Greasy All The Time

I grew up in Toronto Ontario and lived there until my mid-twenties. I moved out west and after a few years moved back to Ontario to be close to family for the kids. The only problem was that not only were we two thousand miles away from the part of the country we fell in love with, but we were close to family! We eventually solved our dilemma by moving back out west, but not until the kids got to know and love their extended family.

That was a lifetime ago now and southern Ontario has ceased to be a home and is now a vacation destination. People and places remain the same even though they are continuously changing, that is just how life is.

Having grown up here I feel entitled to voice my opinions on the state of affairs and criticize the residents about how they allowed my birthplace to get into such a pickle. Somehow they allowed the population to grow like a cancer and have paved over many places that should have remained unpaved. That's progress I suppose. I'm not happy about it but since I was never asked my opinion and don't pay taxes or vote here I should shut my mouth. There is still enough that is the same that I can be nostalgic just looking out a car window.

I am aware that there is climate change even though our government refuses to acknowledge it at all. When it came time to pack for our trip I figured I had it all planned out perfectly, half of the suitcase for warm weather and the other half for cool weather. In the unlikely event that the weather turned cold I could just dress in layers and limit my outside time. I did bring some gloves and toques but have used them for packing more than anything else. Well, I probably should have packed 75%-25% warm to cold clothes. I had forgotten to factor in humidity which calls for fewer clothes. A guy can't remember everything...

Twenty year old Ken would wear his jeans in all kinds of weather and would rarely be caught in shorts. I don't know if the heat didn't affect me or if I was just too stupid to wear proper clothing. I suspect that was 25%-75%. I also didn't figure in the "weight" of cloth used in western Canadian clothing as opposed to eastern Canadian clothing. The west is heavier and therefore just a little warmer. I have some thin shirts, but they are more worn out than specifically designed to keep me cool. Sadly, the glue and paint stains precluded their use on this trip.

On the plus side, my skin has regained an elasticity that has been missing for many years. I no longer have "tissue paper" like skin on my arms and the inside of my nostrils remain for the most part moist. I don't know how much moisture I can take before black mould begins to form in the dark, damp places on my body. I'm beginning to have some concerns about my underwear and my hair feels greasy all of the time. The hair on my head!

Too soon I will be back in the western steppes of Canada where those northwest winds strip the moisture from anything that is foolish enough to be exposed.