Harper is not a "Leader" He's a Major Jerk - (Expletive Deleted)

Even if you are one who leans to the right politically, how can you, or anyone else, support Harper?

This morning, the air here is so bad you can taste it, but hey - we shouldn't even try to meet the Kyoto goals, because it would hurt our economy. Does it matter if we can breathe? Evidently not.

His party is spending tons of money on despicable ads that say Dion is not a leader. If Harper sees himself as a good leader he is totally out to lunch, and he's probably sharing that meal with the evil shrub (a.k.a. Bush).

Now, his party is blaming Hillier, the head of the Canadian Armed Forces, for the minuscule amount of money, $4,500, allowed for military funerals. That makes me gag. I hope every veteran speaks up about this injustice.

I'm going to go for a large dose of alternate reality on the weekend. Johnny Depp, please take me away. Then, on Tuesday I'll go away, for real, up to Port Elgin.

Maybe that'll restore my good humour.

A Case of "Camp Head"

Early Friday evening my daughter drove us to Camp Kenoris, which is just north of Port Elgin. After being in the fresh air for a few hours, I came down with a case of "camp head." That state of mind where you can remember your name, and maybe the names of your immediate family, but, nothing else seems to have any importance. It's a very serene feeling.

We had a camp fire on Saturday night. The stars were hidden by clouds and after the boys went to bed, Nancy and I sat and watched the flames and talked for a long while. We went in when it started to sprinkle and fell asleep listening to the peaceful sound of rain on the roof.

The smell of wood smoke lingers on my navy hoodie. Maye I'll wash it tomorrow, then again, maybe not.

Politicians. Eeek! They're Everywhere. Please Hand me a Broom

I wonder if politicians are born, or if some virus produces them. If genus politicus is produced by a virus, then someone ought try to find a cure.

Harper went to Afghanistan but, unfortunately, he came back. He hasn't said much since then, or maybe I've managed to ignore whatever he's currently spouting. I wonder if he wore lipstick with his flack jacket? I don't like him, but politicians closer to home are beginning to annoy me more than Harper does, and that takes some doing.

There's the school board member who lives in the same apartment building as my Viking. He likes to get on the phone and shout at people, beginning at 4 a.m. This is more than annoying for D. because he, like me, sometimes has trouble sleeping. I wonder what is so important that it needs to be discussed so often, at 4 a.m? This same politician votes against every budget increase, except board salary increases.

And right here in my building, there's another member of the species. He lives in the apartment right below me. He knows who I am, but, he never talks to me, never even says hello, except when it is politically expedient. This morning I ran into him bright and early and he actually spoke to me. Why? Because tonight condo owners will be electing new board members. My downstairs neighbour ran for a seat on the board last year. He talked to me just before the election and asked for my vote. And now, one year later, he's talked to me again. I didn't vote for him the last time, and I won't vote for him this time either. Thank goodness for secret ballots.

I'm not going to think about politics at all, this coming weekend. I'll be up at the trailer with my daughter and her boys and with any luck we'll sit around the fire at night, and I'll go for a walk later in the evening and look at the stars.

I can hardly wait.

Trees in Leaf - Smog alert

Even the largest trees are unfurling their leaves, just in time for the first smog alert of the season. Apparently, it's the earliest smog alert in the history of alerts for this area. That isn't progress. Meanwhile, Ontario is not closing its coal-fired generating plants because we, the people of this smoggy part of province, require more and more energy.

I try to use less electicity; but, since the sections of my windows that open are very small - it becomes difficult when there is no air movement. This morning, it's 26 degrees in here and by the end of the day, if I don't turn on the central air conditioning it will probably be 28 or 29. And the air quality is bad. I'm searching for a small fan that would fit in my bedroom window. But I know I'll have to use the central air conditioning when the temperature rises. It's only May 9th and that could mean a long expensive summer is ahead.

Maybe I'm grouchy because the fire alarm in the building went off this morning. There was no fire, just an inept contractor.

Or maybe I'm cranky because there's been no mail about my fiction.

On the plus side of the ledger, there's food. Turkey burgers from the famous butchers in New Heidelberg are delicious. He who likes to cook grilled them for our Saturday supper. I'm now a convert. And there's another good dining experience in my future, since I'm invited to my daughter's place for Mother's Day. She isn't cooking, her sister-in-law is arranging for Chinese food for the gang. I'm hoping for a good-luck fortune cookie.

Errol Flynn, and The Suit

Errol Flynn has popped up a couple of times in the last few days. First, he appeared in a very funny short story written by my friend Lori Hahnel. The story was snapped up 24 hours after she sent it to Humanist Perspectives. In the writing world, that's almost as fast as Flynn's sword play. Then, on the weekend, D. and I were searching for something to watch on television early Saturday evening and stumbled upon Errol in the original version of Robin Hood. I hadn't seen the movie for at least 20 years and was charmed by Flynn all over again. I also appreciated the fact that while there are lots of fights in the movie, gore does not spatter the screen.

Tuesday evening, I got to see another very handsome young gentleman, in person. Frankie, my oldest grandson was confirmed last night. For the occasion, he wore his new tailored suit. It's black with a grey pinstipe and he chose a black shirt and a black tie with white stripes to compliment the suit. His bright pink braces and his current hair colour, dark blonde with sparks of red made him stand out in the crowd, that and his broad shoulders will turn him into a girl-magnet. Last I heard though, he already has a girlfriend, so the other girls can only sigh and hope to catch his eye. Frankie dreams of being in a rock band and is saving his money for the purchase of a bass guitar and an amp. Who knows what he'll actually become? I don't, but I hope I'm still around when he gets there.

I wish Flynn was still around too.