Would the Author of this Book Please Step Forward?

On my fabulous vacation this summer, I am sharing space with my mentor and fabulous artist, Lady of the Lake. She's so marvelous and so are her altered books. You can look, but you can't touch.

signed, the willow (from the lake)

How I spend my allowance

*Mila* and I are probably the worst pair of people to shop together. You see, I look at something and she begs me to get it if it's for her OR she begs me to get it if it's for me. When it comes to her dad, she gives it some thought and then generally drops it in the cart with a "whatever". This shopping of ours is now coming to a ceasing halt as we head up North, the True North, for a holiday. There will be Wal-Mart, Home Hardware and maybe a drug store. No IKEA, no GAP, no Old Navy and certainly there will be no H&M.

No Joe Fresh clothes. Just SAAN. I miss the beauty of the lakes and the love of my family in my hometown. But I love the shopping of my new home.

signed, the willow

He's got Style. He's got grace.

He's *STEVE*! And while I'm away on holidays with my parents, I will need this little reminder of him. How sweet he is when his nose hair is not whistling in the breeze. How cute he is to us when I don't have to wash his dirty socks. Even with all these sounds and smells he still makes my heart skip a beat (although I'd like to tackle him to the ground for not letting me take control of the Universe).

I love you *Steve*. See you soon.

xoxoxox, the willow

Welcome to Canada we eat Poutine

If there is a way to make poutine vegetarian, I will find a way. I have this argument all the time with *Steve*: "GRAVY COMES FROM MEAT" Well it does at KFC I'm sure. So I picked up a package of Vegeta (watch out for the MSG) which makes my Croatian husband perky. From this I can whip up a quick gravy. Or IKEA sells a lovely cream sauce that goes with their meatballs. This is what I chose for dinner last night.

1 package of spicy frozen McCain's fries
1 package of IKEA cream sauce
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup cream
1 cup of shredded mozzarella

Bake your fries for about 20 minutes at 425 F. Shred your mozza and while you continue to wait for the fries to cook, make your gravy. The easy way is to put the water and the cream in a pot and boil it. Once boiling, add the IKEA cream sauce and let simmer for 3 minutes. Stir well. When all is cooked, put fries on a plate, top with mozza and pour your cream sauce on top. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper and enjoy. This should make you enough for about 4-6 large portions. Do not blame me for the calories.

signed, the willow

IKEA will be here when we return

*Mila* and I are heading up north to the land where IKEA is only dreamed about in catalogue. That's right. I will be IKEA-less for the remainder of the summer. No frozen yogurts, no quick stop for groceries at the neighbouring Fortinos and the odd cabinet at IKEA. Nope. I will have to suffer and endure the pain of the lack of IKEA.

But the good news is....I bought these 2 cabinets for my kitchen and after having a panic attack while reading the box which read the dimensions as 85 cm x 41 cm, I decided that today was the day to try and put them together anyhow. You see, I bought these horizontal cabinets to put above my dishwasher in a 79 cm wide spot. And according to *Steve* you cannot "fudge" a 6 cm difference. So, I cracked open the box and decided I would make bench seating from the two cabinets I bought. I put one together twice (since I put the back on the wrong way - with the brown side facing out instead of white) and measured it. TA-DA! It was 77 cm wide. I'm assuming that 85 cm was the width of the box itself? I don't get it. It is not like IKEA to make up measurements. It IS, on the other hand, very likely for me to buy the wrong thing at IKEA and make *Steve* return it. I heard him once say to the guys working the return desk: "Ok. So we'll see you tomorrow?" True. And I did send him back the next day with something. I swear to you that I could probably just go down to IKEA buy something, put it together and have *Steve* return it for the sheer fun of it all. IKEA furniture unpacking and assembling is like the thrill of the "hunt" for me. Not that that was a good analogy since I do not condone hunting whatsoever. Don't even think about that! I saved a baby bunny tonight from my dog who scared the frightened thing out of the tall grasses. I'm positive that the baby bunny had endured enough in the storm we had on Saturday. It was borderline tornado.

Alright, so now I have the cabinets and they still need doors. Help me pick the doors okay? I will be painting the remainder of my cabinets WHITE and the walls in the kitchen will be painted apple white for the main wall and our backspash and countertop will be dark slate grey. I've also acquired 2 small VATTERN cabinets from IKEA for the side of the dishwasher. This little "blank" area has become the home to crayons, plastic plates, napkins, you name it. Time to hide it up with these. So which door style shall I pick. ABSTRAKT? AVSIKT? ADEL in white? LIDI? STAT? Time to vote!

signed the willow

Environmental Working Group

I triple dog dare you to go down to your local KFC and order a veggie burger. I tried to tonight since PETA sent me some coupons to receive a free veggie burger with the purchase of one of these fine meatless specimens and the answer to my question was this: "HUH? We don't even sell burgers." Okay hillbillies. I understand that the concept of working in the food industry strips out all of your ethical bones but bear with me. I think you are missing the point and obviously she missed the PETA protest that day too. So I went home burger-less and happily ate my kidney bean, rice, guacamole and salsa wrap that contained way less fat, more protein and did not involve sitting beside the smelly family that jumped out of the back of that camper and hadn't showered for a week.

So, where was I? Oh yeah right HERE. This is the Environmental Working Group. They are the most excellent resource of information and news regarding the anthropocentric impact of chemicals in the environment. Sorry, we are only here for ourselves aren't we? Use their Tuna Calculator, find safe cosmetics that aren't tested on animals, and opt for the kiwis instead of the peaches due to their pesticide in our produce report. The world is a scary place and we have to just start admitting it and doing something about it. Today is gone. We have fewer and fewer tomorrows for our children. If you don't have children, go get some or stare at this picture for a really long time and think about who is harmed.....and yes she is floating like that. She's my Indigo Child.

Heck, if she doesn't make you want to change your ways (because you have heard her scream over a bandaid) then maybe my friend from Sioux Lookout (click on Sioux Lookout to see why my hometown is now so famous - thanks Wikipedia) that now lives at Mountsberg might threaten you the same way his habitat has been threatened and is now living his last years in a cage.

signed, the willow

Genealogy and Dead Ancestors

Every once and a while I google a dead ancestor or two. It keeps me in the genealogy loop. But I'm sad to say that there is no one out there looking for my family members. Or not actively searching.

I will apologize to many of you as you might find no value in researching your ancestors from England and Iceland that have emigrated to Canada, since your ancestors were from Croatia and emigrated to Hawaii. But you might just find something interesting (like Dead Fred!):

1901 Census of England and Wales
A2A English Archives
Ancestry.com
Ancient Faces
Dead Fred
Automated Genealogy - Here you can access some of the Canadian Censuses
BBC History - Blood Lines
Burke's Peerage - Just in case you have blue blood
Family Search - Still the premier place for genealogists (Latter Day Saints)
Genuki - For your UK searching
Rootsweb - If you don't research your family tree, just stop here and search your last name
Free BMD - the place to find free Birth, Marriage and Death certificate information
Free CEN - the place to find Census information
UK Memories
OGS - Ontario Genealogical Society
British History Online
Vital Statistics - Manitoba
Global Genealogy (Canada link)
Origins Network
DNA Genetic Genealogy
Icelandic Genealogy, meet Halfdan



signed the willow

I see ART everywhere

*Steve* is obsessed with chickens and I can't help but love the graphic patterns on the tails of these two. Is one a rooster? I still haven't figured out how they reproduce. I don't want to know. I'm afraid the eggs I'm having for breakfast have something to do with it.

When I took this picture it seemed to have such grand effect which I see is now lost in its presentation. But I love how these cyclists just power pedal their way up these hills over the Escarpment. They are traveling art to me. And the way the road bends and twists here on Guelph Line is so thought-provoking.

And last but certainly not least, the Lowville signs. Such a creative artist rendered each different coloured sign from metal. They are unique, fabulous and each time I see them I could take 900 pictures.

signed, the willow

Peel the Bandage Quick

The past few weeks have been delightful and yet very painful at times. It would seem that *Mila* has developed an anxiety that involves bandages. This would include putting them on and having them removed. While I have struggled with her over changing a band-aid, I've been pushed into a cabinet, been screamed at and pretty much lost my mind and went to 'Crazytown'.

I've peeled the band-aid quick. I've distracted while peeling it off or putting it on. Each time it involves me losing my mind. At one point I videotaped our interaction over the bandage. I found that my reaction to her crying and screaming was a bit over-exaggerated, so I digress.

One day *Mila* will find herself swimming in an ocean with some uber-cute guy and she'll cut her foot on a rock. In a gesture of her date's chivalrous nature, he will attempt to bandage her foot. All the while she'll be kicking him in the shins and shoveling sand into his face. So, perhaps her fear of bandages will prevent her from dating and then she'll be safe as Daddy's Little Girl.

signed, the willow

My Favourite Things #1

When *Steve* and I rented our house in Burlington, we glued these letters to the very dated cabinetry in the bathroom. I took the letters when we left and decided that "Shaw" sounded too much like a cable company, so we stuck with "W@SH". Besides, the local hardware store was sold out of "A"s that day.

Yes, I realize that my "S" is upside down. My mother was happy to put it up for me and she stuck it to the wall with crazy glue. It is not going anywhere and I really couldn't care less.

These letters are still one of my favourite things and while everyone's dog spells out "EAT" in their kitchen, "LOVE" in their bedroom, and "FAMILY" in their living rooms....I still love my "W@SH" and the Chelsea Fog painted walls in our main bathroom. Peter Fallico would approve of my paint colour.

signed, the willow

Fox Mulder Veggies

Because when I met *Steve* he introduced me to the world of Fox and the world of X-Files. While I often fell asleep watching it (like I have during every tribal council ever held on 'Survivor') I sort of took a bit away and I have to admit, I just wanted Scully to get married to Mulder and have his baby. But I think she had an alien baby, didn't she? I forget.

Here are the Fox Mulder Roasted Veggies from my personal recipe vault:

• 1 diced zucchini (something green in honour of the little green men)
• 12 diced cherry tomatoes (something cherry red for the colour of Scully's hair)
• 12-15 small whole mushrooms (for all the fungi and viruses that attached themselves to Mulder)
• 1 chopped hot red onion (for Mulder's love child with Scully that was spiced up with a little Alien DNA)
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• dash of hickory smoke (for Mulder's Dad, the Cigarette Smoking Man)

Place all ingredients in a roaster and toss. Place in oven at 400 for 20 minutes or less. Toss occasionally. Alternatively you can BBQ them or send them into space with an alien passing by.

signed, the willow

This Week at IKEA

That's it. The sale event is over. And there we go. Taking home our new cabinets. Leaving our cart behind.

signed, the willow

Canada? Can we too "tax what we burn"?

In case you don't know what the H-E-double "Sher-woods" I am talking about (or "aboot"), see Al Gore. All good Al's should stand up and be heard. I have to say that Al Gore is a little like Martha Stewart to me. It's not that Martha doesn't know how to cook. I'm sure she does. She just knows how to tell people HOW to cook thanks to a wonderful team that supports her. This team is quite faceless and nameless. And with Al Gore, he's a little bit of the same. "The Scientists" say a lot. Hey! I am a scientist too. Is he talking about me? Shame on you Mr. Gore! We have names you know. And titles too! Have you met my cousin Bugsy? He was an Entomologist. Surprise, Surprise!

Okay, so Mr. Gore has challenged his US governance to become 100% dependable on renewable energy sources in 10 years. Fabulous. Realistic. Necessary. By 2018, I hope that we see what carbon dependant world we are living in and do something before that so we will be alive to see 2018. Thank you Mr. Gore. We need more like you. And more of your "scientists".

signed, the willow

I really didn't see this genetic trait popping up

Do you see a similarity in these photos? And we wondered why where ever we went we heard "Oh! She's so ALERT!"

signed, the willow

Smooooch

This is the beginning of an art "piece" I have begun. Stay tuned. Don't worry. It does not involve Britne, LiLo, J-Lo, Brangelina, Madge, or any other chunks of pleather.

signed, the willow

Got Diarrhea?

As I bent over to kiss *Mila* goodnight, my back locked into position and I felt a shooting pain grab my rear-end.

"My bum! My bum! Owwww! My bum!" I yelped. Hoping that *Steve* would emerge and straighten me out.

Instead, *Mila* grabbed my shoulders and pushed me up to standing. She whispered, "Are you okay, Mom?"

Then she whispered under her breath, so her Dad wouldn't hear, "Got diarrhea?"

I guess we've been watching too many Immodium commercials.

signed, the willow

A Style of Her Own

I have to say that I may guide her in fashion, but ultimately she makes the final decision. And she's no Amy Winehouse (THANK GOD!)

signed, the willow

Finger Paint

An inedible recipe, but safe for kiddies if they get it in their jaws.

Gooey Finger Paint

4 tbsp cornstarch
2 cups cold water

Mix together over medium heat until thick. Will set more as it cools. Divide into 4 containers and add colour. Can keep in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

I take no responsibility for the mess this will create.

And darnit all if I wasn't wrong on the 68 GTO. That WAS the 68 Firebird! HO 350. My Dad's car which would soon be our family car. We wore no seatbelts *Mila*!

signed, the wife of a Car & Driver Enthusiast who owns every issue back to 1983....but did not recognize her own family's car.

When my Childhood Favourite meets my Grown-Up Favourite

signed, the willow

A Different Spin

If I told you that 50 years from now the human race would be obsolete, would you believe me? If I told you that we may just be 1 billion less than we are today with heartache and no hope for our future, would you believe me?

Maybe you should.

A reader of mine directed me to this free e-book about parenting, called 'Endangered'. It's not a how-to book and it's not just for parents to read. It's about our future and the generation we are rearing in our ugly monster world. Most importantly it's about the indifference that parents are taking towards their children. We drop them off at day-cares and expect perfect strangers to raise them the same way we would. Although this stranger is barely making minimum wage and can only give so much care dividing her attention among many. We plunk them in front of TV or the internet or games and we expect them to act quietly as small adults and we don't tolerate the violence that they learn from said media. What are we doing to our future? Don't even get me started on the urge to drop pills into their tiny mouths and calm them down. Calm them down to the point of numbness.

In visiting our local Provincial Park this week, we noticed 2 groups of children. These were large groups. In fact, so large that they were separated into sub-groups of 4. They were there for an outing to learn about nature. Something I don't have to teach my offspring as it's second nature to her and she's been through the nature centre so many times that she can now read the species names of the animals inLatin, backwards. One child was alone in the reptile room with us and she was about *Mila's* age. She wanted us to see the wiggling snake. I could barely understand her. But *Mila* and I smiled at her and listened patiently. *Mila* was a bit upset with who she belonged to. Where was her mother? Her mind was racing. Who is looking after this girl? In a flash of a white shirt, a large arm grabbed the girl "OLIVIA!" and whisked her off to the next room with a multitude of other drones to see the honeybees. *Mila* looked at me puzzled. What could I say? "They're here with their daycare." "DAYCARE?", she questioned me. The woman didn't even make eye contact with her, me or *Mila*. She just grabbed her like a dog that got loose from the yard. Yes and so we decided to observe rather than judge that day.

I watched these kids jump like chimpanzees through the play barn. *Mila* approached each familiar obstacle with grace, intelligence and a sense of caution. Sure she's a kid and she can act like a kid too. But in a room full of monkeys, you tend to let the monkeys take over. Next we watched these children toss their wrappers around the park as if it were the doorsteps of Somalia. What is going on? Are we really letting our children do this to our planet? I overheard another mother there with her two small children: "I want you to hold on to your garbage until we get home where you can put it in our blue box." Why don't all parents and caregivers say this? We generally don't announce it, but we practice it. And more often than not, I find myself picking up at least 3 beverage containers and 2 chip bags where ever we roam. Can't we all just pick up a little? It's not hard. I realize that sometimes it is gross and requires us to wear gloves, have a gas mask and toxic waste barrels. It's not hard to pick up a pop can and dispose of it - CARRY IT TO A GARBAGE CAN - if you can't hold it all the way to a blue bin.

It has become a generation that is now surprised if parents stay together, as their own never did. When a Father is a father and is a part of the lives of his children, it's an anamoly. When a parent quits their job to stay home and raise their family, they are shunned and regaled as a martyr. How dare they give up work? A career is far more important than the life of a child???? Is it? I beg to differ. A career will always be there. A child is only child for so long.

signed, the willow

Family Vacations

These are no where near any vacation that I ever went on. As I was minus 3 years old at the time. They were about to be trashed once by my mother and I think I rescued them from the garbage. At least that's how the memory remains in my head.

When my Dad was about to marry my mom, I guess he and a friend drove off to visit our neighbours to the south: the Americans. Yes, it is true. This is not a legend. Here is what he and his buddy found along the way in the 1968 (?) Pontiac GTO they took.

Vegas. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. See the size of that trophy? It is to cure Unser and many other of his American masculine counterparts of their manly insecurities. Also, I love how the men wear white and yellow pants in the US of A and they stay so clean. How do they do it? Must have lots of phosphates in their soaps.

Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco and Pete Fountain's in New Orleans. They like to stand on street corners and wax poetic in the States. Or so my Dad figures. He tries it out in the French Quarter with a Quebecois accent and the Cajuns run and hide. By the way, my Dad is neither French or from Quebec. I'm sure he could do a could Chretien imitation though.

Texas and a stop for some tires at the Firestone Test Centre. Do you think Andrew Firestone was born yet? (He was a Bachelor on ABC's 'The Bachelor') Is that snow?

Caesars Palace in 1968? Well equipped with Romans. I'm sure the scenery has changed there dramatically over the past 4 decades. I bet they use fake Romans now instead of these paid actors.

signed, the willow

The Green Thumb Craft

Some of us have a green thumb. Some of us have botany degrees and black thumbs. I am the latter of the two. This hydrangea is living proof that I can actually make a plant flower. Stay tuned as now I will use my Botany degree to disect, experiment and mutilate the poor thing. And people wonder why I wasn't a surgeon!

signed, the willow

Did you get a chance to be afraid?

This week *Mila* made a new friend. Meet Winnie.

She also shared lots of giggles and wet shoes with her cousins in the Niagara River/Lake Ontario.
And when the Japanese tour bus let out in Niagara and the tourist in the pink shirt got too close for comfort with our *Mila* by placing her large right arm around *Mila's back....

...I was glad to see *Mila* and her cousin snuggle up nice together away from the tourists.

A little fear is a good thing. Sometimes we do cross the line and visit Crazytown, but I would much rather have a 4 year old that recognizes the fact that it is not normal for a stranger to want to have her picture taken with you than getting on that tour bus with the pink lady and heading back to Japan to make Polly Pockets. Or was that China?

signed, the willow

Style-LESS

Today, we've got a bad cat in our house named "Fluffy" or "Buttercup". She's been banned from sleeping inside our house until she stops releasing her anal glands on our couch. By the way, she's a stuffed animal from IKEA. She's been duly warned, nonetheless.

In visiting a favourite haunt of *Steve's* and a secret haunt of mine (the Re-Use Centre), we were able to get this hard-wired chandelier that had been ripped out of someone's ceiling in desperate frustration for all of $5.

When it came into the house, *Steve* immediately took it out to the garage, hung it upside down and gutted it of electrical remains. Then he followed up with a coat of black matte Tremclad spray paint. Hey, That is my hairdryer!!!

When all was done, we plopped in 5 tea lights (which fit perfectly) and added some gems from IKEA. The bottom plus-shaped jewel? Well, in 1985 those were dangling from my ears. Yearbook anyone? It's been 20 years since I danced in that high school gym at my "senior prom".

signed, the willow

I'm not making supper

and therefore, I have no recipe today. Just a link of a great little vegan girl and her plethora of original vegan recipes. She's a gem.

The Chocolate Covered Vegan

signed, the willow

Oh, I do think it the most wonderful thing

This little IKEA swing supported both my niece and my daughter together as they swung on it last night at 10 pm. Crazy long summer nights. Aren't they the best? (I swing on it all the time when *Mila* is not looking)

signed, the willow

Blink

If you close your eyes and blink on one side of the bridge, you might think it was a beautiful sunny day. Then you get off the bridge on the other side of the lake and here is how beauty becomes the beast.

sighed, the willow

100 Years Later We're Still Driving Cars That Use Gasoline

I started to think about a car that my grandmother remembers in her childhood, their family car: a McLaughlin-Buick. I can't source what year the car was at this time. But in googling this Canadian car manufacturer I discovered this. And then this. Truly this car was around 100 years ago.

My grandmother can remember touring in the family McLaughlin up to the Interlake area and driving to Piney, Manitoba to set up a campsite for the night. She said that my great-grandfather, her dad, loved to camp and he would throw a blanket over the boughs of a tree and voila! campsite. Can you imagine if we suggested that to our children now-a-days? Sleep on the ground? Never? Mosquitoes? I'm sure they were just as abundant then as they are now in Piney, Manitoba. When I lived in Winnipeg, I can remember not being able to run from the house to the detached garage without being EATEN ALIVE!

Okay, so they had a car. They drove it around. It ran on gasoline. Now, I'm sure that they were not driving this car in 1908 as my grandmother was not yet born. But we have been driving cars using gasoline for over 100 years. In a very short time we've been able to perfect the microwave oven, the personal computer, BlueTooth technology, and tiVo. Yes, but we still continue to tap into a non-renewable resource to run our cars. Hmm? I wonder if there are some controlling powers hard at work here. Fighting for these natural resources. Pumping them from the earth, destroying all living things in their way and starting wars from their fear and greed. When we can't think of what we can now fill our tanks with, we turn to corn. Corn? Yes, corn? So, now animals are starving, people are starving - for our damn cars! What is wrong with this?

signed, the willow

DIY Money

Materials Required:

Printer Paper (16 sheets)

Scanner/Printer (colour ink)

Gel Markers (or your favourite marker)

1 roll of transparent contact paper

Paper Guillotine

Design your money to your specifications. I let *Mila* pick the colours and doodle her designs on them.

Scan each denomination into your scanner/computer and then using Powerpoint or your favourite photoshopping software arrange the money in a more manageable size on one sheet. Print off 10 copies.

"Laminate" the money by "sandwiching" each sheet between the contact paper. You can print on the back as well, but we kept it simple.

Cut out your money and set up shop!

signed, the willow

Attack of the Killer 4 Year Old

When you were four did you dream of what you would one day become? I know that I wavered between being a ballerina or a gymnast. But I never dreamed that I could do both. It was as if our parents had only one career throughout their lives (or so they thought they would) and we too had to choose our careers carefully and not stray from these plans. Tonight over a spaghetti dinner, *Mila* chose to describe in great detail what she would some day become. She, like other children her age have seen their parents hop from job to job, career to career and struggle with their own identities. Sometimes I think that *Mila* and her peers are really here to guide their parents more than anything. She told me of how she will be a ballerina in Swan Lake so her grandmother can see her perform for Gramma's first ever ballet, win a gold medal in gymnastics at the Olympics, be an artist, become a doctor and then save the polar bears from extinction. She surely will have more dreams to come and I'm so glad that she can recognize that she CAN do all of these things. It really is possible. Shouldn't we all set our own standards this high?

signed, the willow

O What a Canada Day

We are winding down our day from a wonderful Canada Day. We couldn't have asked for better weather. The sun shone the entire day. No clouds, no rain, no hail, no thunderstorms, no tornadoes. Just a light cool breeze to cool us down when we asked. It was as if the earth was celebrating Canada Day (in this part of the country) and gave us what we asked for. We hiked through the Dundas Valley and stopped to play soccer, eat popsicles and dodge horse unh-huhs. We explored the Griffin House and met a young girl who had spent countless of her grade 5 hours meticulously preparing a presentation on the Griffin family and their arrival into Canada via the Underground Railroad. Which I had imagined to be an actual railroad underground for several decades. It's a part of our history in Canada that we is often shadowed with the stories of perhaps other struggles. Slaves did exist in Canada and were recorded in the history books in this area. In fact, Mohawk leader Joseph Brant was recorded to have purchased a young slave girl and later sold her as a 12 year old slave girl. Nasty times. The Griffin House stands atop a hill and looks across the valley across to the rim of the Niagara Escarpment. I love the view and will never tire of it.

Then we were asked by *Mila* to stop off at a local farm for ice cream and to jump inside of an inflatable caterpillar. We manage to always show up after their sweet potato fries are sold out. So we opted for the regular potato fries and *Mila* had the best time jumping around inside the rectal cavity of the inflatable worm. Ah, good times. Then we came home, splashed around in our abundant resource: water from the sprinkler. We went to DQ for some dessert after dinner and brought the dog. After we filled up our tank for just shy of $60, we drove out to the country side and day dreamed about trees and trampolines, inflatable caterpillars and we spotted 3 deer munching on a farmer's corn field. I had a great day and I'm so glad that I can relax and sleep safely in my home with my windows open at night, rest assured that my family will all be alive in the morning due to our reliable health care, drink water from my sprinkler (although a grey water tank would be nice) and be able to fall asleep to the cracks, whirrs and bangs of fireworks tonight instead of warfare. Thank you Canada. We are the TRUE NORTH, STRONG & FREE!

signed, the willow