Happy Canada Day!
In my ongoing efforts to enlighten and educate, I thought I would mention that today is Canada's birthday.
I like a lot of things about Canada.
First, Canada has produced all kinds of knitting prodigies, most lately, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Not to mention yarns from Paton's, Bernat, Spinrite, and ... drool drool drool ... Koigu.
Canada makes great beer, too.
Canada has the Canadian Rockies and the Boundary Waters and Niagra Falls. Okay, we share the last two, but still.
Canada has Mounties. Yes, I know the uniform is only a dress uniform, but don't ruin this for me, okay? If we had anything like Mounties in America, a speeding ticket would hurt a lot less. If they wore the uniforms.
Canadians don't assume that the rest of the world considers Canada to be the center of the Universe.
Canada has given the world many wonderful musicians ... Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, k.d. lang and many others, as well as the Montreal Jazz Fest.
And speaking of music ... a patriotic Candian with a normal, untrained voice can actually sing "O, Canada."
Excellent knitterly weather: Sweater weather for the majority of the year, real seasons, and very rare hurricanes.
Canadians, although sometimes armed, seem to understand that it's not really necessary to shoot each other on a regular basis.
Canada gave us Newfoundlands and Labrador Retrievers. Even some obscure breeds. How cool is that?
Peter Jennings.
Canada is a peaceful nation.
Canadians get health care for everyone and dignity for gay folk. I am assuming dignity for everyone else as well.
Barenaked Ladies.
A seriously groovy flag.
Canadians tend to think of a second language as a benefit rather than a threat to national security.
Canada has given Americans refuge in times of conflict, whether Americans were in need of a place to get away from Vietnam or in need of being smuggled out of Iran in 1979.
Canadians say, "eh" just like Cajuns.
And of course, Canada gave us Cajuns. If Canada hadn't exiled them, Louisiana would just seem like more of Texas.
Okay, I admit, Canada has Celine Dion, but can't we forgive this? Can Americans really pick on Canada for Celine Dion when we gave the world Britney Spears? I mean, you can take the girl out of Tangipahoa Parish, but you can't take ...
ahem. I digress.
Happy Birthday, Canada. Live long and prosper.
--Mambocat
4 comments:
Amen. It's a beautiful country full of good people.
Toni
Dez, this Canadian really appreciates your comments on Canada, but I really must disillusion you concerning hurricanes! I live in Halifax Nova Scotia. Ever hear of Hurricane Juan? Yes, we had only two deaths, but the damage is still evident three years later and now our ocean is unusally warm again and we're being warned that this could be another bad hurricane season. It pales in comparison to the devastation in New Orleans and surrounds, but it was certainly very real to all of us!
Shirley
Hi Shirley! Hurricane Juan had indeed slipped my mind. I stand corrected on "no nurricanes" and have amended the blog to read, "rare hurricanes." My apology. It's just that we think of ourselves as being Mother Nature's Bowling Alley down here, and although we know that folks in New England and Southeast Canada get hurricanes, too, the systems have often lost most of their "oompfh" by the time that make it up that far on the map.
I am all too sure it was real for you.
I supose it's kind of the way Northerners don't think of the South getting any accummulation of snow beyond the sleet-and-flurries stage. We don't get white stuff very often ... but it happens!
Thanks for the tribute.
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