Neither Snow, Nor Sleet, Nor Hail Could Keep Us Away

Posted on June 28, 2026 by cdsmiller17

Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, Alberta (June 25, 2026)

We attended a family wedding ceremony at this venue in Alberta. To make the trip significant, we first visited my sister and her companion for three days in White Rock, B.C., then Susan’s brother and his wife for three days in Taber, Alberta, before finally driving North to this site. We haven’t taken a vacation for 10 years, so we wanted it to be special. It was.

What I’m reminded of, personally, is how vast Canada is. We travelled a long way by Air Canada to Vancouver to put our feet in the Pacific Ocean, then back by WestJet to Calgary to visit the Rocky Mountains. Nine days later we came home via Air Canada again to Sudbury by way of Toronto. That’s a lot of scenery to view from a great height.

The paraphrased US Mail ‘unofficial’ motto, combined with a KISS song is a reference to the heavy sleet storm we encountered just after picking up our rental car at the Calgary International Airport on June 20th. I drove through most of the 20 minute storm, finally having to pull over to let the worst of it pass. It reminded me of the worst kind of winter storms we regularly get in Ontario.

Anyway, we’re home, safe and sound, and, upon arrival at the Sudbury airport, we were greeted with warm doggy kisses from our little Chihuahua, Buddy.

Amen.

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Probably Every Seniors’ Pipe Dream

Posted on June 16, 2026 by cdsmiller17

Jerry & Marge Go Large (2022)

It isn’t often that a lottery scheme has a flaw in it. Jerry found that flaw which made WinFall the perfect vehicle for revitalization of a town, Evart, and the people therein. Dream big or go home, eh?

This is inspired by a true story as published on HuffPost.

If only…

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I’ve Never Owned a Baseball Cap Before

Posted on June 15, 2026 by cdsmiller17

Because I’m Chris, That’s Why

Our next door neighbour bought this for me (as a very belated birthday gift) because, she said, she couldn’t resist it. I can see why: that saying actually says it all. I come across as a ‘know-it-all’. She was (not so) subtly letting me know that she can see me for what I am.

For years, I’ve asserted that I have my full head of hair, although fully silver, now, because I refused to wear headgear at all, unless the weather was particularly harsh. Now I have no excuse, but I do have a choice. I can be ironic, while having a bit of fun, or I can just put the cap away for some other day.

Unfortunately, it also makes me look like Ron Howard.

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Two Murders in the Same Place, but 157 Years Apart

Posted on June 12, 2026 by cdsmiller17

Mary Ashford (May 27, 1817) and Barbara Forrest (May 27, 1974)

It would seem that there’s something strange going on here, but what if it’s really no more than a coincidence? Most people would question that, but astrologically, there are echoes, yet no ‘proof’ of Karma.

I set the clock in each case for two hours after they were last seen. The Sun is in the same position, and so is Mercury, but not much else. Do you see what I mean? The events ‘seem’ connected to our logical minds, but the facts don’t support that hypothesis. We’ll have to chalk this up to coincidence, only.

Perhaps, if we had their birth times, I might be able to see more.

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Ah, So That’s What It Means

Posted on June 12, 2026 by cdsmiller17

Hai Karate After Shave

In the middle of a discussion about poetry with my youngest, I mentioned that Haiku means ‘cut’ in Japanese. Then this product came to mind.

Obviously, someone who designed that advertising campaign knew what the word meant. “Cut!”

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The Image was So Subliminal, I Missed It Altogether

Posted on June 11, 2026 by cdsmiller17

“American Woman” by The Guess Who (1970)

Amazing. Everyone saw this 45 rpm cover when the song came out. But, I for one, missed the eyes completely. It took the Corner DJ’s Memory Lane 1970 Ep. 04 to show me what I hadn’t seen before.

There’s a face there! Silly me.

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I Lived in the UK When This Murder Happened

Posted on June 10, 2026 by cdsmiller17

Rachel Nickell (November 23, 1968 – July 15, 1992)

It wasn’t until I saw this image that I remembered the hubbub in the press about her murder.

I’ve raised a chart for her death. The timing is listed as ‘in the morning’ so I’m picking 9 am.

Those square aspects (some of which are part of a Grand Cross) shows a lot of tension at that moment. There is a double inconjunct linking Mercury in Leo with the Uranus/Neptune conjunction in Capricorn. Mars is conjunct the Taurus Midheaven both in opposition to Pluto in Scorpio. The Sun in Cancer splits between the oppositions to the Moon and Neptune. It’s no wonder it took almost 20 years to catch the culprit.

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Evidently, She had Secrets that She Didn’t Want Revealed

Posted on June 10, 2026 by cdsmiller17

Betty White (January 17, 1922 – December 31, 2021)

To many Americans, she was a national treasure. And over the years, her smile was beguiling. But this woman was an actress, never forget that.

Just to see, I looked at her birth chart.

I should have known: her Neptune is conjunct her Leo Ascendant; that’s a sure sign to me that she was a born actress. But, in Leo? Who’s the boss, eh? There are three inconjuncts: Mercury/Pluto; Venus/Ascendant; and Saturn/Uranus. They all speak of her acerbic wit. The Grand Cross linking Mars and the Midheaven with the Moon and Mercury presents someone who is held in place by her own self.

She didn’t seem to be an enigma, but that’s because we really didn’t know her at all. Interesting.

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If He’s Your Child, Wouldn’t You Want to Shield Him?

Posted on June 10, 2026 by cdsmiller17

The Witness (2026)

This Netflix series is based on a true story. Alex’s mum was killed in front of him, while they were walking on Wimbledon Common in 1992. In the show he is 3 years of age. In reality, he was only 2.

Here’s the documentary of the ‘real’ story.

How could this not be triggering? The documentary tells the tale better than the show, in my humble opinion. But, as an explanation of the after-effects of the murder and the length of time it took to catch the killer, the show does its job sufficiently well.

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When the Authorities Turned Their Guns on Students

Posted on June 9, 2026 by cdsmiller17

Kent State Massacre (May 4, 1970)

Law and order is one thing; shooting protesting students is quite another. This is another day that went down in infamy. It may also have been the beginning of the end of the Vietnam War.

The shootings took place on May 4, 1970, during a rally opposing the expanding involvement of the Vietnam War into Cambodia by United States military forces, as well as protesting the National Guard presence on campus and the draft. Twenty-eight National Guard soldiers fired about 67 rounds over 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others, one of whom sustained permanent paralysis. Students Allison Krause, 19, Jeffrey Miller, 20, and Sandra Lee Scheuer, 20, died on the scene, while William Schroeder, 19, was pronounced dead at Robinson Memorial Hospital in nearby Ravenna shortly afterward.

Wikipedia

It only took 13 seconds. Someone was trigger-happy. The students paid the price of protesting the war with their lives. The chart reveals that Neptune was inconjunct to the Moon and the Midheaven.

Moon Inconjunct Neptune

People with this aspect often hide their real feelings and make sacrifices for others that they do not really want to make. Then they resent the person who asked for the sacrifice. You must learn to tell people how they really feel; if you do not, you havr only yourself to blame for what happens. You must learn to accept that you are responsible for your own life. Do not act as if you are the victim of strong forces that you can’t control, because you can control them.

Robert Hand Planets in Youth (1977) page 134

Neptune Inconjunct Midheaven

You are very impressionable, in that you pick up the energies around you very quickly. Therefore it is very important that you are surrounded by wholesome influences in your early years, because negative influences will weaken your self-esteem and make it much more difficult to accomplish anything when you are older.

Ibid page 342

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