Don’t look now but it’s November already and that means winter can’t be far off in these parts, even though it hasn’t felt that way of late.
The thing is, though, that Mother Nature has a tendency to pay attention to the calendar and it can change before you can say “white stuff.”
And it should be stated for the record that yours truly is pretty much ready for winter to come at the Mitchell household, which for a procrastinator like myself is some kind of record.
However, the lawn mower is safely in the garage, the hoses are wrapped up and put away, the A/C is covered up, the snow tires are on the truck and the Christmas lights are aligned along the front gutter of the house.
Phew, I’m tired just thinking about all that work. Actually it’s probably a grand total of 15 minutes work (I don’t do the tire thing myself, though, and don’t tell the wife how easy it is either cause she’s still impressed I got it all done already, all but the Christmas lights, of course, let’s get real here and let’s give Halloween its due).
And I’m glad Halloween is over and I hope we had lots of kids Friday night or I’ll be stuck eating all that candy.
In fact I’ve been ‘stuck’ eating the candy for several weeks now as stores start selling the stuff a month in advance and I keep buying the economy ‘95’ packs in preparation for the big day and somehow all that candy goes missing and I have to buy another one and another one and then you don’t want to get caught short on Halloween so you get even more on the way home that night and……
You know maybe they could come up with a bylaw to ban Halloween candy sales before say two weeks before Oct. 31 to help people like me that can’t help themselves when it comes to those two-inch chocolate treats.
Nah. I’m not a fan of silly bylaws anyway, especially ones that attempt to control behaviour that really comes down to personal responsibility. No one forced me to buy the stuff, although it’s always prominently displayed and I know I shouldn’t shop after work before I’ve eaten supper, and no one, of course, forced me to actually eat the stuff, although it wasn’t just me I swear……
……so now we move into post-Halloween mode and the Christmas season will soon be upon us, if not already.
And that seems to start earlier and earlier each year but I’m OK with that too because it’s a season I enjoy and I understand how important it is to local retailers and such.
And, yes, I will get my lights up soon but I don’t want to give the neighbours a heart attack or anything and actually beat them to the punch…….
……..and it’s also municipal campaign season as the race for mayor and councillors and directors and trustees heads into the homestretch towards Nov. 15.
It was heartening to see more than 500 people at the recent political forum for Vernon’s mayoralty and council candidates at the Performing Arts Centre.
The combination of a lack of an incumbent mayor, five solid candidates for the job, and a good selection of council hopefuls drew a lot of interest and shows apathy may not reign supreme in these parts on election day.
Municipal elections should draw the most interest and they almost always draw the least which is a shame because it’s likely the most influential in our daily lives. The fact that it’s a four-year term this time around also gives it a little more importance.
So please stay tuned and vote come Nov. 15.
