Summer?

🎼🎶 Oh what a beautiful day; I have a beautiful feeling… Be thankful that you can’t hear me murdering that song, ok?  Small mercies and all that.  In my mind I sing like a trained soprano, but I’m not my choir director sister, and I can effectively carry a tune… in a bag. 😜. What an utterly gorgeous day!  It was a sunny 26C with a pleasant breeze off the lake (which is still cold) and I was outdoors for a good chunk of the afternoon.  I called my boys as usual today, and they were planning some form of mischief, so I took the prudent path and asked no questions so I can deny any knowledge if asked!  Jerry is now into the stage of firmly ignoring me, he doesn’t even twitch a lash when I talk to him.  He’s also giving Don the cold shoulder, so I think he thinks that Don is hiding me away.  At night, when I call before bed, Jerry places himself in front of the camera with his back turned, and tries to knock it out of Don’s hands.  He’s a very determined dog!

I was out with a friend today as he ran some errands.  I was just happy to see my friend, so if we’d driven to the corner, turned and came back, I’d have enjoyed it LOL. As it was, though, I got to meet some new people, all of whom were delightful and charming; we stopped for roti and doubles at a place that made the best doubles I’ve had outside of Trinidad (honestly, the biggest weak spot in Ottawa is the dearth of decent roti and doubles places in the city!  Could they not move a few to the 613 and out of the 905?) chatted up a very pleasant and cheerful young man (who did me the honour of not calling me “Tantie”!) and made it home ahead of the rush hour traffic.  Of all things in this area, the traffic is what I hate the most!!  After 24 years in a city where the rush quarter-hour is a sore spot, it’s not at all pleasant to consider spending hours to crawl 3km.  No, that’s not a typo; rush hour doesn’t last too long in comparison with bigger cities.

It must be that time of year… I received no fewer than 15 emails and flyers asking for assorted charitable donations.  There were quite a few from hospital lotteries (you know the ones that offer mansions, expensive cars, travel, etc.) asking me to buy tickets at an average price of $100 each, with supplemental purchases for calendars, other draws, and so on.  I’d determined that I would contribute to 2 of those per year, and I rotate the causes; so one year, cancer, another children, heart and stroke, and the list continues.  A large part of me is saddened at the thought of hospitals needing to raise funds to continue to operate.  We’re a rich country, and we are rightly proud of offering medical coverage to all citizens and residents, but the costs of doing that just keep increasing year over year, and certain politicians enjoy grandstanding that medical costs are high and increasing, and blaming sick people for “clogging the system,” which is nonsensical and cruel.  I agree that things are not working as well as they could be — I’ve griped about this before — but I maintain that privatization is completely the wrong answer and approach for this.  All it accomplishes is the lining of the pockets of political donors while gutting the public system and forcing the public system to breaking point.  Then they stand up and say, “see, that’s why we need the private sector, who’ll receive tax breaks and cutbacks as they deliver worse and more expensive services.”  (I’m somewhat biased, sorry.)  After the hospital lotteries, I get flyers from the “regular” lottery program, which offers some promotions if only I’m willing to spend lots of money to buy tickets with odds of winning approximately equal to being struck in the head by a meteorite made of green cheese.  Then there are the programs for homeless, LGBTQ+, abused youth; battered women and several other horrifying causes.  I’d love to be able to help more, I would, but the logic of putting myself into financial strain to help others doesn’t make sense.

Does anyone have a plan for distributing assistance to these myriad requests?  I think that they’re all important, and there are many more I haven’t mentioned.  I’ve set a budget for the year, and I will spend from it until I meet my limit, which is not related to the rate of tax deductions that I can claim for them.  I don’t tithe in the strict sense — 10% of my gross salary would be the strict amount, but I give around that each year to my preferred charities, and I often fail to claim the tax deduction… that’s not my incentive for participating, although I can use the deduction to help reduce my tax liabilities.

Sleep is crashing over me in waves right now.  The small people came home from daycare, and are now out at the park in hope of tiring them out before supper.  I notice these many plans, many of which never come to fruition… they are apparently self-recharging and don’t tire readily! I did say to the kids today that Auntie doesn’t spend time with screamers or monsters, after a major temper tantrum over who got the bigger one of identically sized egg-shaped chocolates.  The tantrum disappeared quickly, but I’m inclined to think it was the result of being sleepy more than anything else.  I’m also playing with the puppy here — it’s a good thing that Jerry can’t see me, or the sulking would be epic!  Time for nursery rhymes and French, so I’m off.  Good night!