Daily Quote: December 31, 2020

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How deeply seated in the human heart is the liking for gardens and gardening.

~ Alexander Smith (Scottish – Poet / December 31, 1830 – January 5, 1867)

Holidays and Celebrations:

Porte Musings:

*The last day of 2020 and on the precipice of a new year. I wonder about the last year and what resolutions should I make for 2021. There’s the usual: loose weight, be more active, spend more time with family, keep a journal, publish my Daily Quote…..

We certainly won’t be going dancing tonight while the province remains under lockdown waiting and praying for the pandemic to come to an end.

I will be an age I never thought I would see. I always thought I would be like my mother’s family and die young. So I lived fast. I got married as soon as I was almost done university, when I was only 22. I had 3 beautiful sons by the age of 30. I worked at one place of employment for 32 years and was able to retire at 55. I’ve been married to the same man for almost 42 years. Now that I’m approaching 64 I’m glad I did things early. It’s so much joy to see my grandchildren while I can still walk, swim, camp and bicycle with them. Now I think I may live to a ripe old age like my paternal grandmother and may still have another 30 years to fill with hobbies, activities and love.

Gardening, traveling, visiting, reading, cooking, eating, reading, kayaking, walking, biking, knitting, camping, photographing and all the other “ings” still to do and enjoy.

So in keeping with Irish tradition, tonight I’ll open all the doors to usher out the old year and let the new one in. Looking forward to life returning to normal. And I’ll put coins over the doors to ensure another year of wealth and good luck.

Daily Quote: November 28, 2020

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It is a peculiar part of the good photographer’s adventure to know where luck is most likely to lie in the stream, to hook it, and to bring it in without unfair play and without too much subduing it.

~ James Agee (American – Novelist / November 27, 1909 – May 16, 1955)

Holidays and Celebrations:

*Today is my newest grandson’s 3rd birthday party, but due to pandemic restrictions we choose not to attend today, but to take a present over last night and spend some time with him without the crowds (and to help keep the gathering to 10 in total for the party). It was an excellent decision. We had him and his parents all to ourselves and had a wonderful visit. As we were leaving he was getting ready for bed and putting on the spiderman pajamas we gave him. I hope they brought him good dreams.

Daily Quote: November 25, 2020

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With a few flowers in my garden,
half a dozen pictures and some books,
I live without envy.

~Lope de Vega (Spanish – Playwright / November 25, 1562 – August 27, 1635)

Holidays and Celebrations:

*I finished buying my outfit for my son’s wedding. I bought shoes at Ovation Shoes Premium Outlet in Strathroy ON. Buying local really makes a difference. Although the salesperson didn’t have any 6 DD dress shoes, she was able to find the perfect shoes for me, put a liner in them and they fit wonderfully. So I also asked her about boots, and she found the perfect little red boots for me. In and out in less than 1/2 hour.

Daily Quote: November 15, 2020

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Action, looks, words, steps,
form the alphabet by which
you may spell character.

~ Johann Kaspar Lavater (German – Theologian / November 15, 1741 – January 2, 1801)

Holidays and Celebrations:

  • Sunday and the world is going mad as the second wave of COVID-19 is even greater than the first. Restrictions are being re-introduced as numbers of confirmed cases keep breaking records. A vaccine is being promised as soon as January 2021, as announced by President Trump (in his days of denying that he has lost the election). Major staffing changes are being made in the military in the USA, as unconfirmed claims of election fraud are being seeded liberally by Trump supporters. The USA remains #1 in the world for number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Cases

LocationTotal casesNew cases (1 day*)New cases (last 60 days)Cases per 1 million peopleDeaths
Worldwide53,970,288628,13660-day trend chart6,9411,311,832
United States10,977,635159,02160-day trend chart33,310245,460
Source: Wikipedia

Cases

LocationTotal casesNew cases (1 day*)New cases (last 60 days)Cases per 1 million peopleDeaths
Worldwide53,970,288628,13660-day trend chart6,9411,311,832
Canada291,9314,61360-day trend chart7,68710,891
Quebec122,6431,44860-day trend chart14,9306,611
Ontario95,9641,39460-day trend chart7,0573,387
Source: Wikipedia

Daily Quote: November 14, 2020

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Insulin is not a cure for diabetes; it is a treatment.
It enables the diabetic to burn sufficient carbohydrates so that proteins and fats may be added to the diet in sufficient quantities to provide energy for the economic burdens of life.

~ Sir Frederick Banting (Canadian – Scientist / November 14, 1891 – February 21, 1941)

Holidays and Celebrations:

  • For diabetics that are no longer able to produce their own insulin, Sir Fredrick Banting’s discovery of injectable take insulin is a life saver. But it isn’t a cure and the complications of taking insulin can be life limiting. Diabetic neuropathy, loss of limbs, kidney disease, and heart disease not to mentions the highs and lows……..

Daily Quote: October 15, 2020

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The goldenrod is yellow,
The corn is turning brown,
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.

~ Helen Hunt Jackson (American – Writer /October 15, 1830 – August 12, 1885)

Holidays and Celebrations:

International Day of Rural Women

Spirit Day

Blind Americans Equality Day – USA

Spirit Day is an annual LGBTQ awareness day observed on the third Thursday in October. Started in 2010 by Canadian teenager Brittany McMillan, it was initially created in response to a rash of widely publicized bullying-related suicides of gay school students in 2010, including that of Tyler Clementi.

Spirit Day – Wikipedia

Daily Quote: Septembers 23, 2020

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I don’t pay good wages because I have a lot of money;
I have a lot of money because I pay good wages.

~ Robert Bosch (German – Businessman / September 23, 1861 – March 12, 1942)

Holidays and Celebrations:

Innergize Day – Day after the Autumn Equinox

National Tree Day – Tree Canada

International Day of Sign Languages

Innergize Day – Day after the Autumn Equinox, you are to take this day to relax and re-energize.

Paying what is fair instead of what is due seems to be a re-occurring theme this week. This weeks’ church sermon was based on the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. People were hired at different times through-out the day.  At the end of the day the employer paid them what was fair, what was required to live for one day, to provide shelter and food for your family. What a scandal that everyone was paid the same, after all some had worked 10 hours and others just 1. But their need was the same so the employer paid them all the same.

So begins the discussion of a minimum basic wage for all Canadians, not welfare for those who qualify. A minimum basic wage would ensure that Canadians have enough money for basic shelter, food and medical expenses for them and their families. We’ve seen during the pandemic that this minimum basic income didn’t deter people from working, but instead helped to reduce anxiety during times of extreme stress.

Daily Quote: September 17, 2020

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We all wish to reach a ripe old age,
but none of us are prepared to admit that we are already there.
~ Francisco de Quevedo (Spanish – Writer / September 17, 1580 – September 8, 1645)

Holidays and Celebrations: September 17, 2020

National Professional House Cleaners Day-USA

Constitution/Citizenship Day -USA

When is old age?  10 or 20 years from now.

What is old?  Our perspective on what is old changes as we age.  When we are 2, old is our older cousins.  When we are 10 we think it is 18. When we hit puberty old is anyone over 30.  When we hit 30 we think old starts at 50.  When we retire we think old is 80 or 90.  At 90 we think old is 110.

That being said our elderly population that require nursing home assistance have been the hardest hit during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Terrible living conditions were observed in many nursing homes when the army was called in to assist with the pandemic.  The elderly need to be given a voice and taken care of with dignity and respect.

Daily Quote: September 15, 2020

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If you focus on the things you can’t do, you’ll destroy yourself.
Just remember everything you can do.
~ Giles Duley (British – Photographer Born: September 15, 1971)

Holidays and Celebrations: September 15

International Day of Democracy

Day of Our Lady of Sorrows (Deň Panny Márie Bolestnej) – Slovakia

Focus on what you can do.  During COVID-19 restrictions we’ve been isolated from friends and family.  Churches have taken to the Internet with ZOOM and Facebook services.  More people are using Messenger to see and talk with their loved ones.  A second wave is predicted and perhaps starting as the USA-Canada border remains closed.  So as Canadian Snowbirds heading towards the fall the leaves are changing colour; we may not be able to travel South to the USA and our usual Winter sunshine.  But we can stay and watch the changing seasons at home with our family.  Perhaps even enjoy the isolation that the blanket of snow will provide in the winter and cuddle a little closer to keep warm.