Archive | June 2012

Just Bitchin’ – My Neighbourhood

Jun9

I think this is the third in a series of why I am so lucky!

I live in the best  neighbourhood one could hope to live in – and it was all an accident.  Bad hips and knees forced me to looks for a place to live without lots of stairs.  I fell in love with a semi-detached bungalow down the street from my former townhome and acquired with it, an entire lifestyle, great neighbours and new friends.

I live on a court.  There are 50 semi-detached adult-lifestyle bungalows and just over 90 friendly and caring people.  When weather is decent, and folks are no longer in winter hibernation, one can walk around the court in a few minutes…..or a few hours, depending on how often you stop to chat.  Need help?  There is no end to the offers ! Need a ride somewhere?  Same thing.   Need a recommended service provider?  Somebody will know of a good one.    Going away?  There are many who will keep an eye on things, notice strangers hovering, feed the cats, etc.  Feel like a party?  Not a problem – and you don’t have to drive anywhere….although raucus behaviour does get noted!!

I can’t think of a better place to be at this stage in my life (retired and loving it!)!  I am very lucky!!

Just Bitchin’ – Garbage in Ottawa

Jun7

On a recent Saturday my Court (a self-contained circular street) held a garage sale.  Since our regular Friday garbage collection had been moved to Saturday due to a holiday Monday, one of my neighbours had the foresight to call the City to ask if the garbage could be picked up early to avoid what we were hoping would be traffic jams of shoppers.

Much to our surprise, the City agreed – and even called back to confirm our request.

Saturday appeared – no sign of garbage trucks at the promised 7am – and there are usually THREE of them – one to collect the green bins and yard waste, one to collect the blue or black box recycle items and a third to collect “real” garbage.  It seemed that dispatch finally reached these drivers about 10am that morning – and all of a sudden, we had 3 garbage trucks fighting to make their way around the court to pick up bins, hidden behind cars parked on both sides of the street (and in the centre of it) while people shopped for bargains.  AMAZING.  IT WAS ALMOST LAUGHABLE.

This got me thinking about an old beef of mine (and one I share with my City Councillor).  Our current system of garbage collection achieves waaaaay short of the targets for recycling (landfill avoidance).  It also involves, as I said above, 3 trucks, 3+ drivers, lumbering down the street each garbage day….not to mention the space in our garages that must be found for blue box, black box, green bin, garbage can and yard-waste bags.  A double-car garage is no longer enough!!

I wonder what would happen if we put our garbage and recycle things out in one container (or several – but still all mixed in together)……created a sorting station which would employ a number of folks currently on UI or Welfare – should result in an ability to meet nearly 100% of the landfill avoidance targets if said people are doing their job, avoid 3 separate garbage trucks and associated costs, and put the onus where it belongs for this entire process.  We do, after all, pay for this in our property taxes.

What do you think?

Just Bitchin’ – Friends

Jun5

This is another of those “I am so lucky” posts !

Have you ever thought what your life would be like without good friends?  I can’t even begin to imagine it.   I am so very fortunate in that I have a wide circle of good friends – some from my childhood, some from various work places, etc. My longest friendship (we never say oldest)  goes back 62 years…..NOW THAT IS SPECIAL.  Another group goes back almost 50 years.  It’s a good thing they aren’t blogging about me – they all know way too much!!!

Whoever said it gets more difficult to make friends as you get older is or was full of baloney.  I have recently made wonderful new friends in my new neighbourhood……and I met and made another good friend when we both had knee replacements at the same time, in the same place.  If you are open to making friends, it will happen.

Friendships last if they are cultivated – just like a garden.  You may not talk or meet often, but you must stay connected.

To all my wonderful friends – THANKS FOR BEING THERE!

Just Bitchin’ – Finances at City Hall

Jun2

Why should everyone think they’ve done a good job to hold a wage increase to +2%?  I absolute HATE that our mayor, Jim Watson,  has set an expectation that anything at or under 2.5% per year is absolutly OK.  My pension certainly doesn’t go up 2% per year – in fact, my pension doesn’t go up at all…..EVER!  I lose ground each and every year that everything around me goes up, and up, and up!

With the size of municipal staff we have in our city (approx 17,000) – why is there a constant need to go “outside” to find experts?  Are we not hiring people with the right skills in the first place?

Why does our group of Councillors find it  easy to spend days discussing the small things, but doesn’t give the same attention to the major items on the table?  Could it be that the small things are much easier to deal with?

Can we really afford some of the large-ticket items currently making the news (e.g. LRT).???

Does anyone have comments on any of this?  I’d love to hear them!

Just Bitchin’ – a Fabulous Read – Dewey

Jun1

Ever read a book that made you laugh, made you shed more than a few tears, made you want the end to NEVER come?

Dewey (who’s full name is Dewey Readmore Books):  The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicky Myron is a story that does all of that and more.  The following is the description of this lovely little book.

How much of an impact can an animal have? How many lives can one cat touch? How is it possible for an abandoned kitten to transform a small library, save a classic American town, and eventually become famous around the world? You can’t even begin to answer those questions until you hear the charming story of Dewey Readmore Books, the beloved library cat of Spencer, Iowa.Dewey’s story starts in the worst possible way. Only a few weeks old, on the coldest night of the year, he was stuffed into the returned book slot at the Spencer Public Library. He was found the next morning by library director, Vicki Myron, a single mother who had survived the loss of her family farm, a breast cancer scare, and an alcoholic husband. Dewey won her heart, and the hearts of the staff, by pulling himself up and hobbling on frostbitten feet to nudge each of them in a gesture of thanks and love. For the next nineteen years, he never stopped charming the people of Spencer with his enthusiasm, warmth, humility, (for a cat) and, above all, his sixth sense about who needed him most.As his fame grew from town to town, then state to state, and finally, amazingly, worldwide, Dewey became more than just a friend; he became a source of pride for an extraordinary Heartland farming town pulling its way slowly back from the greatest crisis in its long history.
This one is a MUST READ!