Another day of gardening

Sun today  but the air quality is at 53 and no precipitation for at least two days. Canada is on fire once again although the forest fires did not go out during the winter months this past winter which is unusual; not enough snow to dampen them. Today clearing the back of the garden of weeds getting ready for fresh earth there as well and clearing out weeds from inside the raspberry patch. May marches onward towards planting days and this is always the busiest month of the year outside. I find it funny to see me out there for hours clearing the land of weeds so that the planting can take place. I have been doing that since 2011 every spring. Not liking gardening doesn't mean I do not garden though. I do agree with my husband; you shouldn't have land if you are not going to use it; maintain it. It is a struggle though as my writing calls to me to come back and work on it!

Heard from my cousin again (half third cousin two times removed) and perhaps one day will hear if the picture of my great grandparents has survived. There was a house fire apparently. I know what the picture looks like and it would be interesting to see a copy but I do not have to own the original; originals are not my thing. But I am curious about Ellen (Taylor) Buller. My grandmother talked about her mother quite a bit actually and I would share that information with this cousin for whom she is a 3x great grandmother (my great grandmother). There is so much known detail about Ellen but her parents remains a likelihood rather than an absolute for sure without a matching DNA on one of the lines of her siblings. This Ellen placed into this particular family where she appears to belong had six siblings (one likely brother Frank died at ten years of age). I did hear from a descendant of one of the other likely siblings in this family who said he was related but there is this part of me that really does like to see DNA results. Oh well, the advent of this ability did bring me into genealogy really along with my cousin needing his Pincombe Profile so it is unlikely I will ever change in that regard.

But that was the extent of my looking at genealogy; it is on the back burner for probably a couple of months although will dip in and out likely when there is time. 

Horrifying news that Prime Minister Fico of Slovakia has been shot. What sadness there can be in the world. I can feel the sadness as the world grips with terrorist monsters who try to legitimize their actions when they are really just terrorism - that is how wars begin with terrorist acts. Why oh why can this sickness not disappear from our world; this hatred for no reason except generations of desire and greed for something that was never yours in the first place. 

Nearly breakfast time and then Latin; the order changes somewhat in the spring with gardening duty. So far the two transplanted hosta  have survived and will water them again today just to help them along. I did free all of the hostas from the surrounding wild flowers. I should have done that earlier but just did not get it done. I did make a stab at it last week but not enough for sure. Now they are clear although still more to do. The wild flowers are tough and hardy as they snake through the land. The dandelions have bloomed and will soon die down but we left a big patch of them in the middle of the front of the yard for the bees to pollinate and they have been busy out there for sure. 

On to the day. 

As I wait for my dental appointment I am thinking about China and why it would side with Russia with regard to the terrorist war that Russia wages against Ukraine. Is it about owning the world? Does anyone really own the world? No, it is populated by a whole lot of people formed into countries mostly of their choosing and owning all of us is just slavery on the part of aggressive countries. Slavery never really goes well in the long run. There are so many examples. Why can we not have peace? The Americans in particular funded both China and Russia during World War II to help them fight off nazism. But yet Russia and China both hate America and blame it for whatever they can think of at the moment. So why is that? Is it just jealousy that America is successful and a world leader in trade and they jealously and covetously want that? Probably, desire for money is basically the root of all evil; it is like a drug and they want all of it. Too bad really as the world could be a lovely place but for aggression by Terrorist Russia against Ukraine and Terrorist Hamas in Gaza against Israel. Being able to defend yourself doesn't change the actual happening. China remains an enigma in all of this though I do have to admit. One goes from thinking China is interested in having a world at peace and not necessarily all communist to questioning curiosity. Their brand of communism is somewhat different in that there is people control on the city level type of thing it would appear. But yet they do have a military that is militaristic. When one considers that the most important item on our agenda is Climate Change though it is strange to see any country going out of their way to abuse another country in any way and that includes Nazi Russia against Ukraine and Nazi Hamas in Gaza against Israel. For I think they truly are copying Hitler with their abuse of people and complete disregard for any normalcy in our world that isn't controlled by them. Small scale right now but the desire for greater control is ever present in their actions. Does one include China in that? We wait and watch. At the moment China has more of the look of Franco as he too listened to Hitler and his adherents but never really moved to assist with the torture that Hitler released on the world in 1939 in particular. In this case the torture has been released by Nazi Russia and Nazi Hamas. Both attempt to justify their actions by lies with their adherents trying to create support around the world (more in the case of Nazi Hamas with the camp-ins here, marching on our streets celebrating Hamas after 7 October last certainly indicates adherents in our country disgusting though it is).

I do find it interesting that Homo neaderthalensis died out because of Climate Change but lucky for us Homo sapiens we were able to manage in that time of change. But probably we were unified and working together to survive the ravages of the Ice Age at that time (also climate change). Anything that isn't the normal climate is Climate Change. Now Nazi Russia and Nazis Hamas in Gaza are challenging the world order and trying to take what is not theirs inflicting enormous hardships on people. Nazi Hamas is responsible for all the deaths in Gaza and Israel; all the hardships in Gaza and Israel as they continue to bomb Israel and fight the Israeli army in Gaza (the Isrealis want their hostages back whether they are alive or dead) inflicting even more deaths on the Palestinians. If you see that differently it is because you do not see that Israel, the country brutally attacked, has a right to defend themselves against the enemy Nazi Hamas. Hamas has said they will continue committing barbaric acts against Israel presumably until the last Nazi Hamas is dead in Gaza. Hezbollah has every intention it would appear of continuing to fight against Israel as well but they are a different kettle of fish and the people of Lebanon are less willing to lie down and die for Hezbollah it would appear. The facts are pretty clear unless you are vegetating on the news reels which show the at the moment horror which was totally created by Nazi Hamas to gain your support - I do find it abhorrent that Nazi Hamas does this to influence people and those people allow it to happen.

Gardening today

Another gardening day today and probably for quite a few days. Must get the weeds pulled and then the fresh garden earth on the beds. Will look lovely I am sure. 

The month of May is one half through now and it has moved quickly. We looked at bedding plants yesterday and do need to buy them very soon. I think though that the large garden will be three rows of sunflowers and then lettuces/spinach three rows and two rows of green onions. Not much grows under the Black Walnut tree. Then the tomatoes and peppers off to the far side and back of the house. Cucumbers and herbs in two other spots. Then at the back of the garden carrots and beans. Sounds good and the work is ahead of us for sure. 

Moved two hosta plants yesterday and will see if they transplant well. Otherwise might buy two hosta plants. But their prior location was not very handy. Will move the rest of the earth to the front today and that will be finished. The lawn has filled in not too badly along the road edge. Need to weed the bricks along the side of the laneway. Never a dull moment for sure. Hard to believe I do not actually like gardening. That was always Edward's thing but I used to help him when he asked me. 

No work on the books I do not think today but that isn't surprising given that it is summer and more time outside than in.  

Breakfast and then latin and then outside into the fresh clean air for the moment - smoke is on the horizon apparently. The air quality is at 48 this morning and was just high 20s yesterday. 

Gardening beckons

I think the next two weeks will be mostly dedicated to getting the yard ready for the summer including planting of the garden. Although I may get a little done on extraction from Find My Past it will not be my primary work for the next four weeks. Busy times ahead and all that lovely exercise! Although gardening is not something that I really enjoy it is very healthy work. 

Had an interesting email from someone my husband knew in Paris, Ontario. They share the same surname and Edward has attempted through the fifty plus years that he did genealogy to link them but no success. One Kipp family located to the Niagara area and appear to be Quaker. There was a Henry Kipp in Northeast Town who was also Quaker but putting together information on this area in New York is very difficult. A lot of material was lost during the Revolution. However, he mentioned that he had found interesting material in the Dutch Reformed Church records so left it with him to let my daughter know (via me) what he had located. I created the Kip-Kipp Family Newsletter to publish the last sections of Edward's work and to carry on reporting on the Kip-Kipp yDNA study at FT DNA. There are a number of Kip-Kipp families in the United States and Canada but they are not all descendant of the Kip family of New Amsterdam/Amsterdam. New Amsterdam now being New York City.  It would be nice to find others continuing to work on these southwestern Ontario Kipp families. Their arrival in the area ranged from the 1770s to the 1800s. Edward collected a lot of material on his own lines coming down from Isaac Kipp and Hannah (Mead) Kipp. But also he collected material on the Tillsonburg Kipp family. One of the testers at FT DNA in the study is from the Tillsonburg Kipp family. 

The next newsletter will be the Pincombe-Pinkham Newsletter on the 1st of June although I will start creating that this next week. 

Raining today so will don my rainwear and go out and weed unless it is thunder and lightning. Weeding is good in the rain for sure! We need to move a couple of hosta plants that are being crowded out in the front garden by the globe cedar. Also need to trim that. Edward had that down pat and used an electric wand to do that. Not sure I am going to wield that but we will see. It did do a good job for sure and much quicker than clippers. 

Again the ominous sounds of war preparation as Russia continues to attack the innocent people of Ukraine. Prayers for Ukraine. Everyone who suspected Stalin of being an aggressor against the countries around Russia were so right in 1940 when the Hitler-Stalin pact was created dividing Poland in half between them. I had forgotten that pledge was only for ten years that they would not attack each other but then Hitler could never be trusted. Although I have always had much sympathy for the Russian people with all their losses during World War II and their valiant stand against Hitler (with all that aid from the allies - United States in particular but also England and the Commonwealth) Russia did stand by and watch as Hitler decimated Poland and then moved in to take the half promised by the pact. But we did believe that lie that Russia was just getting ready to have to fight Germany (it was convenient to do so for sure). The world was in turmoil though and any ally was better than an enemy!

Israel is committed to freeing their hostages and prayers for them for sure. The inhumane conditions under which they have lived these seven months is horrendous and not mentioned enough in the General Assembly of the United Nations or the news outlets. Hamas brought all of this down on the heads of the Palestinians and Hamas is responsible for every death on both sides. The Israelis though are good at hunting out cowards - they were very efficient eliminating all of the Nazis possible after the Second World War. NO  one wants to see Palestinians die especially the children (why could the people here in North America not bring thousands of them here) - Hamas does not care they are just news fodder and so they hide amongst them to increase the possibility of the death of Palestinians not engaged in conflict. I do wonder what the reaction of any other country would have been if the 7th October last brutal barbaric attack had been on their country?  No one thinks it will happen to them and yet it was the second such attack - Russia's attack on Ukraine was as well and continues. Ukraine continues to fight back but they are outnumbered 4 to 1.

I am opposed to sit-ins/camp-ins though especially on our publicly supported university campuses (love it when the police remove them). Blocking people from using these facilities should be illegal. The encampments are destroying the property and it will cost real money to repair them. Write letters, have interviews but camping on publicly supported university property should be illegal. There should be a curfew on protests from dusk to dawn; nothing at night. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is so right that we are a God loving country but it should not support these ridiculous protests that inconvenience people beyond their being on the sidewalks (opposite whatever is going on) with their signs. Flags larger than 30 cm x 30 cm should not be permitted unless they are flags of Canada and we have a lot including the First Nations flags, the provincial and territorial flags and the national flag. I read what you have to say; I just do not agree with you and that is what the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is about - the right to differ.  Hamas is the problem and they continue to be the problem; Hamas needs to get out of Gaza. They have had twenty years to aid the Palestinians; they have not. They only feather their own nest. The Palestinians are human beings and after three generations in one place they should have a successful prosperous country (the land is rich to grow crops) not a country still totally dependent on the hands outs in particular food from the United Nations which is the product of the labour of people around the world. All this death though is very saddening.

Time for exercise and breakfast. Latin next and then the work of the day begins.

Cleaning Day once again

Cleaning Day once again and it will be the basement. The daily routine of life is perhaps the most interesting and one goes through so many different stages  in life from babyhood which no one remembers to toddler again  no memory to preschool which has some memories and then school forever it seems but soon done and, in my case marriage at 20, all those adventures after we bought a car into the natural world around us. Although I always  had an interest in the natural world Edward had always been restricted because he did not have a car as a child and so mostly in his own home town of Princeton, Ontario. For me somewhat broader although restricted to Ontario except my first trip to the United States in Grade Eight on our graduation trip to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenwich Village. All those plants that Edward and I saw and I shall get that organized to rescan the original slides to *.tif as some of them were fabulous to see - Indian Pipe perhaps one of the most interesting finds although the lady slipper always ranks up there amongst others. It was a whole new world to Edward but my mother had always pointed out the beauty of nature to us as she lived on a farm as a child with all that land to enjoy. Our first child when I was 28 (Edward was 31) but his joy was huge looking at that perfect child with the bright blue eyes exactly like his looking back at him. I remember that so very well as he was not there for the birth. Then moving away from everything I knew to Ottawa at 29 was both an adventure and really tested my ability to manage driving since I depended so  much on landmarks (unable to read those tiny road signs!). And the story goes on and on but in the same place with just us until we were joined by our second one eight years later (eight years one month and two days to be exact). By then the days were settled into a routine and I was busy marking at that time but soon back to proofreading and copyediting and my eldest in school. And now I am 78.5 years of age and I have meandered through life looking about and noticing lots and lots of details as that is my way - to absorb all those details. Still in the same house we bought back in 1978. It is pretty much the same although Edward added details that made it his own. He was content too although he and the girls had gone off looking at new houses years earlier but did not find quite the one they wanted. 

The day wears on and I must get the robot running on the rug in the basement. Breakfast too and my first Latin lesson of the day. 

God bless the world and help us to see that your words to us through Moses give us the best path to existence - love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbour as yourself. On to the day. 

One of my mysteries resurfaced today with the comment that the people of New Guinea carry 5% Denisovan DNA - however did our family acquire 3% Denisovan DNA is something I have not yet solved although suspect it comes from my ancient maternal line H11 which wintered in Ukraina and came to now Scotland in the British Isles probably 8,000 plus years ago. Amazing really and this was a very interesting article and has made me late today reading it.

Weighing in on working at home

I had not really thought to weigh in on this subject but having worked at home for the better part of 1.5 decades I do have an opinion actually. When I took on the job of proofreading in my thirties and in some cases editing and proofreading, the plan was for me to work at home coming in three mornings a week for a brief time to pick up my work and deliver my work. Modern computer technology has rendered that type of coming in to be unnecessary although it is always good to have face to face comments so I think coming in would still be the best option personally. When I replaced the permanent proofreader I did start to come in every morning until noon and worked at home in the afternoon. My lunch break was the trip home every day. That still fulfilled my personal preference of being with my children up until they went to school and then being there when they returned from school. I think the government has a right to expect people to be in their office with their colleagues every day personally but three times a week is really a gift to people and they should see it as such and grab it and run back to work with it. The new employees who work full time in the office  have a right to that teaching aspect of the job received from "older" employees so that they can quickly learn the ropes as they are the future (do not deprive youth of this valuable lesson). The Pandemic was an eye opener for all of us but we can quickly return to the style of living that preceded it because that is the best way. Not all jobs lend themselves to working at home and the government shouldn't be subsidizing such work types when they really belong in the collegial environment of a workplace. As the generation behind me (the baby boomers - I do not really count because I was born two weeks after VJ day and I skipped a grade putting me right in with the War Babies so to speak) ages and ceases to exist, that huge block of people will no longer dominate the scene and the medical care will return to a normal level without all those aging people requiring a vast amount of care. That will change the dynamics of the working world back more or less to what existed when I was young and most people were young. The working world will expand once again so to speak to dominate industry and production and the dynamics will be so different to what exists presently. So back to work in the office unless your job was already mostly at home before the pandemic and three days a week is a gift really as it should be five! When I did stay home I went to school one day every week and helped in the classroom of my child with whatever task although with my youngest daughter that ended up being computers since they were a new item, teachers not yet really familiar with them and I had already been involved with computers for about a decade in my working career prior to children. The schools are important and parents can serve a useful purpose in them as unpaid labour to keep those costs down if they are working at home (I just made up the time in the evening proofreading!). Certainly my time spent doing remedial English reading with French Immersion students was time well spent (it was interesting though that in my little class of twelve students only two were girls).

Efficiency is the most important item in government, Brian Mulroney was right about that. Tax payer money is being used and the government should be as careful as it can be. We work hard for our money and it must be well spent. Increase the GST back up to 7% or 10% and keep the income tax level itself low. That is taxing the rich efficiently. There are enough safeguards in the GST to keep it from inflicting pain on people with lower wages.  Probably one needs to look at the leveling of GST and see whether or not that percentage can be increased on items like alcohol and cigarettes and other luxury items. If you legalize drugs then put a substantial GST (like 40%) on that as well (and yes I know that encourages black market but go after the dealers, confiscate their drugs (test them to be sure they are not tainted) and sell them, helps to pay off the national debt!). One can see the benefits to living in Canada and they are huge. We are so much better off than other countries. 

So I need the Conservatives to prove that they are Brian Mulroney conservatives interested in good efficient government. I do not want to see them supporting radical right wingers at any time (it is better if hard-line conservatives remain hidden in the wood work (their extreme views do not serve a useful purpose in a democratic society) and definitely not camping out in downtown Ottawa). Do not expect to be in power more than one term because you are always going to do the hard things; reduce waste in government and that generally puts you out of power but the efficiency stays because the Liberals know very well that things like the GST have benefited Canada enormously. 

Sunday once again and I must get my mind back into Sunday; one does struggle on occasion to remember this is the Lord's Day. Church on YouTube and yesterday I watched the next lecture in the series and we are discussing Jerusalem. I need to read Judges, 1st and 2nd Kings (and perhaps nip into Jeremiah and Ezekiel when watching the lecture the second time through). Absolutely fascinating this series The Untold Story of the Kingdom of Judah from Tel Aviv University on YouTube. I always knew the story but this in depth look with the Bible, archaeological findings and the extant historical documents is an eyeopener. The days move by quickly and sometimes I do lose track of time and the date!

God be with the world as we move forward in time - the distances between countries has shrunk enormously but the chasm in political differences is huge with so many terrorists greedily trying to suck up power but primarily for the money it gives them they have no desire to make the world a better place for the bulk of the population only themselves and their adherents.