PHILOSOPHIC WISDOM

Many quotes comprised of proverbs and philosophies, which I value, coming across my desk, complement my writings. Old adage says “If the shoe fits ~ wear it. Trust these are beneficial.

Jon Krakauer, in his book, Into Thin Air, he relates another climber's words:
If anything goes wrong, it will be a fight to the end. If your training is good enough, Survival is there! If not, Nature claims its forfeit.

From Wisdom for Seniors:
If you've never been frightened.. embarrassed...or hurt...you have never taken a chance...which means you probably have missed a great deal that is exciting in life.

There's nothing special about people...it's what they do that makes them special, not who they are.
(Female Humour II)

SUCCESS is getting what you want: happiness is liking what you get. (Author unknown)

A person is not finished when they are defeated.
They are defeated when they quit. (Unknown author)

George Burns expresses in “Religious Humour,”
Happiness is having a large, caring close-knit family in another city.

Life is not a journey to the grave, with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and preserved body...rather to skid in broadside proclaiming, “Wow! What a Ride!'

Some days you're the dog! Some days you're the hydrant!

Heaven goes by favour. If it went by merit, you would stay out ~ and your dog would go in, uttered Mark Twain.

Every man needs a partner who loves him...who steers him through straits with her feminine ways...and a 'spiritual advisor' to Counsel and Praise!

Someone once said, “A man had to be strong, before he could allow himself to be gentle.”

Advice from Albert Einstein:
Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.

A man without dreams ~ is like a bird without wings.

A Chinese proverb suggests, Keep a green tree in your heart, and perhaps a singing bird will come.

From a TV movie: Why does the baboon tree grow here? It is waiting for the wind to please you when it rustles through the leaves.

There are only two things you can give your children: one is 'roots' ~ the other 'wings'. (James Patterson in his novel, 'The Lake House.)

From Tweety and Sylvester:
Friendship isn't about whom you have known the longest;
it's about the One who Came and Never Left Your Side!

Being deeply loved by someone gives strength; while loving someone deeply gives courage. (Lao Tzu)

Your enjoyment of something DOUBLES if you realize you are to have it.

If everyone had diamonds on their fingers ~ or if the sunsets were universally scarlet and gold, then we wouldn't value them at all. (Gerry Spence)

DANCE like no one is Watching!
SING like no one is Listening!
LOVE like you've never been Hurt!
LIVE like it's Heaven on Earth!

Alice Roosevelt's Advice:
At first you're Young...then you're middle-aged...and then you're wonderful!
To be sitting and doing nothing ~ you need to be sitting very, very high up!

Once there were three brick layers.
Each of them was asked what they were doing.
The first man answered gruffly, “I'm laying bricks!”
The second man replied, “I'm putting up a wall.”
But the third man said enthusiastically and with pride,
“I'm building a cathedral!”

In Youth we Learn!
In Old Age, we understand.
You're never too old to Learn:
You're never too old to Teach.
You should never be too old to Listen!

Comments appreciated, and respected
MBK, Oct 10, 2019

RANTING and RAVING

Deprived of meaningful work, men and women lose their reason for existence ~
They go 'stark-raving mad!'
Fire up Your Life!
Live with nothing to Hide...Nothing to Prove...Nothing to Lose.

“The failures of the press have contributed immensely to the emergence of a 'talk-show-nation' in which public discourse is reduced to nasty and raving and posturing. We have a mainstay press whose news agenda is increasingly influenced by the netherworld,” stated Carl Bernstein.

A lot of comics aren't their onscreen persons.

Chris Rock isn't always 'ranting and raving.'

Said Billy Eichner:, “What I do, is make myself this 'over-the-top character' that makes people either find quite endearing ~ or they think is a joke. Then, I can do anything I want.”

“Think of each word as you would of a child who has been hurt by a friend. As long as that child is ranting and raving...trying to get back at the friend...one wound leads to another. But, when that child can experience the consoling embrace of a parent, she or he can live through the pain....return to the friend...forgive...build up a new relationship...be gentle with yourself...and let your heart be your loving parent...as you live your wounds through.” (Advised by Hari Nouwen).

From a Bobby Cox advice:

If I were on the field, I'd want the manager sticking up for me.
Sometimes, players are 'dead wrong' ~ ranting and raving mad,
but you stick up for them, They appreciate that!

Dodinsky concluded, “ It is not your mission to help people who wilfully build their own prison. You have to identify who needs help and one who craves for attention.”
We Crave What We Can't Have”

Exercise ~ Earning a Big Fat 'F'

A Participaction report for adults (the first ever) found just 16% of Canadian adults get the recommended 150 minutes of exercise each week.

Harbour Series Tells a Great Story

Derek Elliott from Hamilton, responding to the Spec's Harbour Series wrote:

Thanks for the great series on Hamilton Harbour.

When we were moving from Edmonton to Hamilton, in 2013, a friend who had done his internship at McMaster said, You'll love it ~ it's the best-kept-secret in Canada. He was dead-on. We love it: friendly people...a lively and varied music scene...the various festivals...beautiful views from the escarpment... the waterfalls...the pubs...the theatres (especially Westdale and Playhouse...and within travelling distance to a bunch of beautiful little towns...and one of the biggest, most dynamic cities on the continent. What's not to like? And, the jewel in the crown is the west harbour.

It is absolutely beautiful.

Hamilton to Offer Pay Options for Parking

Hamilton will be entering the digital age when it starts installing new parking machines in the downtown and in municipal car parks where customers can use their phones or credit cards to pay for time. Representatives of Hamilton's Improvement areas were looking forward to the city finally allowing different options for drivers to pay for parking. Hamilton has 830 on-street parking metres in the downtown core...and 2,500 traditional parking metres. The cost to park downtown is $1.50 per hour (Monday to Friday) ~ and free on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays and after 6 pm on weekdays.

Vote for the Planet

Written by Bill Sullivan to “Readers Write” he stated: “There is no doubt that climate change is

occurring ~ and it is the most serious threat to our society in millennia. If you listen to radio ~ or get your news from the internet, you are aware that it is happening. Science, factual information studied and reviewed by professionals in the fields of climate, weather, oceans, biology,botany has proof there is a crisis happening and we have to do something about it. Go to reputable scientific sites and read what they have to say about the crisis we are in right now.

There are politicians who claim to believe in climate change, but their actions are telling us they are either lying about what they believe or they are willing to risk the health of our planet...our country... and our families just to get power..

You and I need to tell our politicians we want to do everything we can to leave our planet in the best condition possible for our children and grandchildren. We can do that by voting for political parties that support the fight to save our planet and our society

from the disasters that climate change is causing.

Participate to 'Show Support in Ending Violence Against Women'

In her column, Carm Bozzo wrote:

“I was on vacation with my family, waiting for my kids to order ice-cream with their Dad.
Checking Twitter,I saw the tweet ~ and I knew:

“Shooting at Burlington home leaves woman dead. Quickly, I forwarded the article to my colleagues.

The next day, we had more information:

“Laura Grant was fatally shot, her body found in the backyard of her rural country home. Her husband was charged with. 'first degree murder.' Each November, during Woman Abuse Prevention Month,

Ontario releases a list of women killed by their partners during the last year. The latest report (including November 2017 and 2018) lists 48 women.

In a very upscale community...people were and are... shocked! Could this happen in Burlington? Milton? Oakville? Sadly, abuse happens in all communities...crosses all socioeconomic statuses...religions...cultures...and ages.

Cleaning Up Our Shoreline ~ One Bottle at a Time

A colour photo displayed a dozen or more people (all ages) who volunteered to clean up the shorelines around Hamilton Harbour. Lee Brubacher, a Hamilton resident and nature enthusiast wrote:

Thanks to the efforts of lawmakers and industry owners, our beloved Bay is much cleaner than it was three decades ago. However, the edges of the water are still littered with litter. We must embrace the cultural changes which are already replacing plastic straws and plastic water bottles with filtration systems among other changes. A partnership was formed between Hamilton's “Team Up to Clean Up ...Ocean Wise's great Canadian Shoreline Clean Up...and a group from West Highland Church.

On Saturday, September 21, a group of 17 members between ages of 13 and 70 from the Garth Street Church gathered to Terra Firma ~ God's Gift to all of us. From the first chapter of the Bible, Humanity is mandated to not only manage the earth and all its creatures, but also to care for them.

The foregoing assembled by MBK...November 16, 2019

Opinions are welcome and respected

Good Fortune Knocking at My Door

It happened one day going to a pharmacy for a pickup prescription. Parking across the street...I crossed over to the pharmacy...and sitting astride a bench, was a woman I recognized. Seeing me, she looked aside (not wanting to speak, it seemed). Upon leaving the pharmacy, I noticed she was gone! She appeared sickly...had lost considerable weight...and probably felt sorry for herself.

Originally written in 2006, the following is a transcript of the writing..Outside a pharmacy door, I wrote all this in prose, but it doesn’t have to be that way, I recognized a Realtor who long ago I knew, seated on a bench. She was frail about eighty to ninety pounds. Slowly turning her eyes aside, hoping unnoticed she would be. She looked so lonely, and preyed upon my mind. At that moment, positive aspects altered my perception. I feel so lucky.

I reside in a pleasant seniors’ home near buses and small shopping mall. Lonely here are some women and men. Oft, lack of visiting family or friends. Oft, in the lounge, they await the mail (their daily routines) they chat about...read their letters and show their pics), yet I feel so lucky.

Lifestyle changes as we mature. I cannot schuss down the snowy slopes; I cannot golf on the fairway greens. But I am quite certain I can putt. Tennis agility is a skill of the past; cannot polka or clog a routine; cannot hike along the forest’s lush trails, yet I feel so lucky.

Many other pleasures I pursued; the Theatre, the Play, observer of sports. Time to imagine. Time to create fashion accessories and inspired to write. A page-turner novel transports me away. Duplicate Bridge was a most active game; played at local clubs and Bridge Base Online. And with the latter my family of friends increased from Chile to Turkey, to Portugal and to France!

One year I travelled to USA with my son, discovered a bridge club locally to play...a great gentleman I partnered with. Amazing! This vibrant vet of WWII. Bridge tournaments were many...both near and far. Upon invitation, the border I crossed; drove a few hours to an eastern State to gain bridge points...red or gold. I feel so lucky.

In 2001, drove the scenic distance from the California coast to Ontario home, for my son’s Honda Odyssey’s emission test. The mountains and canyons and high desert plateaus; tumbling rivers and placid lakes; ambitious cities and sleepy hamlets. I feel so lucky with Canada's nature.

I feel so lucky for all of the above! Yes ~ I have aches and pains. In January I slipped on ice, breaking a couple small bones in my wrist. (I wasn’t so lucky!) Graciously I learned, thank you so much ~ appreciate extra strengths and a helping hand.

As the new year approaches I wish to all A HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR. And now in the spring, when my birthday arrives, I am another year younger, and another year wiser, hopefully!

I AM SO LUCKY.

Comments welcome
Author: MBK
Written December 2017

Canadian Animal Lore: Research News

 

Research News ~ Canadian Animal Lore

Red Crossbills and White-Winged Crossbills

Over the course of evolution, once birds committed their front limbs to flight, their beak had to become an all-purpose-tool that could be used for grasping, carrying, digging, grooming and food handling. Some of the most remarkable food-handling beaks are those of the two crossbill species in Canada:

the red crossbill and the white crossbill. The upper and lower tips of their bills don't meet.

Instead, the tips cross over each other, making their beaks appear deformed. These highly specialized beaks enable these handsome songbirds to deftly pry apart the tough scales of the unopened cones of pine, spruce, fir and tamarack trees ~ exposing the nutritious seeds hidden underneath, which they scoop out with their strong dexterous tongue, Using this feeding method, a hungry white-winged crossbill can eat as many as 3,000 spruce seeds over the course of a day...as stated by Wayne Lynch.

Venomous Animals In the Wild

Northern Pacific Rattlesnake: The only sub-species of western rattlesnake found in Canada, this snake grows to about 1.3 metres long. Its bite is potentially...but rarely...fatal to humans. This rattler coils up to wait for prey...usually small mammals such as mice and shrews...then strikes...and delivers venom through two, hinged fangs at the front of its upper jaw. Location:B.C. Interior.

Northern Black Widow Spider: The females among these spiders pack a big punch for their tiny size...venom that can cause stomach and muscle cramps lasting a day or more in healthy adult humans. A black widow's bite generally isn't deadly, although head to the doctor if someone is in ill health...or a child gets bit. The spider uses venom to paralyze insects that get caught in its web...then breaks them down with digestive juices before eating them. Location: Southern Canada...(rare).

Canadian Toad: Although this toad is not endangered, it faces threats from habitat loss and local pollutants such as road salt and pesticides, just like other amphibians. The Canadian Toad which can grow up to 7.5 centimetres long, creates toxins from its parotoid glands and wart-like bumps on its skin to keep predators at bay, by irritating their eyes and mouth. Location: Prairies and NW Territories.

Current News Studies

Elk Improvement: Using GPS collars on elk, University of Alberta biologists have tracked how wildlife diseases like tapeworm, diarrhea-causing illnesses and wasting diseases can spread

to livestock ...and even humans. They're using the data to create guidelines for ranchers.
For more: visit folio.ca.

Bug Monitors: Hundreds of citizen scientists from Newfoundland to Ontario are tracking the spruce budworm. The first three years of data from this budworm tracker program have now been published.
Among other things, it contains some welcome news that the population of budworm seems to be going down in New Brunswick, thanks to containment efforts. Visit: healthypartnership.ca.

Freshwater fixes: Freshwater biodiversity is vanishing fast. An emergency recovery plan, developed by an international team of researchers and co-authored by Carlton University's Stephen Cooke,

calls for protecting and and restoring critical habitats...ending over-fishing...and unsustainable sand mining in rivers and lakes...controlling invasive species...protecting and restoring free flowing rivers...and restoring water quality through measures such as sewage before it's flushed into rivers.

For more, visit newsroom.carleton.ca.

Conservation Dilemma: Entanglements and 'ship strikes' continue to kill North Atlantic right whales.

Canada is introducing new rules to protect them in our east coastal waters.

If a whale is spotted in the Gulf of St. Lawrence this summer, a 2,000-square-kilometre area around it will will be closed to fishing for 15 days; if a whale is detected there again, parts of the area will be closed to fishing until November 15.

New rules for this summer also require fisheries to mark their gear
so it can be identified after the entanglement.

The federal government is also providing $8.3 million
to clean up lost fishing gear known as 'ghost gear.'

Fur Foes: Animal rights advocates are calling on Supreme Court of Canada judges
to stop wearing their ceremonial robes with real white mink
and switch to robes with synthetic fur.

Although the date is passed, May 16 was World Fish Migration Day.
Animal Rights advocates request you join or organize a trash clean-up
of waters near you...so the salmon can safely reach their spawning grounds.

Fortunately, for peoples living in or near Dundas,
yearly, we are familiar with the salmon from Lake Ontario...
fighting up streams...to reach the town where they cross over
to arrive at their yearly spawning areas.
We are fortunate to observe this yearly event!

Trusting you enjoy Nature...as daily we have access to it.
The foregoing information is manifested in the recent Canadian Wildlife Magazine.
Each magazine is a stimulus of education pertaining to “Stay at home wildlife”.

For your reading pleasure...written May 28, 2020
Comments welcome, compiled by MBK.

Craftsmanship

Recently, I read these expressive words
written on a sign in Olde English:

You are the Poem I dreamed of writing...
the Masterpiece I longed to paint.
You are the Shining Star I reached for
in my ever Hopeful Quest for life fulfilled.
Now, with all thanks ~ I am blessed.

Frequently, in correspondence from my son,he writes of his activities and thoughts: Could be humour, inspiration, or a daily thought. Recently, he wrote this tale about a woman's inspiration.

“There once was a man and a woman who had been married for more than 60 years.
They talked about everything.~ they kept no secrets from each other ...
except that the old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet
that she cautioned her husband never to open it...or ask her about it.

For all these years, he had never thought about the box...
but one day the little old woman got very sick
and the doctor said she would never recover.
In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box
and took it to his wife's bedside.
She agreed it was time that he should know what was in the box.
When he opened it, he found 2 beautifully crocheted doilies
and a stack of money totally over $25,000.

Asking her about the unusual contents ~ she replied:

When we were married, my grandmother told me the secret
of a happy marriage was to never argue.
She told me, that if I ever got angry with you...
I should just keep quiet...and crochet a doilie.

The little old man was so moved, he had to fight back tears.
Only 2 precious doilies were in the box.
She had only been angry with him 2 times in all those years
of living and loving. He almost burst with joy and happiness.

Sweetheart, he said, that explains the doilies...
but what about this money? Where did it all come from?

Oh, she said, that's the money I made from selling the doilies.”

To my son, I replied:

“That's a beautiful story...full of spirit and ingenuity.

I recall, it was years ago when living in a new home in Brant Hills, a neighbour, Shirley, became a long-time personal friend. We both had children, so on many days watching our children at play, we decided to learn how to crochet. With a direction book in front of us...we learned a few stitches.
Starting making squares, according to our booklets...we quickly graduated to making place mats for our tables. Ambitious we were when able to crochet hats with wide brims which we proudly wore. Then, it was vests we skilfully made. To each of us, our greatest creation were dresses (knee length). Shirley proudly wore her dress of ivory...and I my dress with a white bodice and sky blue skirt.
What a thrill it was to accomplish this feat!

Crafts are challenges...however the result and end product..
offering great interest in developing one's ability.

Written by MBK...May 16, 2020
To respond: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca

School Daze

What shall I do?
In what  profession should I excel?
These were questions with answers I need to pursue.  My sister and I, attended  both the village Public and High School  When required,  bus service to London and eastbound to Toronto.  And when necessary, my Dad drove a vehicle.

While attending College in Toronto, a friend, Eleanor, and I  needing and intrigued by summer jobs, accepted four 2-week-sessions in rural areas of British Columbia.  The opportunity entailed teaching Daily Vacation Bible School to rural children weekly Monday to Friday.   Then, on Sundays, we arranged a  church gathering for adults and their families.  It was a given we had the ability to sing hymns...have ability to play piano or organ...then present a brief sermon applicable to all ages.
These experiences for 2 summers were invaluable.
Because  our jobs were Christian related, our train fare to and from, was subsidized.
These summer jobs led Eleanor and  me into the teaching profession  ~ enticing us, upon our return home, to attend Hamilton Teachers College.  So it was, on a  Labour  Day weekend, we were assigned schools in which to teach.  I secured a Grade 4 teaching  job on Hamilton Mountain.  Linden Park Public School and adjacent Hill Park Secondary School, were both under  construction; Consequently,
within two years, the school principal recommended my name to the Board of Education as a teaching opportunity for newly trained teachers-to-be.   As any teacher can relate, we all could write a book
about our challenges and experiences.

Class Avoidance
Billy, a Grade 5’er, had a  few bothersome friends, whom he tried to avoid before school  and  after hours. And at recess time one afternoon he did not return  to his  classroom,. Where?  Where, oh,where is Billy?  No one had seen him on the playground!  Being Grade 5, did he  return home?  Did  he sneak off  to a local  store  for candy, pop  or gum?  Concerned, tasking  my class with an  assignment,  from v\the school office, I called his  home!  Not there!  Returning to my Grade 5’ers,  I heard Bangs, Bangs, Bangs on a locker door adjacent to my classroom.   Vertically tall and  and  narrow,  easily, one could hide within a locker!  Opening the locker door, there was  Billy!!!  As a joke,  he was hiding (at recess time) from a playground bully!

MBK ~ Sept. 30/20

Absurdities of Today

 Phaedrus stated, Things are not always what they seem.
The first appearance deceives many...the intelligence of a few ~
perceiving what has been carefully hidden.

Just because something isn't a lie, does not mean it isn't deceptive.
A liar knows that he is a liar ~ but one who speaks mere portions of truth
in order to deceive, is a craftsman of destruction. (Criss Jami)

Observation by Walter Scott:
Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!

Let Me Get This Straight

From one of my faithful readers, Tom contributed this current issue about a trip to the groceteria to buy a pack of sliced ham wrapped in plastic...a loaf of bread in a plastic bag...a quart of milk in a plastic jug...a pack of table napkins wrapped in plastic...a Greek salad in a plastic bag...a plastic bottle of mustard...and a plastic bottle of ketchup. They won't give me a plastic bag to carry it home!

Why? Because the plastic bag is bad for the environment!!!

The Dead Horse

A young man named Donald bought a horse from a farmer for $250. The farmer agreed to deliver the horse the next day. So the farmer drove up to Donald's house and said, “Sorry son, but I have bad news: the horse died last evening.” Donald replied, “Well, then, just give my money back.”
The farmer said, “Can't do that! I went and spent it already.”
Donald said, “OK. Then just bring me the dead horse.”
The farmer asked, “What are you gonna do with him?”
Donald replied, “Sure, I can...Watch Me! I just won't tell anybody he'd died.”

A month later, the farmer met up with Donald and asked. “What happened with that dead horse?”
Donald said, “I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at five dollars apiece and made a profit of $2,495.”

The farmer questioned, Didn't anyone complain?

Donald said, Just the guy that won. So I gave him his five dollars back.

Social Distancing

I went to the bathroom at a restaurant.
I washed my hands...opened the door with my elbow.
I raised the toilet seat with my foot.
I switched on the water faucet with a tissue.
Then, opened the bathroom door to leave with my elbow.
And, when I returned to my table,
it was then I realized ~
I forgot to pull up my pants!

A bagpiper in full dress stated, I'm giving up drinking for a month.
(Sorry, bad punctuation)...I'm Giving Up!
Drinking for a whole month!

Pharmacist advises worried female customer:
You may experience irritability and pain in the hands and wrists...
and that's just from trying to get the cap off this medication!

Concerned buyer asks: Does anyone know how long toilet paper will last ~ if you freeze it?

Quarantined with hubby for 2 weeks, Gertrude is solemnly knitting
something special for him: a long narrow knitting rope with loop at the end!

When the hair salon was closed...the message stated:
Your dog groomer next door has a cancellation.

Home-Schooler posts notice:
If you see my kids locked outside today ~ Mind Your Own Business!

Quarantine Meal Schedule

7 am: Breakfast
7:15: Dessert Breakfast
8:30: Panic Snack/News
9:45: Chocolate
11:30: Snack while standing up
12:30: Lunch with small dessert
2:00: Post nap luncheon
4:30: Trail Mix|
6:00: Dinner with weird vibes
10:00: Ice Cream

The Smartest Man

There's a plane with 5 passengers aboard: Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Pope Francis, Angela Merkel and a 10 year old school boy. The plane is about to crash and there are only 4 parachutes.
Trump says, I need one. I'm the smartest man in the world
and am needed to make America Great Again! He takes one and jumps.

Johnson says, I'm needed to sort out Britain. He takes one and jumps.
The Pope says: I need one as the world needs the Catholic Church. He takes one and jumps.
Merkel says to the 10 year old boy: You can have the last parachute.
I've lived my life, yours is only just starting.
The 10 year old boy replies: Don't worry, there are 2 parachutes left .
The smartest man in the world took my school bag!
(the foregoing from one of my faithful readers)

March 8, 2020