Time To Celebrate Eh?

      WEDNESDAY JULY 1ST.

     TIME TO CELEBRATE EH?

    It's a big day everybody. A day to
fly the flag and, maybe, shoot off some
fireworks! It's a day off for most folks
too! After all, today is July 1st. And that's
a National Holiday!
    Oh. Wait a minute. It is a national
holiday. But not here. It's Canada Day!
    Our neighbors to the north are
celebration their independence today.
Canada became self governing on July
1st., 1867.
    It used to be called "Dominion Day."
It was changed to Canada Day in 1982.
    I like Canada. I think we should join
in its celebration.
    Canada has given us a lot!
Things like Canada Dry. How about
Peanut Butter?  Patented by Marcellus
Gilmore Edson of Montreal in 1884.
A Canadian invented the snow mobile.
Another discovered insulin!
     I learned a little about Canadian
inventions when my old friend and
former colleague Derry Bird and I
went fishing in the Thousand Islands
a thousand years ago. Well, maybe
not quite that long.
    In any case we arrived in the midst
of a rainstorm so Derry bought a six
pack to consume while we waited out
the storm in my camper.
    He bought a Canadian Beer which,
I assume, could have been used as
antifreeze in my car. I think I had
two. I don't really remember. I do
know I slept well that night.
    Canada has also brought us
Lacrosse and, of course, its
National sport, Hockey, which
continues to grow in popularity
here in the U.S.  In all fairness,
they may have played hockey first.
But we perfected the fights
long before we had the ice!
    And Canada is our single
largest provider of oil and
gasoline! It's not "the Arabs."
     We share the world's longest
land border with Canada and, for
the most part we're pretty good
neighbors with one another.
      So in the spirit of good
neighbors, Happy Canada Day
everybody! Hope all your NEWS
is good!