in the city of Toronto. It was the only one of its kind and it intrigued me. Imagine walking down a side street and suddenly coming across a tiny theatre for one, showing a blockbuster movie at eye level. There would be no waiting in line! no entry fee! no seat! oops. Anyway, yesterday I decided to go looking for it.

The address was given as Wychwood. I knew the name well because back in January 2021 during the pandemic, Peter and I had walked around in the area and I had written a blog post about it: an enclave of lovely old homes, surrounding a pond, and hiding a mysterious suicide. I had no trouble driving to the area again. But then I noticed a sign: Private Road. I wasn’t going to turn around so, dear readers, I broke the law and drove in anyway. What the heck, if I couldn’t find the Little Cinema, maybe I could get arrested and write about that instead!

I manoeuvred my car up, down, and around the dirt roads, smiling and waving at all the dog walkers. I wanted to look as if I belonged. Everyone waved back. I guess there must be a lot of little old ladies driving bright red cars who live there.

I found a couple of Easter Egg trees:

one Little Free Library

and a stand offering gently used stuff

But no Little Cinema, and no police officers anywhere! I finally gave up and went home. I stole a picture from the internet instead. I figured you wouldn’t notice the snow piles – they have been around for so long they seem to fit in anywhere.

I do still think this is a great idea. Certainly the little free libraries are a big success everywhere. Books don’t lose their value after just one reading, so why not pass them on? The same could be true for home movies. Everyone will want to see your grandkids taking their first steps, or wiping applesauce all over their high chairs, or falling off their tricycles. Maybe there could be awards – like Community Oscars! It could help bring neighbours together in this sad time when the President of the free world is competing for attention with the Easter Bunny.

Sue

The Moon

Our Canadian culture embraces the moon. Think of all the songs that you know, that you are humming right now, about the moon. Think of the very first book you read, Good Night Moon, or the very first nursery rhyme: “The cow jumped over the moon,” the first love song you shared with your partner, Moon River, moon phases in indigenous culture, moon cakes from Japan, and moon boots. The moon cycles, new moon, full moon, are sources of inspiration for planting, harvesting, predicting weather patterns, and planning for babies. How many people, since time began, have stared up at the moon and wondered what it would be like to live there?

Since the 1700’s we, the people of the earth, have been trying to find out. Early studies of space shows that the first telescopic discovery of a planet, Uranus, was by a British guy, William Herschel, in 1781. The first mammals to survive a space flight were a pair of dogs, sent into orbit by the USSR in 1951. The first photograph of earth from orbit was by the USA in 1959.

Then things sped up and in 1961 both Yuri Gagarin USSR, and then Alan Sheppard USA, piloted space ships in orbit. During the 1960’s the USSR and the USA took turns achieving space goals. The USSR sent the first woman into space, and made the first soft landing on the moon. Then came that famous day that we all remember: July, 1969. Neil Armstrong spoke for all of us: One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. Then he and his crew returned safely to earth.

Things in space seemed to grow quiet for a while. But while astronauts were taking a rest from space flight, experiments were going on. The first lunar rovers travelled around the moon’s surface, and the first space station was developed by the USSR. There were a number of attempts to study Mars, from orbit or on soft landing vehicles. There were flybys of Mercury and Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. Data was being gathered and studied.

In the 1980’s more attention was paid to astronauts in space. Several had long research stays on the space station, and returned safely. And in 1998 the first international space station was built and then assembled in space. In 2015 the first food, lettuce, was grown and eaten on the space station. This was a big step towards self-staining life in space.

Space travel hasn’t always been safe. Almost 200 astronauts have been killed due to space-related accidents. In 1967 3 US astronauts died during a pre-test. In 1986 the space shuttle Challenger heading to the International Space station, broke apart just after launch. It killed all 7 astronauts on board and was witnessed by millions of people on TV. Then in 2003 another shuttle, the Columbia, disintegrated during re-entry killing all 7 astronauts, and once again stunning TV audiences.

Nevertheless the excitement of space exploration still lures us. Once again it is the moon calling. And Canada is sending our 9th astronaut along for the ride. Marc Garneau was our first astronaut and he flew on 3 missions to a space station in the early 2000’s. The most famous so far is probably Christ Hadfield, who has served on several space missions including as the commander on the ISS (International Space Station). He is also well known for his social media presence and his books.

Tomorrow, if things go as planned, Jeremy Hansen will take his place among our Canadian heroes as he travels, with 3 other astronauts, on a new path – around the moon and back. Few people have seen the “dark side of the moon” and there will be opportunity for lots of tests, especially ones that will confirm whether the moon’s surface can support human life for an extended time. The next stop – Mars!

These days with our planet in turmoil, it’s comforting to think that maybe, just maybe, a future generation can escape to a new world where civilization can begin again. And do things right.

Sue

About Face

Do you recognize the old guy above? If not, then keep on reading.

Last weekend we decided to clear out our leftover food shopping from the holiday season. Our freezer was so stuffed that we couldn’t find anything. When I went hunting for that elusive bag of frozen shrimp and the chicken lasagna, I was almost upside down before I found them buried at the bottom. Our kids never say no to homecooked food at somebody else’s house. So we invited some of them for dinner.

Now that the menu was set, we also wanted to provide entertainment, especially for the kids. During the winter we send them to the toboggan hill, and in the summer months they go swimming at the local pool. As we all know, this is definitely not summer, and almost not winter. So what could they do to amuse themselves while the adults talked?

We had a brainwave. Agnes, our14-year-old grand daughter, had been at camp during the March Break – a camp for learning about special effects make-up. Now can you guess who that old guy is? Yes it’s Agnes, complete with make-up, a fake moustache, and a hoodie to cover up her long black curls.

Agnes agreed to bring her make-up kit with her and give us a demonstration. She arrived with her tools – several sizes of brushes, a scalpel, and some kind of clay used to make prostheses. The clay becomes an extra hunk of flesh to create a swollen part such as a broken nose or a growth. Then Agnes showed us at least a dozen shades of face colours and blood: fresh blood, day-old blood, dried up blood. The whole kit was kind of horrific.

Soon Gavin and his dad arrived. Gavin is also 14 and he and his cousin Agnes have been known to get into mischief. But Gavin wasn’t so sure about having make-up on his face. They reached a compromise: he was OK with having his hand made up to show the kind of bruises one might get from being in a fight, punching out his opponent, and winning! Agnes got out her tools and went to work.

Now what? They thought and thought. What if Agnes made up her face to look like she had been punched? She and Gavin would be a perfect pair! So she got out more tools. This time she included the clay, and the scalpel and even more blood. With the help of a mirror, she got to work on herself. And here is the result:

It was a perfect match. Gavin could be the bad guy and Agnes was the poor maiden. But what to do with their creation? Hmmm… They decided to text the photos to Gavin ‘s mom Sheila, who had been detained at work and could not join us for dinner. But could they possibly bend the truth a little? Could they say that this was a real fight? Could Agnes be in the hospital having stitches while Gavin was locked up at the police station?

Sheila wrote back within seconds. “Oh no! How could this happen?? Was Agnes’ nose broken? How would they get Gavin out of jail? How could the families ever reconcile after something like this?”

Gavin’s dad only allowed the suspense to linger a couple of minutes before he sent Sheila the “after” pictures.

Later on, when the laughter had died down, Agnes told us that she had met Shane Vieau at her make-up camp. Last Sunday he and his partner had won the Oscar for best make-up for the Canadian movie Frankenstein 2025. Shane had his Oscar with him when he visited the camp, and he let Agnes and her classmates touch it.

Now Agnes has her sights set on Hollywood. Maybe Gavin will decide to tag along.

Sue

Looking For Something Different

Last Friday, when we usually go somewhere to escape from Lucy the cleaning lady, Winter decided to come back.

How annoying for us! We had chosen a neighbourhood to explore on a walk that would take us to shops, historic sites, and a few restaurant choices for lunch. But snow and wind would spoil the fun. It’s hard to navigate icy sidewalks and look for addresses when you are wearing a long coat, with a scarf covering your face. We needed to find somewhere indoors to go.

Early Friday morning two VIJP tickets to the Home Show appeared in my inbox. We had gone last year and enjoyed it. I think I even wrote a blog post. But would there be something different this year to see and to write about? At least there was a free coat check so we could dress up appropriately for the winter, and then leave everything at the door.

We decided to take a chance. We rode the GO train for one stop and then found our first surprise – a ride in a shuttle to the Home Show entrance. As we walked in, attendants reached out to us with free boxes of a British tea that our family love, and a bag to put them in. After we checked our coats, Peter chose the route through the Enercare Centre. He turned right, to the aisles with (how did he know this?) all the free food samples. We tried fudge, nuts, cheeses, salamis, olives, crackers, and jams. There were at least 17 flavors of popcorn, from salty caramel to jalepeno and cheese. We definitely had our limit of sugar and salts for the week.

Next we wandered through the hut tubs, the lawn tractors, and the garden suites (aka move the grandparents into the backyard). We passed by the appliance area – stoves so big you could feed an army. None of these were of interest to us. We are trying to cut down entertaining, and we definitely don’t want to sleep in somebody else’s back yard. Where would Peter plant his squash?

Imagine how many people you could feed on one of these stoves…

In particular though, Peter was looking for somebody to give him some advice about roofing, and how to fix a spot where racoons had been chewing on the roof caps. We found a few roof company representatives wearing suits, who looked like they had never been on a roof, let alone repair one. Then we found Elton the roofer – jeans and a denim shirt, a pencil stuck in behind his ear, grammar rules long forgotten. This was our guy. Finally something we hoped we could use!

By then, we were getting hungry for real food. We found a booth selling chicken Caesar salads, and carried them to the VIP lounge where we ate in comfort, and found bathrooms too. Then we began wandering a bit aimlessly. We spotted some massage chairs and decided it was time for our afternoon nap. But the massage was too strong to be relaxing. We got squished instead.

Where did we really want to go next? Home! It took some searching, but we eventually located the exit where our coats were hanging. And outside the exit door, the shuttle was waiting.

On our way back to the Go train station we had a chance to look around the CNE Grounds. And here is where we found something different from our visit last year. BMO Field has added seating for about 17000 extra fans coming to the FIFA World Cup in June. It’s a big undertaking. We also saw extra tracks being added to the GO system, and a massive new parking lot, all ready to accommodate fans going to the soccer games. Our city will be a drawing card for many sports enthusiasts this summer. And that’s wonderful.

But what about afterwards? What is all this expensive infrastructure going to be used for later? You can bet that Doug Ford has a plan. We already know about the Spa and the Science Centre. Now we are getting wind of a new Convention Centre. All of these facilities are redundant. And some of them will be built directly into Lake Ontario. With landfill. Just think – In Iran the war over oil is soon going to become a war over water. And we are covering ours up.

As we watch Doug Ford taking over Our land, and now trying to cover up his actions by changing the FOI act, we’re seeing Ford act more and more like Donald Trump. We definitely need something different in our Provincial Parliament.

Sue

Yesterday

Actually it was last Wednesday, but it reminded me a lot of my past. And probably yours too.

A friend took me to a Beatles concert at Roy Thompson Hall. I got there early and sat down to wait. Soon I was chatting with another couple. The woman’s sister had been to see The Beatles in person at Maple Leaf gardens in 1964. I remember thinking at the time, that I was only in my teens and didn’t have that kind of money to spend on a ticket. I would wait and see them when they visited Toronto the next time. There was no next time. There was only TV and Ed Sullivan.

Last week’s concert involved 3 singers, a back-up drummer, and the entire Toronto Symphony Orchestra. My friend and I wondered how an orchestra; strings, brass, percussion wind instruments, would fit in with the Beatles music. The first number, Get Back, from 1970, told us all we needed to know. This was going to be a brilliant musical experience.

The next 2 pieces included graphics on the screen behind the orchestra. The songs; Ticket To Ride and Drive My Car, both from 1965, were accompanied by picture of the early Beatle:, John George Paul and Ringo, and sketches of the Volkswagen Beatle of the era. The audience clapped and hummed along. Admit it, dear reader, you are humming too.

We hummed and listened to songs we knew by heart, even those with seemingly meaningless lyrics. For example, I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob. Or I say hello, you say good bye, I say good bye, you say hello. These guys were on something powerful. How about Bang Bang Maxwell’s Silver Hammer – about a serial killer?

The first half of the show ended with Hey Jude, accompanied by the audience holding up their phone flashlights and swaying to and fro. By the end of the concert we had listened to 28 songs and we knew them all in their original form. But the back-up by the symphony orchestra was a melodic accompaniment, adding depth to the music. For one piece, Eleanor Rigby, the orchestra took over, giving the 3 singers a break. It was a truly impressive performance.

The concert seemed to be ending when the TSO left the stage. But it was not finished by any means. The 3 singers took centre stage and started in with the original arrangement of Twist and Shout. They folllowed that with I Love you, Yea yea yea, and I Saw her Standing There. By then we were All standing there, on our feet, clapping and singing along. The final song was one we all knew well: I Wanna Hold Your Hand! We sang the chorus by ourselves, an entire audience singing our hearts out, full of love for our past musical heroes.

On the weekend we were visiting with some of our adult kids, and the conversation turned to pop music. I brought up the subject of The Beatles, thinking I would get guffaws. “Only oldies go to those concerts” is what I expected. But instead the kids asked to see the program and scanned the list of the songs. I was surprised to learn that they too knew most of them. Then Peter, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, piped up. ” I remember going to that concert back in 1964! My brother took me.” He had a wide grin on his face.

The Beatles have music for every occasion. With the world in such turmoil these days, it’s not hard to start thinking about Paul McCartney’s song from 1965: Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they’re here to stay. Oh I believe in Yesterday. You know it – go ahead and sing.

Sue

A Walk In the Woods

This past weekend Donald J. Trump got the entire world involved in a war, without anybody’s permission and for no obvious reason. Iran does not have intercontinental ballistic missiles, and there is no plan for how to help the Iranian people move forward after the bombing stops. The underlying reasons could be several: his payback to Saudi Arabia for his new jet and other monetary obligations, an attempt to distract the public from the Epstein files, his hankering for the Nobel Peace Prize, or his anger with the Supreme Court over knocking down his tariff walls. Maybe it’s all of them, revealing an enfeebled old man wanting to ensure some sort of sick legacy.

To get away from the news on Sunday, Peter and I decided to take a walk we normally do in the summer. It meanders through the woods and along the Humber River. What is it like in the winter? I’ll show you:

Bundled up in heavy coats, mitts, tuques, and scarves, we walked through the neighbourhood to the path in the woods. The first thing we saw was this abandoned swing. Soon a little child will be smiling and screeching as he goes higher and higher.

It was a little icy so we held onto each other as we made our way down to the river. Attached to one of the trees was some advertising for a dental office. It seemed to be a strange place for clients to stop and read. Could the woods be full of hidden candies?

Then we walked past the Humber River Yacht Club, definitely closed for the winter:

Even the snowmobile had been deserted.

The dog park was empty too:

Peter decided to go the extra mile for you, dear readers. He stepped out onto the ice, while I held my breath, and my phone, ready to call 911:

The ice held, and the river, usually full of geese, was silent.

Then we trudged up the hill back to civilization.

We stopped to do some shopping on the way home, avoiding the inevitable CNN news feed for a little while longer.

Sue