One can feel relief by avoiding natural disasters and political turmoil in North America this summer.
Our little area in Eastern Ontario avoided the Canada Day flooding of basements and roads. Others in our city did not. We encountered heatwaves, plus smokey haze and air quality warnings due to regional wildfires. Once again, I turned to our little garden for nurturing growth and wonder. That experience soon turned sour.
Black Beauty zucchini harvest July 2026. Apple for size comparison.
I chopped and baked these large zucchinis in a macaroni and cheese casserole. Dinner reviews were about a 6/10.
The invasion began with a bold neighbourhood grey squirrel plucking ripening tomatoes from the plant on our porch. The little fucker.
Grey squirrel enjoying a ripe tomato from my Ottawa plant
I tried to distract the squirrels with an offering of green bean pods I placed on the fence. One little brute sniffed then quickly dropped a pod before scampering up the porch steps to check out that tomato plant. I proceeded to chase the little fucker away.
Grey squirrel sniffing then rejecting a green bean pod
In early August I discovered what was eating holes in the leaves of my beloved Scarlet Runner bean vines: Japanese Beetles.
Japanese Beetle invasion
According to neighbours, the beetles were feeding on other garden plants, especially rose bushes. I captured proof of the beetles’ mating activities on my beloved Scarlet Runner Bean vines. The little fuckers.
Snapshot of Japanese Beetles mating on Scarlet Runner bean flowers.
How does one put a positive spin on these invasions and disappointments?
I captured proof of determined survival, a bean vine stretching out from damaged leaves, seeking to hold onto something along its journey.
Scarlet Runner Bean vine stretching out from lacy damaged leaves
I noticed the petunias were still thriving under the compost drum. I also noticed two new zucchinis sprouting from the remaining plant.
Compost drum petunias thriving beside new zucchini plant growth
Now in late August, I feel that my involvement with the gardening season is coming to a close. I have been venturing out to attend social gatherings and nurture friendships with people in my community and afar. I intend to keep my colourful language situation-appropriate.
It has been a while since I posted here. I had no energy to write and had no useful thoughts to add to the noise.
It has been four months since we said farewell to the elderly Tabby Cat. She had a good life with excellent care from her human servants for 20 years.
It has been a difficult winter in Eastern Ontario. Christmas and New Years arrived in a blur. To tackle the effects of winter depression, I set out on a mission: I subscribed to a 12-week weight-loss plan, installed an app on my phone and embraced the daily text chats with an AI coach. When the weather conditions allowed, I pushed myself to get out for frequent walks and grocery runs with friends. The app and AI coach appealed to my OCD tendencies so I obediently logged everything I ate and drank, and acquiesced to take longer overnight fasts. I met my target weight goal (shook off 14 pounds) three weeks before the April 1 completion date.
Key points:
Eat healthy
Eat less tasty snacks
Increase body movement
Drink more water
Fast for overnight periods longer than 12 hours
Simple weight-loss plan progress February 2026
Unfortunately, I have been hovering above my target weight this week due to icy conditions not conducive to walkies, plus stress eating after listening to the news. Aside from that, I am seeing better results than with last year’s attempt at losing weight.
World events have been getting me down, and the cruelty and corruption of the US administration makes me angry. These are things beyond my control but it’s reassuring to know that there are kind people and organizations who protest the injustices, challenge the bullies, and protect the downtrodden.
January brought some reassurance while listening to Canada’s articulate and calm Prime Minister Mark Carney speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. I have listened to his WEF speech many times. What a breath of fresh air compared to the lying windbag to the south who is constantly criticising established world organizations and threatening tariffs on trade partners. Puppet master Putin must be pleased with the progress. Let us have hope and trust in the calm and cooperative middle powers who are already establishing trade agreements with each other.
Then there’s the US-Israel war on Iran. The orange dictator and his minions were willing to aid in the unwarranted attacks, the constant bombing of the Iranian infrastructure, murdering political-religious leaders and innocent citizens. They kicked a hornet’s nest and are causing economic disruptions.
Yep, it’s all beyond my control. I keep my focus on doing good deeds around home and in the broader community.
As I did in 2025, I started gathering receipts, ticket stubs and small pieces of notepaper as records of good things happening in my small corner of the world. A large pickle jar is filling up with good things.
Good things that happened in 2026 jar
I added notes about pushing my social anxieties and aversion to noise by participating in philanthropic activities, fundraising events and attending a much-anticipated concert.
William Prince in concert at the National Arts Centre March 20, 2026
I had purchased the William Prince tickets in January and had the March 20th target date in my view as something fun to look forward to over the next two months. That tactic has gotten me through many a dark winter with the plan, the hope for an enjoyable experience to come.
One more Good Thing I can soon add to my jar is the fact that I got to cat-sit for neighbours who took a March Break road trip with their kids. Checking on the energetic and cute feline a couple of times a day brings me joy. Cleaning up after her reminds me about the mess, cost and responsibilities of pet ownership. I congratulate myself that I can return to a clean and quiet home with no intentions of bringing in another furry creature. I wish to travel more this year without the worry and costs for accommodating a pet. I am satisfied with caring for our houseplants.
Christmas Cactus blooms in March
I hope you are managing well as we navigate challenging times, and look forward to a slow, gentle spring. My next post may be about the joys of gardening in my peaceful little corner of the world.
Despite world conflicts and the disappointments with events in the USA, I greeted the arrival of 2025 with hope and determination. This Canadian had a list of goals that I wished to achieve during the year. A frequent resolution is to maintain good health.
One measurable goal was to lose 10 pounds by June 1st. One tool helping in this quest is the daily consumption of a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar as recommended by a family member, to aid with gut biome, digestion, blood sugar levels and weight loss. Other obvious approaches to help with this goal are to eat less snacky foods, and to move my body more often. I do not expect quick fixes and immediate results.
Imagine my curiosity when I saw a Netflix offering called Apple Cider Vinegar, “Two young women advocate for wellness remedies to cure deadly illnesses, unraveling their lives as they unknowingly — and knowingly — mislead the world.” I do not have a deadly illness but I was curious to watch the series and determine the reference to Apple Cider Vinegar. The acting was excellent. The blending of different characters with health issues was a good approach. I cringed at the alternative treatments people trusted like juicing and coffee enemas. We even joined a breast cancer patient on an ayahuasca hallucination trip in the Amazon.
The next day, I watched the 2015 YouTube 60 Minutes Australia interview with Belle Gibson. It was incredibly frustrating with how she avoided clear answers to the questions, especially her claims to having brain cancer, treating it with her Whole Pantry recipes and lifestyle.
She has been labelled as a pathological liar. Since journalists couldn’t legally obtain her medical records, they instead focused on the charities where Belle promised to donate portions of her Whole Pantry business’ revenues. Apparently, she never donated funds so she was called out for financial fraud.
My curiosity got me watching the ten year anniversary episode on YouTube as well.
Take aways:
There are no safe quick fixes;
Trust your doctors;
Question any claims made on social media.
My goal of losing 10 pounds by June 1st isn’t going well. As of March, I am back to where I was in January. I know I should snack less and move my body more instead of bingeing with shows on Netflix and CBC GEM (Canadian, eh?). Now that the snow has melted from walking paths, I am determined to get outdoors more often. Hellooo, spring!
Did you watch the Netflix series? What are your impressions?
Deep Blonde Thoughts 