Quiet in the Klondike

With fall fast approaching out here in the Klondike Hills we seem to be in a time warp with the days all blending into one. I love the quiet and peaceful times but now I keep having to look at the time / date at the top corner of the computer screen to know what day it is! My daily emails to a fellow old fart up on the Wiarton cliffs doesn't help much as he is just as confused as I am, must be sometimers coming on.

The tomato's take all of 5min to pick and as they have no leaves left due to “leaf spot blight” its not hard to see from the chair on the porch if I even need to do that, I will have to get off my arse soon and dig the spuds but the beets and carrots are doing so poorly this year that I may be digging them in the snow! I would get a cow for the output to fertilize the garden but it seems that some input is necessary at the other end of the beast, wonder if a neighbor will rent me one?

The wood is all split and finally after several years of building the pile we may even have some left over next spring, just as well for these old bones are finding it less fun to find, cut and haul those trees that need to be removed from our “managed forest” as each year passes. (Note to self – take a gentle stroll around the trails soon and mark trees for “harvesting” and see if its going to be an “easy to get to” or a “need a longer winch cable” sort of fall)

I'm ahead of the game on my winter woodworking projects as well, no need to bring the mill in this year, lots of pine, maple and cherry boards drying in various locations. Even ran a few through the planer yesterday so when the ambition strikes to get building I can get at it right away. The order is in for a center island storage / work area for my daughter kitchen so no problem with deciding what to make come those winter days, meanwhile these sunny days must not be wasted with work. Look at the gardens (look at the weeds!), plan in great detail the jobs to be done, make lists, sip on a beverage and enjoy the last of the summer whilst we can.

Even the political scene is relatively quiet, the Greens have decided to all pull in the same direction, Igniff is quietly raising his cholesterol on the BBQ circuit, Harper will unfortunately come in from the cold after his arctic “I love me” tour, and Jack.....Jack who? These quiet days of relative calm will all come to an end come September, the kids back to school, the other kids back to Ottawa, even our Humming Birds will be heading back to Mexico, so make the best of what remains of summer whilst you may.

Thats how it looks in these here hills with September almost upon us, and the need to write a few words on this blog comes upon me before my few readers think I have become lost in the forest or perhaps lost in my thoughts.

Ladies Night in Owen Sound.

The Grey Bruce Owen Sound Greens nomination meeting was most definitely a time for the ladies to shine with candidates Lynn Morgan and Emma Hogbin as well as Green party leader Elizabeth May and deputy leader Adrian Carr front and center. Approximately 100 green party supporters filled the room to hear the candidates speak and answer questions from the floor prior to voting taking place.

Lynn spoke about the demise of our democracy under the Harper regime and how the arrest of innocent protesters and bystanders at the G20 was comparable with the actions of several totalitarian regimes overseas. She said we are heading for more of a Lord and Serf relationship with our government than a representative democracy unless things change.

Emma spoke of her dream for the future, of a participatory democracy with citizens involved and excited about the possibilities, of using the modern tools available on the Internet and phone systems to include everyone in the process. The best quote of the night came at the mid point of her lively speech when remarking upon the choices to be made she asked whether if you find yourself to be riding a dead horse is it not best to get off!

Elizabeth May who spoke to the crowd whilst the votes were being counted later picked up upon that repeating Emma's assertion that the Greens CAN be elected to the HoC and that GBOS has a real good chance of being the first to do so, just before herself, given that the polls close here long before they do on the west coast.

Having just come from a meeting with some representatives of the local agricultural community she said that those in this area should be particularly concerned with Harpers assertion when referring to the closure of the prison farms that “learning how to farm was not a useful skill”. She said that Canadian values are clearly different from American values as evidenced by our social safety net, our sharing and caring about all out citizens and how the Green party's values reflect those values.

CEO Randy Dryburgh who MC'ed the meeting asked Elizabeth to announce the successful candidate and she read the name Emma Jane Hogbin to loud and sustained applause from the supporters. Elizabeth had earlier said that she rarely had the opportunity to say “may the best woman win” and it is no disrespect to Lynn that Emma's enthusiastic and bubbly personality, and ability to get folks to want to get involved that won the day.

Congratulation Emma, I am sure we will be hearing much more from and about you in the next few months.

Also see Greens pick Hogbin - Owen Sound Sun Times - Ontario, CA

UPDATE Emma has posted a copy of her speech on her blog here and there is a video of her “shortest ever” acceptance speech at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxGCyDnm5Yo (1min 13sec)

A Reminder

.The GBOS Greens nomination meeting will take place tomorrow, Tues August 17^th at 7pm at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre  in Owen Sound when both Green Party leader Elizabeth May and Deputy Leader Adriane Carr will attend and speak The public is welcome but only members of the Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Green Party of Canada will be permitted to vote.
Stay tuned for a full report on the proceedings here at The Rural Canadian  later in the week.

More information on both candidates can be found in my previous post and at the GBOS Greens web site 

Green Choices

I have been taken to task (perhaps rightly so) for coming out in favor of one of our candidates for the Green Party nomination in our riding over the other before fully knowing both candidates positions.

Having now met and talked to the second candidate , Lynn Morgan, I will try and correct somewhat that omission.

First off Lynn has said she is “passionate about our Green Values, and our humanity and responsibility in governance.” She was moved to stand in part by the G20 fiasco, the subversion of process in the tabling of the 900 page Budget Bill that trashed the Environmental Act, and the erosion of our civil liberties, wealth and health of the people. Being involved with several local groups dealing with housing, transportation and poverty issues she is incensed that over a million dollars was spent on the g20 with little or no benefit to Canadians whilst so many of our local citizens are struggling to make ends meet.

We spoke of the difficulty of citizens being heard by government and the need for an MP to represent the views of their constituents as much as possible and the difficulty of finding out exactly what that is. We spoke of communications and the difficulty of finding a balance between those who do everything electronically and those who don't even own a computer or texting device. She said it is essential to take her message, particularly the message that the Green party is not a one issue party, out to all the communities in our riding and to do so in a way where citizens can chat and interact in an informal setting.

Both in her professional career as a consultant and in her work for charitable and non profit organizations Lynn advocates for those who need their view better understood, she sees her candidacy as a natural progression from this and an opportunity to advocate for our entire region. She advocates for a bottom up democracy and like myself is very troubled by the top down oligarchical style of government we are increasing seeing, something she says that has been gradually occurring for at least a decade.

She sums up her position in three phrases, Responsible Government, Sustainable Future Planning and Upholding our Rights as Canadians to a democratic process.

A final note here, local media has been quick to point out that neither Lynn nor the other candidate Emma has any real previous “political experience”, given the mess that those WITH political experience are making of it in Ottawa I believe that may well be one of their biggest assets. Its time for some fresh ideas and integrity in the House. Its Time for Change.

The nomination meeting will take place at 7 PM on August 17^th at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre  in Owen Sound when both Green Party leader Elizabeth May and Deputy Leader Adriane Carr will attend and speak The public is welcome but only members of the Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Green Party of Canada will be permitted to vote.

More information on both candidates can be found in my previous post and at the GBOS Greens web site