Some people prefer to leave their home on a holiday weekend – to camp, go to the lake, visit friends or family, and so on. Faye and I prefer to stay close to home. It’s an atypicial summer day, cloudy, about 22 degrees, with a refreshing east-northeast breeze. So far today we have tended to chores and have walked the dogs. We took Kendla on a short walk then while Faye settled him in the backyard with a marrow bone, we took the cattle dogs on a longer walk along the river. We discovered that the black raspberry bushes and the mulberry trees along the riverbank are bearing. I think we will go back during the week to harvest. Stella got an off leash romp and of course took a dip – she is actually a duck disguised as a dog. Come see what I mean.
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This is my second Canada Day as a Canadian citizen. I love living in this town, in this country. Once I moved here I never seriously considered moving back the the States. There are so many things I love about living here. Being in this small town. Experiencing four seasons. Good health care with far fewer worries about being able to afford going to the doctor (though if I didn’t have insurance through my employer, dental care and prescription meds would be 100% out-of-pocket expenses). More people here have more of a sense of pride and of belonging to their country, citzenship, than I think is commonly found in the States or felt by Americans.
It’s not a perfect place. This province is one of the have-nots, burdened with a monstrous debt that will likely only grow as people age and put more pressure on the health care system. I object to the my-way-or-the-highway method of governance practiced by the federal Conservative government (along with other aspects of its governance) and eagerly await my first opportunity to vote.
Despite those and other imperfections, Canada is my home. I feel very comfortable, very much at home here and look forward to spending the rest of my life here with my lovely wife. That’s why I applied for Canadian citizenship within days of becoming eligible, and why (among other reasons) I strengthened my bond and commitment to my home by renouncing my US citizenship. If I had the opportunity to choose again I would make the same decisions. None of these blessings would have entered my life without Faye. Thank you.
Happy and safe Canada Day to all.
previouslytexan 