Erosion

You know that it sweeps away pesky garbage, dirt, soil, plants, trees, rocks, boulders, glaciers, landforms.

It can start small, obviously, but once the big chunks start breaking off, it gets a bit harder to manage. The landscape's shape changes. Whole species of plants and animals are not seen any more. The place doesn't look familiar.

Here at midlife, I'm beginning to feel like an island in the middle of the river during spring runoff. Pieces of me are breaking off, washing away. Nice parts; soft ones like moss. Sweet-smelling ones like flowers and new grass.

What's left is sharp-edged, rocky and smaller somehow. Smaller-minded, with smaller amounts of patience, tenderness, willingness.

I don't own the river. I don't control the amount of water flowing past. But I do need to hang on to some of those softer plants far more tightly.

Welcome to Canada!

Welcome to Canada!

Welcome, new immigrant, to the red-and-white land of socialized healthcare, public education and government-funded social agencies, all waiting to help you feel at home. But just where does one start?

Have you just arrived? Try a settlement agency—there are over 40 to choose from in the Peel Region alone. Your local library can help you find one close to where you live. Settlement agencies can help you with information on housing, personal identification cards, even learning what clothing you’ll need to make it through our varied seasons.

Is there information I can find on my own? Absolutely. The Ontario government has a website set up for new immigrants. http://www.ontarioimmigration.ca/en/index.htm

The City of Mississauga does, too. http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/newcomers

And there are books you can read at your local library that can help you prepare for life in Canada. We also have books and films in 25 different languages and as well as kits to help you improve your English skills. Drop in, and we’ll help get you on your way!

 

365 Tips for Newcomers : Your First Year in Canada

Nick Noorani

325.71 NOO

2014

This book provides 365 tips for your first year in Canada on everything from finding a doctor to opening a bank account to searching for the right schools for your children to buying real estate. It is an indispensable guide on how you can make your first year a great success that will establish you in Canada sustainably for the rest of your life.

 

You're Hired--Now What? : An Immigrant's Guide to Success in the Canadian Workplace

Lynda Goldman

2010

650.13 GOL

You're Hired...Now What? will give people from different countries and backgrounds an understanding of Canadian workplace culture and norms. The material is presented as a general guide to adapting to a professional environment and explains common best-practice procedures at work. Examples are given to help explain and illustrate the positive results of working within these general guidelines. 

 

Newcomer's Guide to Canada: Information to Help Newcomers Before and After Arrival

Barbara Dixon

2015

325.71 DIX

The Newcomer's Guide to Canada is a practical resource to help immigrants and refugees succeed in Canada and the Canadian workplace. It contains six chapters on: Pre-Arrival, Coping with Culture Shock, Settlement, Finding a Job, Cultural Differences and Canadian Workplace Culture. It has Pre-Arrival, PTSD Symptoms, Rental and Settlement checklists. Worksheets on professional transferable skills, taking initiative and taking ownership are included. Sample cover letters, resumes and interview questions and answers are provided. The Newcomer's Guide is a resource for immigrants, refugees, settlement workers, HR professionals and managers.

Adults are not the only immigrants. Children need to learn more about their new country, too, and these books can help:

 

Canadian Geographic Canada for Kids: 1000 Awesome Facts

Aaron Kylie

2015

J 971 KYL

In this patriotic celebration of Canada's superlatives, complete with 300 color photographs, kids are presented with thousands of unique facts, figures and feats that make the country unique.

 

ABC of Canada

Kim Bellefontaine

2002

X421.1 BEL

From Arctic to Zamboni, kids can follow the alphabet on a colorful tour across Canada. On their journey, they'll visit Canadian landmarks, including Jasper National Park and Peggy's Cove. They'll also meet friendly characters enjoying Canadian pastimes, such as riding in the Calgary Stampede, playing hockey and watching the Northern Lights. Vivid illustrations and simple language guarantee that even the youngest traveler will enjoy this trip!

See you at the library!

Laura Bilyea, librarian, Mississauga Central Library.

Originally published at Tough Times

Easter eggs, dyed naturally

Fresh from their onion skin wrappers, still warm to the touch. I am grateful that got this "recipe" from an Estonian friend--I love the natural hues and patterns that emerge from this dyeing method. I still have 12 more to dye with my kids in those expected blues and pinks, but for me, these are the best.

He is Risen! Happy Easter!

Mighty Crocus

These are my most favourite flowers.
They are tiny, they look frightfully crushable, they last such a short time BUT they are plant-heroes.
Why?
They are a heart-stopping shade of indigo blue.
They are a vanguard of colour in a grey pre-spring world.
They are the fearless first of all our gardens to resurrect after the winter.
They will push through snow to reach the sun.
They have true grit.
They give me courage.

My life is full

My life is full.

I have chosen for it to be so. I have filled it with paid work that I enjoy, that I sought and won, which gives me pride. My life has commitments to children that I chose to raise, to a marriage that I continue to choose every day.

I choose to write, to fill my spare time with personal learning and stretching my skills.

I am valued by those I respect in my life. My life is rich and I am grateful for it.

The little jobs that keep life going? Those I take on without resentment, at least on most days.

February Robin, revisited

A year ago, I posted my first sighting of a robin in my cold Canadian neighbourhood. This year, it's today, Feb 16th--not 19th as in a year ago--and I encountered a whole flock of robins. There were about ten of them along the same three fruit trees on my street. Fresh off the cloud and full of song. The singleton from last year must have told his buds about the frozen fruit buffet.

Hope it will last for all of them! It's still a long way to spring!

Night Animals

What is it about winter darkness that brings out the primal in us humans? As I fall into bed after a long day, shouldn't I feel accomplished, serene, peaceful? And yet, I sense the animal instead.

Like a dog with his thrice-made circle or a squirrel with her fussed-over tail, I have strange rituals. I hunch into a protective curl. The blankets must reach my ear. I wrestle with my pillow to get it rise under my cheek and lower under my nose.  Just so.

And that's just the falling to sleep. What about the waking in the middle of the night? Suddenly then, my covers become a hardened shell from which I shall not be detached. Better to stay inside their protective layers than brave the cold bathroom floor, the creak on the stairs, the plaintive call of my not-so small child.

I growl at the intrusions. But I do get up, and rejoin the human race. Temporarily.