COVID 19 has still been dominating our lives and the news.  Every day there are updates on the number of cases and deaths.  The slow opening of beaches, parks and patios has been big news.  We still have to do our social distancing. It seems that on some patios, people are moving from table to table instead of staying put. I hope they don’t cause more COVID 19 cases and the closing of businesses again.  Look at what happened in Kingston with nail salons.  Fines were issued.  My best friend and I continue with our Wednesday night phone wine and cheese party.  Last one lasted almost three hours.

Racism also continues to dominate the news. Not all white people are racists, but I get the impression that some people think we are.  A few cops are probably racist, but I think that the majority aren’t.  There needs to be a way to find and get rid of the racist ones. ‘Black Lives Matter’ dominates the news. They seem to be great at marching and stuff.  As a lot of blacks are killing each other (more than cops who are killing blacks) is BLM doing anything to address that issue?  Are they working with at risk teens? Or are they just a bunch of noisemakers? Racism needs to be addressed in a calm, sane way.  Most people I know, don’t notice skin colour.  We all realize that certain blacks seem to be picked on by some cops. I read about systemic racism. It gives us a lot to think about. Is it present in the different levels of government in Durham Region? Is it present in various businesses within the Region? It would be interesting to find out. Maybe citizens of the Region could join committees to study the matter.

On a happier note, Canada turned 153 years old on July 1. It’s time to celebrate our country in a happy way.  Somehow in 1867 a charming PM who was known to enjoy his whiskey managed to pull together four provinces to create Canada.  Then in spite of all sorts of cries of corruption, he spearheaded the building of a railroad across Canada in order to entice British Columbia into joining the new young Dominion.  Despite not having the heavy equipment we have today, it was built in ten years.   If you read the story of the building of the railway, you will find it to be a very sad story for the people who built it, especially the Chinese.  Look how long in comparison it is taking to complete the 407!

In 1967 we celebrated Canada’s 100th birthday.  It was a wonderful year. We still know how to celebrate with activities in small towns and big cities across the country. Not this year of course, but we’ll be back celebrating again next year. In 1867 Confederation was celebrated with fireworks.  We still do that today.  A couple weeks ago someone posted some Canadian food and drink inventions on Facebook. I think most of us know that butter tarts are Canadian. They were invented in Barrie in 1900.  Here are a few others: Nanaimo Bars 1952, Poutine, Warwick in 1957, Ginger Ale in Toronto in 1907, one of my personal favourite’s Beaver Tails in Killaloe in 1978 and Pablum in Toronto in 1930. Lots more and it is food that we can be proud of.

Hope you can enjoy Canada all year long with the family members in your ‘bubble’.

 

About the Author

Linda Calder is a retired teacher. She likes to write and enjoys spending time with her family. She also enjoys going on cruises, taking pictures and scrapbooking.