Happy New Year 2017...This Week

I haven't had much to say for a long time. I think I got tired of writing. Is that even possible? Do real writers ever get tired of writing? I suppose it's like any other job. Sometimes, they just get burned out. My excuse? Who knows?

It's 2017. I can't even believe I'm saying that. Last year was so eventful, and busy right until Christmas, we might end up writing a Happy New Year, rather than a Christmas letter...no cards were sent this past year.

New year's eve was lovely. We had dinner at our favourite local Japanese restaurant. Sadly, it will be closing up at the end of January as they are moving closer to family in Port Dover. Hubby always said, "That restaurant is too good for this town."

The town's First Night activities were a bit of a washout because of heavy showers, so we didn't take a chance standing around and waiting to see if the fireworks might happen. Instead, we spent the latter part of the evening at home.

The year has been wonderful so far...one week in. I'm thankful that I didn't wake up with hives on New Year's Day as I did last year. In fact, I've felt happier and more energetic than I have in awhile. In only one week, I have accomplished much. There are no resolutions except to be more positive and refrain from succumbing to the senior tendency toward negativity and grumpiness.... not always easy to do when you're aging.

January 1st was spent at the Metro Toronto Zoo. The weather was magnificent...clear, sunny, 6C...mild by our January standards. My fitbit says we walked 4.18 miles...that's miles, not kilometres...not bad. We met up with friends who enjoy this activity as an annual New Year's Day event and we all had a fantastic time...no lineups, no crowds.

Later this week, I took the train to Toronto and got my hair cut at Fiorio in Yorkville. Then, wandered and looked in specialty shops and boutiques with my friend. The highlight for me was seeing a Dr. Seuss exhibit at the Liss gallery. The child in me always manages to show. We had a delicious lunch at a pub with New Zealand-esque decor, called Hemingway's. End result, great hair, 12,500 fitbit steps and 43 flights of stairs.Yes, folks, the old buildings in Yorkville have no elevators and are not for the feeble or timid. 

Since the weather has held up and there's been no need to hibernate, there have been several other events and outings already. I suppose I'm especially appreciating that, since January is often touted as the most depressing month, and as we age, we become more conscious of wasting time.

So what does 2017 hold for us? Who knows. Let's just hope it's a great year for all. Let's make the best of it no matter what life holds. Happy New Year.

***Thanks to Adam and Denise for these photos.

Memories of the 70's and Metro Toronto Zoo

After a year or two of working at my career, some debt, and a serious lack of savings, then-hubby (as opposed to now-hubby), and I moved into a brand new, almost completed, high rise. There was an Otis strike, so the elevating device had not yet been installed. We were fine with it because we lived on the tenth floor and it saved us ten dollars per flight a month in rent rebate for what ended up being quite a length of time...seven months or so if I recall correctly. 

We received moving help from the superintendant and a couple of other apartment employees. It amused us to see many of our second hand furnishings hauled  by a rope up the outside of the building. Thankfully, the dresser containing our drawers of undergarments, or just our drawers as it were, made it. I didn't think I needed to empty the unit, just as it didn't occur to me that my scanty panties could possibly end up parachuting into a parking full of cars, or worse....passersby. Of course this activity always attracted oglers. A few items were carried up to the apartment. My glass coffee table was one of the choices. It however, met its fate around the seventh floor when the superintendent squeezed the ends of the unit a bit too hard. He needed stitches. It needed the trash compactor. 

As I mentioned, our rental was on the tenth floor so we not only saved money, but became physically fit, and experts in planning. After all, who wanted to make that trek several times when something was forgotten? We soon got to know most people in the building, nodding our heads or grunting in passing while panting (this "pant"ing having nothing to do with aforementioned drawers) on our way up the stairs. When the fire alarm went off, (thankfully not too frequently), everyone perspired as they hustled down the stairwell, keeping their small, illegal pets, mostly cats, hidden under their coats. The coats were a must for this feline deception, even in the summer. And yes, we had a cat too.

Before long, we met our immediate neighbours. They were a lovely couple, our age... with a cat. They invited us to join them at their place for drinks. As it turned out, we were not only neighbours, but she and I were going to be work colleagues. At some point they introduced us to more friends and told us about their upcoming vacation to the Bahamas.

This pronouncement made me not only envious, but restless. Because of years of education, our holidays to this point had consisted of either working in the summer or, after I was married to then-hubby,  going to visit the in-laws in Kitchener. They in turn treated us to delicious home cooked Mennonite meals...capon (not to be confused with Capone), pigtails, or pot roast. Sometimes we went to a steakhouse and that was even more special even though I still ordered the pigtails. 

I was fortunate to be gainfully employed...for ten months of the year. The details surrounding the acquisition of this much coveted job, will require another blog in which I will surely elaborate on one of my current pet peeves, youth entitlement. Alas, I digress. On with the story.

It seemed to me that we too should be able to formulate a plan to earn extra funds during our two months of financial drought. We had the time. We had no cash. Unfortunately, then-hubby was tied up with summer courses, a promise he made to advance his unemployed state to that of small income earner. I on the other hand, had no such obligation, so when I heard about the opening of the Metro Toronto Zoo, I decided to apply. 

On August 15. 1974, when The Metropolitan Toronto Zoo opened its doors, I was a proud member of the original staff. The job had actually begun earlier because of visiting dignitaries and the like, but this was the official start date.                              
The uniform requirement was brown shirt and khaki pants...any brown shirt and pants. Fashion gurus would have been appalled. Brown was simply not a colour of choice in 1974, and whenever I asked, sales clerks thumbed their noses at me. So much for shopping at fancy department stores like Biway. 

Tilley Endurables was still six years into Alex Tilley's future...not that I could have afforded it anyhow, and thrift stores sadly, not yet part of my repertoire. Eventually, I somehow assembled an outfit that was passable for about...gulp...$12.

I was already in deficit mode...deduct $ for zoo clothes. Next, there was the transportation. Fortunately, I had been forced to learn to drive when acquiring and accepting my first  job in the village of Uxbridge. The trip to the zoo wasn't far, but nonetheless there was cost involved.  Minimum wage $2.25 ...gas 53 cents..probably per gallon at the time. So the elephant and I were working for peanuts, We both had a goal in mind. We wanted to find somewhere nice and warm to relax. (The elephant found his way to California some 25 years later). I managed eventually to save enough  to get on a cheap flight to the Bahamas with then-hubby.

At this point I'm not certain whether to continue with my zoo adventures or describe our fabulous $99 Night Flight vacation to the Bahamas so I'll give my muddled brain a rest until I can remember where I was going with this story.

Penguins & Paparazzi

I've always had a fascination for penguins. Not only are these birds durable, surviving the harshest of conditions in the southern hemisphere, but they're entertaining and cute.

While admiring an assortment of plants and animals in a lovely park in Mannheim, Germany, I came across a small enclosure containing penguins. I was fascinated and of course, took several photos. I believe they were African penguins also called black footed penguins, cute little guys who normally live off the southern African waters. As I watched them, I thought to myself that I could stare at these entertaining, waddling birds for hours.

                                                                                                                           
I was part way around the world, observing these penguins, yet, a controversy about the same species was brewing back home. News reports surfaced about a "couple" of penguins at the Metro Toronto Zoo. Nothing unusual about that except that the penguins, Pedro and Buddy, both males, were described as inseparable and as having "pair bonded".

Apparently, Buddy and Pedro became friends as part of a male group at their former zoo in Toledo, Ohio and have remained close after being moved to the Toronto zoo. Since they have particularly good genes and because the species is expected to die out by the end of the century, it has been determined that Buddy and Pedro need to spend time with female penguins rather than with each other. The Metro Toronto Zoo is one of forty zoos involved in breeding programmes. For this reason, the penguin pals will soon be separated.

Public outcry since this announcement has been widespread. Facebook and twitter are all abuzz with talk of these penguins. There are accusations of homophobia. Gay penguin rights groups have formed. Jokes have been made on late night television. Zoo officials admit there will be separation anxiety. Scientists suggest that one or both of the animals could suffer serious depression from being torn away from each other.   

Tom Mason, the zoo's curator of birds says, “But in the long run they’re more important to the population as a whole … these animals are very important to the survival of the species in North America.”

If you believe that an individual penguin's rights supercede what's best for the species, you would probably suggest this pair be left alone. If on the other hand, you feel that it's important to keep these particular penguins from becoming extinct, you probably agree with zoo officials that they should be separated and paired with female penguins. What are your thoughts on this sensitive issue?

                                                             

Photos taken in Luisenpark, Mannheim, Germany