Summer Heat ... and Cold!

I could have sworn that the bus I got on to come home said "New Flyer" on the side by the door when I stepped in. However, when I took that first step in, it became clear that I was travelling home by Frigid-Air. 


Now, I really dislike the heat intensely. I like comfortably warm weather with a nice breeze. Temperatures around 21 °C suit me just fine. That's a perfect summer day for me. Today feels like a nice summer day. Then there are those who claim to love the heat, but you will find them sitting in air conditioned vehicles with the chillers on "fast freeze."


Although it is only about 23 °C outside right now, the driver felt it necessary to have the A/C on fast freeze. How silly it looks to be carrying your coat when you're outside and then step into a vehicle and have to put it on. All the way home I was frozen. My nose and ears were cold to the touch by the time I got off the bus. I was wondering if I should go see a vet because my nose was cold!


So why do people feel the need to have the chillers on full blast? Isn't A/C simply meant to be used to take the intense heat off the air. Cooling it down inside to around 21 °C would have been fine. Heck, on a day like today, just leave the windows open to get a nice breeze and some fresh air rather than breathing that recirculated crap.


And they wonder why people get sick!!

Born Free? / Taxed to Death ... and Beyond!

This little poem was sent to me in an email. It certainly is a sign of our times. Our country really does need help. The question is, How do we do it without it falling on the backs of the taxpayers?

Tax his land, tax his bed, tax the table at which he's fed.

Tax his work, tax his pay, he works for peanuts anyway!

Tax his cow, tax his goat, tax his pants, tax his coat.

Tax his tobacco, tax his drink, tax him if he tries to think.

Tax his car, tax his gas, find other ways to tax his ass.

Tax all he has then let him know that you won't be done till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers, then tax him some more, tax him till he's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin, tax his grave, tax the sod in which he's laid.

When he's gone, do not relax, its time to apply the inheritance tax.

 

Accounts Receivable Tax

Airline surcharge tax

Airline Fuel Tax

Airport Maintenance Tax

Building Permit Tax

Cigarette Tax

Corporate Income Tax

Death Tax

Dog License Tax

Driving Permit Tax

EnvironmentalTax (Fee)

Excise Taxes

Federal Income Tax

Federal Unemployment  (UI)

Fishing License Tax

Food License Tax

Gasoline Tax (too much per litre)

Gross Receipts Tax

Health Tax

Hunting LicenseTax

HydroTax

InheritanceTax

InterestTax

LiquorTax

LuxuryTaxes

Marriage License Tax

Medicare Tax

Mortgage Tax

Personal Income Tax

Property Tax

Poverty Tax

Prescription Drug Tax

Provincial Income and sales tax

Real Estate Tax

Recreational Vehicle Tax

Retail Sales Tax

Service Charge Tax

School Tax

Telephone Federal Tax

Telephone Federal, Provincial and Local Surcharge Taxes

Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax

Vehicle  License Registration Tax

Vehicle Sales Tax

Water Tax

Watercraft Registration Tax

Well Permit Tax

Workers Compensation Tax

--- and in 2010 the HST

(author unknown)

 

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

 

Not one of these taxes existed 60 years ago, and our nation was one of the most  prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had a large middle class, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

 

What in "Hell" happened?

Are You a Butterfly Too?

(Photo courtesy of Jim Newman.)

Have you ever noticed how life has so much to teach us if we only take the time to look? If you look at the trees around you, can you see how strong they are in standing up against the wind? Only the pieces of them which no longer serve a purpose are shed in those winds, yet the roots run strong and deep to hold it steady, and it continues to grow and flourish.

A butterfly is another rich example of how change can be handled in our lives. A caterpillar will one day turn into a beautiful butterfly. That's a dramatic change in their life. It goes through many stages before it emerges as a thing of beauty to be admired and looked at with wonder and awe. 

Have you ever followed a caterpillar through the stages of its life and thought about what it goes through? A caterpillar begins as a tiny egg, which takes a little time then hatches into a fuzzy-bodied creature. Then for a period of time, it spends all day eating leaves, growing stronger and bigger, molting as it grows, preparing for the next stage of its life. One day you notice it is no longer there on that leaf. A search for it shows it has transformed itself into a chrysalis. Here insides its little cocoon it sleeps for another period of time, undergoing another big, life-altering change.

Then one day, the chrysalis begins to break open. Slowly, the butterfly emerges from its place of rest. It is tired and wet and must sit for a period of time to rest and dry its wings. But it has successfully and dramatically transformed its life from a little creature that must crawl from place to place to a beautiful butterfly who may now spread its wings and fly. It is a whole new way of life for it from the one from which it began.

How similar is human life to that? Life is full of changes we must undertake. Changing can be hard, and some days we probably wonder if it is worth it. But ultimately we know that one day all the hard work is going to get us wings to fly too. Change can be the hardest thing in the world. The work that must be done to go from one stage to the next can be very tiring and draining. Oftentimes we are scared of change because we don't know exactly how things will turn out. We are not meant to. That is when we must trust in ourselves and have faith that God is helping us every step of the way. I truly believe He is.

So, if you are undergoing change, especially major change in your life, don't be afraid. Trust in yourself. Trust your own instincts. Trust in the power that you have been given. And above all else, trust in the plan that God has for your life. It is a beautiful one, and you are worth the work to get there!

Humidity

Yuck! We have had a few days of hot weather combined with humidity here. Although the temperatures were only around 24–26 °C here on the coast, the humidity is high, so the "feel like" temperature or the "humidex" as well call it, made the temperature 32–34 °C. Gross!!! The only saving grace is the wind that has been constantly blowing. It makes it almost bearable.

I sure hope the humidity goes away soon. Forecast, though, shows no sun for the next week. I am told that where we live, it is the hardest place in the world to forecast weather because it is constantly changing. As we all say, "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes. It'll change." We can only hope for the best. Personally, I look forward to September weather, excluding the hurricane season that is predicted to be more intense than usual.