Simply Silent

It's the last day of school in our district. I'm not one of those people who dreads having the kids around all summer, this morning I woke with a tummy full of butterflies; anticipation for the incredible summer the boys and I will have.

We will be rock climbing and mountain biking weekly. We'll spend countless hours in the pool at the Y and reading books under our favourite tree at the park. The kids will be cooking most of the summer meals and in appreciation of that, ice cream will become a food group in and of itself.

But today I will sit.

I will revel in the silence that will not show itself again for another 67 days.

I will read a book.

I will take a nap.

I will drink enough of this quiet and peace to satiate me until the coming of September, when the leaves start to crinkle and the garden has exhausted itself.

I will be still.

Why Declining Your Vote Is A Shitty Idea

The interwebs of Ontario have been abuzz with articles informing you of your right to decline your vote during the upcoming provincial election. Facebook is full of it, people being amazed that they have this option and talking about how they're going to decline their vote.

I think that's a shitty thing to do. Maybe slightly better than not showing up to the polls at all, but still shitty.

There seems to be a popular opinion out there that declining your vote will change the system. We'll just get all these jerks out of power and pick somebody new, right? Wrong. Declining your vote means you're making a conscious decision not to vote. That's fine, but even if 99% of Ontarians declined their vote, the person and party with the most votes will still win. Yes, your declined votes get counted but that doesn't mean that if more people decline to vote than to actually vote, that we'll just be left with no leadership at all.

Declining your vote is just that, you are declining your right to vote. It is not a vote for "None of the Above" as some have read it to be, it's the same damn thing as not voting at all. If you don't vote, even fewer people will be ACTUALLY voting. That means an even smaller number of people will be choosing what kind of leadership we sit under.

So do me a favour, will ya? Take an hour an look at the platforms of all the parties and candidates in your riding. None of them will be perfect, no one is. But pick the one that suits you, your family and your hopes for our province the best. Then vote for them. They may not win, but at least you'll be making your vote count for something instead of just crossing your fingers and hoping that politicians hear your declined votes and change their ways. Picking any option is better than standing on a principle that has no legs.

Easiest Recipe Ever

I am a marriage Master, let me tell you.

Me: "Wouldn't bbq pork chops be great for lunch babe?"

Him: "Hmmm,  that actually sounds perfect."

BOOM. Dinner for the kids is made and I didn't have to lift a finger.

I'D NEVER SURVIVE IN PRISON AND CHAINSAWS MADE OF GLITTER WOULD BE AWESOME AND MESSY

I left a spade out on the lawn the other night and didn't remember until I had been in bed for a bit. I dismissed it and tried to sleep until my head was filled with images of someone stealing the spade and murdering someone with it. The police would trace the spade back to me from the time I was using it while wearing flip flops and almost chopped my toe off and they'd come to investigate and my neighbour would be investigated because the spade actually belongs to him and it would just be a big awful mess and I could never handle prison, although I bet I could DIY some awesome shit from just a bedsheet and a carton of cigarettes, so of course I got out of bed and brought the damn spade inside.

In other news, neighbour Stan has decided to build this on his half of our shared lawn. I tried to tell him you can't build a tree from wood. . . 

You can get wood from a tree but a tree cannot be made from wood.

. . . but he's a redneck and he listens to nothing. He tell me that next, he's building a WALL around this mess. Maybe that'll be an improvement. But I've been taking care of his lawn for 2 damn years while they've been busy being hermits and HE COVERED UP MY ROSES with his homemade mulch so I can't help being a little trolly.

To lighten the mood, here's a picture my child made of a chainsaw with glitter glue. Everything can be pretty AND useful.