The Rock

Last night I sat on our sofa and sipped a cup of tea. There was silence in the room, but my world was very large. I reflected on the beautiful photos our son had posted on Facebook of the rugged coastline of a Newfoundland town set against the tranquil ocean and blue skies. He's a university student from Ontario and his summer job on the 'rock' is a gift on many levels. Newfoundland is part of his heritage and he will learn and 'feel' the history of its people and its many outports. Our son's opportunity is being shared with us, a gift which fills our hearts with immense joy and love.

Another feeling was simultaneously flowing through my soul and that is the gift which Susan Boyle has given to me and to so many others. The resonance of her singing in its purity and honesty and her beauty in all aspects is indisputable, like nature itself. Out of curiosity I did watch the performance of Diversity and I might even tune in to see them perform again. However, last night when I closed my eyes and felt what was in my soul, Diversity wasn't there; Susan Boyle's singing was. Thank you, Susan, for giving us such a pure and wonderful enduring gift.

Retirement

No, I'm not retiring, but I've placed our big book of by-laws on a shelf in semi-retirement mode. I'm not sure it's legal to operate a co-op without by-laws, so I'll have to assume that the new Board of Directors will draw from the general principles of co-operative living. It's difficult to grasp this new concept. It has a rather unsettling feel to it.

Sweet Nuthins'

Princess Di wintered with us one year.
Her highlights shone like 18k gold.
There was no doubt about it. She was pure Royalty.

Tickety-Boo, on the other hand, got sent to the
Microbiology Lab in Winnpeg.
Tickety-Boo did not have Lyme Disease.

Cuddles the Caterpillar stayed just where he was
out on the hydro property.

For Bird Lovers Everywhere

For Sammy

http://www.maniacworld.com/bird-loves-ray-charles.html

The Ubiquitous Black Box

Its presence is known throughout the co-op
Yet stands alone in its perseverance
It is neither big, nor small
It brings us Good Tidings and that which is not
It is a forecaster of things unknown
And serves without reservation
It is the thread amongst us
The ubiquitous black box is in its essence
Our Mailbox

*****

I thought our mailboxes needed some uplifting. We take them for granted. Next, the fire hydrants.

The Meeting

There was a quorum at our All Members Meeting held on April 15th and so we proceeded to vote on a new by-law - The Financial Solvency By-law. In my posting entitled A Silver Lining, March 21, 2009, I expressed the following:

. . . it is essential that co-op Members be treated with respect by the outside management team. Member concerns must be addressed, letters or emails answered and phone calls returned. I emphasize this point, because to do otherwise is abusive. The general membership must also receive reports by the outside management team on a regular basis.

I expressed this point again. Another member at the meeting also stipulated that the membership must receive regular reports in order to be transparent. The Financial Solvency By-law was passed and we then proceeded to vote for two members of the co-op to sit on the new Board of Directors. In addition, two outside Board members were introduced to the membership. A third outside Board member was not present at the meeting. All three Directors work within the co-op sector.

Our By-laws have been suspended for three (3) years. However, the Co-operative Corporations Act still applies, as do all provincial and municipal by-laws.

Apparently there is one other co-op in our city and about a dozen co-ops in Ontario undergoing the same transition. Hopefully, we will now move forward.

Leftovers

This is our new garbage pad, or an illegal additional parking spot. Permission was given to our snow removal company to dump snow on our greenspaces. The company then laid down a surface upon which to dump. We now have a huge permanent gravel eyesore. It goes on and on. Gravel containing medium-size rocks tumbles down a once grassy hill where children used to play. The trees are severely damaged as well. NO, NO, NO!