It is Victoria Day here in Canada, a statutory holiday. We shopped for everything we needed last week so that we needn’t venture from home during this busy time. We are such home bodies, seldom venturing forth. We visit our Camp, we visit my Mom and sisters, we visit stores to buy supplies, and we attend medical appointments. As we age our involvement with medical appointments increases significantly, and those visits now dominate our social life. It is no wonder that old people talk about their health so much, it is such a looming presence in day to day life. Funny old world.
Victoria Day has been a public holiday all of my life, all of my Mom’s life, all of my Grandmother’s life, and all of my Great Grandmother’s life, and most of my Great Great Grandmother’s life (she was born in 1841 in Upper Canada). From my Granddaughter’s point of view, this holiday has been appreciated as time off work for seven generations. Although the importance of the English Monarch is not what it was when this country was founded, I find the continuity of celebration with my ancestors back to the birth of a single legislative assembly for the Province of Canada quite worthwhile. I also like public holidays shared with other Canadians, the connection is not strong, but it is there.
“In 1841, the parliaments of Upper and Lower Canada were replaced by a single legislative assembly for the Province of Canada. The new assembly sought opportunities to create common ground between English and French Canadians that would transcend religious and cultural differences. A public holiday honouring the young Queen Victoria’s birthday, 24 May, was an idea that appealed to both English and French Canadians. At the time, loyalty to the Crown was a key cultural trait that distinguished Canadians from Americans and the monarch (the king or queen) was considered a guarantor of minority rights in the united province. In 1845, the legislative assembly of the Province of Canada declared the Queen’s birthday an official public holiday, transforming the monarch’s birthday from an exclusively military occasion to a civilian holiday.”
Source: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/victoria-day
It is going to be a sunny, hot, and humid day today. Attila and I decided to take a walk at 7:30 a.m. to avoid walking in the heat of the day. There were a lot of people out walking this morning, probably for the same reason we were out there.
Our big excitement for the day came when I spotted something that looked a little like a hamburger at the edge of the road we were walking along. Many people had passed it without noticing it. I went over to investigate.
It was a terrified turtle, on its back, completely withdrawn into its shell. It looked alive, no apparent damage.
Attila picked it up without hesitation, crossed the road towards the open field and stream on the other side, and gently placed the turtle right side up in the high grass near the wet area. Hopefully they recover from their fright and head for the wetland! We have seen a lot of wildlife here, foxes, pileated woodpeckers, deer, rabbits, raccoons, owls, etc., but this was the first time we have seen a turtle.
The mason jars are vintage, I bought them as a young woman for canning, and I have quite a few of them left. I do can in them if I need to, but most of the time I use them for perishable food storage, they have a small footprint in the refrigerator. The pour lids are great for things like salad dressing and Switchel!
NOTE: The Apple Cider Vinegar has a plastic lid on it, which I prefer for acids as the metal lids will corrode. The blue lid was from a jar of mayonnaise we had purchased years ago, fits perfectly.
Worldly
Weather
Updated on Mon, May 20 at 11:17 AM
23°C
FEELS LIKE 27
Will rise to 27 probably will feel like the mid 30s.
Partly cloudy
Wind 7 SW km/h
Humidity 73 %
Visibility 15 km
Sunrise 5:35 AM
Wind gust 10 km/h
Pressure 101.5 kPa
Ceiling 9100 m
Sunset 8:33 PM
Quotation
There smites nothing so sharp, nor smelleth so sour as shame.
William Langland
1332 – 1400
Shame
“Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, described as a moral or social emotion that drives people to hide or deny their wrongdoings.”
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shame
Shame is a social phenomenon.
I did not know what shame was until I started elementary school, my social experience before that was largely constructive, and family oriented. Other children taught me shame. It was seeking their approval in my first months at school that led me to do something unkind to a vulnerable peer, something that I felt deeply ashamed of. I learned from that experience. Peer approval ceased to have meaning in my life after that incident. A good lesson I think, to have learned so young.
The lesson was good because peer pressure and social manipulation have not been powerful motivators in my life. Also, many times during my youth, my life really, people have ridiculed me, and sought to make me feel ashamed of things that were not shameful, merely different and usually beyond the understanding of small minds and spirits. I was not ashamed, but revolted by the choice of unkindness in the face of their own ignorance. I had made that choice once, observed the results, and did not chose it again.
How cool that you were able to help that turtle! Stay cool!
Joan, it was the highlight of the day! We saw four people walk right by it without noticing it, so glad we saw it! We are comfortable in the house during the heat wave, the air source heat pump also cools the air, such a great invention!
We just had our first very hot day. It was up to 26 with a humidex of 30, but then the wind shifted to the west and the temperature dropped 5 degrees in 2 hours! I’m not sure if I’m glad or not.
Once the lake water warms up we’ll have normal temperatures.
Teri, the lake effect can be very significant. Five degrees is quite a drop!