Anything New?

That's what bloggers are supposed to write about. I suppose. Is there anything new one has to say? I draw that conclusion from reading some of the blogs that appear on various websites such as those in Maclean's Magazine. Not that those who write such stuff really have anything useful to say.

Having said that, the question is one I should answer myself. And yes, there are two things that come immediately to mind.

After worship this morning, I had several conversations with members of the congregation and the minister which seemed to tell me how I influence how others feel and do. That does not mean that I can be proud of myself. It does suggest, however, that I can be grateful that there is an important element in my relationships with others based on an inner life of the spirit. That comes from grace, the gift of God. But it also comes from cultivating one's inner life. That is something I have been able to do more consistently in my retirement and something I did not take sufficient time to do during my working years.

The second thing is my concern for H. Financial issues seem to confuse her more than in former years. One aspect of this could be her short term memory lapses. Another aspect is the degree of anxiety with which she approaches financial matters. I may speak or write to D., make a further note of my concern and watch for further developments. I would have preferred paying for our taxes to be done by a professional as we did last year. She felt that it was too expensive considering that our deductions should have been simpler to deal with than last year. I have agreed to let her struggle with her own taxes while I did mine. It has been a very long drawn out and anxiety creating experience for her. Perhaps she will be more willing to let it be done professionally next year for the modest sum of $100 each.

Tempus Fugit

Yes, tempus fugit - but I am not worried. I have been as busy as I want to be and haven't taken time out to update this blog. Instead I have been reading others' blogs and searching the 'Net for about as many subjects as would fill a page.

The best word that I can write today is that my new CPAP system is getting me enough sleep comfortably and giving Helen even better sleep than she has had for years. I just over two weeks, on the 21st, I shall be reporting to the OTMH sleep clinic for another overnight stay to test how well I have been doing. On average, I use the equipment for about 7 hours each night, but I get about six hours sleep. I wake feeling much perkier than in the past. My only trouble is that I still have my habit of listening to the radio while going to sleep and whenever I waken through the night. That won't be possible in the hospital clinic, of course, so it might be best if I tried to reduce my dependence on it. OTOH, the baseball season has begun and I do like my ball games, even those broadcast from the west coast until 1 a.m. Ah, well, another day, another night. An afternoon siesta is still possible and welcome.

The saddest news I have received in some time came last weekend when we heard of Nancy Brown's serious illness from generally metastazied cancer. She is in palliative care in the Ottawa Civic Hospital. I have been thinking of trying to call Bill, although in his most recent e-mail to GAUC urges friends to call Nancy herself. Considering my long relationship with Bill, I think I would prefer talking to him. I shall try reaching him through Dominion-Chalmers Church where he has been in interim ministry for the past two and a half years. That is what I shall try to do now.

One month later

It really has been a full month since I last blogged. Some interesting events have occurred: The Liberals won three of four by-elections in seats they have held since the last federal election. Speculation is still rife as to what this means for Stéphan Dion's leadership or the likelihood of general election in the near future. SOme pundits have begun to predict once again that there will and there won't be. The US primary schedule has moved on without conclusive results for either Obama or Clinton. The former has more of everything, including momentum. Today he made an important speech about racism and the need for Americans to put old stereotypes behind them. Most significantly, however, the US economy is in a 'fear of disaster' state as the fifth largest investment bank has failed and been bought by a larger, richer competitor for a minor fraction of its worth just fifteen months ago. Its stock value fell from $170 in January 2007 to $2 last weekend. The final tumble was from $30 last Friday at the close of the market to $2 paid for it. Now the pundits are likening the situation to the pre-Depression era of September 1929 and President Bush is being compared to President Hoover of the same period.

Personally, Helen has been dealing with what might best be described as uncomfortable health issues. Helen has been diagnosed with DeQuervain's tenosynovitis,a painful inflammation of the sheaths of the tendons used to manipulated the thumb of the left hand. She will be taking physiotherapy for the next ten weeks or more and has already spent over $100 on supports which do not really give her much comfort.

On March 3rd I had my consultation with Dr. Kirby, the sleep specialist, persuant to the sleep apnea test I had last November. I have a moderate form of the syndrome and am now using CPAP equipment which pumps a steady flow of air into my nostrils to keep my throat muscles from closing and causing me to snore. So far, I have been able to tolerate the machine operating for close to eight hours on average. I do not sleep all that time, having to get up to the bathroom twice as usual. Best of all, perhaps, the sound of the machine is not a bother to Helen, as was both my snoring and stopping breathing while asleep due to the apnea. I do still have quite lurid dreams, nonetheless, some of which are quite entertaining, as last night's for instance.

The Bible Study group I have been leading at Glen Abbey Church has been having a very interesting time with the Passion story in John's Gospel. For my own enrichment and to add content to the discussions, I have been reading Raymond E. Brown's classic on the subject. He is exhaustive in his treatment of the wide variety of interpretations and exegesis published in several languages during the 20th century. His own conclusions are also quite succinct. For instance, he says that John presents Jesus at his trial before Pilate as the king and judge before whom his accusers among the Jewish authorities and Pilate himself are themselves on trial. In the end, Jesus was executed for political sedition, but in going to his death he exemplified his own power and glory as the Christ and Son of God, so fulfilling the purposes of God for his mission.

Another of Brown's conclusion stands out in my mind. The empty tomb was not an interesting detail about the victory over death, but essential to understanding a major aspect of Johannine theology: what God creates is not destroyed but re-created and transformed. The intersection of history and theology in John's narrative fits a theology of resurrection and ascension with no time and space into a narrative that is necessarily sequential. This presentation of the Passion story increases my faith
mainly because it removes the issue of historicity into a larger context of truth.
I am beginning to think of a further blog on why I believe in the resurrection.

Weather

Canadians talk so much about the weather because we get so much of it.

We certainly have had our share this winter. Yesterday we had a welcome break as three hours of freezing rain were followed by several more hours of heavy rain. Today we have quite a bit less snow cover than we had at this time yesterday. The temperature is still 2°, so the water still lies in puddles for vehicles to splash through and still runs in rivulets toward the closest drain.

OTOH, the Weather Network's website states that we should get something like 100-120 cm of snow in a normal winter with about one quarter of it falling in February. Have we had that much so far this winter or even this month? I doubt it, but cannot be sure unless I can find some actual data recorded at one of the weather stations. Oakville is not listed in the Weather Network's page, but averages for Toronto's Pearson International Airport and Hamilton Airport are the closest I can find.

The same website informs me that we have had about average snow cover for the month - about 15 cm. The snow banks along the street where the plow and shoveling have piled it up makes it appear much more. Actually I would put the amount on our front and back yards at least more than 20 cm even with the melting of the last day or so.

I am happy that the cedar trees at the back of the garden are now free of snow. Until yesterday they were heavily laden and bent with snow that fell last week and pressed them askew. I noticed while at lunch today that they had resumed their normal rounded shape. Not so, the juniper, the globe cedar and Korean box trees in the front garden. They are still weighed down and twisted with heavy, wet snow. If we get colder weather as predicted for the next few days, they will not be relieved of this weight until the next good melt.

I do note however that the 14 day probabilities are for temperatures below freezing for the rest of this week, but above normal temperatures for next week and into early March. It could be that we shall lose our snow cover before the next heavy snowfall.
We usually have another blizzard in early March and can expect about 20 cm for the month of March. That could come in what is known in my family as "Betty's Blizzard." It is so called because she was born in Montreal on March 7, 1920 in a snowstorm that nearly prevented Mother from getting to the hospital in time for the delivery.

I can also recall years when we were snowed in for a couple of days around the same time. That happened in 1944, if I recall correctly. Betty, George and Gordon were at Windy Ridge for the weekend. Betty and Gordon were due back in Ottawa Sunday night. George was on his embarkation leave. They were all stranded by the storm until Tuesday morning. Both George and Gordon were reported AWOL, but so were countless other troops. I believe a troop train bound for Halifax from the West was stranded in Northern Ontario that same weekend.

Of course, this may not be an accurate account of the affair, but that is how I remember it. Was it the same storm that piled so much snow on the golf course across the Rivière du Chêne that Stewart and I were able to ski over the clubhouse roof
and I photographed Stewart leaning on the crossbar of a telephone pole? I wonder if I still have that photo or its negative. Ah, the adventures of youth that remain in memory even after sixty-five years!

Politics A- Plenty

Yes, there's politics a-plenty in both the US and Canada. According to all the media reports I have been sampling, the general consensus is that Barak Obama is outmanouvering Hillary Clinton in the contest for the Democratic nomination. We won't know for sure until all the primaries and caucuses have been held, but the momentum of success in the ten most recent events have given Obama a distinct lead in both delegates and public favour.

Meanwhile here in Canada, Parliament has recessed for a week after putting the Afghanistan issue to rest with a token agreement by the Liberals and the Conservatives that our participation in the UN mandate there will continue until 2011 with some minor changes to the exact deployment of our troops. None is quite sure whether Dion or Harper caved in to the other's proposal, but at least there will not be an election over the issue. OTOH, the budget to be presented Tuesday, Feb, 26, may be cause for a confidence vote by the Liberals bringing about the downfall of the government.

There appears to be a growing consensus that an election this spring would likely make little change in the relative status of the various parties. If so, that will likely result in another Liberal change of leaders as Dion will be forced to resign. Perhaps that might be best for the Liberal Party which needs to find a whole new approach to appear fully recovered from the debacle of the Sponsorship Scandal and the ten year internecine struggle between Jean Chretien and Paul Martin.

At least it would be a help to future renewal of the party of the party if someone from Ontario rather than Quebec became the leader. The best bet, IMHO, is Michael Ignatief. He seems to have the least baggage and has shown considerable skill as deputy-leader under Dion. Someone has even suggested that Dalton McGuinty, present premier of Ontario, would be an even better choice, but I doubt that. All that can be said for sure at this stage is wait and see.

Storms

We have had three storms since I last posted. So we now have plenty of snow cover for the roses and other fragile perennials in the gardens. Wally has done a yeoman job of keeping our driveway clear, even if having a minor catastrophe last Saturday when the belt that drives the spiral rotor broke. The break may have been caused by catching a scarf lying in the windrow cast up by the street plow, but I did not press the issue. The evidence is a badly mangled scarf lying near the fire hydrant. The best part of this work Wally does for us is his promptness. The last two days he has been here early each morning to shovel the doorstep and blow away the snow from the driveway before going to work.

This latest pair of storms was somewhat unusual. They were separated by eight or nine hours of relatively cloudy weather when no snow fell. That was due to the storms having separate centres - one coming from Texas and the other from further to the southwest. They dragged a cold front across very warm moist air in Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky setting of a series of severe tornadoes that left more than 50 people dead and a still uncounted amount of damage. The same storms sped across the lower Greta Lakes leaving us two successive 15 cm snowfalls which we are still cleaning up. As yet our street has not been plowed, although the sidewalks have. I think I just heard a plow pass along the neighbouring street - Munns - so they should be along here soon. That will fill in our driveway for Wally to clear this evening.

The other storm this week has been in American politics. What the media defined as Super Tuesday came and went with very little change in the Democratic race, but a big change for the Republicans. Both Democractic candidates, Clinton and Obama scored with their favoured supporters. Obama secured more delegates in more primaries, mostly in smaller states. Clinton secured greater support in the larger states. Because they share of delegates is proportional to the number of votes cast in each state, both gained a significant number but Clinton received enough to pull ahead slightly less than 100 delegates in total. Both have to gain more than 1000 more of the +/- 2100 delegates in the remaining primaries to win the nomination. Both will probably win some more delegates in several primaries this weekend and next Tuesday, but not enough to make a significant difference. The question is whether Obama will succeed in overtaking Clinton's slight lead. Another question is whether or not his successes on Super Tuesday have given him enough momentum to make his the odds on favourite.

The Republican race to nominate their candidate is just about over. Senator McCain has won more than the other two combined, but not yet enough to claim total victory. OTOH, the resignation of former Gov. Pitt Romney from the race may well have sealed the deal for McCain. His only remaining competitor is Gov. Huckaby and he is so far behind that he has little or no hope of stopping McCain.

And so we move on slowly as the storm continues.

Nothing Doing? Or is is Doing Nothing?

Parliament met today for the first time since the Manley Report was published. The Prime Minister seems to have taken the sting out of criticism by stating unequivocally this morning that he will accept the main recommendation that Canadian troops to stay in Afghanistan under specific conditions - 1,000 more combat troops and sufficient support equipment such as helicopters and observational drones. The first Question Period of the new parliamentary session proved more frustrating than enlightening, as might have been expected, because the government fended off criticism of its lack of information about Afghan detainees by repeating as nauseum that the policy is working and therefore refuses to report operational decisions by the military. It will be
interesting to see whether or not the opposition will follow up its accusations that the government misled the House on this issue. That should come later this afternoon.