Cold, Clutter, Coyotes, Cory Monteith and Yukon Cornelius (Larry D. Mann) by Margaret Ullrich

We are two weeks into the new year 2014.
We have been through an extremely cold period across most of North America.
Hope you all have been safe and warm.

Most folks around here just stayed indoors, which can be a good thing.
As the saying goes, It’s an ill wind that blows no one good.
This has been a perfect time to catch up on chores.

I have thrown out quite a bit of stuff during the past few months.
And I had the empty boxes to prove it.
I was like the woman who’d lost a lot of weight, but can’t quite bring herself to throw away her fat clothes, because, well, you never know if you might need them… again.
I know, I know...  that sends a bad message out to the universe.
Like, are you really serious about getting rid of the clutter or not?

Since we were stuck indoors I sorted through the empty boxes.
Some will be used for packing odds and ends to give to local charities.
My husband cut down the other boxes so they could go out with the recycling.
Now the universe knows I mean business.

Local grocers give a flat 10% discount the first Tuesday of every month.
It's usually the perfect time to meet neighbours and catch up on the gossip.
I walk to our local stores and haul groceries in my baba buggy.
A few weeks ago I had gotten some fresh produce.
The lettuce had black tips by the time I got home.
I figured I’d have compost in my cart if I shopped on Tuesday, so I waited until Saturday to get groceries.
It doesn’t hurt to live off the hump every so often.

The January full moon is called Full Wolf Moon.
Here in Winnipeg there have been sightings of coyotes.
It’s been a hard winter and they’re searching for food.
There have been a few mauled deer carcasses found within the city limits.
People are worried about their children and family pets.

Just so you know:
Manitoba Conservation advises people to keep calm and ensure the animal has an escape route. If the coyote notices you, let it know you are human by shouting, waving your arms, and throwing stones or other objects.
Do not turn away or run.
If the coyote attacks, fight back instead of playing dead.

Ah, life in the big city.
Well, life in a big Canadian city in the prairies.

There was some sad news on January 6.
Larry D. Mann had died in Los Angeles at the age of 91.
He was the voice of Yukon Cornelius in the 1964 animated Christmas classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
His son, Richard Mann, said he had died of age-related causes.

Larry D. Mann started as a disc jockey in his native Toronto.
In 1953 Mann performed with the puppet, Uncle Chichimus, on the show Let's See.
He had gotten the job when his friend, actor Don Harron, pointed him out to producer Norman Jewison.
He also appeared as Cap'n Scuttlebutt on the Canadian version of Howdy Doody, and hosted a late-night program called Midnight Zone.
His TV work also includes The Wayne and Shuster Show, Gunsmoke, Bewitched, Hogan's Heroes, Green Acres and Hill Street Blues.

He'd had small roles in more than 20 movies, including In the Heat of the Night.
He also played Mr. Clemens, the railroad conductor who arranged for Paul Newman to join the poker game, in the 1973 movie The Sting.

Mann did TV commercials, including "The Boss" in a 1980s series of Bell Canada ads.
His last role was playing a talent agent in the 1991 TV show Homefront.

His biography on the Internet Movie Database site lists 157 TV and movie credits.
It’s a safe bet everyone has seen him at least once.
Yet, for most people, the name just doesn’t ring a bell.
Entertainment Tonight didn’t mention his passing.

On July 13, 2013, at the age of 31, Cory Monteith, another Canadian actor, was found dead in his room in Vancouver from a heroin and alcohol overdose.
He’d had a 9 year career, and was known for portraying Finn Hudson for four year on the television series Glee.
The circumstances of his death, and its impact on his co-workers on Glee, were the top stories on Entertainment Tonight for weeks.
On September 22, 2013, Monteith, along with four other actors who had died in 2013, was given an extended tribute on the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards.

How would you compare the importance of the two actors?

Life often doesn't make sense.
The steady workers who do their jobs - which pretty much covers the majority of people in most lines of work - just keep plugging away.
No headlines, no covers of People magazine, no coverage on Entertainment Tonight.
The select few are famous, or notorious, and get all the publicity.
Their every action is followed, especially if there’s a bit of scandal involved.
So it goes.

About tonight’s full moon…

According to the folks at astrology.com:

Your ambitions and goals for the year were highlighted during the new Moon in Capricorn on January 1. Now, the full Moon in Cancer asks you to focus on your personal needs to make sure that the public and personal aspects of your life are in healthy balance. 

Make changes in your home that soothe you. 
Get rid of clutter… or simply buy yourself some fresh flowers… make a goal to nurture and take good care of yourself… form a plan to maximize all that's great as you make changes that will make you feel more comfortable and secure.

It’s all about balance.
And about knowing what's important in life.
The clutter is gone, including the empty boxes.

About buying those fresh flowers… I’ll wait until it’s a bit warmer.