House Sparrow

Surprise is the greatest gift
which life can grant us.

~ Boris Pasternak (Russian – Novelist / January 29, 1890 – May 30, 1960)

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Holidays and Celebrations:

• Freethinkers Day
• Curmudgeons Day
• Puzzle Day

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Porte Musings:

Looking out my kitchen window yesterday the sparrows looked more like hummingbirds as they flew motionless around the bird feeder looking for an open space to land and eat. Fresh fluffy snow layered everything with it’s bright white and glitter. The maintenance man at the library was using a leaf blower to clear the sidewalks. I played outside for almost 2 hours blowing and shoveling the snow. Luckily the big tractor and blade of the contractor who was clearing the snow at the business beside me agreed to clear the end of my driveway where the snow plow had pushed the road snow in. I made sure to give him a small monetary tip and told him to enjoy a coffee on me.

When Boris Pasternak won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1958, he was forced to not accept it because the Russian Government had banned one of his most famous books: Doctor Zhivago1957 Censorship was aimed at keeping this away from the Russian people was fought during the Cold War as the USA tried to get as many of these books as possible into the hands of the Russian people.

Free Thinkers Day in the USA isn’t about Boris Pasternak, but celebrates the life and works of Thomas Paine (February 9, 1737-June 8, 1809). “Thomas Paine was a freethinker whose works inspired people to fight for social, political, and economic advancement.”

Bah Humbug. Why not celebrate Curmudgeons Day? Are they not a type of Free Thinker as well? or are they the opposite? So to all those cantankerous, difficult, and bad-tempered persons, who are usually also old men; here’s a day just for you. Made famous by the vaudeville star and actor W.C. Fields (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946).

So in the depths of winter if we aren’t curling up with a good book, dreaming about lofty ideas or just trying to mimic our favourite curmudgeon, we could always celebrate Puzzle Day. Get out one of those 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzles and putter around the table piecing together a complicated scene, only to take it a part a few days later and return it to its box.

Unlike a year ago, the vaccines have been readily available and new mandates require proof of vaccination to enter Canada or the USA. The truckers and other essential workers were exempt until recently. So, they made a convey and headed to Ottawa to protest. What a waste of gas. Get your vaccines and provide proof like the rest of us. Let’s get over this pandemic and get back to some type of normal.