Election Day

It’s hard to imagine writing about anything else today, when the world is facing the end of Democracy as we know it. It’s been a wonderful life since 1945. But tomorrow might look very different.

Even up until the end, Donald Trump, (or The Orange Guy as people call him, searching for a name with as little respect as possible), has been moving along with his favourite projects; expanding his newest golf course to replace parks and picnic areas and walking trails, augmenting voter lists, admiring the Reflecting Pool, planning an all-out attack on Iran (“you’ve never seen anything like it”), and carrying on with retribution for his perceived political betrayals. On Sunday he offered every American citizen $5,000 if Republicans win Both the house and the senate. How he will do this with the country already $40 trillion dollars in debt is anyone’s guess.

Here in Canada we have been getting off easy. Somehow, Trump says, we may be the recipients of a great trade deal, “the best in the history of our country” as he often remarks. Mark Carney is not falling for it, knowing that every Trump deal is written in pencil. Carney wants to wait until tomorrow, or later, to see what’s on offer then. No doubt about it: either Trump will be in a really good mood and want to cancel CUSMA and raise tariffs, or he’ll be in a bad mood and send ICE over the border.

Either way, we are in for a rocky time. Civil unrest in our former neighbourly country could happen. So remember the advice from your kindergarten teacher: We need to hold hands and stick together. We are Canada Strong.

Sue

PS a final reminder about the upcoming launch of my book, a book that I hope you’ll find heartwarming and funny; a nice change from politics.

The Ultimate Adventure; Aging in the 21st.Century.

Saturday, November 7th, 3-5 pm

194 Park Lawn Road, in the foyer of Christ Church St. James, the home of my local food bank, located just north of the Queensway. There is plenty of parking.

Or you can take TTC: On line 2 go west to Old Mill Station, and then take the 66 bus to Lorne Ave. Continue walking south past one house and the library.

  • You can buy my book for $20, with $5 from every book sale going directly to the food bank.
  • Bring a favourite book you have recently finished reading, and exchange it for another.
  • Refreshments will be served. You can socialize with like-minded readers. (See chapter 3 of my book about the importance of socializing).

I hope to see you on Saturday.

Bus..ted!

For over 7 years I have been extolling the virtues of using public transit in a big city like ours. But last weekend it let us down.

We had a great weekend planned. On Saturday we were going to take the GO train for 15 minutes to Union Station where we would catch the Stratford Festival bus. We would have lunch in a local pub. Then we would see Saturday, Sunday, Monday, a play with a Italian theme, which Peter would love. On Sunday we would take the GO train in the other direction to St. Catharines, my home town, for lunch and a reunion with old friends and neighbours from my childhood. The weekend seemed busy but lots of fun.

On Friday night as I was checking the timing for the GO trains we would need, I got the first piece of bad news. The Lakeshore west line was closed for track work ALL Weekend. This information impacted both trips. The visit to St. Catharines was basically out, unless we wanted to spend over 7 hours and make at least 3 bus transfers. And our Saturday trip to Stratford meant that, instead of taking the GO train for a 15 minute ride to Union Station where the Stratford bus would be parked, we had to take the subway line 2 to St George and then line 1 to Union. This trip would take almost an hour, going backwards towards the centre of the city and then forward again to Stratford. Could we do it?

We decided to take a chance. We set the alarm to give ourselves plenty of time to drive to the subway on Saturday morning. We left with coffee mugs in hand. And there, on the subway station door was the sign everyone dreads: Subway closed. Shuttle buses willl be running.

We climbed aboard the shuttle bus with crowds of other unhappy passengers. Peter had to stand, but I guess I looked unhappy enough, or old enough, that I got a seat. We held our breath as we slowly made our way to Union Station and the still-waiting Stratford bus.

Once in Stratford, we enjoyed our lunch at the pub. The play was well-done, although Peter said his Italian family had never argued as loud as the actors on stage. HA. But the bus ride home was tough. It seems that all the regular GO passengers had taken their cars instead and were heading home at the same time. The traffic on the QEW was awful. We didn’t get home until 9:30 pm. Dinner was snacks from the fridge and then it was time for bed.

Are we discouraged? Yes. Will we give up? Never! Besides, now we have Olivia Chow to help us. One of her big campaign promises is to work on the TTC.

Sue

PS Book Launch Reminder:

The Ultimate Adventure; Aging in the 21st Century.

194 Park Lawn Road, just north of the Queensway.

Saturday November 7th, 3-5 pm Hope you can join me.

  • Book on sale for $20, with $5 from each sale donated to the food bank.
  • Book exchange: bring a recent favourite novel and trade it for another.
  • Refreshments will be served. Come and socialize with like-minded readers.

Cheque..ing Out

One day last week I wrote a cheque to pay for a retired teachers’ event. I noticed that it was number 97 in my book of 100 cheques. Oops – time to order new ones. I’d better hurry.

Then I thought about it. When was the last time I had written a cheque? It was to the same retired teachers’ group for an event about 6 months ago! These events are run by older volunteers and the registration is done the old-fashioned way: Send a cheque by snail mail to the registrar who makes a list in a notebook. Probably she puts the cheques in an envelope at the back of her lingerie drawer for safekeeping. When you arrive at the event she checks your name off a list with a pen.

I certainly plan to attend a few more of these events, so I need more cheques. But I have forgotten how to order them. It has been ages since I last did it. What address should I put on them? And how many do I need? At this rate, 100 cheques would last me well through my next home, and maybe even my own expiry.

When I think about it, almost all of my expenses are paid online through accounts set up in advance, or by credit card. Most stores where I make purchases prefer credit cards to cash. Clerks don’t want to waste time waiting while I count out dimes and quarters from my wallet and then stop to pick up the ones I dropped on the floor. Or they don’t want to deal with the hassle of changing a $50 bill as customers pile up behind.

In fact, many places where Peter and I spend money are cashless. All Mirvish theatres, the Rogers Centre, and other large event venues take credit cards only, even for an overpriced $4 bottle of water, or our favourite, Hagen Daas ice cream bars, another $6.50 each to our credit cards. It’s easy to see why people are apoplectic when their monthly bill arrives. How could they have possibly consumed $54 worth of lattes at Starbuck’s in just four weeks?

Most restaurants want and expect a credit card. This way the waiters can lead you to that awkward moment where they stand nearby as you debate what number to punch in on the tip screen. They don’t want to accept a handful of change which looks and feels very generous, but, back in the kitchen, they find it’s all dimes and nickels.

Transportation and parking are other places where credit cards are king. Remember the old-fashioned parking meters where you put in a quarter and turned a little crank? Now parking meters require at least a university degree to fill in the questions, check all the right boxes, run back to your car to read your license plate number, and then tap your card. On all public transit in Ontario a PRESTO card is required. This is the same as a credit card, except you pay ahead. No PRESTO Card? No go. Even if you are going out of zone, for example to Hamilton, nowhere is there a slot for a cheque.

One problem with this change in how we pay, is that the other kind of change tends to accumulate in purses and pockets. And there’s nowhere to spend it. My purse gets heavier and heavier as the nickels add up. What to do with all this cash? The other day, as I looked in a store at all the Hallowe’en candy for sale, I had an idea. Would the kids like money instead?

Sure they would! They could have fun counting it up. They’d get a break from sugar and additives. Maybe they could give it to UNICEF or another charity. And I would have a terrible burden lifted from my shoulders.

Sue

PS Book Launch: Saturday November 7th 3-5 pm

194 Park Lawn Ave

The Ultimate Adventure: Aging In the 21st Century

Book sale, book exchange, refreshments.

Hope you can join me.

The Ultimate Adventure: Aging in the 21st Century

Dear Readers:
This is the title of my new book. It includes approximately 50 posts selected from this blog since 2019, updated, and organized under 5 headings: Health, Family, Social connections, Housing and The future. The book will be available at my book launch on: Saturday, November 7th, 3:00 to 5:00 pm. The launch will be held at 194 Park Lawn Ave just north of the Queensway. It’s in the foyer where my local food bank is held. There is plenty of parking available. Or take the TTC bus 66 from the Old Mill Subway stop on Line 2.

Join me for an afternoon of fun:
*Start your Christmas shopping early! Buy the book for only $20, with $5 from every copy sold going to the food bank.

*Bring a novel you have recently enjoyed and take another instead, in our book exchange.

*Enjoy afternoon tea, goodies and socializing with like-minded readers.

Dear Readers, I hope to meet you there on November 7th.

Sue

PS Next Tuesday I will carry on with Seventy In The City

The Ultimate Adventure

For almost 10 years I have been writing to you, dear readers, on Tuesday mornings. Many times over the years people have suggested I should write a book: compile some of my blog posts and put them inside a cover. And so I did.

It has taken me several months to choose 50 of my favourite posts, and yours, and to give them a shape or a theme. I divided them into 5 categories: Doctor Doctor! (about health issues), Family Matters, (because it does!), Social Security (since our social contacts are really important), Home Sweet Home (because where we live gives our lives structure), and finally Towards The Future (which was a bit of a guessing game). Then I had to rewrite everything because there were a few typos and some updating needed. And I added a few new posts where there were gaps.

Next I hired an editor to read my manuscript and make suggestions. I found a cover artist and a cover idea. In September I received my ISBN number from Library and Archives Canada. I took my manuscript to a formatter to add margins and page numbers. Then, with one tap, I sent it to Canada Copy for printing.

Of course there had to be a glitch. Nothing goes this smoothly. On the date I expected my printed copies to arrive, I got a message from the printer saying the order had expired. I spent the entire day chasing this issue. Finally, around 4:00 pm, I got a message telling me that my order had been passed on to the printer. So now we wait.

Meanwhile I have a tentative plan for a book launch and signing. The location is a secret until confirmed. But I am counting on the date: SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7th in the afternoon. I will be there to meet you and say thanks for all your support. There will be refreshments and socializing (see chapter 3). You can buy a copy of the book for $20 and I’ll be donating the profits, $5 per copy, to my local food bank. This is a great way to support a good cause. Plus I am helping you get started on your Christmas shopping!

ASsI wait for the books to arrive and the signing location to be confirmed, my mind has been wandering forward. Soon I’ll be 80. A new name for the blog is needed. But Eighty Is Greaty seems a bit insincere! And, where my focus of Seventy In the City has been “a whimsical look at being retired and living in a big city,” I feel our lives are slowing down. We still go to Jays games, and Mirvish shows, Peter still curls and I go to fitness classes, and occasionally we find a new little corner of Toronto that we have not explored before. We still have family gatherings too, but now the “kids” bring the food, as they did for Thanksgiving.

Nevertheless, a big part of our energy these days is spent on the business of aging. Over the past year, Peter and I have navigated pathways through our healthcare system resulting in stays in all 4 of our Toronto UHN hospitals. We have spent a lot of time dealing with technology and its challenges for seniors. We have driven and ridden our way through choices about transportation as we get older. We have studied banking and estate planning and how best to utilize our financial legacy. We have begun to consider options for housing that are available to us. Maybe it’s time to stop being whimsical and start being a little more practical. With laughs wherever we can find them.

All of these ideas and more are percolating in my head as I wait for my book, The Ultimate Adventure: Aging In the 21st Century, to arrive. I’m still not sure what the future past Saturday November 7th holds. But I hope you will join me then to talk about it. Location details next Tuesday.

Sue

Sneak preview – back cover of my new book

Time Out!

Dear Readers;

I made another quick visit to a UHN facility last week. I tried out Toronto Western Hospital for some decompression and fusion in my neck. My surgery went well, but I am still recovering, doing a lot of lying on the couch and being called to the table when Peter has finished cooking. So I have decided to take this morning off to sleep in.

However, next Tuesday, October 13, I expect to have some great news to share with you on this very site. Stay tuned to Seventy In the City for my exciting update!

Sue

Lake Ontario

After the fuss about the name change of our nearby lake died down, Peter and I went on a guided tour, exploring the shoreline. Not only did Doug Ford try to shrink the lake by dumping landfill to increase the Ontario Place parking lot. Not only did Trump try to diminish the lake by changing its name to something unmentionable. But it seems that Torontonians also shrank the lake on purpose to encourage business development. Imagine!

As I wrote in a post a couple of years ago, my life has revolved around Lake Ontario. I grew up in the Niagara area, I spent my high school years in Rochester, I went to University in Kingston, and I have lived my all adult years in Toronto. Almost full circle; only the tiny bit around Hamilton missing, but I have friends there. I truly consider it MY lake!

As for the Toronto shoreline, most of us have figured out that the original waterfront was located just south of Front Street. Duh. Toronto was founded in 1799 as the Town of York, and the site was chosen because the Toronto Islands were just one island which hid and protected the town from invaders. As strollers walk along Front St. today, past Meridian Hall, the St. Lawrence Market and the Distillery district, they can read the newly installed plaques which tell the story of cultural items and artifacts found along the original shoreline.

In the early days, the Esplanade was just a twinkle in a developer’s eye. And Lakeshore Blvd was more like a canoe route. But as boats arrived with cargo in the 1800’s and later, a means of transporting the cargo to other parts of Ontario was needed. So landfill created room for a road – the Lakeshore Boulevard – and then a railway route.

Business and industry continued to grow. But the rich people no longer wished to live with the noise of trains and cargo unloading. Since the car made it possible to escape, people began moving to the suburbs in Etobicoke, Scarboro and North York. Then traffic congestion caused the need for highways and so the city built the Gardiner Expressway(1966) the DVP (1966) and the 427 (1971).

Despite the exit of residents, prime waterfront land continued to expand with industry and noise and pollution. But Torontonians were only around during working hours. For the rest of the dy and night, the waterfront was mostly silent except for the homeless and occasional deliveries. Then in 2010 things changed. In the east, landscape architect Claude Cormier designed and built Sugar Beach. This was followed by a boardwalk called Water’s Edge, some trendy restaurants, and a new water filtration system built with a park and a splash pad; Sherbourne Commons.

Meanwhile in the west, the main visitors to the waterfront were the passengers riding the island ferries. In the 70’s the city began to take notice. The Harbourfront Centre was built, and it attracted a number of community events. Then along came Ontario Place in 1971. This was followed by Yo Yo Ma’s Music Garden in 1999. For music lovers, this garden is cleverly designed with each section depicting one of Bach’s musical pieces. For garden lovers, the garden paths reveal a large variety of plants and flowers, and benches for sitting and sniffing.

Toronto now joins cities like San Francisco, Venice, Sydney and Barcelona, with a waterfront to be proud of. As long as we can keep the jets out and the tourists coming, I have many reasons to be happy when I visit MY lake.

Sue

Map courtesy of Heritage Toronto

Beasts In the City

Last week Peter and I went shopping; to The Beastiary. It was not our usual shopping trip.

First of all, when trying to find the address on Google, I typed “beastiality” by mistake. I immediately got a warning, flashing in red: “Only Adults Over 18 Years Of Age Are Admitted To This Site!” Of course, I had the wrong word.

Armed with the correct address, we took the subway to Castlefrank and a bus south to Wellesley. A few buildings south of the corner, we found The Beastiary. It invited us in with its perky yellow front door. There was a checkout counter and a friendly clerk welcoming us. But all we saw were dog bowls and toys. Where were the beasts?

We carefully walked down the aisle, farther and farther into the jungle. On the right was a large window in front of a terrarium. We noticed a pair of colourful birds, and the clerk told us their story. The female had had a previous boyfriend and they were in love. But he suddenly died, of overexertion. Another boyfriend was found, but the female was not impressed. In fact, she was looking away in disgust.

We moved along in the jungle amid reptiles of all sizes and colours. There was an entire storage unit full of worms. We expected that they might have been food. Who would want a worm as a pet?

The store is well-known for its variety of geckos; small creatures of various sizes that make great pets for people not wanting to take on the care that is required of dogs and cats. These tiny guys can be held, and even taught tricks, such as jumping up and grabbing live crickets from your outstretched fingers. If you want them to. The most colourful is the bearded dragon. The clerk had one on display and I got to hold him. Apparently his beard has not grow in yet.

Sensing our enthusiasm, the clerk took us to the biggest creature: an 8-foot snake, asleep in his cage. The clerk opened the cage and invited Peter to pat the snake. And he did. So I did too. It felt dry and leathery. Fortunately it did not wake up.

Then we made our way back to the check-out counter, passing lots more reptiles. A cute little frog was perched on top of his hand-crafted drinking bowl, just begging us to take him home. I hesitated.

But Peter was already at the front of the store. We had to take care of the reason that brought us to The Beastiary in the first place. Our grand daughter Agnes, who is celebrating her birthday, owns a gecko named August and he eats a LOT of crickets. She needs cash to support her expensive room mate. So we got her a gift card. But we also got to have a fun afternoon outing. I’m wondering if I should go back and get that frog.

Sue

Agnes and August

Taste Of the Kingsway

On Sunday our neighbourhood business association hosted a festival along Bloor St between the Park Lawn Cemetery and Islington Ave. Peter and I volunteered to work at a booth promoting Lee Fairclough, our local MPP who is running in the provincial Liberal leadership race. She is the best candidate in our opinion. But I digress, sorry.

On our way there, we wondered, what exactly ARE the tastes associated with this area? You would surmise from the street names: Royal York Road, the Kingsway, the Queensway, and so on, that the original settlers were from England. So would there be samples of Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding? Sounded promising. Maybe fish and chips? That too would be fine.

Then we thought about all the folks from the south side of Bloor who would be joining in. The major landowner who lived there first was a fruit farmer, Alexander Thompson.. His produce was apples, cherries, and plums. Nowadays a lot of residents are Ukrainian. So that probably meant pierogies, and maybe borscht or halushki. This could be a fun mix of food choices.

Another component of our neighbourhood is that many of us are baby boomers. So how would that contribute towards the food offerings? Would there be Meals on Wheels or Door Dash or other food services offered? We set off Sunday morning to find out.

The closest we found to roast beef were beef kabobs, right beside the fish, but it wasn’t any halibut or salmon; it was squid and octopus. Hmmm.. There were other Asian offerings such as dim sum and sushi, but nothing Ukrainian seemed to be available.


Peter found his favourite store, Sunnyland, with lots of fresh produce for sale. He bought apples and plums.

Keeping in mind that the area is home to a lot of seniors, various services were offered, such as facials, manicures, window washing, lawn maintenance, and dog grooming. There was also a climbing wall but we couldn’t imagine any of us seniors trying that! It stayed empty for most of the day.

When it was time for Peter and me to take a break from our booth and have lunch, Peter found us “smash burgers” the modern version of regular hamburgers. It’s two burger patties that have been smashed with a hammer and loaded with sauce and lettuce. We sat on the church steps to eat them, hoping we were not breaking any Commandments. We had lots of company – apparently bees love smash burgers too. We had to be careful not to get them in our mouths.

After standing at our booth for 3 hours, greeting the crowds and offering swag, we were relieved by the next shift. We hurried home to watch the Blue Jays and eat chips. Peter had some Italian wine. We had enjoyed our outing, and there were lots of adults, kids, and dogs. But it was more local business than cultural. And people were buying Canadian!

Sue

Fall Back

Today as the kids head back to school, there are changes in the air. For Peter and me it’s the end of the air show We live close enough to the flight path that we have heard the roar of the Snowbirds for the last 3 days. Their antics are breathtaking but their sound is ear-splitting.

The other sound that’s missing is the noise of happy play from the kids next door as they jump up and down, up and down, on their back yard trampoline. No more racing along the street on e-scooters or basketball playing across the street either. After their 8:30 am exodus with their backpacks, it gets pretty quiet.

In the garden things are changing too. The bees have been visiting a lot and our outdoor dinners have moved back inside. The rhubarb crop is gone, replaced by butternut squash – hundreds of them! Our kitchen is a mess of cooked squash skins and gooey seeds.

Our grand dog, Tobie, who was with us for most of the summer, has gone home to New York. We miss his company, his antics, his “conversations” as he made his wishes known: “Take me for a walk” “Feed me.” “Pat me.” and most insistent: “It’s bedtime. Hurry up and go to bed with me.”

There’s a chill in the air, reminding us to put on a sweater when we go for a walk. We also begin to think about healthcare and our need to book appointments for Covid and flu shots.

On roads there’s a change in pattern. The local streets are busier as people go back to work. They speed through red lights and switch lanes without looking, as they rush to get to a meeting on time. On the weekends highway 400 traffic slows down, as cottagers close up for the winter.

The slow pace of life changes from one of relaxation to signing up for fall classes: fitness and winter sports, or education and book clubs. There’s a greater offering on TV too – fewer reruns and the start up of our favourite regular shows.

Finally in the news, we are being reminded to get those elbows up and Buy Canadian!

Sue