Six of our family members are Leos, born between July 23 and Aug. 22. Two more are on the cusp. Last week, one Leo turned 30, one 40, one 50. The latter was my youngest son and it’s hard to say which one of us was feeling the most “older.”
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GDs#6 and 7 keep life interesting. The other day GD#7 was scrambling for a drink of water after she’d eaten some chocolate. She said her mouth was too sweet.
She likes to cook, standing on a chair wearing one of my aprons which touches her toes. She’s good at mixing stuff.
GD#6’s campaign for a new bicycle became a success thanks to the family’s elderly horse. Horse has unsteady legs, and it was snoozing in the shade in the carport when it fell over and landed sitting on the bike. Horse is fine. Bike expired from its injuries.
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The following stories have been circulating on the Internet for months but haven’t had much play in the mainstream media.
1.) In the Alberta tar sands millions of litres of bitumen emulsion are spewing in boreal forest land owned by Canada’s military and traditional Cold Lake First Nations territory. The leak/spill was discovered in March. The company involved, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL) is working to clean up the mess, but according to reports, it is unclear what caused it, or when it will stop. CNRL admits it should have done more to communicate with the public.
2.) A spokesman for Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority task force says the Fukushima nuclear plant, crippled by the 2011 earthquake/tsunami, is facing an emergency as highly radioactive groundwater is likely seeping into the sea. Both the Japanese government and TEPCO, the company involved, are uncertain what do to about it.
What’s scary is that nobody seems to know how to stop anything that’s happening.
Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian, and book author.
