Hello and Goodbye. Won't See You for a While.

My husband and I spent ten days in the Palm Springs, California area in February. We rented a house with friends and soaked up the sun on several golf courses in the area. The weather was wonderful while we were there. Every day was sunnier and warmer than the last and I actually got a bit of a tan, which is rare for me. I even managed to do a bit of writing while my husband and friends went out golfing. Having some time to myself was glorious.

Anyway, it was a fun holiday, and we enjoyed ourselves a lot. Which is a good thing because we’re not likely to cross the border again for some time.

For those of you who may not know, I’m Canadian. Like me, most Canadians don’t flaunt their nationality. We’re not big flag wavers. We’re proud of our country but we don’t crow about it. We've never felt the need.

Until recently.

When the current American president began threatening to impose crippling tariffs and openly mused about Canada becoming the 51st state, at first we felt confused and sad and upset. And betrayed. We didn’t quite believe it. It’s hard to understand how we could suddenly go from being a friend and a neighbour to a foe.

When it became clear that the threats were not a joke, we got mad. The threats to our economy and our sovereignty have galvanized Canadians in a way I’ve never seen before. We’re determined not to roll over. In the grocery store, I’m fighting my own little fight by buying local and Canadian. I’m buying from Canadian stores as much as possible. I know it’s not much, but I’m serious about it and I know others are, too.

We thought seriously about cancelling our vacation to Palm Springs but we’d already invested too much money that we couldn’t get back. So, we went and we had fun. I have to say that anyone we met there was nothing but kind and friendly.

I’ll spend the next four years at home, doing my best to support Canadian workers, manufacturers and farmers. It’s where I belong. Elbows up, Canada.