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April Reign

Speak your mind even if your voice shakes

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Apartment Living is Crushing My Soul

07/26/2015 by Debra

laundry billowing in the breeze
Watching the laundry billowing in the breeze..

Apartment living is crushing my soul.

I feel as though I have lost my connection to life. Time and seasons pass but nothing changes. It’s the same four walls. The difference only whether there is snow or leaves on the trees I can see through the balcony door.

I long for a garden. To smell and feel the earth between my fingers. To watch for signs of life in the spring. To watch the bees too laden with pollen to fly on drowsy summer afternoons.

I long to plant bulbs in the fall. The anticipation of seeing their colourful nodding heads carrying me through the short snowy days of winter. I even miss shovelling that snow.

I miss my bird feeders. The birdsong a constant joyful refrain through all the days of the year. Watching them with their babies, searching for bugs in the garden or huddling in the bushes on a snowy winters day darting out now and again for seed. Their constant unyielding perseverance through storms and against obstacles an inspiration.

I miss having a kiddie pool to splash around in. Even though my kids have long outgrown one, no one is too old for a splash on a muggy summer’s day.

I miss my laundry line. Watching the laundry billowing in the breeze or hanging on for dear life on a blustery late fall day. The fresh glorious smell of outdoors and sunshine that lingers on the clothes.

I miss having BBQ’s the smell of the flames gently searing the meat or grilling the veggies.

Instead I wander through life as though it is a library. Borrowing the smell of someone else’s BBQ, the sight of their laundry billowing on the line. Borrowing the sights and smells of their gardens.

I find myself becoming bitter and jealous in my little cocoon world.

I long to have a patch of earth to tend again. To wander in late winter and early spring to see which plants have dared to poke their heads out despite the raging weather. To feel freshly mown grass between my toes. To watch the progression of life through the garden seasons.

Like a newly emerged butterfly I want to sit out on my patch of earth and feel the sun’s warmth spreading over me.

Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: #HamOnt, apartment living, depression

Puppy Love

04/05/2014 by Debra

Nothing of great social or political import just some cute shots of the dog. 🙂

Filed Under: Blogging

Snowy Afternoon Walking With My Dog

02/01/2014 by Debra

A few pics and short video showing just how hard it was snowing. Looks lovely and for once wasn’t bitterly cold.

Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: Hamilton, Robbie, snow

What Happens When You Just Don’t Clique?

01/18/2014 by Debra

alone-with-peopleThe internet has been fantastically effective in allowing people to communicate. While post and phones and radios did allow communication across distances, they were not as easy and accessible as such things as Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Tumblr etc. are.

Social networks have brought together political nations, self defined nations such as Leaf Nation and Ford Nation (both the vehicle and train wreck varieties), political groups, those looking for medical support the list goes on.

And yet while some find their voice, or ‘friends’ beyond number or become ‘Tumblr famous’ others feel even lonelier than ever. Being an introvert or being socially autistic, as Stephen Merchant describes himself in Hello Ladies, seems to carry over even into the social networking sphere.

charlie-brown-footballIt is a lonely business to be on social networks and imagine you have friends only to find you were fooling yourself. Rather like Charlie Brown thinking this will be the time he kicks that ball only to have Lucy pull it away again at the last moment.

Social networks do contribute to a more democratic and inclusive way for the world to relate to one another, however, they also contribute to and reinforce the exclusionary nature of cliques. Those of us who always found ourselves on the sidelines continue to find ourselves watching while the cool kids make connections and lifelong friendships.

Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: introverts, social networking, Tumblr, twitter

Facebook and Progressive Values

01/15/2014 by Debra

I deleted my Facebook account awhile ago because I could no longer feel right with myself visiting a site which so clearly violates my principles. Complaints about misogynist groups advocating rape and other abuses towards women, groups degrading those with physical or mental handicaps were regularly met with ‘this does not violate Facebook standards’ yet apparently perfectly lovely shots of breastfeeding mothers do. Tattoos on breast cancer survivors seem to also.

However, I have found myself wondering if standing up for my principles does anything but soothe my conscience. I see many many progressives on Facebook and I have to wonder why it bothers me so much if it doesn’t bother them? At least not enough for them to leave.

This isn’t the first time I have taken a principled stand only for it to seem meaningless. I wonder if anyone else has this type of experience? Is there anything you have done, not done, quit because it seemed right to you, yet others who seem to share your values don’t feel the need to do the same?

Filed Under: Blogging, Politics Tagged With: facebook, feminism, progressives

Classy Move Kickstarter

06/19/2013 by Debra

Following Facebook’s example of giving sexist, abusive douchebags a free pass, Kickstarter is refusing to take down Redditor Ken Hoinsky’s dating advice book.

Above the Game: A Guide to Getting Awesome With Women, includes such gentlemanly dating advice as “grab her hand and put it right on your dick.” Another excerpt posted on Reddit suggests “force her to rebuff your advances” .

Do Something.org has a petition requesting Kickstarter reverse it’s decision.

As Andrew Nacin opined on twitter;

Hey @Kickstarter, how many sexual assault victims do you intend to be responsible for? You guys suck. http://t.co/naodfRsq4n

— Andrew Nacin (@nacin) June 19, 2013

Filed Under: media Tagged With: Kickstarter, Reddit, sexism

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