Signs, Vows and Dairy Queen

I am having a tough time with my post tonight because of several things: first of all one of my favourite movies, Signs is on - I don't know why but I love movies about the end of the world and/or aliens. (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, and most recently, Cloverfield). Yet, ironically, I am a very optimistic person and I don't really think aliens exist.
Also, today is my birthday (I'm not telling...) and I made a vow today - never to use a drive through lane again. You see, some London students were protesting at a local Tim Horton's a few days back and made the front page of the newspaper. They were asking folks to park and walk in instead of idling away in a long line of cars. The students were told that what they were doing wasn't going to make anyone change their habits but I, for one, disagree.


Most of the time I DO park and walk in simply because time and time again it has proven to be much faster. There is usually no lineup inside. I can often go in, order, pay and walk out with my coffee and see the same people still waiting in line. Sometimes I give a little wave implying - "see how smart I am?" But my first ever birthday vow is to never use the drivethrough lane again even if I think it may be quicker or more convenient and/or I am feeling particularly lazy.

Not at Timmy's, not at Wendy's and not at Dairy Queen (the slowest drivethrough lane ever!) Tonight we parked and walked into Dairy Queen and although the lineup inside was long, it wasn't nearly as long as the 20 cars all idling and idling as they waited and waited. The line inside moved quickly yet gave us time to peruse the menu, salivate over the pictures and decide what we wanted to have. AND I could understand what they were saying to me, it wasn't all tinny and garbled.


It isn't easy to eat a sundae and type at the same time so I have had to take many little pauses while I enjoyed my soft icecream, pecans and caramel sauce. Even though this post took twice as long to type, it was worth every mouthful!

Happy Earth Day: 300 Pesticides Banned in Ontario by 2009

Good news that the Ontario government is going to ban 300 pesticides by 2009. Too little, too late for children like Carlitos, the son of farm workers, whose birth defects are directly contributable to the use of pesticides.

Too little, too late for my mother who developed Parkinson's disease in her late 60's. She suffered terribly from dementia and became almost unrecognizable toward the end.

But this isn't a rant, I am relieved to know I won't have pesticide signs going up around my neighbourhood NEXT spring and kudos to the David Suzuki Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society whose determined lobbying produced today's resulting ban.

We still have a long way to go however, as pesticide use will still be allowed by the farming and forestry industries and for the purposes of controlling health hazards like mosquitoes. Oh, and did I mention golf courses are exempt? Huh?

So, let your children roll around on the grass in your backyards, at the park, but keep them away from the golf courses.....and the woods... Oh.... and fruits and vegetables....and grain products.....

It's a beginning, only the beginning.

Walk Don't Drive

With the nicer weather I have felt compelled to get outside more - I've wanted to see firsthand the many signs of spring that you can't see as you're whizzing around in your car.


With a busy lifestyle as a single parent and Special Ed Teacher I had to get creative to find the time to get out and about using my own two feet.


So I've started to do my daily errands by walking to local businesses in my own neighbourhood.



First stop yesterday was to the local video store to drop off a movie. It had been a very windy day and the sand from a long winter of sanding roads and sidewalks was turning into an interesting pattern of sand dunes. (note to self - find a synonym for the word sand).


Next stop was the local bank where I used an ATM to deposit a cheque from my insurance company for my daughter's last trip to the dentist.


A sure sign of spring there was the young boy selling chocolate bars outside the front door. No I didn't
buy one tho' I'm sure it was for a
good cause :(

As I made my way across the street on my way to the Giant Tiger store my heart soared with joy as I noticed a Zeller's employee sitting atop bags of fertilizer perhaps waiting for someone with a key to the Gar_en Shop! Yes - the Garden Shop is getting ready to open! (We'll take a short pause while I dance my happy dance!)


Then I briskly walked on to the All Canadian Giant Tiger store so I could purchase an umbrella for my daughter. Battling hurricane force winds and rain that morning (her words) on the way to the bus stop her umbrella had turned inside out so many times it was a tangled mass of broken spokes.
Inside Giant Tiger everything related
to spring was on display: BBQ utensils, beach towels, gardening tools, swim suits and sandals. I was tempted, but only bought an umbrella.


As I headed homeward, I walked by the local cinema to see what was playing. I am very lucky as my cinema shows films that are a few months old and a matinee is only $2.00. I was happy to see that Juno was still playing, as I haven't seen it yet.


I arrived home with errands finished and more sure than ever that spring is here to stay. I also have to say that walking through my errands is much more pleasant and relaxing than racing around stressed out in my car looking for parking spots in a myriad of over-crowded parking lots, and a lot more environmentally friendly.

And the view is infinitely more interesting!

Earth Hour 2008

Earth hour has come to London, Ontario! Check it out at www.london.ca/earthhour . Along with a link to the Earth Hour website, there were some suggestions about what to do during the one hour without gadgets and screens.


One suggestion was to play hide and go seek with your children. I was reminded of a game I used to play as a youngster with cousins and friends when the adults were "visiting" (read playing cards and knocking back a few) that we called Ghost Tag.


You could only play ghost tag in the dark and outside. It was similar to hide and go seek but scarier. Hunters could sneak up unseen on their prey in the dark and hearing the shrieks of your friends when they got caught just increased the anticipation/dread/heart attack when you were finally grabbed from behind without warning. It was great fun...for those who survived!

Check out http://www.earthhour.org/ for more information and sign yourself up. See if your city is taking part.

Just How Nutty Am I?

I have to say that I like all kinds of nuts. Just keep your mind out of the gutter, however, and we'll get along just fine. I only talk about walnuts, pecans, brazil nuts etc and....oh yes, I often refer to myself and other folk I know as "nutty" or "off their nut" and if I get really upset I just might whip off a bold "nuts to you" type comment.

Take today for instance. Although I am well past my lunch-time I have yet to leave the computer to go downstairs and partake of some. Instead, I sit here trying to start up a blog in the hopes that there just might be some people out there, like me (hear me out), who will stop by to visit and share their wisdom with me from time to time.

People like me could be over 50 years old (yikes, I admit it, I'm over half a century old - but only on the OUTSIDE!), a single parent, (I have a 17 year old princess but that's another post, or even another whole blog...hmmmmm), a teacher, a family history researcher, and/or could be trying, really trying to live a simpler and hence greener lifestyle.

So welcome to "Just How Nutty Am I?" and let's explore the world's nuttier side. So many nuts, so little time....