Pat Blythe – Remembering a life……and music

It’s been a flurry of activity over the past couple of weeks. Thanksgiving was wonderful! I finally had my boys and their wives over dinner…..first time in a very long time. Of course, loads of leftovers which made their way to new homes. Homemade turkey soup dealt with most of the remains. Working on a new podcast project, which is finally gaining some legs (at least up to the knees anyway), and hopefully next week’s meeting will bring it to hip level. Garden work and spending time with friends make up the balance.

Roxanne Tellier – Whose Rights Are They Anyway?

The east end of Toronto has always been an interesting mix of peoples. Heavily treed and with many well tended parks, it’s a beautiful area, diverse and dynamic. 

Pat Blythe – Musings…..thanks…..a few shows…..and music

Is it me, or are the days and weeks running into each other? It feels like I just finished a column and here I am writing another…..albeit late as usual. Today was one of those days where you just seem to bounce from one thing to the next. A 3am bedtime call after spending hours editing today’s podcast, was not conducive to an early morning rise, simply to rush downtown and open my maw for the dentist. Two hours later and I feel like my mouth has received the white glove treatment. Mr. Clean and the Lysol Lady have thoroughly cleaned and sanitized my mouth. Everything is now shipshape and spotless…..just don’t eat. It’s kind of like after your mom cleaned, tidied and dusted the living room. You couldn’t sit anywhere!

Roxanne Tellier – Move It On Over

I’ll just put it out there .. I hate moving. I like looking at other houses that are staged to sell, and imagining what it would be like to live there. I like watching DIY experts slap $40 worth of paint onto walls, transform a wood pallet into a piece of luxurious furniture, and change a blah room into a stunning piece of art. In the past, I myself have spent major dollars and worked insanely long hours, hoping to make a sow’s ear into a silk purse. DIY porn. It’s a thing.

Pension Plan Peter

If you are on the edge of your seat waiting for the conclusion of my incisive analysis of the recent Canadian federal election, you will have to wait, as it has been postponed by events. Now, next week will be my “Thanksgiving” column, and I have a lot to be thankful for, so look for it a couple of weeks down the road…. In the meantime, very recently I saw a post about benefits paid to Canadian seniors, and I thought that maybe I should give you all a “quick and dirty” insight into how the benefit process works.

Pat Blythe – Chris …and Music

Boy, am I late!!! Soooo late starting this column. Tuesday is my “writing” day, but far too much seemed to get in the way and now it’s 6:15pm and I’m on my third sentence! Good news is I received congratulations from our friends in Ottawa for attaining “senior citizen” status. Not only that, how absolutely thrilled they are to be sending me a monthly stipend of what nobody could live on. I should be grateful I receive anything (and I am), but if that’s what today’s 65-and-up population have to survive on, it’s no wonder we’ve got so many elderly living far below the poverty line. What I am extremely grateful for is that I can still work (when we’re not in the middle of a shitstorm) and continue earning a reasonable living. For how long is anyone’s guess, but this body and brain just keep chugging along.

Peter – 4 Years On

Well, DBAWIS is back after our summer hiatus, and already my colleagues on the blog are setting the bar high, but I will do my best to measure up. I encourage you all to read their columns, I certainly do. In fact, I share them to my timeline. 

During our time off, I marked 4 years as a writer with this blog. That’s a lot of columns, and it has been, and will continue to be, most enjoyable. Over the next while, Loyal Reader, I will be treating you to my thoughts on many different subjects in many different columns.

Roxanne Tellier – The Run Down and the Wrap Up

Ah, dang it. Like death and taxes, unwanted summer electoral politics are inescapable.  Rumour has it that our PM Justin Trudeau is determined to call a snap election, reportedly to be held on September 20^th. Why? Because he believes that doing so at this time will ensure his party can win a majority government, allowing him to avoid what he has been calling “opposition obstruction.” 

Aunt Louise Visits Peter and Betty

This week I was going to write about stupid people commenting on things in general and Facebook in particular, but it has been so hot this week that I decided to write about something more pleasant. Besides, stupid people commenting will always be with us, so there’s no great hurry to write about them  😉 .

Loyal Reader, this week I will write about one of the best days of my life, last Tuesday, and a joyful time with my dear aunt Louise. 

Roxanne Tellier – Into the Home Stretch

Okay – who stole July? It was just here a minute ago! In truth, I barely recognized it, under all that rain, but I know I saw it!