Heidi Greco's Blog

Looking it up, I find several choices: singlet, tank top, sleeveless undershirt. And sadly, I also still find the unacceptable 'wife-beater'. 
The term apparently came about as the result of a case of domestic violence that dates back to 1947, which means it has been around far too long. Last I heard (though I don't patronize them) Amazon was still using this ugly terminology to describe sleeveless undershirts. 
Especially today, the first day of an extended observance that seeks the Elimination of Violence Against Women seems like a day to call a singlet a singlet (or one of the other terms that don't seem to extol violence).  
We here in Canada will also be observing this theme on December 6th, the date we remember the mass murder of 14 brilliant women at the Ecole Polytechnique. 
It's not even four o'clock and it's just about dark here. Dark times indeed when women are harmed -- or even killed -- pretty much simply because they're women. 

Canada Post workers have been without a reasonable settlement to their contract for over a year now. Last December their strategy was meant to make their point by disrupting the delivery of Christmas cards and parcels. But the trouble was, that ploy didn't work. 

It caused plenty of inconvenience to people outside of Canada who wanted to send gifts and greetings to friends here, but Canadians mostly took to using alternate delivery services, like UPS or Purolator. Besides, it gave us a good excuse to quit or at least cut back on the number of cards we sent. 

Finally, it's beginning to look like some sort of arrangement, satisfactory to both sides of the bargaining table, might be in the works. It all sounds pretty tentative, but I like to think that both sides are reaching out, seeking a meaningful and lasting resolution--sort of like the way the flag in front of our local post office seems to be reaching to grab hold of the little tree out front. 

Now, if only some kind of agreement could be reached that would see the end of the terrible war in Ukraine. And not a list of demands assembled by the Russians, a plan that would see Ukrainians worse than before Russia invaded there, nearly four years ago. 

Reaching for an agreement, I'm hoping, one that will mean a lasting peace. 

So. What to say. Hard to know. 

Did it end with a bang or a whimper.

Still feels like heartbreak. It certainly felt like more than 'just a game', especially the way the whole country seemed so united behind our team. 

Maybe the 'extra hour' of sleep will help. 

Back to bed. 

...a group of jays?

We don't have the same blue jays out here in the west. But we do have our own gorgeous (and friendly) blue bird, Steller's Jay. The one in the photo seemed to be the 'guardian' of our recent campsite along the Similkameen River. 

But back to my question: the collective noun for these birds. One site suggests such a group is called a band, a party, or a scold. 

I'm not crazy about any of those. And considering today's the first game of the World Series, I'm thinking a group of Jays oughta be called a TEAM. 

Go, Jays!

Our garden is small, but both of us do our best to preserve some of the bounty. 

During the summer I froze berries and apples. Many of these were gifts from friends whose big harvests can be overwhelming. I also spent quite a few days making jams and jellies, while the Dear Man looked after the quince -- always the most prolifice of the fruits in the yard -- making juice, and also drying and freezing slices for later in winter. 

Not all of our fruit trees are as bounteous as the quince; this year, we got exactly five peaches and only a single plum. Lots of berries though, but I wasn't counting. 

The leaves in the photo are basil, a herb I use pretty often. There's lots of pesto base in the freezer; the leaves on the little heat source are drying (weirdly, they take longer than even apple slices to dry) and I'll use them to season sauces. 

But the point of all this is today's celebration of bounty -- Thanksgiving Day -- a day of gratitude. 

Sometimes a spur-of-the-moment escape can be a real treat. Fires had kept us from camping enough this summer, but luckily enough rain had fallen to calm those down -- not completely, but enough to make it safe to venture into the parkland. 
Just a few days, but the perk of being offline, especially without news to contend with...ahhh. 
The campsite in Manning Park was right beside the river. Our only real companion was a Steller's Jay who insisted on hoping for snacks. 
Mornings were time for exploring trails. Sunny afternoons meant lazy times for reading. 
A great way to charge up the batteries for the rest of the year. 

And so much more to mark this last day of September, as today is the day we observe Truth and Reconciliation Day in Canada. 

It's only over the past decade that much in the way of Truth has come out. 

Still plenty to go when it comes to Reconciliation, but I believe that many of us are trying to learn. 

I liked that this last little flower had the good sense to be wearing its own orange shirt. 

Today is the Autumnal Equinox. A day for balance. When, if we're at the Equator, night and day share the light in equal measure. The first day when the Zodiac is ruled by Libra, the seeker of justice. 

When we can only hope for some kind of balance where the good and the sane prevail in this world of ours that currently seems so dreadfully out of balance. 

To my surprise (and in a good way for a change), even though I'm not much of a Royalist, I was delighted to find this article about King Charles and the balance he's been able to find in Romania. It seemed an apt ray of hope on this day of a new season. 

...to a screen near you. A blank screen where there used to be an art known as comedic satire.  

First, it was Stephen Colbert's show getting notice. Now, it's Jimmy Kimmel getting yanked. 

So much for freedom of speech. 

To think that it was way last November that I wrote this:

(withgratitude to Martin Niemoller)

 

First they came for the truthtellers:

the journalists whose words aimed

to capture events, present them with

accuracy and fairness.

 

Then for the librarians, unafraid to defend

the sanctity of books, and all they hold

within their pages, even when small minds

choose to challenge what they contain.

 

After that, the teachers, whose loyalties rest always

with the children entrusted to them, guiding and

protecting them from hate and other abuse,

encouraging as they grow, like wide-faced flowers inthe sun.

 

Who will remain once the truthtellers are gone?

Only the liars who know to twist words, bending themto their own mean ends.

While those who have been duped will standopen-mouthed 

hungry and broken, by having been deceived.

We can only wonder just who will be next.  

 

 

 

These days it's impossible to not be concerned about the state of the world with its many horrific wars just about everywhere. And it doesn't help to learn about new alliances such as those among the powers of China, Russia, and North Korea. 

I was probably already a bit on the edge of feeling down, remembering that today is the 24th anniversary of the Twin Towers horror. I still remember being home that day, when some kind of spidey sense made me turn on the news--just in time to see the second building be hit. 

I took a bit of comfort when I found a clue in this morning's crossword that led me to figuring out "the fruit  that symbolizes peace in China" which turns out to be the apple.  

It makes me think the idea of the apple being the 'forbidden fruit' in Eden as one I can just about believe, as it sure seems our species has pretty much always been engaged in wars. What a species. So much for having such big brains -- hard to understand how such idiocy could continue.