It is fourty eight years

 It is now fourty eight years since we moved to Ottawa. We had two vehicles, Edward drove the van and I drove the car with a trailer on behind. Our baby traveled with me first and everytime we stopped we switched her between vehicles to make the trip a little easier as she was not yet one year old. Mostly she slept but I sang while we drove and likely Edward talked to her when she was awake (but he also sang to her as he loved to sing). She was his joy in life for sure as we headed off to a new job and a new life. I had spent most of the previous six months under a doctor's care as I slowly but steadily moved back into health once again (the recovery would take four years as my life was very busy with a baby and I quickly became exhausted. Amazing that I did all that driving but I was just sitting there directing the car so not a big strain physically for me. The car did all the driving. We stopped every 1.5 hours and it was a seven hour drive but we took around eleven hours with rests.

How the world has changed. Not that much traffic on the 401 as it was a week day. Mostly trucks as I recall but not like now where it is trucks as far as you can see. 416 was just two lanes. The moving van had made good time and arrived just a couple of hours after we did so we were actually settled in on the first day but lots of boxes here and there. But our little one went to sleep in the same crib and in a room that looked pretty much the same (brought the curtains with us) as the room that she had left in the morning. She was content. I slept as long as she did as she easily slept for fourteen hours a night in those days. 

 Spent some time yesterday between cleaning bouts looking at the Discovery database which I will continue today. I have two aims; finding information on the early movement of the Pencombe/Pincombe/Pinkham family out of North Molton into South Molton and further west/east from these two points in Devon and also  the Pencombe family found in Herefordshire. There is a lot of information on Pencombe because it was also the name of a place in Herefordshire. 

Maybe I will spread a little soil and seed some grass seeds today although really want it to be a rainy day or rain coming for that. 

Once again Frank Stronach has put forward a good set of proposals (seven) to bring our country together and forward. It is in the style of fiscal conservatism not seen in our country since the days of Brian Mulroney.  The GST was a great addition to our country as it was literally a tax on those most able to afford it and at 7% it was good for the government coffers (keeping government debt low or not at all). Prime Minister Harper (Conservative) set us on the downward path by reducing it to 5% - a huge mistake. We need money to run the country; maintain the military (the lies against the so-called West continues by the Nazi Putin and his enablers and he has not yet left Ukraine a sovereign country which he attacked) and help the poor. If the present leader of the Conservative party can show that he has the ability to bring the GST back up to 7%  and be the fiscal conservative that Brian Mulroney was then I will listen to him but I do not want to listen to tirades against the present Prime Minister in the personal way that he has been using (it is a waste of my time and the time of all those devoted to good government). Work on the issues. Fiscal conservatism that supports small business (and large too but they can pay their way), properly maintains the military and takes care of the poor is what I believe in. It is what I was taught as a child.

On to the day and breakfast but first my solitaire games. I had this idea in my brain and decided to write it first thing. Of course at 77 I like to think I am very independent but my daughters help me a great deal by our messages and talks at the end of every day. I do not go out very often but when they are here I go out a lot and spend money which is good for the economy. How long I can actually keep this up is an interesting question but I just live day by day in the house I have lived in for 45 years trying to keep it up as best as I can but my daughter helps me a lot (quietly to myself I accept she is my caregiver since we talk every day for an hour although my mind still thinks I am pretty independent) when she stays with me (being a very busy family physician, hospitalist and emergency room doctor keeps my other daughter extremely busy; I am very careful when my other daughter is not here so as not to complicate her life). Plus I actually go out shopping which I still do not enjoy but necessity rules for sure. One wonders if there are hermit genes for I certainly would have them.