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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cana_Island

Very profound request, we are here now, let's ask for Tomorrow.

https://youtube.com/shorts/mJAdCGyaxD4?si=LMwqcQ9l7h4Me7v3

Received this letter from Pastor Shane Idlemanthis on from California, he raises a number of issues that seem reasonable to me. Thought I would save it here so it doesn't get lost and so we can reflect on it later. 

An Open Letter to California’s Current & Future Governor

With President Trump recently surveying the damage in the Palisades and Pasadena, Californians will elect their next governor in 2026, and the stakes have never been higher. The need to address critical issues confronting this great state is urgent. Being born and raised here, and now serving as a pastor in northern Los Angeles county, I have witnessed the slow deterioration up close. But there is hope…

The Foundation Must be Reinforced

Many do not know that the California Constitution Preamble states: “We, the People of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure and perpetuate its blessings, do establish this Constitution.”

From the early days of the Spanish Missions to the Billy Graham Crusades in Los Angeles in the 1950s to the Calvary Chapel movement, God’s hand has clearly been on California. Unsurprisingly, it has the fifth-largest economy in the world and has worldwide influence. God has truly perpetuated California's blessings.

But over the decades, under the banner of “progressivism,” we have strayed away from our foundation noted in the preamble — reliance on God. Ronald Reagan said: “If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” This applies to California as well. Once a place of hope, California is now the place where dreams die.

Exiting California

Although many issues play a role in a person’s decision to leave, such as the approach to the pandemic lockdowns, a loss of freedom, an increase in the cost of living, and increasing regulations on corporations and business owners, the focus of this article is on one of the biggest concerns — illegal immigration.

California is a state of thankful immigrants. Most came here to better themselves and to contribute to society. But now things have shifted BIG time.

Everything Can’t Be a Priority

To properly handle immigration, it must be a legal process. Second, we must prioritize citizens and citizenship — if everything is a priority, then nothing is. When an airplane loses cabin pressure, parents put on their oxygen masks first so they can then assist their child. This isn’t selfishness; it’s wisdom. In the same way, the governor is to put the safety of his people first. We are about to pay a heavy cost given the fact many convicted murderers are here illegally and that Gavin Newsom and California Democrats recently reached a $50M deal to Trump-proof the state. Yes, you read that correctly. Confused? So am I.

It Makes No Sense

I have a hard time understanding how many are silent on this issue unless it’s to attract more voters to California. Just recently, California would not allow voting locations to require IDs to vote. Please tell me how this makes sense.

Do we want power and control so much that we will literally sacrifice the lives and security of our citizens for it? God help us!

I’m not naïve; I know that all ideas have flaws, but we need to begin the conversation and get the ball rolling. Our motto must be: Compassion meets Concern. We must show compassion, but also fervently guard our citizens — which is actually the role of government.

•Secure the border and severely curtail crossings while increasing security.

•Use a lie detector or other technology to gauge intent and motives of those without any convictions. I know that this isn’t bulletproof, but it adds another layer of accountability.

•Determine if it is a family who truly needs assistance or if it is a person who might pose a security threat.

•Develop programs to help them learn English within two years.

•There must be a plan in place for employment, not free handouts.

•Streamline the process of becoming a citizen, such as issuing a temporary “pass” while the details are looked into.

Adding measures such as these would show compassion and also ease the fear of deportation. However, it is nearly impossible to vet most of those who cross our borders illegally.

Again, this invasion will not stop until we remove the incentives to come here, such as government handouts of free money, food, and medical care. We need a defensible border and courts that actually enforce the laws. Again, I’m well aware of the challenges, but we’ll miss 100% of the shots we don’t take.

The Greatest Threat

Although securing our borders and communities is essential, it pales in comparison to securing our relationship with God. We walked away from our preamble, mocked God’s Word, and scoffed at His principles — now, we are reaping the whirlwind. We must return to Him: “Return to Me, and I will return to you” (Mal. 3:7).

Like America’s Founders in their time of crisis, it’s time to call for a season of prayer, fasting, and repentance. At this stage in the game, this is the best way to divert disaster.

There still is Hope-4-California.
=======================

https://www.recorder.ca/news/the-brockville-rifles-are-recruiting

Interesting read about farming in Austria, using a loose hay system, certified hay milk production, Enshrined in EU law as a recognized type of milk. Standards have been developed, many historical. 

The "drying box " also caught my attention. 10 hectares a day, saving 25% of the energy loss that normal drying results in, let alone the impact that wet weather would have on forage quality. Hay vs Silage gets a 25 cent per litre CDN premium for organic hay milk in the EU . 

#seabuckthorn

"Sea buckthorn is a hardy shrub known for its bright orange berries, which are packed with nutrients and have been used for centuries in traditional medicine. The berries are rich in vitamins C and E, antioxidants, and omega fatty acids, making them a popular ingredient in health supplements and skincare products. The plant is also valued for its ability to grow in poor soil conditions and its role in preventing soil erosion.

Have you ever tried sea buckthorn berries or products made from them? They have a unique, tangy flavor that some people really enjoy!"

https://www.bigskyseabuckthorn.com/history

https://youtube.com/shorts/_JekZjmuQV4?si=4HQ8NBOePwbzuLaJ

Hard to belive that even this is broken, it impacts people. Here is a recent example of a local mom that has been affected. This came to my attention this morning from our friend A.J. Benoit's post. This is not the first that I am aware of, last one was for a simple medical device, a helmet to help in the heling after surgery, 5000 plus requirement to move forward. The community rose to the challenge. Hopefully this request does as well.    

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18NcMyEk5Q/?mibextid=wwXIfr

CALLING ON ALL FORMER EMPLOYEES OF PROCTER & GAMBLE! IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM A.J. PLEASE READ!.........
Dear former colleagues of P&G,
There is a daughter from a P&G employee that really needs your help!!! My name is A.J. Benoit who worked for P&G for 17 years. 10 Years at the Brockville plant and 5 in P&G Sales. During my 17 years with the company, I had to pleasure to work with Pat Bowen who initially worked in Brockville in the synthetic making department. After working there for about 10 years, Pat, like myself transferred into the P&G Sales organization. Sadly a few years back Pat passed away far too soon in life. She was a lot of fun to work with.
P&G and its employees have ALWAYS stepped up to the plate with their generosity! I can speak from my own experience in Brockville that P&G was the major employer for over 40 years and was the most wonderful corporate citizens a community could ever ask for as were its employees!
BUT… the story gets even sadder! Pats, daughter Sadie VanRavenhorst, who lives in Brockville has taken critically ill! Below is her story.
After years of painful and worsening symptoms, and numerous invasive medical procedures and injections, Sadie, a beloved mother, wife, friend and member of the Brockville community, has finally received the diagnosis that could change her life - a rare degenerative neurological disorder called Tarlov Cyst Disease (TCD).
But, living in a province (and country) where TCD is barely understood, and certainly not treated appropriately, Sadie and her family are faced with a difficult decision: wait years for the possibility of specialized care here at home in Ontario, and risk permanent nerve damage that could make it impossible to stand, sit, and work, or, pay out-of-pocket for immediate surgery abroad, and have a chance at a pain-free future where she can still walk and play with her children.
To tackle this disease before the damage worsens and becomes a life sentence, Sadie needs this surgery now. While good health is priceless, the cost of this surgery to treat the cysts on her spine is a staggering $85,000 CAD, plus travel.
Early in the New Year, she will have the opportunity to travel to Cyprus, where world renowned U.S. neurosurgeon Dr. Frank Feigenbaum practices as part of an international surgical group for those suffering from this disease. Let’s help send Sadie to Cyprus and get her back the life she deserves.
The hurdles to getting help at home are insurmountable.
Unfortunately, there is no one in Ontario who can perform the surgery Sadie needs. Despite her ongoing requests for a referral to an Ontario neurosurgeon, she has either been referred elsewhere or denied. This disease is rare and not well understood. Even with the appropriate referral, it could take months, if not years, before an available appointment.
Yet, the process to even apply for the funds for out of province surgery requires the endorsement of a neurosurgeon who would apply to OHIP on Sadie’s behalf. After years of waiting, these requests typically get denied. The longer Sadie waits, the more likely her nerve damage is to become permanent. Sadie and her family can’t wait any longer.
Sadie is the proud mother of two young sons – aged 8 and 5. She has been a volunteer coach with the Brockville Minor Hockey Association and enjoyed playing competitive hockey herself, until the indescribable pain associated with TCD made that impossible. She is active in her home community of Brockville and has volunteered assisting victims of crime in accessing resources and supporting women leaving abusive relationships with her advocacy work.
Sadie isn’t just a supportive friend, colleague and community member, she is also a fun-loving and hilariously witty woman who is beloved by all who know her. She deserves a better quality of life – where she can go to work and play with her kids again, pain-free. She deserves a future where she can still walk when her children graduate and have families of their own.
Even a small donation can make a world of difference for Sadie and her family. Chip in and help Sadie get the life-changing spinal surgery she needs! If anyone would like to donate to Sadie’s cause please see the link below.
Thank you all so very kindly and I wish you all the best in this New Year!

LINK TO SADIE’S GO FUND ME PAGE:

https://www.gofundme.com/.../support-lifechanging-spinal...

P.S. Sadie is also one of my son's best friends!

This is a problem that seems to be increasing. Being at the "Emergency Department" a number of times over the holidays ths Christmas with my wife and baby boy, we had some upfront seats. I wrote a nice little reflection on fb this morning , I shared it and it disapeared after doing so. I wish I had saved a copy not thinking it would be disapear, so lesson learned, post on your own system first, then you can share. 

Key take away, we need a "I Need Help Department" that in between Emergency and I can see my Dr next week.

Maybe the comments I made will reapear once approved by fb police, it wasn't that bad, however I did invoke the name of #47 and very fine people, so who knows. 

In the meantime, I will glean some items on this topic.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/the-grim-reality-of-canadas-buckling-health-care-system-5779951

Key Words

Health Care

Emergency

Doctor

Nurse

Hospital

Sick

Solutions

Problems

There will be a day when it is all wrapped up here on this journey we call life. I came across this reflection today, and I know I have seen it before, its worth repeating and organizing here for future review, contemplation. ~ TLR

When You Die

When you die, don’t worry about your body. Your family will take care of everything as best as they can. They’ll wash you, dress you, and prepare you for your final journey. They’ll take you out of your home and move you to your new resting place.

Many people will attend your funeral to say their goodbyes. Some will even rearrange their schedules or take time off work to be there. Yet, life will go on.
Your possessions, even the ones you guarded most fiercely, will be given away, sold, or discarded. Your clothes, tools, books, shoes, and keys—all the things you once called your own—will pass into other hands or be forgotten.

The world won’t stop for you. The economy will keep moving. At work, someone else will fill your position, possibly doing the job as well as, or better than, you did.

Your name will continue to be mentioned—sometimes with admiration, sometimes with criticism. People will recall the good and bad moments you shared. Friends and acquaintances might say, “What a good person,” or, “What a life they lived.”

Your true friends will grieve deeply, but only for a time. Soon enough, laughter will return to their lives. Those who partied with you may move on even faster.
Even your pets will adapt to a new owner.

Your photos may sit on a shelf or hang on a wall for a while, but eventually, they’ll be tucked away in a drawer. You’ll linger in the memories of those who truly loved you, but even that will fade as time goes on.

Someone else will sit in your chair, eat at your table, and live in your home. The pain of losing you will gradually fade for your family and loved ones. Weeks, months, years will pass, and then you’ll become part of their memories.
Your story here will end.

But a new chapter will begin—one in a different reality. In this new life, none of the things you valued here will matter.

Your body, your beauty, your possessions, your status, your bank account, your home, your car, your profession, your titles—none of these will follow you. Even your relationships, family, and friends will remain behind.

The only thing you’ll take with you is your spirit, enriched or impoverished by the life you lived here.

The wealth you carry forward is what you gave to others—love, kindness, and peace. It is built not through what you kept, but through what you shared.
So live fully, love deeply, and give generously.

In the end, you won’t take anything you earned, only what you gave.
​
from a facebook quote post, author not known

https://youtu.be/z_Lye3SJ6qg?si=Qr1n5zHaGSIbJiRw

Some great advice 

https://youtu.be/_uVm_MykGLk?si=ma9RgofdkmtZMGtS

A lazy individual either is sick or has not found the work he or she likes best.
------------------------------------------------------------

No one is inherently lazy. It is human nature to want to be doing things unless we are ill. A sure sign of the beginnings of a recovery from illness is the desire to get up and around, to go back to work, to do something—anything. Inactivity leads to boredom, and boredom leads to “laziness.” Conversely, activity leads to interest, and interest leads to enthusiasm and ambition.

W. Clement Stone often says, “The emotions are not always subject to reason, but they are always subject to action!” Determine what you are best at and what you like to do, and develop a burning desire to be the best you can be at it. Then, get into action!  

Napoleon Hill

Having battled a cold since before Christmas, I have felt the lazy part of this, just the brain fog,  it does slow you down. With the houshold suffering, ones obligations expand, drawing you away from the expectations we have on ourself at our business or "work".  As we start feeling better, we have moments of ambition, that I am grateful for. it's a good quote and reflection. 

Cheers to our health !

TLR

Amor Fati 

Amor Fati is a Latin phrase that means "love of fate" or "love of one's fate". It's a Stoic mindset that involves accepting and embracing whatever happens in life, including suffering and loss, as good or necessary.

The concept of amor fati was emphasized by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in his work. Nietzsche described it as: Accepting everything
A resolute acceptance of everything that has happened in life, without regret or retouching the past

Loving everything, A love of fate, where one wants nothing to be different, and instead loves what is
Here are some tips for practicing amor fati:

Accept reality
When things are going bad, don't get frustrated or dwell on the problem. Instead, accept reality and focus on finding a solution.

View troubles as challenges
Challenges show what you are capable of, so you might even look forward to difficult situations.

Create an acceptance mantra
Come up with a mantra to say when you are facing difficulty.

Make the best of it
Put your energies and emotions where they will have real impact, and make the most of the situation

https://www.iherb.com/pal/referral/any/overall?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnz.iherb.com%2Fblog%2F5-bulletproof-coffee-recipes-to-give-you-a-morning-boost%2F550%3Fgad_source%3D1%26gclid%3DCjwKCAiA1eO7BhATEiwAm0Ee-AfGW7Md8MJXbAnuNp8gLtAlpGOBewIpEtLOToc8djjmL-7yJD-c5xoCOXcQAvD_BwE%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds%26rcode%3DAPX1221&utm_medium=appshare

J​anuary
The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks on Jan. 3 but is visible until around Jan. 12. At its height it can produce up to 120 meteors per hour. They’re typically easy to spot if conditions are right, but remember to bundle up for the cold.

Jan. 13 brings the year’s first full moon, dubbed the Wolf Moon. This one is special because it will pass over Mars in a phenomenon called occultation. Most people in the U.S. will have a chance to watch the red planet disappear behind the moon and then reappear.

By mid to late month, a parade of planets including Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn can be spotted with the naked eye. Neptune and Uranus will be visible via telescope.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/look-up-the-top-celestial-events-of-2025/ar-AA1wHWnA?ocid=widgetonlockscreen&cvid=5a61ab5c9fed41de8f41a7232916b276&ei=10

F​ebruary
The f​ull Snow Moon rises on Feb. 12.

M​arch
A total lunar eclipse will turn the full Worm Moon into a glowing red “blood moon” on March 14. This happens because of the lack of sunlight shining on the moon when the Earth passes between it and the sun in a lunar eclipse.

This month’s full moon name is inspired by earthworms emerging from warmer soil.

A partial solar eclipse on March 29 will block out part of the sun.  Eclipse

A​pril

The L​yrid meteor shower is visible from April 15 to April 30 but peaks right about in the middle of that window, on April 21 - 22.

The f​ull Pink Moon rises on April 23. Legend has it this moon was named after pink spring flowers.

M​ay

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks on May 3 - 4. 

The f​ull Flower Moon on May 23 is another lunar ode to spring.

J​une

The name of June’s full moon is familiar to anyone who looks forward to ripe summer berries. The f​ull Strawberry Moon peaks on June 11.

J​uly

The full Buck Moon, whose name is said to be inspired by antlers sprouting on the heads of deer, peaks on July 10.

Then come the peak of both the Southern Delta Aquarid and Alpha Capricornid meteor showers peak on July 29-30.

A​ugust

The August full moon is named after North America's largest freshwater fish. The full Sturgeon Moon peaks this year on Aug. 9.

This month’s real star is the Perseid meteor shower, widely considered one of the best and most popular meteor showers of the year. The Perseids peak with up to 75 meteors per hour on Aug. 12 - 13, at the same time as some of the warmest summer nights of the year.

S​eptember

The full Harvest Moon on Sept. 17 signifies the symbolic start of what for many is their favorite season.

O​ctober

The first official full moon of the fall, the Hunter’s Moon on Oct. 6, is named for the traditional start of hunting season in some cultures.

The Orionid meteor shower is visible from Oct. 2 to Nov. 12, but peaks on Oct. 22 - 23. 

N​ovember

The f​ull Beaver Moon, also known as the Frost Moon, rises on Nov. 5

D​ecember

Winter is one of the best times for stargazing because colder weather often brings clearer skies. That can make for great viewing of the Geminid meteor shower peak on Dec. 13-14. The Geminids are famous for bright, intense colors and come at a time when the sun sets earlier, making it a family friendly event.

The appropriately named f​ull Cold Moon rises on Dec. 4.

Signed up for daily brief's , incase I need a memory reminder along the way 

Cheers

Happy New Year !

TLR

The future looks bright

https://www.country-guide.ca/features/where-will-land-prices-be-in-10-years/

Received call from my oldest son tonight, his wife's water broke, so the count down for my new granddaughter is on. Looks like will be a 2025 New Years baby !

Jamie Lyn we await you :) 

Love Grandpa Ross

“There are no words to describe the happiness in holding your baby’s baby.”

https://www.sage.com/en-ca/blog/what-is-markup-percentage/

Check out the calculator in posting from sage.

What is markup?

Markup is the percentage increase over the cost price of an item.

You add the percentage to the cost price of a product to determine its selling price.

It’s the amount you’re “marking up” the price from what you paid for it.

Markup is calculated by dividing the profit (selling price minus cost) by the cost price and then multiplying by 100.

Markup formula

Markup = ((Selling price – Cost price) / Cost price) x 100

Example, if you sell a product for $100 that costs you $60 to produce, your markup would be:

Markup = ((100 − 60/60) × 100) = 66.67%

This means you’re selling the product for 66.67% more than it cost to produce.

In simple terms

Markup uses the cost price as the base and margin uses the selling price as the base.

Because of this, markup percentages will always be higher than margin percentages for the same item.

Margin Calculator

https://www.omnicalculator.com/finance/margin

https://www.advisor.ca/tax/tax-news/finance-extends-deadline-for-2024-charitable-donations/

The deadline for making charitable donations for the 2024 tax year will be extended to Feb. 28, 2025, the Department of Finance said in a release on Monday.

“This extension recognizes the impact that the Canada Post service disruption had on [charities’] fundraising campaigns, and will give charities additional time to receive and process donations so that they can continue their vital work,” Dominic LeBlanc, minister of finance and intergovernmental affairs, said in the release.