Dodger

Probably a lot of truth in this comment @IsrafilWe know that Don sees Robbie as the catalyst for everything he believes is going wrong in his family. He also resents Robbie's financial independence. Don's uses money and rewards to secure the loyalty of his family rather than love and respect, but it doesn't work with a kid who is potentially better off than he is. These are good reasons for him to want to throw a spanner into the works and Stephanie pregnancy has presented the perfect opportunity. Whatever Don thinks of Robbie, he obviously believes he has enough decency in him to want to do the right thing and we know this is true. Perhaps Don sees this as a weakness that he can exploit.

Thank you @wenmale64, I'm sure Stephanie and her family will soon realize what Don is trying to do. I agree, the child is most important.

Maybe not at the Palm Springs Motel, but I'm sure Don has had his share of encounters. Thanks for reading and commenting @Dewilmnative

Hey @Jon Jon, sorry you weren't enthralled by the latest installment, but I still appreciate you reading the story.

Stephanie is the kind of person who drive me crazy, although she probably feels like she's being pulled in different directions. Ironically, the only person who hasn't been telling her what to do is Robbie. Probably because he's been a little shell-shocked by the whole thing and he doesn't really know what to do anyway. He was content to let Sue deal with it and this would have been a better option I'm sure. Maybe Stephanie should learn how to use a telephone, although it wouldn't be as much fun.

He believes he's doing the right thing, of course, but things will be settled.

I'm not sure if Don would have been quite so blatant, but he certainly would have let them know that if that was her intention then Robbie was okay with it. It's likely that Stephanie and her family had already made this decision. The whole episode has been a gift to Don that he would never have expected and he's making good use of it. So far, he's managed to frustrate Jo, and given her nothing to work with.

Don can only see things one way and will never compromise. He believes he's helping Robbie.

Well, not this comment. Whatever he's up to, we know it's not going to benefit Robbie in any way. Money and power influence Don more than anything else. Oops, I mentioned his name. Maybe you're right, after all.

I think that's guaranteed. He's been pushing his luck for too long.

I've been trying to work out if ** stands for wa or wi, but I guess either one will do, and some will say you're being too kind.

Trains are few and far between in this part of the world but I'll see what I can do.

It took only a few days for news of Stephanie’s pregnancy to surface in the corridors of Stephenson High School, accompanied by the usual game of guess the father. In the absence of a regular boyfriend, Mitch—the mouthy bigot who tried to fight me in the cafeteria—seemed to be most people’s prime suspect, and judging by his confident swagger around the school, I got the feeling he rather enjoyed the notoriety that came with this accusation. In an apparent attempt to save my blushes, Stephan

Occasionally, I have to work outside and high up where I'm exposed to the sun for long periods. Add a suffocating safety harness, work boots, and hard hat into the equation, and it can get a little hot. Sunblock, is obviously important for any exposed skin, but I keep myself well covered and hydrated with water in a cooler and hot tea in a flask. We have reasonably hot summers in southern Ontario, but it's the high humidity that can make it unbearable. Luckily, I don't do this every day, but when I do, it's generally hot and sunny. It can be challenging to put it mildly, so you have to be sensible, keep a cool head, and take plenty of breaks. On the plus side, I get the best views of the city.

This is a fine achievement. Congratulations @Mrsgnomie

The wildfires are obviously a problem at the moment but I'm hoping they will have the situation under control by the time I leave, which I should have mentioned won't be for a few weeks. I'm travelling mid-August, so there's a while to go yet, and I will definitely be taking lots of pictures. This is not the sister that I loosely based Nicola on and mentioned in the past. She's the closest to my age and lives on the other side of Toronto, or just around the corner in Canadian distance. She has a busy life, but we see each other quite regularly so I'm not totally alone. I have a brother in Calgary and another who lives just a few miles away who I see maybe twice a year. We don't have a problem and we have a good laugh when we're together, but I've always been closer to the girls in the family.

Thanks, Val. I hope your brother gets well soon. I like going places but the actual travelling bit is always stressful for me, especially the airports. I dislike the intense security checks, although I understand the reasons, and I probably wouldn't board a plane if there were none. Now there's another reason to be stressed and I will definitely be careful. I'm fine with the actual flying part.

Yeah, I watched quite a bit of it too on Sportsnet. You get to see the amount of work that goes into putting on a show like that and this year, everyone did a great job to make it happen. It's good to see the respect that these guys have for each other in a very tough sport, untainted by mega-dollar television deals.

Excuse the delay, Tim. I’ve wanted to reply to this for some time, but I’ve been busy, and I wanted to check on some facts. I have yet to meet anyone who has not been appalled and shocked by the recent discoveries on the grounds of the residential schools, even though the horrific treatment of the indigenous people has been widely accepted for many years. It’s a time for reflection and an opportunity to recognize and confront past mistakes while we attempt to discover what happened. The families of these children and the survivors of these schools are finally being listened to, and their accounts are important, but the bodies will also need to be exhumed and tests done to determine the individual causes of death. I believe there are records for some, although certainly not all of these deaths, which is encouraging. If a child was murdered, I think it’s unlikely those responsible would have bothered to record it, even if they lied about the cause. They weren’t mass killings, and they’re not communal graves, like in wartime atrocities, so they were likely buried individually over a long period. So, therefore, it stands to reason that many would have died from childhood diseases, and it’s essential to keep this in context. We’ve come to expect children to survive in recent years, but this wasn’t always the case. It was accepted by even well-off families that not all of their children would make it to adulthood, and this only changed with the incredible advances in science and medicine during the last century. With this in mind and considering the enormous time, it is entirely possible, although highly unlikely, that all of these deaths were caused by diseases that were very common at the time and also highly transmissible. I’m not trying to make excuses. We all know this wasn’t the case, but before we start burning the flag and looking at ourselves as a nation of child killers, we should at least try to uncover the facts. It’s a harrowing task, but the fact that it is happening in the open and not covered up by state-run media, as it would in China, is a reason for Canadians to be proud. Considering its relatively small population, this country has a unique and proud history, which I often feel is appreciated more abroad than it is here. Canadians have consistently boxed above their weight in science and medicine and have quickly taken a stand against foreign aggression, even at a terrible cost. I could also mention the Underground Railroad and Canada’s role in the abolition of slavery or Queen Victoria’s decision to offer sanctuary to the indigenous tribes fleeing certain genocide at the hands of the American army. They probably would not have survived at all had it not been for Canada or Great Britain as it was in those days. Anyone unsure of Canada’s role in history should visit the memorial at Vimy Ridge in France. It’s immaculately kept and free to enter for anyone with a Canadian passport. The moment you see the rows of white crosses that stretch as far as the eye can see in every direction, you understand why. Yes, I believe we should still celebrate Canada Day—although obviously it’s a bit late for that now.

Never mind the title; that was just a cheap ruse to get some views. I know how your filthy minds work, but this is a family blog. It’s been more than three years since I last had a vacation, so now the restrictions have eased, I’ve decided to visit my sister out west. She is the third of my five sisters in terms of age and was the oldest of my adopted siblings still living at home when I joined the family as a young teenager. We bonded quickly, and she soon became my closest confidant. She was the first person to guess my sexuality at a time when even I wasn’t entirely sure, and she helped me to hide it from our parents until I was ready to come out. I even met my first boyfriend through her. He lived further than I could walk, so she would drive me to his house after school and pick me up later in the evening. Everyone knew I was up to something, but they assumed I was meeting a girl, and my sister did all she could to encourage this misconception. Such loyalty deserves a reward, and in return, I would open the back door so she could sneak in late from her boyfriend’s house. We didn’t have air-conditioning, so in the summer, I used to sleep in the basement where it was cooler, and she would tap on the window by my bed to wake me. Needless to say, we’re pretty close, and I’m looking forward to seeing her again, four years after she left for the boonies, but it’s not going to be easy. In Canada, everywhere is far away, and my sister lives three time zones from me on the Pacific coast. For someone who spent most of his childhood living in a city where you couldn’t drive for more than a few hours in any direction without ending up in the sea, it took a while for me to appreciate the sheer size of this country. To visit my sister, I have to endure a five-hour flight to Vancouver, followed by an hour on a small seaplane and another hour’s drive from the dock into the wilderness. I’m told she has a Jeep; I suspect a bull-whip too. Indiana Jones springs to mind, and I can remember watching those movies with her as a teenager and sharing the same unhealthy obsession with Harrison Ford. Door to door should take about sixteen hours. Of course, it’s quicker and easier for me to get to Europe and only slightly less distance, but it will be worth the hassle to see her in the flesh again. That sentence alone will ensure her favourite sibling is treated like a king. I’m a sly fox; she taught me well. Until now, Calgary is the furthest west I’ve been, and I shall never forget watching the bareback riding with my brother at the famous Stampede a few years ago. Make of that what you will, but it was an experience not for the faint of heart, and I’ve been dying to get back there ever since. Cowtown is a cool place to be in the summer, especially during the Stampede when the city is thronging with cowboys. If you’re reading this, I hope you appreciate the plug, @wildone. I'll be back there someday. On a serious note, I enjoy travelling; it’s in my blood. But I’m not irresponsible, and I understand that this virus has yet to be defeated. I’ve followed the rules from the beginning, isolating to the point of depression, but now I crave close family—something I took for granted for so many years. Living on my own hasn’t been easy, but my life is comfortable, and despite often working in areas of high infection, I haven’t been sick. I’m grateful for that and looking forward to finally crossing the Rocky Mountains.

A little dark but a great first chapter.

Never sign an End User Licensing Agreement that takes nineteen days to read. I would have serious problems with Alesia, but this seems like a story I will enjoy.

Glad to see the Calgary Stampede back. They call it the greatest outdoor show on earth and that's probably right. I went there a few years ago and had a great time. Calgary rocks during the stampede and the city is bursting with cowboys.

Thank you for your comments, @weinerdogSorry I haven't replied until now, but I read each one with interest.

Greetings Marty. Hello Page. Hope you're doing good. Well, I'm not really the lumberjack type. Something a little more domesticated, I think.