Eye for an Eye

When certain crimes hit the newswave, I sometimes turn a blind eye. Mostly because of my disgust of the actual crime. And most often when children and animals are the victims of the crime.

But I can't ignore this one. I lived in Winnipeg for years off and on and in the last few years it began to change. For the worse. In fact, a few years after we moved away there was a police shooting across the street from our old home. Our home. It wasn't the best neighbourhood, but it certainly wasn't the worst. Just honest people making a living. Seniors rocking on their back porches facing the back lane of Winnipeg, swatting mosquitoes that drift in off the Red River.

Nikita Eaglestick, 19, was charged with attempted murder and abduction after she was seen smashing a 14-month old girl's body into a sidewalk. According to the news report on www.globalwinnipeg.com, "Witnesses say the baby's mother was at the home but left for a short time while the baby was sleeping." But first, let me tell you that there was a house party going on. So, the report continues that Nikita must have snuck into the house and abducted the young child. If it weren't for a neighbour, who thought he was witnessing an attack on a cat, the little girl might already be dead.

What the? Seriously, what kind of drugs do you have to inject, ingest, or inhale to commit such a heinous crime? I don't think I want to know. I do know this, I once bought some fish close to where the incident happened, from a fish market. The whole time *Steve* and I were in the store perusing the fish, I wondered if the windows in his car would be smashed in when we came back out. Luckily, we were safe and so was the car, but it was not a neighbourhood I wanted to go near or dare dream of having my child sleep in during a house party that I hosted while intoxicated. Source of the whole problem, not poverty, drugs. Bad drugs.

As much as *Mila* drives me up the wall some days, I could never imagine my life without her and I know she couldn't imagine life without me. So, I look after me for her sake. Keeping booze and drugs out of my body. Heck, even preservatives are toxic to my system. Meat too. Lots of beans. Lots and lots of beans. Red lentil burgers with walnuts are my new fave! LCBO's Food and Drink Summer 09 issue. Check it out.

signed, the willow