Harvest Time...One Last Time

Behold the last of the bounty taken from our garden for the season.  It was a season of learning and growth and I'm proud to say that our foray into slightly more serious gardening was a great success.  We had an abundance of tomatoes throughout the summer, in fact the tomato plants are still producing though I'm sorry to say that the cold through the night is getting the best of them.  Our Swiss chard, spinach, green beans, and radishes all produced for us providing fresh salads regularly.  Even our tiny little apple tree bore fruit which the squirrels enjoyed most of all.

There was a lot of work upfront and we did what was required throughout the season including pulling weeds, repairing the mesh to keep the critters off our food and of course watering the plants when the rain wasn't sufficient.  The main thing we did was to provide the space, opportunity and the little things needed for plants to thrive; then we took a step back and let the plants do what plants are prone to do - that is to grow and produce fruit.

There's a lesson in all of this...Hmmm...

Season of Thanks...and Food

Evie's Photography

Eight is Great

Today marks eight great years of marriage for my wife and I.  I promised my wife I wouldn't write anything too sappy...I tend to wax poetic and given the time and the right muse (which my wife always is for me) I could go on and on.  In fact last year I did go on and on to the point that my editor (my wife) told me to tone it down a little.

So I won't go into detail with how my heart brims with love for my wife and how our love continues to evolve and mature.  But I will say that I feel like the luckiest man alive because she agreed to marry a schmuck like me and together we make an awesome team.  It seems like we've packed a lot of livin' into the past 8 eight years and through every challenge we just grow closer together.

It's funny how the idea of romance changes.  I remember spending a lot of time, thought and effort to get things set-up just right...I'd worry about the details and the presents and would hope that everything would come together perfectly.  Now we are opportunistic romancers, that is we look to make the most of the little moments we can steal away from the daily routine to infuse with a little extraordinary romance.  Perhaps our romance is not as elaborate or indulgent as it used to be (I'm not sure it was ever too elaborate now that I think about it...it's less so now), but it's more deliberate, intentional and I'd argue more meaningful.

Take tonight for example, after school the girls had piano, then tutoring after which we sneaked in a little celebratory pizza that we wolfed down right before driving the girls to God's Little Princesses (the girls group at our church that our girls loooove) that overlapped with the church's board meeting that I attend.  Actually there was an hour down time between the time we dropped the girls off and the beginning of the board meeting so Lex and I with Miriam (our youngest) in tow took the moment to chillax at a cool lil' gelato and coffee shop.  Then Lex dropped me off, picked up the girls, took them home and put them to bed.  I got back home a little after nine at which point Lex and I were finally able to spend a couple of moments together, just the two of us.  Talk about romance!!

Rest assured we are planning on sneaking away at some point in the near future to have a proper anniversary dinner at a nice restaurant.  Evie recommended McDonald's, I was thinking I'd spring for something a little fancier like Hintonburger...just kidding, although I think both of us would be fine with Hintonburger (the best burger in Ottawa).  It won't happen today, it might not happen this week but we'll get out there eventually - that's life in the fast lane (I just had an image of Frank the Tank from Old School flash through my brain, "We got a nice little Saturday plan...I don't know if there'll be enough time!!").

But you know what?  I don't think I'd have it any other way.  That's the family we've built...the life we've created together that all started with just a couple of crazy kids in love.

Happy Anniversary my Love!!

Two crazy kids...in love.

Celebrating Family

There's been a couple of important milestones in my family in the past couple of weeks.  The first one I've held off from writing about until the new parents have let everyone know their exciting news in whatever way they want be it by net, phone or carrier pigeon.  It has been a little over a week now so I believe it is safe to announce the birth of Lily Elizabeth, my little sister and her husband's first baby, born September 27th at 6:55pm, weighing in at 7 lbs. 13 oz. and measuring 19.5 inches.  We couldn't be more excited to welcome the newest addition to our family and we can't wait until we can make the trip to go see them all.  Congratulations!!

My girls were super excited to add another girl cousin to their total.  Currently the boy cousin to girl cousin ratio is 4:3 taking into account both their maternal and paternal cousins; in their minds the girls are still out numbered.  Including the three of them though and the girls are clearly winning the battle in my family.   Lily makes 5 grand-daughters in a row for my parents, my older sister has three kids, two boys (the two oldest grand children) and a girl.  That's a lot of girls!

The other milestone happened this past Saturday, October 5 and that was my Dad's birthday.  If you want to read all the good stuff about my Dad you can read it here, in my Ode to my Father.  Sometimes it surprises me how much like my father I've become.  I'll often do something or say something...or even just make some random noise that will stop me and cause me to think, "That was just like my Dad."  My mannerisms, intonations and sounds could be recordings have his.  Fortunately I'm glad that the similarities are not just outwardly, at least I hope not because my Dad's character, personality and integrity are standards to strive for and I can honestly say that if I end up like him I'd doing well for myself.

So here's to a happy birthday to Lily and my Dad and to many more to come!!

Oh yeah - there's another milestone tomorrow but I'll save that one...here's a hint though...

Happy Belated Birthday to the Daddy Blog!!

Doh!!  I can't believe I missed marking the one year mark of my blog.  I posted my first blog September 26th, 2012 and I'm still going.  Maybe not as frequently as my wife says I should but I'm doing it baby!!  123 posts in a year, that works out to one every three days or so.  That's not too bad for a daddy of three with a full time job and all the other stuff that we have going on.

Let me tell you something, blogging is a lot harder than I anticipated.  Writing is not a simple matter.  I've had a ton of ideas of things to write about that have never made it to this blog because some nights I'm just too dog-gone tired to write (or lazy) and other nights the right words just aren't coming to me so a post gets left unfinished and unpublished.

I once read in a book that 80% of people claim to want to write a book but a ridiculously small number of people begin and an even fewer number finish.  Many people apparently begin writing a book, get a good chunk of the way through it and then let wallow in the sea of unfinished works.  Why?
Because writing is hard.  Coming up with topics and expressing them in such a way that captures the nuances of the thought and the essence of the idea that has seeded itself in the brain is hard!  But it's so rewarding when it comes together and excellent fun to boot.

I have a confession - I've been working on a book.  In fact the book was the impetus for me blogging; it provides me an opportunity to practice writing and develop my writing style.  I've been working on the book for over a year now, I've lost track of the number of drafts I've done, but it's finally ready to be sent out to publishers for their consideration.  In the book I explore some thoughts and rant about topics more thoroughly than I could in a blog.  This blog is like a rambling brook running through a quiet meadow, it's quick, fun and refreshing whereas the book is more of a well still fun and refreshing but deeper and more satisfying.  To be honest it seems like a bit of a pipe dream but I'm pretty proud of it and at the very least my girls will have a keepsake that captures my experiences, observations and approach to fathering.  I mainly wrote it for my girls, but if you're lucky maybe you'll get a chance to read it too.  Actually if you do get and take the chance to read it, then I'd be the lucky one.  Here's hoping!!

A Rose by Any Other Name?

There's been much ado about a certain moniker that graces the name of some sports teams in the past year or so.  I'm talking about the Redskins.  Of course the most popular team that goes by this name is the Washington Redskins - which just happens to be my favourite NFL team.  Why the Redskins you ask?  Well I'm glad you asked.  It's always kind of interesting when to hear why different people latch onto certain teams specifically when there is seemingly very little connection.  I'm from Canada.  The closest teams to me were the Bills or the Lions.  You think I'd like one of those.  But fate drove me to the Redskins.

It was the summer of 1991 when I first stepped onto the field to play football.  The following spring (1992) I went on a class trip to Washington where I got to see RFK stadium (home of the Redskins at that time).  It was my first journey into the wonderful U.S.A.  Sandwiched right in the middle of these two momentous occasions in my life was the Washington Redskins playing a season for the ages culminating with a Super Bowl victory over the Buffalo Bills.  I also dug their logo of the serene, proud and dignified native.  As a person of aboriginal descent I felt a strong connection to this team because of their name and logo.  I felt it gave me a visible outlet to express my pride in my heritage (as odd as that might sound).  Thus my heart and allegiance were captured.  How was I to know that the next 20 years would be marked by sub-par play, questionable moves, many bitter losses and much disappointment?  Nevertheless I have never stopped rooting for the 'Skins.

Now age has weathered me some.  The losses have mounted and the shine of the 'Skins maybe not as slick as ever.  I'm more culturally sensitive and a better critical thinker as well so I have followed with interest the debate over whether the Redskins should change their racist and offensive name to something a little more politically correct.  Proponents on either side of the argument have strong feelings about their position and seem to have dug their heels in.  The progressive pc side condemns the name because in the past it was used derogatorily towards First Nations people.  The traditionalists lean on the team history claiming that there is too much invested in the name now, moreover the name is meant as a compliment to native people when attached to a sports team because teams pick nicknames that instill a sense of pride and strength in their players and fans.  I find that to be a hollow and somewhat demeaning in a condescending sort of way.

Recently a man from Ottawa filed a human rights claim against the Nepean Redskins, a minor football team.  The team has announced that it will change its name.  The Washington Redskins are facing similar pressure but I don't think they will buckle to the pressure as quickly or easily.  To be honest I'm not sure they should.

To be sure it is a racist moniker...or at least it was.  There's no doubt about it and anyone that claims that it isn't is either hopefully naive, ignorant or in a serious state of denial.  Think about any other derogatory slur for any other minority and think about what the reaction would be if a team adopted it as their nickname.  It wouldn't hold up.  You could make the argument about the Edmonton Eskimos but then I would counter that is another example of accepted racism towards another North American aboriginal group.

And let's not even entertain the nonsense that using the term Vikings is the same sort of deal and since there are no Scandinavians up in arms about the Vikings moniker then there should be no complaints about the Redskins name.  I've heard that argument and it's ridiculous.

So let's own up to the fact that redskin is an offensive term and if left at that, it should be discontinued. We could force the issue, make all teams with the name Redskins change their name and I think that would be perfectly understandable and reasonable. I'm not sure that's the strongest move the native community could make though.  I think there's a better way.  There is still much racism (and dare I say it's accepted) directed at natives.  There are yet many negative stereotypes and connotations associated with natives.

The better way to combat this is to steal the name and its power to hurt.  By reappropriating the name and recasting it to be synonymous with strength, perseverance and pride we can ensure that the plight and subsequent resolve of natives is not forgotten.  The name could serve as a monument lest we forget as well as a signifier that we as a community have risen above the trials that were forced upon our ancestors and are moving forward in strength.

It would be easy to change the name, sweep history under the rug of political correctness and pretend that racism has been eradicated and that everything is hunky-dory, but I'm not sure it would be right.  I like seeing native culture and allusions to native culture woven into the fabric of North American culture.  It's natural.  And while Redskins may not have been the ideal way to do so, I think it is an opportunity for the First Nations community to tell their story and to write the next chapter.

HTTR!!  (Hail to the Redskins!!)