No More Thoughts, No More Prayers. THIS IS MASSIVE

 

And I am impressed about the young generation, the students, many of them losing their friends and siblings in meaningless gun fire in a place which has failed to keep them safe, their schools and colleges. 

This is the time for the "Good Ole Boys" throughout the United States, to drop off their assault weapons. This is the time for the government to show a last piece of spine in protecting the citizens of the U.S. against senseless killing sprees. Tell the NRA to go F*ck themselves. Kick them out of politics, rate them for what they really are, a terrorist organization. And prosecute them to the full extent of the law. If the law has been corrupted under previous governments, then change the law NOW.

The nation-wide "Marches for our Lives" have mobilized hundreds of thousands and even other countries have joined in solidarity. America MUST change its gun laws. And of course the next goal of these wonderful young people is the midterm elections. Be sure that no gun enthusiast, no NRA rep will get their vote. These young people will change the course of the U.S. 

And Here I Am Again...With Headaches

Between all common maladies of coughing, fever, sinus problems and other every-day illnesses, headaches are the most debilitating for me. It's like I feel nailed to the couch, a never ending tiredness pushing me into the pillows. I sleep 9hrs at night and another 5 on the couch. And that is exactly what I have been doing yesterday and a good part of today. Tylenols are like candy and don't show any effect, which was the reason why I sent Bea to the pharmacy this morning to get more appropriate remedies. And she brought some capsules filled with a yellowish content, Ibuprofen being one of the ingredients. To my huge surprise, the stuff got me pain free within the hour. 3 hours later I took another one and I am feeling like new. 
Since it is only 3 more days until I have to endure a 12hr. flight to Germany, encompassing 2 plane changes, I was getting seriously worried that I had caught the flu. After all, there would have been plenty opportunity, as I had been traveling more than 2000 miles back home from Manitoba, staying in motels and eating in restaurants. Besides, that is precisely the reason why we preferred and enjoyed the RV-lifestyle. Sleeping in your own bed and eating your own food has the potential to keep you out of trouble.  
As I am still killing hours on the couch, I have company from Dixie, who is looking after dad, making sure he is still alive. You just can't beat the loyalty of a dog. I am sure they feel when something is not right or normal. Dixie has now reached a size of a small calf. At 7.5 months she still has more growth coming. We are more than curious to see what weight she eventually will end up with.

Yesterday we had what I hope will be the last snow day for our area. It was coming down so vision was kind of limited to the next house, but luckily temps were slightly above freezing, so we didn't get much accumulated snow on the ground and the next few days will be well above freezing, so whatever we have of snow still around, should be gone quickly. And it's about time that winter is moving on and out.

Spring Has Not Sprung

It's quite obvious that we have been betrayed. The other day I was walking through a Walmart store overhearing a joyfully shouted conversation between two employees. When one said to the other "It's the first day of spring today and look how lovely it's outside", I couldn't but break into their conversation telling the fellow not to be too loud and enthusiastic about it, for the next Nor'Easter was already on the way to hit the area. 
But the guy was right about being nice outside. The sun was warming and the temps were well above the freezing mark. There WAS spring in the air, even though the huge heaps of snow around the parking lot told the tale of winter not being so very far way. And we had another day of milder temps today, but by tonight new snow is gonna cover the old snow once again and winds will be howling around the house corners.  

No, - calling it spring is more than being optimistic,

Over the past years we have seen a gradual change of the winter season. While it would "normally" start to snow from beginning of December, intensifying into the New Year with lots of snow in the first two months of the year, it has been unusually "nice" this year. But it looks like winter is reigning more and more in March and some times even into April, (God forbid) with a rather cold spring season to follow. 
The latter would spell disaster for Bea's ambitious plans to produce the yearly amount of tomato plants. She has a number of "orders" from neighbours. 

Between the cold spells I have been dealing with the Mercedes and its registration. Had to fork over 15% sales tax to the government plus the yearly registration fee. But I still anticipate this province to go bankrupt as the government seems to be populated by incompetent people whose only knowledge is how to celebrate themselves. 

But lets not go there...really. We know it's not gonna change.

Where Is My Desire To Travel Long Distances?

For most of my life the desire for traveling has been a major force for me, and the meaning of being home and enjoying home has never meant much to me. And once in a while I am still dwelling on ideas and plans for trips far away, but my desire to hit the road for long trips has been greatly diminished.
Of course, I am asking myself what has changed and why? Friends and family have always regarded me as "unsettled". At a young age I moved from Germany to Norway. I moved within Norway, and finally the biggest dream of my life became reality when moving to Canada. Then we moved a couple of times within Canada.

So why did I start to truly enjoy being home and hesitate to go on a long trip?

The answer may be in layers. First of all, we have found a place to live in, I truly enjoy.

This small community with its island life seems to be what has filled me with great satisfaction. We are running a little business here, and where ever we pull up either here on the island, or across the border, people know who we are and what we are doing. We have grown an identity, we are part of a local society. We have come to stay. But I have also grown older and maybe even a bit wiser. I have come to appreciate these previously unknown to me values.
Our previous travels through the U.S. have shown us great landscapes, and we have met many nice people, some becoming friends for life. The value of these experiences remains undiminished, at the same time it seems like the glass of my curiosity has been filled. Yet, I will not exclude the thought of never returning to winter travels, but that might still be in the future.