9-172 (21/6/22) -- Celebration

Today brought the summer solstice -- the longest day of the year. Here, the sun rose at 5:18 AM and set at 9:00 PM -- just shy of 16 hours of daylight. I didn't say sunshine, since today was quite cloudy with rain. When I walked home last evening, I noted that even around 10 PM, the sky was still bluish and not as black as it gets later in the night. The few days around the solstice are filled with light -- something that brings hope and a sense of calm. The part of this that can feel less pleasant is that days begin to be shorter for the next six months <smile>. 

Canada celebrates National Indigenous Peoples Day on the summer solstice. This is a day to acknowledge, and celebrate the contributions of the many First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples. The Google doodle today did this by highlighting the artistic works of Norvil Morriseau, whose Anishnaabe name translated to Copper Thunderbird. His works started the Woodland style seen in many Ojibwa-Cree artists' works. His paintings of animals and human figures are amazing with bright colours and black outlines, that have been likened to stained glass. 

Many indigenous musicians have been part of the Canadian and global scene for decades. Robbie Robertson, Buffy St. Marie, Kashtin and Alan Syllaboy to name just a few. I chose a younger female artist to highlight in the blog today. She was born in my home town, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Her name is Jerilyn Snuxyaltwa Webster with lineage from the Onondaga and Nuxalk Nations. She records under a stage name. Her lyrics speak to empowerment of indigenous peoples with a particular focus on women. She does hip hop, spoken word and soul-like pieces. I chose one with a title that reflects indigenous roots but also highlights female empowerment as she states with the phrase 'Righteous Empowered Daughter.' Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Red -- JB the First Lady

9-171 (20/6/22) -- Social Outings

The day was warm with a cool breeze and mixed sun and cloud. I went to friend's home for a lobster boil supper today. We ate indoors due to the temperature and wind by early evening. The food was wonderful -- salads and jerk chicken with a great rhubarb dessert and blueberry ice cream.  Wines were lovely, too. Conversation among the six of us was fun and stimulating. It has been so very long between such gatherings. 

Relearning how to act in social settings does come back slowly. Conversation can be challenging at times when most of my talking has been to the feline roommate or just to the air. <smile>  Online or phone chats help, but these are usually with one other person so when several people are involved, listening skills become key. Communication skills require further honing, but what is there shouldn't make me a social pariah <grin>. 

Tonight three of us were retired and the other three continue their work on campus. It is a job that expands to fill the space making it difficult to disengage. Social gatherings help people to leave the work behind for a few hours. We may speak about work related topics, but most of the conversations concern other topics. Tonight was no different. A song that I heard in a commercial recently popped into my mind when pondering the evening. It made me smile since it related well to the main result of this enjoyable evening. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Relaxez Vous (sometimes written Relax-ay-voo) -- Dean Martin & Line Renaud

9-170 (19/6/22) -- Memories

The highlight of this mixed sun and cloud day was the blooming of my iris. This flower -- the size of my hand -- is a fantastic shade of pale lilac. Two other buds are slowly opening on the same stalk. I love these so much. My mother used to grow lilacs that were a mix of deep purple and yellow. These were much a much smaller variety. Anytime I see the larger varietals I'm struck with wonder. Dad loved the blue and purple irises. So, it seemed fitting that mine bloomed today -- Father's Day. 

Along with the daily memories, many songs that Dad liked visited me today. We listened to music together a lot -- even played music together with him on the saxophone and me at the piano. I chose one song that is a duet by father and daughter -- though made after the death of the father. The title says it all. <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Unforgettable -- Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole 

9-169 (18/6/22) -- Acknowledging History

Today was bright and sunny but very windy. A full day of work took place in the graveyard behind my back fence. About six workers installed another 10 or more headstones. It was looking very nice earlier this week. With more stones, it will again look like what it has been for well over a century -- a cemetery. A two-tier platform was placed in the middle of the area. A friend and I suggested it would be the site of a larger memorial to all the other memorial stones. It makes me smile to see this site re-established.  

I enjoy seeing people or communities honouring their history. I've always been interested in books and movies with historical settings. I've learned as much as I can about our family history. My research program has ended with me investigating the historical roots of my profession. I've always asked for the history behind policy statements in worksites and professional associations. If debating new policy directions, I've felt I needed the history of what was done in the past in order to plan for the future. Knowing why and how past decisions were made can help us with our future planning processes. What i see out my kitchen window these days, tells me the local community values the history of the town. Granted, most of the workers are of a certain age, but the place will be there for everyone to enjoy and maybe to learn who and how the town developed in the early days. 

The song that came to mind today deals with a lot of historical events, noting that we inherit a world based on past decisions. It can change, but the past has to be acknowledged and understood before just blaming and changing everything. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

We Didn't Start the Fire -- Billy Joel

 

9-168 (17/6/22) -- Rolling Thunder

The day was cloudy with some rain around noon noon when I was walking out to lunch with friends. The lunch visit was wonderful. We used to eat lunch together several times a week at work and it has been way too long between these gatherings due to retirement and the pandemic. We easily picked up as if there hadn't been years between lunches -- a sign of friendship. <smile>

In the late evening hours, I kept hearing a deep vibrating sound that sounded like a motorcycle in the distance. It took a while before I realized that it was actually rolling thunder in the distance. This didn't occur until I heard a much closer rumble. Each rumble continued for a long time. Some rain fell during this mini storm, but not enough to do much more than dampen the sidewalk. 

A lyric line ran through my head today -- one that provided advice for getting inside during a thunderstorm. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Down Under -- Men at Work 

  

9-167 (16/6/22) -- Feeling Free

It was another sunny day today, but felt much hotter than yesterday. I was out for short walks to pick up staples and a couple of other needed items. Based on the service failures at two places, I spent part of the afternoon completing  \two 'tell us how we did' surveys for those stores where I encountered difficulties with checkout staff, shelf pricing of items and spills that were not being cleaned up <yuck>. I hope things reach the right people and staff could be reminded how to greet and speak to customers. If I were in a larger centre, I'd likely go to a different location or a totally different store after the two experiences from yesterday and today. Here there are other stores that could be used, but some of the store brand items I like aren't carried anywhere else. <sigh> 

Sometimes I feel petulant about living in a small town, but over the past many years, I've come to cherish the benefits such places can bring. Today while driving home from the grocery store I noticed a bald eagle riding the thermals above me. Being on a back road rather than the old highway allowed me to gaze upwards a bit and just enjoy the freedom embodied by the bird. There is a degree of freedom experienced being in a smaller settlement in the middle of forest and hills. 

The song shared today dealt with the calming experience of watching the eagle rather than the frustrations of customer service difficulties <smile>. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Fly Like an Eagle -- Steve Miller Band 

9-166 (15/6/22) -- Getting Things Done

The rain stopped sometime during the night. It had rained for well over 24 hours by that point. The yard has several squooshy areas, so I asked the lawn care fellow to avoid those regions. Otherwise, the lawn mower tires leave ruts that just gather rain the next time. My day involved running needed errands. I got groceries but had to go to two stores to complete the list. My only question is when did boxed bread crumbs become twice the size -- like about a pound? The ingredients contain many different grains rather than the ones that were in smaller containers and had only wheat in them <sigh>. I have other grain allergies, so couldn't use these products. Guess I'll just make my own -- it isn't that difficult with a food processor, after all <wink>. I paid a couple of bills, printed some articles for peer review and had a long chat with a friend I haven't seen to speak with for several months. All in all, the day felt good. The sunshine helped with that, too. 

So, it was a day filled with catching up on errands that didn't get done when I wasn't feeling great last week. I managed to do a number of things, but still have a couple places to go tomorrow to finish for this week. <smile>. A few lines from a song ran through my head today while I was running around getting things done -- for a change <smile>. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Takin' Care of Business -- Bachman-Turner Overdrive