Hoping for a summer like those remembered

 

The summer of 2020 will go down for our family as the non-summer summer. Lockdowns, closures, masks and distancing. Not the words one usually associates with summer. Heck, even the playgrounds were closed, wrapped in cautioning yellow tape. 

With a second vaccine now being given to Canadians eager to put an end to the pandemic, a better summer, a more traditional summer, a summer saturated with family fun is now waiting in the wings, ready to make its appearance.

Until then, we have our memories.

Building under construction collapses; 2 killed.

 

Last September I took a picture of a small, apartment building under construction. The elevator shafts were in and they appeared as concrete towers looking almost like giant works of sculptural art.

Sadly, today the construction has been put on hold. Why? A partial building collapse left two people dead and injured five others. An investigation is underway. According to The London Free Press, our local paper, a partner in apartment building that collapsed had lost his licence to build new homes for sale in London.

Elegant home; elegant seasonal decorations

 

Once can only see this home from the roadway and it is quite the distance from the roadway to the home. In other words, one doesn't get a detailed view of this place from the roadway. It does appear to be a fine, somewhat sprawling, home with a four car garage off to the side and possibly some residential space above the garage as well.

Its grey stone exterior gives it an elegant feel. Now, with the Christmas Season getting into full swing, elegant light-grey wire deer have made their appearance on the grounds around the home and garage. All so very, very classy.

Some of the best farmland in Canada

The farmland surrounding London is often some of the very best farmland in the entire country. But soon this land to the northwest of the city will be sprouting homes rather than crops. The soil is rich with good depth. And the growing season in the London area is almost the longest in the country. Yet the urban sprawl continues.

Who recalls the numbers racket? Irish Sweepstakes?

When I was a boy we often heard talk of the numbers racket. It was mob run we were told. According to the New York Times: About half of the wagered money was returned as prize money to the lucky players who “hit the number.”

When it came to lotteries, the big one was the Irish Sweepstakes. The state run lottery was played around the world but it derived more revenue from the United States than from any other country, and this despite all the tickets sold being illegally.

I haven't heard of the numbers racket in years. Perhaps it is still played in big cities, I don't know. The Irish Sweepstakes is gone. It was replaced decades ago by a lottery. I believe it was also replaced by legal competition. 

Governments around the world have made lotteries, once illegal, big money makers for the governments. I read that the mafia was more generous when it came to returning money to the players than the governments. From what I could determine online, this is often not true. Governments are fairly generous with their ill-gotten gains.

The Lotto 649 in Ontario starts at 5 Million. If there is no winner, the price grows with the unrewarded funds being returned to the pot. There are two draws a week. With the prize now at $25 million, it is clear there has not been a winner for sometime. Depending on how you feel like the big pots, you might have preferred the mob's game of chance. The numbers game had smaller prizes and far more winners.

Memories of the past and hope for the future

In previous years London has had two Santa Claus parades. A big one in the core held at night oddly enough and a smaller, somewhat more community-oriented one in a northwest suburb. We never took the grandkids downtown but we never missed the Hyde Park Santa Claus parade. Never. Well, not until this year.

Both parades were canceled: Covid-19. Our grandkids missed the small, suburban parade just a short walk from their home. Area kids were welcome to participate and many did. I had no idea that so many kids would join a marching bank if given a chance.

Banting Broncos is the name under which the students from the area high school, Banting Secondary School, complete. And the teens out marching most likely play their instruments at various sporting events held during the year at the school. I understand the students enjoy being given the chance to play at an event attended by more than just other students. The kids missed the opportunity this year.

The Christmas festival is but a memory this year

The annual seasonal celebration at my granddaughters' public school is but a memory this year. All too sad. The celebration was arranged in such a manner that every child could take part and they all did. It was a fun celebration that brought the school community together. The year Covid-19 has pushed the celebration off the calendar.