Donstar

For the past couple of days I've been busy adding topsoil to my gardens and lawns. I figure that I have the time and it will be manageable if I take it slow and easy. My wife said I should spend money and hire someone! Today my back has launched a huge protest and the message it is giving me has a lot of clarity!

Racism is an important discussion for all to be having and I appreciate everyone's comments. It is not a recent issue nor is it unique to the US and Canada. Protests during Covid have received some heightened global attention because of scenes of large groups clustered together. My personal interest was heightened because I struggled understanding the message behind some of these "protests". With so much information available online, and a lot of time on my hands, my continued ignorance was not an option. It is very big onion to peel!

I appreciate your strong feelings. I think what dampened my anxiety and looking to blame others is to accept personal responsibility. I used to proudly say I was colour blind and I was surprised to hear this is a form of racism. I do know that racism is not owned by, or can be blamed on, a political party and can't be voted on to disappear. I too come from a family of immigrants and veterans. Some of the racial slurs floating around my house when I was growing up causes me to cringe when I think back! I believe we are moving in the right direction but have a long way to go. The mayhem found in non-peaceful protests is not acceptable and the destruction undermines the message. Barring this, there is a message. I chose to use some of my time to better understand the many facets of racism.

Nope, that's not what I meant.

Interesting points. Dealing with historical wrongs is complex. Borders throughout the world were historically formed with conflict. Disputes over territory carry on today The colonization of North America and subsequent border wars are a terrible part of our history. Reconciliation is often confused with restitution but the biggest issue is inline with what the recent protests on equality have championed. We have three adult children who all settled and established far away. The pandemic has now clocked 14 months since we've seen either of them. We have considered moving close to our grandchildren in case we are left isolated again but this would mean emigrating to another country. Moving to a new country is quite a daunting process today but pales in comparison to what many of our forefathers experienced!

I grew up post WWII with relatives who represented (fought for) both "sides" in the war .(Norway/Germany). The words you give were allowed to flourish in our schools and many of our homes. I saw first-hand the toll these insidiousness slurs took on very strong people (thick-skinned) over time. I remember an uncle in particular who was commonly referred to as, "the crout." All of us kids thought it was acceptable vernacular as we heard it at school and in our homes. I was present when one of his co-workers referred to him as the crout for the last time. I suspect there was more going on in his life that helped in causing him to snap but we all have stuff, especially with Covid. I am glad you speak up when you are referred to in this manner.

Every year we get a new date decal to affix to our license plates. I am very careful with the process when dealing with my truck, car and motorcycle . However, my 1966 homemade utility trailer simply has the decal slapped on to cover the previous years' decal. I decided to be more careful when I renewed registration yesterday because it's going to get another rebuild/refresh if Covid keeps me from travelling this spring. I knew the decal situation was getting out of hand and this was confirmed when I peeled down to July 1990! This is how my trailer looked shortly after its last refresh. The frame was blasted and painted. Wood, axle, springs and wheels were replaced. The decal was for fun but the trailer works hard and is out in the open all year round.

I assumed it was my comment following your information on weeds that caused you concern. I wrote it before the comments about weeds showed up and when I submitted, it was out of queue. I edited with - (should be a few posts up ) - but probably wasn't clear enough. I apologize for the upset.

Stranger or not, my point was about using a person's place of origin or their DNA as a slur. We can express disagreement or anger with an individual without using terms that can be perceived as a slight against their birthplace, colour, religion etc.

Coinciding with the pandemic we have experienced a heightened awareness of how we treat each other. We don't have a say on where we are born or on our DNA but we have control of our words. "Canuck", for example, is a word that can be a friendly reference but used in the manner above is derogatory (slur). I would have requested such a comment to be removed, but it does speak to something many of us have done during our Covid19 spare time. I have made a concerted effort to increase my awareness of how I reference or speak about other people. There are terms that we know are wrong but others that require more research. I once thought that referring to myself as "colour blind" was an acceptable stance on racism. Researching this opened up a whole new level of understanding. This time last year I would have been insulted by your comment but not as offended. However, we all need to stop discrimination, even in jest. Below is an excerpt from an article I found online regarding the term "Canuck". It also shows discussion on this term has been around for decades. In his book, "Safire's Political Dictionary," Martin's colleague William Safire noted that the Oxford English Dictionary labels it “in U.S. usage, generally derogatory” but then he quoted from a 1977 letter to him from then Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau: (Pierre Trudeau was our PM and is the father of our current Prime Minister) When the term "Canuck" is preceded by dipshit there is little doubt on the intent. I have no issue with you expressing concern over anything I've written and I welcome the opportunity to explain myself. However, if I continue while ignoring this issue then it suggests I support the use of slurs against others.

It looks 10 years younger in the picture!

There are some are interesting finds! Are you actually looking to buy, or just spending extra time on the computer? I'm keeping my eye on a '71 F250 that appears to be in extraordinarily good condition. Even though, it's 50 years old, the only modern amenity I'd miss is decent fuel economy. You could watch the gas gauge move on those beasts! I don't have the retirement income to buy an additional vehicle but I would trade/give up a current vehicle. It would have to be an affordable, comfortable and safe daily driver which is a hard find! The bar is incredibly high when it becomes a choice between it and my '15 SLE that is in excellent condition with nothing owing!

Please tell us about what you've done/doing with your extra time. If Covid19 hasn't impacted your schedule then no need to respond. The ship has sailed on the mask, hand washing and political debates around Covid19. (should be a few posts up )

I'd get new tires and enjoy my truck if my tires were causing me concern. I've replaced my OE tires shortly after purchase on my past three trucks with Michelins from Costco. I have no trouble selling the take-offs to help offset the expense. In all three, the improvement in ride and traction was significant.

I agree that the work on how we consume, generate and transmit electricity will need continued and considerable development. Demand will fuel the speed.

I went to my neighbourhood liquor store to buy some cider and was approached on my way in by a teen female asking me if I'd buy her a bottle. She had two friends in the background and I'm guessing they were all around 16 yrs old. I'm not naïve in this matter as I was a teen and also raised three kids. However, I found it really odd that three sets of parents during a time of such restrictions don't have a clue what their daughters are doing on a Saturday afternoon. It didn't appear they had any intentions of being home or in shape for supper! I don't have my head in the sand and I'm really just saying this to remind ourselves that kids will benefit from any extra time we can give. I was reminded that I haven't called my teen grandchildren for awhile and that will be my priority today! It's a lot of work to make your teens prefer to be home on a Saturday. I didn't make my kids stay home but they always needed to tell us the place and the purpose!

The momentum to have us all driving EV's is well underway. The infrastructure will grow with the increases in demand for fast chargers, greater driving range etc. I'm looking forward to the switch. The issue I see is there will likely come a point where our gas powered trade-ins will not have a trade-in value. But, on the other hand, there will probably be some great sales on the last remaining stock of gas vehicles! I remember when they were phasing out leaded gas and there was huge worry about rendering older vehicles in trouble. Leaded additives and/or engine modifications became easily available. I'm waiting for gas to electric conversion companies to become viable!

I get it. I was in better shape at 65 than 55. Covid19 changed routines for most of us and weight gain was a popular result. This past year was a change similar to the first year of retirement It takes a lot of activity to replace a typical 8 hour work day! My post employment routines were pretty entrenched before Covid hit but I was very surprised by how much additional time the closures and restrictions required me to fill! My exercise plan is simply shying away from the sedentary projects (like sorting boxes of old photos) and look for activities that involve moving around. For some of us, something as simple as getting down on to the floor to play with the dog can be physically demanding. It is harder for some to burn fat than others. I look fine and can walk miles but struggle to get into a standing position. Who knew? The most effective option for me is managing my intake which all credit in this regard goes to Mrs. Donstar!

I'd go for the GMC 10spd. My last two trucks I went looking for Silverado's and found GMC's!

The infrastructure required to enjoy our technology is huge and constantly changing. I lived in a community in the 80's where sharing your phone-line with only 3 other households was a good thing and another community in the 90's where cell phones or non-dial up internet were unavailable. Now I'm beginning to wonder if we can be over connected! We have a very nice young neighbour who knows our family all live far away. Since the start of the pandemic she has phoned us on a regular basis to see if we're ok or in need. I know that the younger a person is, the older people our age appear and I think she believes we're more limited in our abilities than in reality! (I remember being an adult and thinking 50 was old!) The other night, my wife and I were both on our cell phones while watching TV and this neighbour called on our landline for a wellness check! We burst out laughing because we both realize how lucky we are and we don't dare mention the idea of sitting undistracted watching a show together!

I hadn't heard of WhatsApp and now, thanks to Google, I know a little. We have used Skype since it was new. These programs appear to be similar but I will look into this a little more. I do remember when I was young going to the Pacific National Exhibition and seeing futuristic video phones. The prevalent argument of the time was nobody was going to want to spruce themselves up before every phone call! Now the appeal of a video call is watching others as they are normally. My granddaughter for example will Skype us when she is doing chores or we may Skype her while we're doing something else like baking. The more everyday normal the experience; the better! I appreciate hearing about any apps/programs that helps to minimize separation from family or friends. I used so much of my Covid19 increased home time honing in on strategies to keep close relationships. I have peers who have not embraced the growth of technology and have missed out.

Long distance calling is what kept us with a landline for the past 20+ years of carrying a cell phone! It is still cheaper for us to keep our home phone for long distance calling. On the subject of outdated technology, my effort to transfer VHS tapes to digital format came to a halt on my second tape. My VCR stopped working with no viable options for repair. Over the years, I've disposed of or donated a few VCR's and was not going to devote a lot of money to a replacement. I went to a thrift store and found a very clean looking and working unit for $9.99! I went home and while hooking it up, I discovered I had purchased a mono player! This is not a problem for my purposes but conjured up another technological revolution for baby boomers!

I remember an instructor telling me something like 98% of the invention of the current automobile is found in the Model T. The idea is that we have simply added refinements. The same comparison can be made with the telephone. The invention is represented in Uncle Bob's phone. The phones we all carry with us are amazing, but I imagine the initial phones must have been a much more mind blowing experience! Last night I was reminiscing about telegrams as my wife was texting with my daughter while both were watching the same show thousands of miles apart. The big difference is that when we are notified of a text, we are usually happy. When we received a telegram, chances are it informed us of horrible news! My replica pay phone and Karnut's rotary phone provide excellent story starters for the grandkids! For me, the greatest positive of the pandemic was our ability to maintain free and easy contact with family. It was in my adult lifetime that a phone call to family in Europe was a serious budgetary consideration!

We still maintain our landline....

We recently switched to a new provider and purchased identical unlocked phones from Costco. My wife and I are working hard to master these devices. The most frustrating challenge is making phone calls! (new provider issue)