Today is your day Boomer! You may have learned in school about the often-told Elephant/Mouse relationship between the US and Canada....every little twitch the big Elephant(US) makes affects the little mouse(Canada) in so many ways. It could be interest rates, trade, military moves, or almost anything. Well, they are finally getting a big taste of Canada. Yesterday was officially Clean Air Day in Canada but.....our forest fire smoke drifted south into New York State and, specifically, New York, making it the most smoke-filled city in the world. The picture shows a very eerie scene and is not unlike a typical day in BC's Okanagan Valley during fire season. So, we now send smoke to the Big Apple to go with other famous Canadian items like maple syrup, electricity, and hockey players. It was so bad that President Biden called Prime Minister Trudeau and asked for more fire fighters and equipment on the job. What do we have now? According to Castanet News, "more than 500 soldiers and military specialists were deployed in Alberta, Quebec and Nova Scotia in response to the fires as of Wednesday, along with equipment including waterbombers and other aircraft; and nearly 1,000 international firefighters from the United States, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand were also in Canada to help, with another 109 expected to arrive in Quebec from France." So it is an international effort. In the meantime Boomers, the mouse is biting the heels of the elephant...maybe a little payback??? And America, it is painful, isn't it? Maybe this will lead to an increased effort on reducing American fossil fuel dependency...
Today is your day Boomer! Relaxing in my hot tub this morning, I had reflections of the 1970 CCR song "Lookin' out my Back Door". Yes, that kind of druggy, but catchy song, about the view of your backyard. Mine is spectacular: colourful sunrises, big ponderosa pines, cheer, apple, fir, and weeping willow trees, two mountains, sheep and chickens next door, two frolicking golden retrievers, beautiful green grass and what seems like a thousand birds...including quail, pheasant, chickadees, woodpeckers, and blue jays. And what else? Well....the quiet, the solitude, and the chance for reflection with no sirens, car noise, yelling people, or neighbours invading your privacy. It was...is...just beautiful, and I am so blessed to live in a rural area in BC's Okanagan Valley. Boomers, what's out your back door? John Fogerty's "tangerines and elephants" or something like my cheeries and coyotes? Check it out and appreciate the little things in life. Cheers...

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