Erin's Journals

I don’t know how it is that the first week of such a laid-back month as July can be so busy. But here we are, glad to see Friday roll around (unless you’re among those who booked the week off because of Canada Day on Monday).
 
I have half of a new computer: the store here in Victoria that deals with Apple products replaced my wonky keyboard, my touch bar, my trackpad and speakers, which somehow works out to be less cost to Apple than replacing just the keyboard. Anyway, here I go with another one. I will be sure to let you know when H, E, A, R and T are worn out!
 
One bit of writing that I won’t be doing anymore: the weekly articles for Walmart’s website. I was happy to take on a project that taught me the joys of learning to hyperlink (when you hover over a word and another link opens up – I can DO that! LOL) and to write descriptive articles. I had the freedom of coming up with my own themes and ideas, which is a rarity, I’m told, and despite the fact that what was supposed to be an hour’s writing was always three (and I billed for one, of course, because that was the max) I quite enjoyed stretching that writing muscle. And now it’s done.
 
I got a bit of flack from a Facebook visitor or two who took exception to me working with or for Walmart. I wouldn’t have the nerve to take shots like “Well, I guess I can unlike you now on Facebook…” (conveniently, I blocked her instead, stinker that I am) or to say, “Walmart? Really?” as though I was supposed to write for: a) Greenpeace, b) Holt Renfrew or c) my own website exclusively. But that’s over now.
 
Will I write for someone else in the future? I can only hope! I love putting thoughts into words and creating something out of thin air. So I’ll put it out there: yes, I will. I have no idea what or for whom. Maybe just for you, and that’s okay too!
 
My final Walmart article was a collaboration and a labour of love. Our daughter-in-law and Colin’s mommy Brooke helped me with a piece that Walmart suggested (they began requesting themes in the last month) about preferences in a mom-to-be’s third trimester, which is what Brooke is in. She came up with some great ideas (wishes and wisdom, I called it) and I’m grateful to her for her collaboration. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Here’s the link.
 
And finally – last plug today, I promise, of book, cruise, articles or anything (I realize I have probably tried your patience of late here, and I’m sorry). Mike Cooper’s making a personal appearance at a gathering in Yorkville Wednesday evening of next week. While you’ll learn about the AMAWaterways October 2020 cruise we’re hosting together, it’s basically a free gathering for those who are curious about river cruising in general.
 
Come and give Mike a hug for me, will you? Here are the details if you’d like to register. Also, if you wanted to tune in to the cruise webinar a couple weeks back but just couldn’t, here’s a link to that. 
 
All right. Well, I’m heading into another busy weekend: some favourite family from Calgary is visiting, so we get some face time with them, plus on Sunday, Rob and I will be selling burgers, etc. for the Rotary Club at the local Strawberry Festival. Gotta love summer – it’s busy in just the BEST ways! 
 
Enjoy, take care and thank you for putting up with me. Talk to you Monday. 
 

Welcome into Thursday – already! Have you found a good book to enjoy under the shade of a tree or awning, or perhaps inside near a fan or the AC? I’ve been enjoying the emails and posts from folks saying that they held off on reading Mourning Has Broken until summer. I wasn’t sure it would be the kind of lighthearted breezy read that some folks are looking for…until I saw this yesterday:
 

 
That’s from a website called thesavvyreader.com. Here’s a link to the entire article. 
 
I’m so grateful for the nice mention and am hoping that with the live book clubs I’m doing, I’ll be paying back the karma just a bit. Next Monday, for example, I’ll be joining a book club in Ontario led by Cathy S. via FaceTime to discuss the book, answer questions and perhaps expand a bit upon ideas – mine and theirs – for an hour or so. This will be the fourth book club discussion I’ve joined and I’ve enjoyed every single one of them.
 
I hope that if you’re with a book club or just have a big group of friends who love to get together over a glass of lemonade or wine and talk, you’ll consider reading the book and sharing a chat. I’d love it. 
 
This is my second-to-last week of writing for Walmart. I enjoyed having a chance to learn what things like hyperlinks are, and the nuts and bolts of writing for a website other than my own, but it’s time to reclaim my time, as some wise woman once said. Next week I’ll put the spotlight on my daughter-in-law Brooke for my final Walmart piece, but for now, enjoy this one: on the road with little ones! 
 

In reading all of the Canada Day greetings on social media on the weekend, I couldn’t help but notice all of the mentions that ended with the cute suffix “eh?” and I was reminded of an interesting post a little while ago as to WHY Canadians say “eh.” I thought you might be fascinated too.
 
Long before Bob and Doug McKenzie were plaid-splattered hosers on SCTV telling everybody to take off, Canadians were ending our sentences with that two-letter question. And thanks to the TV series and the subsequent movie’s international success, we began to get as sick of other nations using it endlessly when referring to Canadians as I’m sure Australians came to be with the Crocodile Dundee movie and Aussie tourism board’s familiar greeting “G’day, mate.”
 

 
I had a fascinating exchange with a woman who actually had a brilliant take on why we do use those two little letters with frequency – some more than others. Me? I tried to put the brakes to it when I realized so many of my American peers were just waiting for it so they could jump right on it. How would I ever get a dream job sharing a stage with Oprah if I didn’t curb my Canadianisms? LOL
 
So, because I’m me and have three or four different ways to chat with people, I lost the thread that this woman sent. But here’s the gist. We say, “eh?” to add a soft up-ending question to a statement. Rather than sound pushy or definitive, we make it something that the listener can agree with. Take this example:
 
Me: Traffic is horrific today.
You: Yes. Yes it is. 
 
Second Version
 
Me: Traffic is horrific today, eh?
You: It sure is…doesn’t help that there’s construction.
 
Now, I don’t know if you can sense a difference there, but in the first one, I’m making a hard and fast statement. A FACT. Traffic’s horrific. But in the second, I’m offering you a chance to agree/disagree and add your own perspective.
 
It’s not scientific, but it really does kind of summarize who we are: polite, open to correction or expansion, and less likely just to come out and make a statement than to say, “This is what I think, but I could be wrong; what do you think?”
 
The woman who communicated with me had more of an academic take on it, but these are the gems that I gleaned from what she sent. It made total sense. It’s just the way that we as a people communicate and it’s less “in your face” than some other folks’ style of conversation. 
 
I like that there’s a question at the end that invites interaction. I like that we end with a vowel sound that one almost has to accompany with the raising of eyebrows or the hint of a smile. 
 
And oh – by the way – those two letters are for US to say. We’re the Canadians, we get to say or not say “eh?” if we want. Anybody else is: a) trying to dig up that one thing they know about Canada or its people, b) making fun, or c) trying to be clever because they think no one else has ever thought of the N-B-EH! 
 
Maybe I’m oversensitive. Or…they can all just take off, eh?
  

Welcome to the second half of 2019 – hope you’re well on your way to making those New Year’s resolutions (remember them?) a reality. BAHAHAHA! Who am I kidding?
 
My resolution for this next while – along with self-improvement, as always – is to get a computer whose keyboard is running smoothly and can keep up with me. In that vein, I’ll be turning this one in tomorrow for a quick fix. Luckily, Rob was able to diagnose what was making it run so hot since we bought it, while the Apple folks (and the company that fixes them here on Vancouver Island) admit there have been problems. So the whole thing’s going to be replaced – the keyboard, that is, not the computer. 
 
Did you have a FANTASTIC long weekend? I know, I know: for some it wasn’t a three-day break, but for many – most, I’d venture – it was. We had an unexpected drive up the island on Sunday when Rob found some used hockey equipment online. It gave us a chance to enjoy four hours on the road, stopping at the halfway mark, after having gotten the equipment, for lunch at a marina in Nanaimo. 
 
It was after lunch that we discovered a little confectionery that makes its own ice cream. You can almost imagine my “squeeeee!” of joy when I spotted my flavour of choice: black licorice. A childhood favourite, I haven’t had it since May of last year and it was wonderful. Not quite as black and rich as I really like, but it was pretty good just the same.
 

 
Sunday night, on Canada Day Eve, there was a fireworks display from Sidney, the picturesque town a few minutes’ drive down the mountain and up the highway from our place. My iPhone wouldn’t do it justice and you’ve already seen fireworks, so I’ll spare you a picture.
 
But yesterday under a mainly sunny sky and in 22 C temperatures (no humidity) it was a wonderful small-town Canada Day celebration as Rob and I helped with the ball toss game for our Rotary Club of Sidney. The loveliest part was that it was held in the very park where our bench for Lauren is situated behind a fence and next to a serene duck pond. We spend plenty of time at Iroquois Park, so it felt nice to be there to celebrate our family, our country and our community all at once!
 

 
I wish you a pleasant, short work week and I’ll be back here with you tomorrow. Happy 2019 Part Two! What adventures will these next six months hold, I wonder?
 

Ah, her U key is back, you’re thinking! Actually, I’m writing this on the ferry, using Rob’s laptop. My U problem needs a bigger fix, apparently. 
 
I was so lucky to truly savour the beauty of Canada’s natural glory for a few hours Wednesday as we made the crossing from Vancouver Island over to mainland BC. Hey, BC Ferries – how did you know?
 

 
I guess it’s better than the ticket on the way home yesterday…
 

 
For the first time, Rob and I went as foot passengers, leaving the car behind with friends (a fun-loving couple who enjoyed the MINI convertible). Once we’d gotten to the Vancouver area’s Tsawwassen Ferry terminal, job #1 was finding our bus into town. We were able to buy our transit passes aboard the ferry.
 
We bought one-day passes, took the bus to our hotel, then a train to a mall for the Apple Store visit and ultimately to Rogers Arena to see Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra. (More on that next week, including a moment with Dhani Harrison that brought Rob to tears.)
 
So, part of our car-free getaway included getting familiar with the Vancouver transit system. It was, in a word, FANTASTIC, especially the SkyTrain. Now, there will be plenty of residents of this glorious west coast city – past or present – who will disagree and I bow to their familiarity. But for Rob and me, it couldn’t have been easier to navigate or more convenient for what we needed.
 
Arriving home after a partly rainy day in Vancouver and a gentle crossing back to “our” island home, we were struck with gratitude once again for the healing that this part of the country has given us. Interestingly, the famous Homewood Health Centre of Guelph has opened a sister property about one kilometre from our home. I’m sure we share the same views and peaceful surroundings as Ravensview. If tranquil surroundings can help soothe a soul and aid in transition and healing, then surely its patients will be helped by the location.
 
As we consider what it means to be Canadian and to live in this vast, bountiful country of ours, I’m struck by the sickness that overcomes me when I read the comments and posts in our own land that are so filled with anger, hatred and intolerance. Whether it’s bigotry, a strong political bent or the seeping stench of Trumpism and “Make Canada Great Again” nationalism coming across the border and dropping in through our devices, I worry for the future of our beautiful, peaceful home and native land.
 
We are far from perfect, but without a willingness to stop calling each other (or our leaders/candidates) names, without a commitment to listen instead of shouting, without a desire to educate ourselves about the facts instead of simply holding opinions, we’re destined to spiral into the cesspool of disharmony that has befallen so many other countries, including, of course, our closest neighbour.
 
Yesterday as I awoke in Vancouver, I cried quiet tears of joy thanks to journal visitor Jodi K. who sent me a link to Jann Arden’s list of Canada Day essentials. My book is there, along with this lovely illustration:
 

 
Here’s what she said, in case you can’t open the link above.
 

 
I cannot thank her enough, not only for her immense heart, but for her kindness and support through so much. What a gift she is to this country of ours! I could write a blog about Jann; in fact, I already have. And thank you.
 
May you find whatever your soul needs to help you to have a peaceful heart. Our Canada Day weekend will be quiet and contemplative, except for Monday, when Rob and I have volunteered to help run some of the outdoor activities for Rotary Club of Sidney. Let the games begin! And Happy Canada Day. How truly lucky we are! I’ll see you here Tuesday.