Learning is a Good Thing

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We’re getting a couple of storms today – one is here from Quebec and the remnants of Elsa will arrive later. I see a few thunderstorms forecast in the area, but nothing like last week.

Today’s images were taken yesterday during a relatively brief period when the sun was out. Fish and I made it down to the Lighthouse and then to Schooner Cove. The two ponds at the Cove are full of lily pads and (oddly enough) big goldfish.

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There is a lot of work to do in the yard and in the house. I’m going to have to lower my expectations because I can’t keep on top of it all – cleaning, basic maintenance, and firewood will have to be the priorities. Well that and feeding hummingbirds.

I have added another project but this one is not a chore. Coursera has a program from the University of Alberta on Indigenous Canada. It’s free to take if you don’t want the certificate and inexpensive if you do. They don’t have the time to fill in all the gaps in our ignorance but it’s well worth doing. I’m learning a lot of things my school years scandalously didn’t bother to include and as of this morning 361,221 other students are enrolled. There’s a long way to go but it’s a good start.

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I learned something else this week – something I’d been wondering about for a long time. I borrowed a young friend’s old phone for a few days before I replaced my broken one. Now, I say “old”, but he goes through 5 or 6 a year so it wasn’t ancient. At one point I wanted to Google something so I turned on data. OMG!

It has always been a complete mystery to me why teenagers (especially) spend all their time staring at their phones. I just couldn’t imagine what they were doing that required so much constant focus. My friend’s phone has his Facebook, Snapchat, IMs, etc., accounts logged on. The stream of messages and updates started immediately and swamped my screen. They didn’t stop. There is no way anybody can possibly keep up with that much incoming data without ignoring the rest of the world.

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They (no I don’t know who “they” are) say you’re never too old to learn. Obviously it’s true or we’d all still be sitting around radios in the evening listening to fireside chats. I love technology but I have my limits.

This week I learned the difference between Indigenous and First Nations. I also learned that my decision not to indulge in Facebook, Snapchat, and the rest has probably preserved my sanity. This blog and Twitter are quite enough to keep me occupied in my downtime.

Now if I’d just learn to love housework. 🙂

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