The day prior to the announcement that masks were to be mandatory in Moose Jaw and basically across the province in all public places, I was berated by an individual in Moose Jaw who was also a patron of an establishment for wearing my mask in the public facility. In fact, the guy was absolutely ruthless when it came to his comments that were basically directed at me, mask or not. Believe what you will, conspiracy theories or not, I have the right to wear a mask if I so choose and if you prefer not to, that is your prerogative…Thankfully I won’t be seeing this person without a mask for the next couple weeks, at least, because if he chooses not to wear one in public, he will just have to stay home.
Honestly, the ignorance of some individuals. It seems that some think that bullying others into submission to conforming to their wishes is acceptable. Sorry man, when it comes to me and my health and my choices, I will do what I feel is right for me, especially when I have no problem with you doing what you do as long as it doesn’t affect me.
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In this era of COVID and with a little more time to isolate in our surroundings, I find it exhilarating to fashion the nest for Christmas, possibly a little earlier than usual.
Things are changing, and this past week I did something I haven’t done for more than two decades. We said goodbye to a thing of the past.
About 25 years ago, I went rogue and bought an artificial Christmas tree, defying the fact that we lived in an environment in Northern B.C. where firs were plenteous and within hand’s reach. You may wonder why? The reason being that live trees only have a short lifespan inside and being a close kin to Santa Claus, I wanted to stretch the joy of the season out as long as possible.
After 25 years of being the object of ornamentation and the centre of attention, we had to bid adieu to our treasured friend because its branches were shedding more than a real coniferous.
In its place now stands a seven foot stately but slim artificial tree that doesn’t need the space the other one garnered. As well, the square footage of allowable branches for decorating has been diminished to a two metre base decreasing gradually to the peak, just short of the ceiling where an angel sits that has been perched at the top of the tree for most of those years. The best thing about this new item of adornment are the lights that are already fastened, thanks to advancing technology that I am a little late in appreciating.
The fact that I have less space to deck the boughs means boxes of ornaments, treasured memories, will be shipped to the kids to include in their holiday trimmings. That is a good thing because, after years of accumulation, it is with joy that I can let go of the old…and maybe make room for the new…
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
