1st World Problems

 Who else remembers Canadian Heritage minutes? And the shorts between movies on the movie and on public television? I was listening to music this morning and a song came on that sent me all the way back to childhood. Who else loves " The Log Driver's Waltz "? I have memories of watching tv after school and waiting for something to end just so I could see the shirt cartoon.  I loved how it started with archival footage and then when to the simply drawn cartoon . At any given moment, even now, I can sing this song. From beginning to end (with a few mumbled lyrics in the middle if I forget a few words), I think almost all Canadians my age can do the same thing. Then there are the Canadian Heritage minutes. There is a large swath of us that still makes jokes about the smell of burnt toast. Beyond the camp of teaching history through one-minute vignettes, they were shockingly effective. Through them, I learned about Jennie Trout, how the Winnie the Pooh got his name, and that ...

 I realize it's not even close to Christmas.  I was listening to music today (shocking), and a Christmas song came on. The Season's Upon Us by Dropkick Murphy's came on. It's a favorite of mine, it sounds vaguely like Newfie music, and it has a sea shanty quality to it, which I love.  For the first time I listened to the lyrics though, and they set me to thinking (also shocking). The line that got me today is: "Some families are messed up while others are fine. If you think yours is crazy, well you should meet mine." If there is one thing about my family, we are a cast of characters with many tales to tell.  There's a long-ago Johannah who had to dress and live as a man after her husband died in order to provide for her kids. My mom had to step in after her mother died when she was 12 to keep her sisters together. My Stepdad escaped over the mountains and eventually wound up in Canada as a refugee. My aunt used to take us camping and somehow always had a s...