Monday

According to the news this afternoon, this is the third-warmest winter on record; despite the bitter cold in the last few weeks, we have had fewer “real winter” days, where the temperature was below -6C than usual.  The canal never opened, and Winterlude ends this weekend, so it’s record breaking that’s happened.  Part of me is glad that it wasn’t too cold, but at the same time, a warm winter, with little snow, tends to lead to drought in the summer, and a higher risk of wildfires.  Jerry has a new habit where he has to be touching someone almost all the time.  He normally sleeps touching one of us, but during the day he has a level of independence.  In the last few days, he needs lots of physical contact.  Don is dealing with a head cold and a stuffy nose (it seems that my family has a cold making the rounds, and I’d appreciate it if they kept it away from me!  My sister and her family and my elder niece are all sick…)  He’s also very happy with the outcome of last night’s sports game, as his preferred team overcame the odds to win narrowly.  He’s been looking annoyingly smug all day!  I continue to gradually add solid foods to my diet; my stomach has its moments of being difficult, but I’m slowly improving.

A year ago, Ottawa was occupied by a horde of mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging, small brained morons in trucks for several weeks until the government finally got them evicted.  The wheels of justice turn slowly, so the hundreds of people who were charged are still making their way through the system waiting for their trials.  As if the trauma last year wasn’t enough, a group of even more brutish dolts is planning another protest tomorrow — they apparently want an end to mandates that were lifted 10 or more months ago.  I have nothing good or kind to say to or about these blockheaded numbskulls, and I sincerely hope that they are arrested and charged as soon as they roll into city limits.  I also would love it if their supporters’ assets were frozen and confiscated to compensate us for the damage they did to businesses and to cover the costs associated with the additional security needed. I have no tolerance for them or their mind numbing stupidity.  I may need to do a bit of meditation to remove this hatred from my soul.  Now that I’m done ranting, I’ll stop.

My niece and I were chatting today and she showed me the flowers that my brother had got for her and my sister as valentine gifts.  All her life, she’s received these from him, and she developed a small collection of petals over the years.  She’s very close to him, always has been, and looks up to him as her male role model.  When we talked about relationships, she’s said that she would expect a partner to treat her in the same way as my brother does — someone who is interested in her and her opinions, who is kind, considerate, funny and who protects her without smothering.  I said that was a high compliment for him, but if she does hold out for that, she’d do well.  The funny thing is that my brother isn’t married, although he’s had several relationships that last for a while, but my niece sees that his behaviour is consistent with the women in his life.  It’s in stark contrast to other messages that she’s received about men being deceivers, cheats, penny pinchers, abusers, etc, or the stories of men who kill women who leave them.  There are so many women who have had bad relationships, and who label all men as equally vile, and that does seep into one’s consciousness.  Sadly, there are so many negative examples that I worry that they will affect her judgement.  So I asked her for examples of good men in her experience — somewhat unfair, as she’s an only child with divorced parents and the pandemic did a clear cut through a lot of social interactions.  She had no hesitation in naming a few, and in giving characteristics of what she considered to be appropriate.  I was surprised at who she excluded, and pleased when she pointed out flaws that she considered fatal — dishonesty, dismissiveness and disrespect being key.  I’m not yet ready for her to get into a serious pair-bond but my mind is more at ease since she has clearly absorbed some strong lessons.  I will have to have a (short) chat on the difference between love and lust and how to tell them apart, but I told her that her instincts have some solid roots.  (Actually, Uncle Don gave her some useful tips, which she accepted and questioned, so she knows that there are adult men around to help when needed.)  For Valentine’s Day, I’m able to relax that she’s not in an unhealthy relationship and she’s supported by some strong, loving relationships.  May we all be so fortunate.

That’s all for tonight; I’m being reminded that I’m a negligent tummy masseuse and I’ll have to apologize for that… so I’m off to be a puppy bed!  Good night.