Canada has become a country where people from all over the world intermingle, live in close proximity and despite backgrounds vastly dissimilar to each other, manage for the most part to get along, to be civil, to be neighbourly. We've always found it that way. On the street we live on there are people of French, Italian, Chinese, Ukrainian, Bangladeshi, Egyptian, Russian, Indian, British heritage, some second- and third-generation and some newly-minted Canadians, living amongst one another.

 

It still surprises us when we walk into a supermarket and see long aisles of exotic vegetables we have never used in our standard Canadian-European cuisine, the infinite types of rice on the shelves, dried and dehydrated snacks in great array, pastas for all occasions, yet the people circulating in the stores for the most part look no different than we do, as Canadian-born. We aren't seeing all that many people from the Indian sub-continent, or Chinese, but the stand-out difference is the number of Blacks now co-habiting with us in Canada.

 

When we were children it would have been a rarity. Toronto, where we were born, is now almost unrecognizable, given the racial/ethnic mixture now prevalent. That could be a sign of a healthy community, and as such a worthwhile endeavour to accustom people to the presence of others from a different culture and heritage. On the other hand, importing ancient grievances, along with the politics of the country left behind has made for a fairly restive population in parts of the country. Not so good.

Like any other day for us, today was pleasant and comfortable. We interacted with quite a few people out like us, with their dogs in the ravine. Where it can be unusual to see people out and about on the street, it can be 'usual' to see people from the greater community out on the forest trails. Most of them familiar presences, some on occasion either just discovering the delights of the forest, or making a rare appearance there to re-familiarize themselves with its presence.

 

A little milder temperature today, but still damp and a bit windy. The sun that was present for part of the day earlier on, absented itself in the afternoon. The trails  remain steeped in clay muck, the result of the melt-and-thaw process of frosty nights and 'warmer' days. Jackie and Jillie had quite a bit of company on this circuit. Most of the dogs seem to appear out of nowhere, coming hurriedly along, long before their human companions appear. And they line up for cookies, big and small, various breeds, in a fairly orderly fashion.

 

There's an analogy there, not too difficult to identify.

 

 

There's so much happening in the news lately, it's hard to stay off the internet. Our hard-copy legacy newspapers don't seem to be able to keep up with the pace of new news items popping up fairly regularly. Mostly right now, the disturbing news coming out of Canada, revealing time and yet time again that our current federal government's capability to administer the country's affairs have been limping along so badly, they and we by extension, need to be put out of our misery.

It's long past time a new, resolute, reliable and focused replacement for the Liberals led by prime minister Justin Trudeau vacate the PMO and leave Canada to heal from their inept incompetence both within Canada and on the world stage. It just cannot happen soon enough. As it is, it will take a long, long time, before the divisiveness that the politics and policies of Trudeau & Company have created for the country where the provinces' unequal treatment has alienated so many.

That it's been revealed yet again that Canada, over the years has been a safe haven for war criminals dating back to the era of World War Two, and that since then, disaffected, sometimes violent groups have entered Canada to become new citizens, bringing with them the distortions in human relations and government policies elsewhere abroad, using Canada as a stage for verbally and physically assaulting others has created societal dysfunction that is a credit to none.

Terrorist groups that make it to the list that Canada maintains for the purpose of expressing this country's distinction between peaceful protests and violently bloodthirsty actions to achieve an end in countries the world over, saw Canada harbouring fascists who view Canada as an unquestioning safe haven for them to spew their hate, along with followers of Hamas, of the Tamil Tigers, of Khalistanis and Iranian agents with blood on their hands as well as others whose agenda is to create social turmoil and exact their vengeance against the subjects of their propaganda and hate.

Any society has its share of social deviants and psychotic psychopaths to deal with through their justice systems. It is unavoidable that among any population there exists a loud and problematic minority that cause social chaos and criminality causing harm to others. But due diligence in accepting visa applications from known outcasts of other countries and escorting those who lie on their applications about their past to gain entry to Canada, would go a long way to creating a more stable social environment.

Those are the greater issues that bedevil a population, most of whom pay little attention and have no real idea of what happens behind the lines of federal police and arms of the government that engage in intelligence gathering. Canada's current prime minister has proven an utter failure as a capable and trustworthy administrator of the public weal. Canada needs to be rescued from any more of his missteps and arrogance.

Last night, before we went up to bed, we went out to the backyard with Jackie and Jillie and there we discovered that the moon isn't silver, after all. The almost-full disk appeared instead to have a gold tint. It definitely looked far different than how we're accustomed to seeing it. The result of the haze from the wildfires in Ontario and Quebec shifting the light spectrum. 

During the night our sleep was disrupted by two things: a monstrous rumbling thud directly overhead our roof and Jackie and Jillie responding to it with indignant barks just tinged with alarm. A heavy downpour followed, of course, and we all swiftly fell back asleep. When we awoke in the morning a glance out our bedroom windows confirmed that the atmosphere remained deeply steeped in the same dark yet luminous glaze that the circulating haze high above has conferred on our atmosphere lately.

And, while we were showering, yet another rainburst occurred. The already soaked backyard bore much evidence that it had reached the point of beyond capacity to absorb any more moisture from above. The plants were covered with shining pearls of suspended raindrops. There was no acrid odour, but a fresh-air fragrance reflecting the just-concluded rain.

 The atmosphere felt warm and humid, but there was to be no clearing today, no sight of an absent sun. Overhead there was a static ceiling of grey that emitted a peculiar light but occasionally turned much darker, as for impending rain. More rain held off, though the air was moisture-penetrated to an extent we could almost feel the rain. We decided to risk a short circuit through the ravine regardless, taking the chance of getting caught out in a heavy rainfall.

It was just too warm, too humid to wear raingear, and off we went. As we walked up the street nearing the ravine entrance a lush, sweet fragrance enveloped us and escorted us into the ravine where it became much more evident, a perfumed invitation to admire the proliferation of blooming panicles of the small Elderberry trees that have colonized parts of the ravine's upper portion, challenging the dogwoods.

The trails were, of course, beyond drenched and inclined to be somewhat slippery on descents and ascents. We reversed our usual trend of going left to right in all our circuits; short, medium and long. Which meant we descended to the forest pollinating meadow to our right. Expecting more rain to break out at any moment, given the atmosphere, we still took our time since we planned to be out only a short while.

We watched bees and hoverflies over and around and into the plentiful pollen-rich centres of all the flowering wildflowers. The blooming thimbleberries are particularly attractive to them. But they didn't neglect the daisies, fleabane, cinquefoil or either. We also saw that cowvetch was beginning to bloom. And unexpectedly, noted that ragweed is also now in bloom. Milkweed is dangling its flowers, more than we've ever seen before, in the ravine.

Finally, to our surprise, we came across Black-eyed Susans beginning to bloom. We could see them from our vantage point across the creek to the other bank. And then on the bank we were on, we came across several just beginning to flower. The cultivated variety in our garden will be later coming to bloom than these wildflowers. And oddly enough the wild Black-eyed Susans are more variegated, larger and plush than those in the garden.

Not a drop of rain fell while we were out. Which was both surprising and gratifying. It enabled us to make the most of our relatively brief time out in the woods, taking our time ambling along, appreciating what seemed like fresh air, an illusion swiftly to fade as we looked skyward and even looking at a distance seeing the overall haze not as visible at close range.

Today is Canada's national birthday, as it were: Canada Day. And festivities have been planned in honour of the day right across the country, wildfires be damned, weather aside. In some jurisdictions like Quebec, fireworks are banned for obvious reasons. Controlled fireworks will be making brilliant colourful displays elsewhere. People will gather in droves to enjoy celebrity performances in honour of Canada Day.

There was a time, generations ago, when we took our children to Parliament Hill to enjoy Canada Day celebrations. It was an entirely different era. We don't believe there was the current aura of resentment between east, central and west Canada that exists today, back then. That was the era of the first Trudeau administration, so there certainly were divisive issues that he created between Ottawa and Alberta, along with Quebec separatists roiling the country with their foul, violent actions.

Today's Trudeau administration has many of the same fault lines in national unity that erupted back then. But Justin Trudeau's agenda is far more socially, regionally, and nationally disruptive than his father Pierre Elliot's. It is today's Trudeau that has alienated so many Canadians with his idee fixe of a 'post-national' Canada, his focus on environmental issues, on gender and faux 'feminism', his penchant for lecturing other world leaders, his utter lack of balance and absolute commitment to his very special version of a Canada he has labelled as racist, homophobic, socially backward and resistant to his remedies for climate change.

Just as well that we have our own pleasures and faithfulness to the Canada we honour and revel in; its vast reaches, its people, its lakes, rivers, forests and mountains. Landscapes second to none in the world.

In mid-afternoon the heavy rain events that had been augured all day erupted with violent thunderstorms once again inundating the landscape. Mother nature informing us in no uncertain terms that we are in her estimation failing to fully appreciate the care and privileges she has granted us? 

 

 

British Columbia has declared a wildfire emergency, people informed they must expect to evacuate immediately they are requested to, when uncontrolled wildfires get too dangerously close to their towns. There are hundreds of wildfires burning across the province, a number of which are uncontrolled, despite the best efforts of wildfire-fighting crews.

In the midwestern U.S. drought conditions have made wildfires more ubiquitous and fiercer to fight for fire crews in 13 states. One, called the Bootleg Fire is the largest, burning over 1,372 square kilometres to date. Could we but share with these critical forest regions the copious rainfalls we've been given by nature this year, it would be of enormous assistance to them, but such is impossible. One geographic area is beset with wildfires, another spared.

From areas of China to those in Europe, it isn't wildfires that force the evacuation of residents, but flood conditions brought on by incessant heavy rains breaking dams and overrunning the banks of rivers, causing death and destruction. Everything in extremes; the usual balance of nature that we so treasure has gone off kilter. 

On the other hand, there are wildfires burning through forested acreage in Northern Ontario, too. Our forest is wet and lush with rampantly-growing vegetation. The night before last we had ample rain fall. When we awoke yesterday morning everything was dripping in the backyard. By the time, later in the day, that we made off into the ravine with Jackie and Jillie champing at the bit as it were, the morning's humidity seemed to have lifted somewhat and the temperature at 25C, seemed reasonable.

We had an enjoyable hour-and-a-half rambling through the ravine trails. In no great hurry, though we did look a trifle apprehensively from time to time at the sky. Then were relieved to note ample blue peeping through the forest canopy, and nor was it particularly dark in the forest interior. In fact, for a good part of our foray through the trails the sun shone warm and bright.

Roughly twenty minutes after our return home from our hike in the ravine, the house suddenly became dark. Looking out through the patio doors we saw a dark cloud looming over the west, steadily moving east, to our location. Faint rumbles in the distance assured us that a thunderstorm was headed our way. In no time at all, rain began; big, fat drops of rain whose tempo steadily increased as it became a deluge of heavy rain backgrounded by deep bass rolls of thunder. Soon, visibility was affected so we were unable to see beyond the immediate view of the backyard and the house itself was in darkness.

On came the lights, and they stayed on until evening when there was no intention to shut them off, with nightfall. One thunderstorm after another rampaged through the sky and with each came yet another heavy downpour. Endless rain. Non-stop sturm und drung. A tone poem by nature.

This morning the out-of-doors remained steeped deep in the remnants of the rain that had fallen. Rain steadily continuing to drip from all vegetation. Flowers battered down. But the sun was out and warming the atmosphere while drying everything that had drowned in the flood of rainwater. And when we got around early this afternoon to returning to the ravine for our forest hike through the trails with Jackie and Jillie, the creek in the ravine was roiling and pouring its excess down the runway and a slight odour of swamp gas wafted from the clay-disturbed bottom of the stream.

Whatever had been battened down by the rain was lifting itself under the drying influence of the sun. New flowers were opening to take the place of those that had been strangled by the rain; Himalayan orchids, Pilotweed, Queen Anne's lace, daisies and Black-eyed Susans and now jewelweed too can be seen on the near banks of the creek beginning to flower.

Berries are ripening. Irving picked scads of raspberries and thimbleberries for Jackie and Jillie. The thimbleberry shrubs are still putting out fresh new flowers, even though those that had flowered long since are now ripening red and sweet into delicious berries. What a world of difference between what we're experiencing and what people in Canada's and the U.S.'s western regions are experiencing...

July 1st, Canada Day. A time to celebrate the nation whose current prime minister doesn't believe it is among the finest countries in the world. It  may not have started out that way, but over the years it has achieved that status. My parents were children in their early teens when they arrived as refugees; my father alone, picked up on the street of Warsaw, an orphan sent along with other street children by a Jewish philanthropic society to a new life in Canada. He started that new life as an indentured farmhand not far from Toronto, until he paid off his passage, then struck out on his own.

My mother, at age 12, arrived with her older sisters to begin their new lives in Canada, leaving the Pale of Settlement in Russia, as a result of the upheaval during the Russian revolution between the White and the Red factions; imperialists versus 'socialists'. Her older brother, a supporter of the Reds, was the target of a bomb thrown into their home one day, killing father and brother, wounding all others. My parents met through membership in a social club, married, and by 1936 their first child was born, and that child was me.

Though young when they arrived in Canada, neither attended school, both went immediately to work in factories, my father at Fashion Hat & Cap in central Toronto, my mother on Spadina Avenue, at  a garment factory. When I was 13 my mother took me to that same factory when summer arrived and school was out, to earn something to help the family. My formal education stopped after Grade 10, again to find work to help support the family.

In the intervening years we understood quite clearly how fortunate we were to live in Canada, far from the Europe that became Nazi-occupied busily rounding up its Jews to be sent to slave-labour camps, concentration camps, death camps. At a too-young age I learned how Jews were perceived in society and to keep my identity as a Jew out of sight. Even so, neighbourhood people knew, and their children often shouted after me: "Christ killer!". At too-young an age I discovered something unspeakably horrible was happening to my people on the far-off continent of Europe. 

All these years later, we live in a country that nurtured us, gave us opportunities to become educated, to dream about our futures, to find one another, to raise families and to appreciate life while mourning the horrors of the recent past. A country whose possibilities enabled us to prosper in every sense of the word and however the imagination might roam. 

Today we roamed in familiar territory, located close to where we live in a comfortable home, enjoying the pleasures of living well, not worrying about our safety, or the ability to put food on the table, where we are surrounded by neighbours whose own backgrounds reflect countless origins, cultures, languages and experiences. They too, like us, live comfortable lives, and like us are fortunate to be able to do so.

This country has its own background of discrimination and oppression reflecting the tenor of the times. None of which will disappear entirely because suspicion of the other is endemic and ingrained in humanity. But there are standards and values and a general acceptance of accountability and accommodation of others. There will always be social misfits in any society and Canada has its share. Which does nothing to diminish our confidence in the country and its mission as a nation to be all that it can to those within and responsible in part for the well-being to those without.

There are those times when you just feel haunted by news of conflict, violence, bloodshed and misery. It is a combination that is dreaded by civilization. Yet one that some segments of some societies find glory in. And it is the stuff of nightmares. For me, in any event, it hits very close to 'home', in the sense that it is the people of my ethnic group who have already suffered the greatest mass trauma of vulnerability in the vile annihilation known as genocide that any ideological regime could purpose devise and put into action.

Once again my people is faced with a threat of annihilation, only this time they have a reborn nation of their own with the resolve and the might and the dedication to ensure there is no repeat of the Holocaust. It is a nation that must rely on its own resources for as during the Holocaust years of World War Two, there are no other nations that are prepared to sacrifice their own in defence of a Jewish homeland.

That there are deaths of innocent civilians, Jews and Arabs, among them the most precious that any group would wish to protect, its children, that are dying because of bellicose threats carried into violent action through ongoing barrages of rocketry with one purpose only; to kill or maim as many human beings as possible, is a reality hard to fathom. That hatred so venomous could drive human psyches to plot and to carry out attacks on those they perceive as enemies because they have declared that they are; other human whom they have no wish to live alongside in peace is beyond belief.

I, at least, and others like me who live in the ancient diaspora, have shelter from those missiles. Jews -- and other ethnic groups living as citizens in Israel -- have no such relief; those rockets can and they will and they do strike anywhere at random. Our souls ache for those who must seek out bomb shelters every time a siren sounds its dreaded message.

From that scenario to one of peace and tranquility speaks to history, geography and a sense of 'belonging' both to ethnic identity and to the country where one was born; in our case, Canada. Far from the Middle East, a land of peaceful complacency unless one lives in Toronto where hundreds of thousands of Jews do, and where I was born, and where in the last several decades Muslims and those supportive of Palestinian Arabs march to commemorate their Nakba; their perception of the tragedy visited upon Palestinians with the (re)creation of the State of Israel in 1948.

Where Jews mounting a counter-demonstration in support of Israel, to refute the slanders of a nation dedicated to the welfare and security of Jews worldwide, but which has accommodated itself to the presence of almost two million Arabs, Druze and B'hai residents who have full citizenship rights, belying the claims of anti-Semites that Israel is an 'apartheid state' can be physically attacked, their human right to security violated. 

Whereas Arab states summarily exiled their Arab-Jewish populations that had lived for a thousand years in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere, following Partition and Israel's declaration of statehood, and where the Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas has pledged that no Jews may ever live among Arabs in a Palestinian state. So which is the apartheid state?

 

Britain ranks right up there in the successful nations efficiently administering anti-COVID-19 vaccines to its population; out of 25 countries in the top ratings out of possibly 160 countries coping with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic it's right in the middle. A ranking of 14 in protecting its population, out of 160 contenders. And Canada? Just keep going further down, about number 32 should do it. Not a very admirable effort on the part of a first-world, technologically advanced, wealthy country. 

The United Kingdom produces its own AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, although it has also used Moderna and will acquire doses from Pfizer-BioNTech as well. Of the tens of millions of Brits vaccinated, no word of alarm over AstraZeneca possibly being the cause of blood clots. It was France, and then other countries in the European Union that first began having 'doubts', not over the vaccine's efficacy, but its safety. Claims that it was the cause of blood clots mostly in women -- actually less than a handful of cases -- had the EU call a pause in its use.

But then the EU's medical authority cleared AstraZeneca and its use resumed, qualms of compromised safety with its use settled. So we thought. Canada has now decided to proceed with caution, and require more data from the pharmaceutical company, and that it place the vaccine through more tests with all age groups. Its tests evidently from stage one to three, did not include an elderly demographic. Which convinced Canadian health authorities not to authorize it for vaccinating the elderly.

But now, that same medical group is withdrawing its authority to have the vaccine used for inoculations in Canada for those under 55 years of age. Which leaves a narrow spectrum of people -- aged between 56 and 69 for whom the health agency feels the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe to use. Up to this point it has been used to vaccinate quite a few Canadians under the age of 70. Of those, no cases have emerged of blood clots that anyone might want to link to the vaccine. An abundance of caution is what the public is told.

This is the same public awaiting the opportunity to receive their first dose of vaccine while the country is struggling with variants heading up a third wave of COVID, leaving area hospitals swamped, and too many patients in ICUs, along with too many funerals following too many deaths from COVID-19. Taking one of the available vaccines out of use on fears that 1 in 100,000 people may develop blood clots ostensibly because of the vaccine, when the pathogen itself creates blood clots on a far greater scale, is puzzling beyond belief.

It's something we discussed this afternoon when we were out in the ravine with Jackie and Jillie, and a young man of our acquaintance walked alongside us for the entire circuit. It's been a beautiful day, the only thing in common with yesterday's cold, icy-wind day being the presence of the sun. We had done our weekly grocery shopping in the early morning, and I spent a bit of time beginning spring cleaning, starting with the kitchen pantry, but the day beckoned and off we went.

The weather prediction for tomorrow is 90% chance of rain, yet again. And cooler than today's moderate 15C, so it won't be a pleasant day, and we may not be able to get out for our afternoon hike again, either. Which meant we'd better enjoy what we had while we had it. Because it was much milder today than yesterday the threat posed by fast-frozen icy trails having to be negotiated was no longer a problem. But there's always something, in spring.

The trails are less gripped in ice, it's all melting, to our relief, but in its place is the obviously expected muck, resulting from the saturated forest floor yielding to snowmelt and milder temperatures and making for situations where our boots sink deeply in mud. Although we originally dressed Jackie and Jillie with little rubber boots to protect their tiny paws against extreme winter cold and ice conditions, now those same boots are useful in keeping their feet dry and comfortable. 

 

It's sad and more than slightly unfortunate that for a wealthy democracy in the western hemisphere Canada is in a parlous state. Not unusual with a Liberal government, but this particular government under Justin Trudeau has exacerbated the usual tensions between various parts of the country, succeeding in alienating the west from the east. He's gone his father one better in the extent of the damage he has overseen. He has also on several occasions interfered with the justice system which is supposed to be neutral, reflecting the law of the land. Advantaging friends at public expense another nail he's hammered home. 

He uses taxpayer-funded federal treasury at his whims which steer toward his advantage at the polling booth. During the current novel coronavirus crisis afflicting the world community he has made decisions reflecting poorly on the image of a wise and reflective leader. A scattergun approach to handling the country's economy through the meltdown of COVID-19 has resulted in Canada spending more than any other G20 nation, and having less to show for it, while leaving future generations with the problem of paying off a massive debt.

His decision-making over how best to protect Canadian lives threatened by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been faulty and faulted leading to failure. Canada is now far, far behind other countries in their vaccination progress resulting from the Trudeau government's poor reasoning and lack of attention to the real world of politics impacting social-welfare outcomes. Government departments under his rule have become shabby in their principles; the Canadian military a case in point where corruption, harassment and failure to address the needs of military personnel has become scandalous.

He smiles through every one of the missteps and false calculations he has made. From embarrassing Canada with his outrageous costumery on a state visit to India, and while there flirting with Indo-Canadian criminals and violent separatists, to his unabashed use of blackface as a thespian attention-seeker, much less his manhandling of a female journalist, explaining that away by baldly stating that men and women 'experience' things differently.

His promises that might be of some advantage to Canadians have not been fulfilled, but under his mandate, Canada had the first federal laws legitimizing the growing and sale of cannabis, and legislated the de-criminalization of assisted suicide in the medical profession. The LGBTQ-2 communities' human rights were championed by this prime minister and genderless language is now the law of the land. I'm sure I've forgotten a great deal that distinguishes this man as an outstanding prime minister. 

His self-confidence and egotism are outpaced only by his lack of attention to the damage he has wrought in this country. With the considerable assistance of a largely incompetent cabinet. But he smiles and carries on, the man whose past experience as a drama teacher, snowboarding expert and eventually, thanks to the inheritance of that famous Trudeau name, a public speaker evidently prepared him for the responsibilities inherent in administering the affairs of a nation.

As for us ordinary folk, we're getting on, the more we see, hear, and experience under the Trudeau watch the more we wince in pain. The pain can be assuaged however, by taking ourselves out to the ravine with our little companions, Jackie and Jillie, for an afternoon tramp through forest trails on a winter March day with a high temperature of -8C, and winds gusting up to 30 mph. for a really 'cool' wind factor.

Jackie and Jillie couldn't give a fig for the politics and how it affects the social weal of this country. They love the country and all it provides them with, and take great joy in expending canine energy on these daily excursions. And so do we.

Just one thing after another. We're coping with the novel coronavirus, taking steps we know should protect us from transmission. Our lives have been complicated. Nothing -- at least most things society takes for granted -- is quite the same any more. But this is Canada. Where case numbers are relatively low in comparison to many other parts of the world. Including our neighbour to the south, grappling to try to get a grip on their contagion and the overwhelming number of deaths caused by COVID-19.

Our economy is in shatters, many people are unemployed, food banks require more help than ever to give assistance to people in dire straits. We are reminded daily of how delicately balanced our life on this planet can be. But, again this is Canada. We're well sheltered from the disasters that strike elsewhere. As in countries in conflict, countries threatened by natural disasters causing earthquakes, floods, volcanic action.

Lebanon yesterday, was put to another kind of test when its deep-sea port at Beirut was shattered by several explosions. There are people from all over the world who migrated from their countries of birth to emigrate to Canada to become citizens and raise their families here. But they remain lovingly loyal to the country of their heritage, returning there often to touch back with families still living there. "There are no words to describe what's happening now. It's horrific. I've never seen Lebanon like this in my life. It's worse than it was during the civil war", said Ahmad Arajil, president of the Lebanese Club of Ottawa.

"Most of my family is in Lebanon. Some of them were affected directly, their windows were shattered and their kids hospitalized. The hospitals aren't even able to take in the insane amount of wounded people. It's horrible." Yes, it is horrible. A country in a financial crisis, desperately trying to deal with a pandemic, an unstable government, the major governing share of which is an actual terrorist group outlawed by Western society and some countries in the Middle East. Lebanon has become Hezbollah.

That is the kind of insane instability that millions of people are forced to live with. A country that imports 80 percent of its food from abroad, and when an entirely avoidable catastrophe occurred with an explosion at a warehouse holding ammonium nitrate, buildings were levelled, a hundred people died, thousands wounded, and a storage unit containing 85 percent of the nation's wheat was destroyed.

For us, life though complicated by the everpresent threat of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, goes on. Predictable, familiar, and comforting. We are faced with innumerable little challenges throughout the course of every day and transcend them. Never or rarely are we confronted by a multiplicity of life-threatening circumstances coming at us from all directions.

The direction we took this morning was to take our usual morning passage into routine, led by Jackie and Jillie, our two little companion dogs, making our way into the forest for a leisurely ramble through woodland trails. The rain so recently stopped that it was continually falling from the foliage surrounding us. Thimbleberries picked as per usual, to whet our puppies' appetite for their breakfast that would follow on our return back home.

The copious rain from the frequent, unrelenting rainstorms and thunderstorms have stimulated the growth of various fungi and moulds, appearing now with greater frequency on tree trunks and decomposing, fallen trunks littering the forest floor. Some are colourful, looking like discarded orange peel, others are strangely architectural and grow in colonies. And there are the other fungi that come up as perfect mushrooms, beautifully shaped and multi-coloured.

Everything green looked as though it had been freshly lacquered. The forest was dark and it was still, but for the beautiful melodic notes of a cardinal . Every leaf emphasized its presence, dark, bright green and slicked with rain. And to our surprise, we came across a red baneberry shrub with most of its ripe red berries intact; a rarity this year in the woods where usually there are so many.

We passed by a familiar figure walking his black Lab, a dog that we never, ever see without his favourite bright orange stick held firmly in his mouth, no matter how long they're out, how far they delve into the forest. And finally, we wound up our circuit for the morning and headed back to street level to make our way home to the bright colourful welcome of our garden. Safe. Secure.

July First, Canada's official 'birthday', and Parliament Hill is crowded with celebrants, young, old and in between, to enjoy the social occasion, the free entertainment, the crushing heat... Oh wait, that's not official, but it is, unfortunately, reality. Nature loves throwing a spanner into the works and she's done a doozy this year, marking the festivities with a prolonged heat wave that is certain to break records in its severity. The heat is heavily oppressive. But not to despair, despite the 33C that 'feels like' 45C, there's a nice stiff breeze.


That breeze is wafting about in the most generous manner possible, stifling, oven-like, scorching heat. It's also a sunny day, so the heat is intensified by the burning rays of the sun. Even when there's a bit of an overcast and the sun temporarily withdraws the relief is so minor and so brief it hardly matters. The crowds this year will be just as large as they always are; preparations have been made to have ample water available, to have officials patrolling the venue to spot anyone in medical trouble. It's a grand public, social occasion and people, wearing the official colours of the Canadian flag are out to enjoy themselves.


As for us, we won't be venturing too far. Even early this morning the heat was well enough advanced to take our breath away venturing out to the back garden. And the exterior thermometer already read 32C, the low that we experienced at the height of the day yesterday. Which led us yesterday morning, anticipating the gathering heat, to the garden at back and front of the house to do a bit of watering and  tender-plant tending, taking stock of what looked heat-oppressed and what did not. In total, no problems.

And then off we went with Jackie and Jillie for a ravine ramble. We thought that if the heat seemed too overwhelming we'd simply cut our junket short and return home. No need, however; the shady canopy of the forest kept us well protected from the sun and the prevailing breeze made the ambient heat seem tolerable. For a change, Jackie and Jillie responded swiftly when they were offered water, unlike previous days when they spurned the offer.

Once again, we had the circuit of forested trails to ourselves. Not another soul, man nor dog to be seen anywhere. We did have the company of cardinals and their exquisite songs. Happily, given the circumstances of extreme heat and a breeze, those other forest denizens we fail to appreciate, did not gather and search out our tender flesh; mosquitoes and black flies, it seems, have no love of this kind of oppressive heat, and were conspicuously absent.

Because we weren't suffering any kind of discomfort and being out in the forest is always such a refreshing experience, we decided to just keep going, and so we ended up with a longer-than-anticipated ramble in the woods, and we felt quite good about that. Making our way back up the last long hill to ascend to street level we could feel the heat pressure increasing, and when we left the protective shade of the forest canopy that heat seemed to slam into us.

The predicted thunderstorms that Environment Canada warned would arrive with some ferocity never did relieve the heat yesterday, not during the day nor throughout the night hours when there was a 70 percent chance of their occurring. And it would have been appreciated if they had. For one thing we enjoy them, the sound and sight of the electrical fury, the authority of the thunder, the over-ample rainfall, and the aftermath of brilliant colour and garden relief.