On Television

I am so glad that we finally decided to get rid of our satellite television. When we turn on the TV, we don't have any channels. Not a one. Not that we were big television watchers in the first place. In fact since Corner Gas finished its run, the only thing I watched was The Tudors. It only played 8 episodes a year and I found that I could watch it online, at my own convenience. Woohoo!

Paul, on the other hand, could watch a movie that was over half way done already. He has watched Cliffhanger and the Die Hard series replayed on TV at least 5 times each. (rolls eyes). Athena loves to watch TV. Not TV really, but her videos that we get from the library. Given the chance she could watch for hours I am sure. Once she told me that she "was born to watch TV". (rolls eyes again)

It has been several days now since she has viewed any media at all. None. No TV, no computer, no leapster games. It started out as a punishment for some less than stellar behaviour and now, mostly due to her getting out of the habit of even asking for it, she has not even wanted to. Also due in part to her not wanting her brain to turn soft as cheese. Explanation to follow.

We have been reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory aloud these past 10 days or so and we came upon this prophetic quote, by Roald Dahl in 1964 no less. The year before I was born and shortly after TV became mainstream and available to all. I shall quote in its entirety. Please read it, then read it again and see if you don't agree.

"The most important thing we've learned,

So far as children are concerned,

Is never, Never, NEVER let

Them near your television set-

Or better still, just don't install

The idiotic thing at all.

In almost every house we've been,

We've watched them gaping at the screen.

They loll and slop and lounge about,

And stare until their eyes pop out.

(Last week in someone's place we saw

A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)

They sit and stare and stare and sit

Until they're hypnotised by it,

Until they're absolutely drunk

With all that shocking ghastly junk.

Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,

They don't climb out the window sill,

They never fight or kick or punch,

They leave you free to cook the lunch

And wash the dishes in the sink-

But did you ever stop to think,

To wonder just exactly what

This does to your beloved tot?

IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD!

IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!

IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!

IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND

HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND

A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!

HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!

HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!

HE CANNOT THINK-HE ONLY SEES!

'Alright!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say,

'But if we take the set away,

What shall we do to entertain

Our darling children? Please explain!'

We'll answer this by asking you,

'What USED the darling ones to do?

'How USED they keep themselves contented

Before this monster was invented?'

Have you forgotten? Don't you know?

We'll say it very loud and slow:

THEY ...USED ...TO ...READ! They'd READ and READ,

And READ and READ, and then proceed

To READ some more, Great Scott! Gadzooks!

One half their lives was reading books!

The nursery shelves held books galore!

Books cluttered up the nursery floor!

And in the bedroom, by the bed,

More books were waiting to be read!

Such wondrous, fine fantastic tales

Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales

And treasure isles, and distant shores

Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,

And pirates wearing purple pants,

And sailing ships and elephants,

And cannibals crouching 'round the pot,

Stirring away at something hot.

(It smells so good, what can it be!

Good gracious, it's Penelope.)

The younger ones had Beatrix Potter

With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,

And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,

And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-

Just How the Camel Got His Hump,

And How The Monkey Lost His Rump,

And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,

There's Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole-

Oh, books, what books they used to know,

Those children living long ago!

So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,

Go throw your TV set away,

And in its place you can install

A lovely bookshelf on the wall.

Then fill the shelves with lots of books,

Ignoring all the dirty look,

The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,

And children hitting you with sticks-

Fear not, because we promise you

That, in a bout a week or two

Of having nothing else to do,

They'll now begin to feel the need

Of having something good to read.

And once they start- oh boy, oh boy!

You watch the slowly growing joy

That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen

They'll wonder what they'd ever seen

In that ridiculous machine,

That nauseating, foul, unclean,

Repulsive television screen!

And later, each and every kid

Will love you more for what you did.

P.S. Regarding Mike Teavee,

We very much regret that we

Shall simply have to wait and see

If we can get him back his height,

Bit if we can't- it severs him right.

Now, congratulations if you read that all and you got this far. I simply couldn't leave one sentence out. And as a side note, when Paul (dear man) got to this part in the book while reading to Athena,

he skipped over it because he thought it too long. Evidence enough. (No offence Paul, but you do have a short attention span.)

Birds and Bees (or Wasps)

The elusive Brown Thrasher

Sea Gull

Ping


Not sure what this is. Saw him at Diefenbaker Lake yesterday.

I think it may be a Cormorant.


White Pelicans

Boat Tailed Grackle

Ring Necked Dove

Mourning Dove

Gold finches

A wasp nest the neighbors found under thier deck and gave to Athena.

This is just a small sample of the birds that have been hanging around the feeders

and wading near the shore. We have an abundance of songbirds here in

the Summer time. I hope to get more and better shots in the coming weeks.

All In A Day

(After we came back from fishing, I found her here sitting in the sun Meditating. I kid you not.)

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Things are coming along nicely. We have had plenty of rain, which is a good thing as my vegetable garden is across the road in the neighbors back yard and I would loathe to carry water all that way. Everything has sprouted except cucumbers and beans. Oh, and the parsnips. No sign of them yet either. The flowers we planted from seed are appearing at last. The annuals are beginning to show signs of growth after having survived near freezing temperatures and gale force winds. We need some heat now to get things on their way. We'll have to wait for next week though, as rain is forecast for the remainder of the week. The weekend promises sunshine and warm temperatures. We'll see about that. Now all we have to do is wait... and weed.

Is It Hot In Here? Or is it just me?

Well, there you have it. I have had three hot flashes in the last week. I am not impressed.
The first two I didn't recognize as hot flashes. I just thought that I was perhaps getting sick. But today the light bulb turned on. I was in the yard doing some raking when I suddenly felt like my head had been submerged in ice water. My heart started to beat a bit faster. I stopped raking. What is going on? I know I am working hard but hard enough to have a heart attack? No, it cannot be. My blood pressure is good. A little low actually. My cholesterol levels are really really good. What could it be? I put the rake down and suddenly I felt so hot. I went inside and up to the bathroom. My face was flushed. Although it was barely warm enough to be outside without a sweater I felt like it was 100 degrees. I splashed some cold water on my face and went back downstairs. Was I having an anxiety attack? Was I dying? What was happening to my body? And then all at once it hit me... it must be a hot flash. I thought about the previous two episodes and the modis operandi was the same. It was a hot flash.

As a former yoga instructor I drew on my knowledge and remembered that meditation and Ujjayi breath are helpful for hot flashes. I sat in seated meditation pose and began mindful breathing. Slowly but surely I felt better. The heat left me. It lasted almost 40 minutes, just the same as the last two times. I must say, I did not like it one bit. But now I know what it is and I know how to deal with it so perhaps next time it won't last so long. Hopefully.

This menopause thing is for the birds. I hope it doesn't last long but after all, I am almost 45!