Michael Robert Dyet's Blog, page 28

Flatten the Curve: The Hard Questions that Lie Ahead

Hmmm, will the real
heavy lifting come after COVID-19 flat lines?

A week ago I wrote a
post about the Coronavirus in which I advocated for everyone to keep things in
perspective and laugh at the toilet paper mania. I promised that the sun would
come up tomorrow as it always does.

I was only partially
right. The sun did rise as usual, but it rose on a very different world than
what we knew before. Flatten the curve
is now the catchphrase and hashtag that defines our existence. Drastic steps
have been taken to stave off the feared upward curve in cases.

Those of us in the
workforce army now find ourselves assigned into one of three battalions:

The
Frontline Battalion:
The dedicated people who work in essential services – doctors, nurses, hospital
staff, EMS, firefighters and farmers among others. They are the unsung heroes
whose dedication ensures the bottom will not fall out while the rest of us are
in seclusion. We owe them our undying gratitude.

The
Remote Battalion: The
large contingent of people, myself among them, whose employers answered the
call and closed their physical offices. We are working from home on our laptops
becoming slaves to e-mail and hoping that our internet connection does not
fail.

The
Temporarily Decommissioned Battalion:
The unfortunate ones employed in the businesses that have been compelled to shut
down for the duration of the flatten the
curve period. Next to those who actually contracted the virus, you are the
ones hardest hit as there is no money coming in to pay the bills that do keep
coming. My heart goes out to you.

When we come out on the
other side of this unprecedented period of constraint, it will be time to ask
the hard questions. Did the response by government and those in positions of
power happen soon enough or too late? Was the response appropriate or over the
top?

Will the end justify the means? We hope the lockdown we are experiencing now will be measured in weeks. But the economic repercussions will be measured in years.

And then there is the darker question: Was any part of the turmoil caused, influenced or encouraged by those with vested interests in creating disorder and chaos?

The more immediate
question on our minds is: How long will it be before things get back to normal?
But perhaps the question we should be asking is: What will the new normal look like?

We’ve been down this
road before. After 9/11, we had to rethink our perceptions of security. After
the great electricity blackout in the northeastern U.S. and central Canada, we
had to reconsider our faith in the infrastructure we thought was infallible.

Now we have to realign
our sense of the very fabric of society. If a respiratory virus, or more
specifically the reaction to it, can cripple our societal structures, what does
that say about the foundations we have built our society on?

When we get around to
answering these hard questions, flatten
the curve may – no, make that will
– take on a new life as a metaphor on multiple levels.

~ Now
Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting
Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also
the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which
was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s
website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go
Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing
are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the
right sidebar. If
you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly
to my page for postings once a week

Coronavirus: The Toilet Paper Chronicles

Hmmm, can we defuse the
coronavirus hysteria with the age old remedy of humour?

We are living strange
times, if you will pardon the understatement. As little as a week ago, the
state of affairs that now exists was inconceivable. And yet, here we are. In
the list of “where were you when” days, we can now add: Where were you when the world went on lockdown to defend against the
coronavirus.

An abundance of caution
or fear driven paranoia? Erring on the safe side or I don’t want to be the one who gets blamed decision-making. The
debate rages on and will continue for weeks or even months. I am not inclined
to enter that debate.

What I do feel is an
urgent need to put forward a plea to keep things in perspective. Yes, the
coronavirus is a serious threat to the elderly and those with compromised
immune or respiratory systems. The slam-the-door prevention efforts being put
in place are a serious threat to the world economy.

But friends, it is not Armageddon.
The sun will rise again tomorrow as it always does.

In times like these, we
need coping mechanisms. The ability to laugh at ourselves is perhaps the most
valuable tool we have in this respect. So, in the spirit of putting things in
perspective and doing my part to defuse the hysteria, I present to you The Coronavirus Toilet Paper Chronicles.
Watch for these reactions to unfold.

Organized crime will
forgo drug trafficking in favour of the more lucrative toilet paper black
market. In dark alleys and abandoned warehouses, a roll of two-ply will go for
$100 and premium three-ply for $150.

Retired police officers
and security guards will be recruited by toilet paper manufacturers to guard
their facilities, armed to the teeth with high power files, against marauding
gangs of ruthless toilet paper thieves.

Anyone exiting a
washroom in a public facility will be required to undergo a security scan to
ensure they are not attempting to sneak out rolls of toilet paper.

Plumbers will become the
highest paid tradesmen as an upsurge
of plugged toilets, caused by alternative paper products used as toilet paper,
creates a huge backup. Bidding wars
for plumbers will occur with house calls costing $1,500 and up.

Toilet paper itself will
become a form of currency. A single sheet of two-ply will equate to $5 while a
sheet of three-ply will equate to $10.

A new Toilet Paper
Lottery will be launched. Tickets will go for $25 each for the chance to win a
six month supply of toilet paper. It will be the most profitable lottery in
history.

I did not think, and
certainly did not hope, that I would live to see the day when toilet paper
becomes a metaphor for safety and security. If we cannot laugh at the absurdity
of that notion, the Coronavirus is not our biggest concern.

~ Now
Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting
Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also
the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which
was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s
website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go
Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for
subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions
page in the right sidebar. If
you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly
to my page for postings once a week

Brampton: Notes in Unison That Become a Tune

Hmmm, how many voices are needed before the powers that be finally
listen?

I do not often stray
into the realm of politics in this personal forum of mine. Why? Reason one:
Because the subject tends to raise my blood pressure. Reason two: Because
carping about political issues is all too common. But I dare to venture there
today after perusing the latest issue of The
Brampton Guardian.

The front page story of
this week’s issue deals with a family’s quest for justice for their son who
committed suicide while under 24 hour watch at Brampton’s William Osler
Hospitals in 2014. Two hours had allegedly passed when he was found lifeless.

(Let me emphasize that I
do not blame the hospital staff for this apparent tragedy. William Osler
Hospital is woefully underfunded and has been operating beyond capacity pretty
much since its doors opened. The doctors and nurses employed there do their
best under extremely difficult circumstances that continue to get worse.)

The family filed a
wrongful dismissal lawsuit which was scheduled to come to court in January. However,
when the family arrived at the courthouse, they were told the court date was
being pushed back to May 2021 because of a large court backlog and underfunding
of the local court system.

In this same issue of The Guardian, another story delves into
the lack of affordable rental housing in Brampton. The recommended average for
decent living circumstances is that no more than 30% of a family’s pre-tax
income is spent on rent and utilities.

In Brampton, 42% of
renters are over the 30% plateau and 21% spend more than 50% of their income on
rent and utilities. The Ontario No-Profit Housing Association estimates that
Brampton needs 99,000 new, affordable housing units to fill the gap.

Am I am qualified to
speak on these issues? I do have firsthand experiences to call on.

A couple of years ago, I
was in the William Osler Hospital emergency ward four times before and after
colon surgery. On three of those occasions, I spent 6 to 8 hours waiting to get
into a bed. On the fourth, the wait was 19 hours. The situation is worse now.

A few years further back,
it became necessary for me to find a new place to live in Brampton. (Cockroaches
– enough said.) It quickly became clear to me how tight the rental market is
here. I found a place as expeditiously as I could and grabbed it – being
fortunate enough to have an income that gave me a wider range of options.

The common denominator
in these unfortunate realities: explosive population growth that has far
outpaced the city’s ability to accommodate it and a glaring imbalance in
provincial funding. Brampton does not get its fair share of the pie.

I do not have a solution
to offer for these problems. All I can really do is add my voice to the growing
chorus of those who say Brampton is a city teetering on the edge in many
critical areas. If enough people sound the note, it becomes a tune that the
powers that be must heed.

~ Now
Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting
Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also
the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which
was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s
website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go
Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing
are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the
right sidebar. If
you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly
to my page for postings once a week

Winter Storm: Salvation Awaits

Note:
This post was written earlier this week on a blustery day

Hmmm, is there a greater
purpose to be found in this malignant winter storm?

The first, full scale,
batten down the hatches, winter storm hit this area last night and is
continuing today. We have had other storms this winter. But none of them had
the full head of steam behind them that this one summoned.

As I have said many
times before, I am not a fan of winter and the storms that it breeds. I would
not be at all unhappy if the season passed without a big blow. But since my
cranky back has pitched a fit and forced me to take a sick day, I can suspend
my bias temporarily to contemplate the bigger picture.

It strikes me that there
is a distinct character to this particular storm. Three of four inches of snow
cascaded from the dark skies last night, layered on top of what fell the day
before. Enough snow to bury the landscape and obscure the bleak, pastel shades
of February.

But the real teeth of this
storm is the wind. It gusts and howls with the vengeance of any angry ghost,
collecting fistfuls of snow and driving them in furious spindrifts and up
shoots. If I dare to step outside, it lashes at me for having the audacity to
brave it.

Admittedly, there are
aspects of this storm to be admired. Finely articulated snow sculptures have
formed showing off the artistry of the savage wind. Outside my front window,
rolling, knife-edged drifts have formed that undulate with a perverse grace.

Sand dunes on the
wind-blown Sahara. Two foot whitecaps frozen in time far off shore in the
reaches of Lake Ontario. Depending on your artistic or philosophical bent, either
characterization could apply to these snow formations.

On the other hand, in
between the drifts, bare patches of frozen ground go begging for cover. Barren branches
shudder in the gusts as the tree trunk bends but stubbornly resists the will of
the wind. There is a battle for survival playing out before my eyes that makes
me grateful to be safe inside.

Not to be outdone, the
February sun is getting in on the act. Fiercely bright and glaring with a
frosty elegance, it pencils in definition to the edges of the carved snowdrifts
and casts harsh shadows on the crystalline snow. The sun too has its petulant
moods.

And finally, there is
the cold. Bitter, biting, wind chiseled cold that takes hold with any icy grip.
Cold I would rather not pit myself against.

So what is the tidbit of
wisdom I have found? Simply that every winter must have one or two of these unrepentant
storms – just as every life must be stopped in its tracks a time or two by the
windstorms of fate. We hunker down, grit our teeth and ride it out, trusting
that there is salvation awaiting us on the other side.

So blow wind, blow. Vent
your wrath. Tomorrow shall be kinder to us.

~  Now Available Online
from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of
Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also
the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which
was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s
website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go
Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing
are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the
right sidebar. If
you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly
to my page for postings once a week.

I Win, You Lose, and Never the Twain Shall Meet

Hmmm, is winning at all
costs really worth the cost?

As I write this post, CN
has shut down its entire network in Eastern Canada and Via Rail has cancelled
services across the country. The service cancellations are the result of
blockades set up by protestors in solidarity with First Nations opposed to the
construction of the Coastal Gas Pipeline which crosses traditional territories
of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in Northern BC.

This headline grabber
will compete for attention with the rotating, escalating strikes by Ontario
teachers as the put pressure on Doug Ford for his painfully deep cuts to
education funding.

Neither of these
protests affects me directly as I do not have children and I do not travel by
rail. But they affect all of us in one way or another if only for their impact
on the provincial and national economy.

In general, I have an
issue with any group who takes the public hostage, figuratively speaking, to
gain leverage in their battle. On the other hand, I have a particular dislike
for Doug Ford and his dictatorial leadership style, so I side with the teachers
in that dispute. And I sympathize with the First Nations as they seek to
protect their traditional territories.

Yes, I am rather
conflicted on the current situation. Divided loyalties make it difficult, if
not impossible, for me to take a stand one way or the other.

But I took a step back
from the individual disputes and probed my own psyche for what was simmering
beneath the surface. I realized that what disturbs me most right now is the
increasingly confrontational nature of our society. We seem to be itching for a
fight and jump in with both feet when one presents itself.

Do not mistake what I am
saying. Standing up for one’s beliefs is a value in which I strongly believe.
But does it always have to be exclusively my
way or your way? I believe that
there is always a middle ground to be reached if both sides are willing to bend
a little.

However, compromise has become a dirty word these days. It has become associated with weakness. I would argue that it takes more strength, not to mention integrity, to give a little, rather than dig in our heels, in the interests of a peaceful resolution. The win-win scenario, where each side bends a little but does not break, is the best outcome in the bigger picture.

Let me circle back to Doug Ford. I see him as the poster boy for the compromise-is-not-in-my vocabulary camp. His stance is essentially: I’m right, you’re wrong, and I have the power, so what you believe doesn’t matter. That hardline stance is a wildfire waiting to happen. All it takes to ignite is one person pushing back. The winds of conflict take over and the fire is quickly fanned out of control

At the end of the day,
if it always comes down to somebody has
to win and somebody else has to lose,
we are always going to be in conflict. That is not the kind of society I want
to live in. Do you?

~  Now Available Online
from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of
Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also
the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which
was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s
website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make
Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing
are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the
right sidebar. If
you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly
to my page for postings once a week.

When I Grow Old and Wear the Bottom of My Trousers Rolled: My Favourite Haunt

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I
grow old.. I grow old…

I
shall wear the bottom of my trousers rolled

T.S.
Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

Hmmm, is there an upside
to being change averse?

I am creature of habit.
Always have been, but that character trait becomes more prominent as I get
older. I will concede that this tendency is not always healthy. I do not want better. It did not need to be
improved. I want it the same as it was yesterday. That refrain plays
regularly in my mind. But for better or worse, I have made peace with who I am
and how I approach life.

As an unapologetic
nature geek, I have settled on a handful of locations for my summer ramblings. My
favourite haunt is a little known, out-of-the-way conservation area that is lightly
used and a haven for the winged wonders I worship. Let me take you on a tour of
my glory spot.

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Tour
Stop 1: The track from
the parking lot. Just an entry point for most, but I linger along that stretch
knowing that the weedy edges will be alive with dime-sized grass Skippers hopscotching from plant to
plant. Orange flashes of light overlooked by most, I eagerly seek them out.

Tour
Stop 2: The footpath
through the meadow. I keep my eyes peeled for an elusive Coral Hairstreak while admiring Green
Darners, Crescents and assorted
small Skimmers.

Tour
Stop 3: Past the
first swamp pond, I focus on the path to spot the hiding-in-plain sight Comma butterflies whose dead leaf
camouflage I have attuned myself to detect. A 
Question Mark for sure,
probably an Eastern and, if I am
lucky, a Gray or Green.

Tour
Stop 4: The hot
corner where the trail forks. This unassuming, sunny spot adjacent to another
swamp pond seems to be a convergence point where butterflies and dragonflies
alike come to converse and frolic. I am always hoping for a repeat of the Fiery Skipper that appeared here several
years back well north of its usual range.

Tour
Stop 5: The small
creek by the bridge. My reliable spot in early summer for an always stirring Spiketail – a Twin-spotted or Arrowhead,
but a Delta-spotted is also possible.

Tour
Stop 6: The hidden
swamp pond. I pick my way through the brambles to yet another swamp pond known
to me. Guaranteed to be a hive of activity with a dozen or more dragonflies
cruising over the pond. If I am lucky, a Painted
Lady may be waiting for me there.

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Tour
Stop 7: The sloping
trail through the woods. A stop to scan the area where the Dreamy Duskywing showed up is a must as is pausing at each sunny
glade to commune with its residents. Staying alert the whole way for any number
of blue mosaic Darners.

Tour
Stop 8: Side path near
the top of the hill. Bushwacking through tall grass in the tiny meadow. A Roadside Skipper may put in an
appearance here along with a Great
Spangled Fritillary. In mid to late summer, the drooping tree branches can
be laden with Darners.

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Heading
Home: By 3:30, I have
retraced my steps to the parking lot perhaps adding a Comptons Tortoiseshell  or Racket-tailed Emerald to my day list.

When I grow old and wear
the bottom of my trousers rolled and I can longer hike these hallowed trails, I
will retrace them countless times in in my mind. Remembering every curve,
hollow and sunny glade with crystal clarity. Still extracting metaphors of life
from their bounty.

~  Now Available Online
from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of
Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also
the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which
was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s
website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go
Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing
are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the
right sidebar. If
you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly
to my page for postings once a week.

Twisted, Zesty or Feisty: Choose Your Flavour Adventure

Hmmm, do I need to take
the Myers Briggs test before I choose my soft drink?

When I was a child (yes,
this is going to be a what happened to
the good old days post), the soft drink options were straightforward. You
choose from the Big Three: Coke, Pepsi and Canada Dry Gingerale. A handful of
secondary brands – Sprite, Orange Crush, Fanta – had brief runs before they
were swallowed up by the Big Three.

The decision was simple
if you craved Cola – Coke or Pepsi. You choose one or the other and were
fiercely loyal to it. Along the way, Pepsi dared to introduce the blind taste
test: Can you tell whether it is Coke or
Pepsi? It was a brilliant marketing tactic in some ways. Despite what the
TV commercials implied, most of us loyalists were offended and refused to
participate.

(Okay, I admit I was
never actually invited to take the challenge so I did not have the opportunity
to proudly decline. But I swear on a stack of bibles that I would have.)

But times have changed.
Oh my, how they have changed! Modern consumers apparently demand a plethora of
choices with sexy names.

What got me thinking
along these lines was the new commercial for Diet Coke XTRA Toasted Vanilla.
Apparently vanilla on its own is just, well, vanilla. You have to toast it before it becomes a delicacy. But the
real bite in this high octane drink comes from the extra dose of caffeine.

I went to the Coke
website to see what flavours currently exist. If you want the hard stuff (no
wimpy diet soda for you), your colourful choices, complete with their unofficial
tag lines, include:

Strawberry
Guava (life’s a beach)Twisted
Mango (wild child)Zesty
Blood Orange (you’ll dance)Feisty
Cherry (has an attitude)

You must understand that
these concoctions are not just drinks. Each is a lifestyle defining choice. For
example, the descriptor for Zesty Blood Orange direct from the Coke website:

cracking
open a can of zesty blood orange is an experience unto itself. you hear that
fizz and taste that zesty blood orange flavoured goodness, and your senses just
come alive. you’ll dance. you’ll
LOL. you’ll stand up on your desk and
yell “CARPE DIEM” and everyone will stare at you awkwardly.

If these choices do not
light your fire, try these specialty sodas: British Columbia Raspberry (Silly
me, I did not know that B.C is the raspberry capital of Canada), Georgia Peach
(I will let you draw your own associations) and Coca Cola de Mexico (Does it
come with a worm at the bottom of the bottle?).

Truthfully, for health
reasons, I seldom consume soft drinks these days. That is fortunate since I do
not see a flavour aimed at

aging
baby boomer, change impaired, oh my aching back, no caffeine after 6:00, less
is more, hold the dairy and glutton

Soft drink flavours as a
metaphor for our life choices – welcome to the new age, 21st
Century.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also
the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was
a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s
website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go
Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing
are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the
right sidebar. If
you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly
to my page for postings once a week.

Mating Dragonflies and the Circle of Life

Hmmm, how will I endure
the long months of winter that still lie ahead?

It is that time of year
again – mid January and a few days removed the first big snowstorm of the year.
The sun is on hiatus, aside from an occasional glimpse, and the temperature
yo-yoing up and down every other day. Alas, there is at least as much winter
ahead of us as behind us.

The January blues have
taken hold. The only way I know to beat the funk, short of escaping south for a
vacation which my bank account precludes, is to delve into my treasure trove of
winged wonder photos from summers past. I like to think of it as a virtual
vacation financed by my imagination and miles traversed through field and
forest.

Today I am highlighting
mating dragonflies. These winged dragons link up briefly in a makeshift loop when
instinct tells them the time is right.

Clubtails
are notoriously difficult
to definitively ID. I will confess that I cannot determine which of the many Clubtails these two are. But that only
adds another layer of mystery to their ritual which was carried out in the
shelter of verdant greenery in early June.

In this photograph, we
can see how the suspended Clubtail
has wrapped its filament legs around its mate’s abdomen to do its part in
completing the loop. Their pose appears laboured but graceful at the same time
as their bodies become one for the time it takes to do what nature demands.

It was already September
when these Canada Darners responded
to the call. At first glance, it appears they are suspended in air in a leafy
bower. But a closer look reveals that one is doing the heavy lifting by
clinging to a bushy twig by its slender black legs that look too fragile for
the purpose.

Their impressive,
translucent angel wings, adorned with checkered black markings, are on full
display – perhaps to stabilize them in their precarious perch. The pose will last
only a few minutes after which they will separate and flit away.

I really should steer
clear of the cliché that presents itself. But I am unable to resist. Dragonflies
interlaced in their mating loop personify the circle of life in all things
great and small.

~  Now Available Online
from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of
Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also
the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which
was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s
website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go
Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing
are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the
right sidebar. If
you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly
to my page for postings once a week.

11 Marathon Street: Love, Dreams and Safe Harbour

Hmmm, will next the
generation that walks through the door hear the echoes of those who lived there
before?

How many places have you
lived in during your life? I am on my twelfth. I would rather not have uprooted
myself and moved that many times. But mobility is a fact of life in our
generation for a variety of reasons –some good and some regrettable.

But no matter how many places
you have hung your hat, or spent cherished times within, there are always a few
that stand out. If like me you are lucky enough to have spent most of your
childhood at one address that home always holds a special place in your heart.

Then there are the homes
you visited regularly. The ones where close family lived and you knew you were
always welcome. 11 Marathon Street, Hagersville is one of those places. It is
the house my grandparents lived in for many years after selling their farm and
moving into town.

11 Marathon Street is now
a century home. It was built in the days when sprawling yards and large front
porches where the norm, when comfortable and spacious was deemed more important
than how many houses can be squeezed into the footage available. It sits on a
corner lot commanding a view of the neighbourhood.

Grandma and Grandpa
Brooks house was home base for their large family and the spouses, children and
grandchildren that came along. Many of us lived within walking distance in the
same town for years. Some still do. Whether or not we have moved on to other
towns or cities, we all still have the image of 11 Marathon Street in our
hearts and minds.

Foremost in my memory
are the Christmas Day gatherings. Year after year, the whole family gathered at
the house for Christmas dinner, the gift exchange and plain, old fashioned
family togetherness. Often noisy, always lively, ringing with laughter and
overflowing with love, it was a tradition that endured over time.

No matter what the
occasion, or the reason for the gathering, there was always plenty of food to
go around. Many years of cooking for the family and for farmhands stayed with
my grandmother. She could not ever imagine cooking just enough. My grandfather could never consent to having any food
left on the table.

11 Marathon Street was
the nexus of the Brooks extended family for a generation. It was the kind of
house that can exist only in a small town with indelible links to the past and
in a family with ties that bind regardless of time and distance.

The house stayed in the
family for quite some time after my grandparents passed on. It is now for sale
and will pass into new hands as must inevitably happen. I have no doubt that
the new owners will feel a heartwarming presence enveloping them. The walls
will most assuredly reverberate with the love and dreams that unfolded within
its safe harbour.

It is a bit sad to see
11 Marathon Street pass out of the family. But the Brooks family will always be
there within its walls. Homes with a century of history do not close their
doors on the past, but rather carry all the life that happened within them
forward to the next generation that loves and dreams within them.

Home
is where the heart is
– never more true that at 11 Marathon Street, Hagersville.

~ Now
Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting
Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also
the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which
was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s
website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go
Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing
are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the
right sidebar. If
you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly
to my page for postings once a week

2019 in Review: The Year of the Political Witch Hunt

Hmmm, are we growing
numb to the scandals and misdeeds of our politicians?

It is that time of year
when are inclined to cast a look back at the year that is ending and reflect on
its most memorable events. Regrettably, political scandals are 2019’s primary
legacy. In no particular order, here are but a few of the political disgraces
that we witnessed and the words to live by
for each of the perpetrators.

Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau found himself knee deep in the SNC-Lavalin controversy as the
federal election approached while at the same time taking flak for the “black
face” photos. He disappointed many by refusing to take responsibility and
dispatching his accusers. Despite all the body blows, he managed to return to
power albeit with a minority.

Justin Trudeau’s 2019
Words to Live By: I did nothing wrong.

U.S. President Donald
Trump did pretty much whatever struck his fancy and basked in the attention. The
Democrats took aim at him for abuse of office by allegedly pressuring the
Ukraine to announce an investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter. The
year ended with the House voting to impeach him – a symbolic gesture at best
given the Republican controlled Senate.

Donald Trump’s 2019
Words to Live By: I can do nothing wrong.

Ontario Premier Doug
Ford weathered a patronage scandal while pressing forward on his personal
mission to reduce the deficit at any cost (pun intended) and put his personal
mark on the province. In the process, he made enemies of just about everyone
and is currently embroiled in a battle with the teacher’s and support staff`s
unions.

Doug Ford’s 2019 Words
to Live By: If you disagree with me, you
are by definition wrong.

Federal Conservative
Party Leader Andrew Scheer led his party into the federal election decrying the
Trudeau scandals. While he managed to weaken Liberal support, he fell well
short of a Conservative win. His fall from grace was completed when misuse of
party funds brought his political career to an ignominious end.

Andrew Scheer’s 2019
Political Words to Live By: It is only
wrong if you get caught.

British Prince Andrew made
headlines over his friendship with disgraced financier and convicted sex
offender Jeffrey Epstein along with allegations of misconduct on his own part.
He has denied all the allegations, but has been yanked from public appearances
by the Royal Family.

Prince Andrew’s 2019
Political Words to Live By: Pardon me, I
picked the wrong friend.

British Prime Minister
Boris Johnston rode the scandal rollercoaster throughout the year – conflict of
interest allegations relating to his relationship with American entrepreneur
Jennifer Arcuri, a loud argument at the flat that he shares with Carrie Symonds
and groping allegations by journalist Charlotte Edwards.

Boris Johnston`s 2019
Political Words to Live By: Three (or
more) wrongs make a right.

In summary, it was the
year of the political witch hunt. But with so many political witches casting
their wicked spells, wrong is
becoming a worn out term and we are at risk of becoming numb to the dirty deeds
they perpetrate.

~  Now Available Online
from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of
Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also
the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which
was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s
website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go
Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing
are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the
right sidebar. If
you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly
to my page for postings once a week.