Too Cold to Peck

As a Canadian, it is pretty well my duty to talk and write about the weather. We experience such extremes of temperature here in Ottawa, that it is easy to do so. A few mornings ago, this was me (take my word for it, it’s me) at the bus stop.

Waiting for the 114 bus. It was 15 minutes late!

It was about 100 degrees below zero and it doesn’t matter if you measure in celsius or farenheit, it was cold. But you can’t stay indoors forever. I was just going to the bank (inside a mall) and if anything could convince me to take up electronic banking, this weather would do it.

Last week we went for a walk on the Greenboro Trail and it was beautiful. Because of the Emerald Ash Borer, an insect that has decimated 25% of Ottawa’s trees, there were more woodpeckers in the trees than I had ever seen. They had obviously come to eat the insects and were making a racket pecking at the trees.

The Greenboro Trail

But a couple of days ago, the woods were silent, except for the crackle of the snow as we crunched along. There were no woodpeckers in sight.

It was too cold to peck!

Thanks for reading and have a WARM day! – Maureen

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Texting Grannies

Lately, I’ve read a lot of articles about people texting instead of talking,  texting while driving(!), distracted pedestrians texting while walking, and I even saw a 12 year old boy texting while riding his bike.

Ottawa city buses have a spacious area for parents riding with their children and it is very sad to see these young people texting and playing games when they could be talking to their little ones. I’ve even seen several kids in strollers using cell phones! They may be just playing games but perhaps they have developed a way to text each other.

Toddler #1 – “Hey Dude. On the bus. On my way to play group. What r u doing?

Toddler #2 – Hi Junior. Just woke up from a nap. Eating strained carrots. Yummmm.

I remember, way back in the 1980s, seeing secretaries at a local company who were trying to learn how to use word processors. Many of them were struggling and I wondered how a 55-year-old was going to learn the new technology when she had been using a typewriter for years and years. Now that I am a senior myself, I realize that I was selling them short.

Recently the Hindustan Times featured an article on texting grandmothers and grandfathers. Newspapers and magazines all over the world are reporting on this phenomenon.

Everywhere I go seniors are using cell phones and computers. We have PDAs and laptops. We have iPods and iPads, and are using eReaders to take hundreds of books with us wherever we go.

Just before Christmas, I was out shopping with my cousin, and I stopped at Michael’s to check out the “Rainbow Loom”. It turned out to be THE gift of the season. The Rainbow Loom is a system for making bracelets out of tiny elastic bands. Every little girl wanted one, and now all the little boys around here are using them to make bracelets for their friends.

There was a huge display of them at Michael’s, only $18.99 (no coupons allowed).  It was difficult to get close to them because there were a dozen Grannies, all texting their daughters and daughters-in-law to ask if they should buy it for their grandchildren. It was a festive atmosphere as my cousin and I joined them.

 

One of the Texting Grannies.

 

Thanks for reading and have a great day. Happy texting! – Maureen