I was watching our Canadian team in the “FIFA World Cup”

After watching their three matches I had pretty well given up

I understand that this is the world’s most popular sport

By viewing their games, I felt I was showing my support

They ran around the field, I guess I should say “the pitch”

My favourite sport is hockey, there is no way I will switch

Once our team was eliminated, I said I was out

I still can’t understand what this game is all about?

I must admit that it wasn’t as boring as I seemed to recall

I was really captivated by the way these athletes perform with this ball

Whether you call it football or soccer it’s the same game

The stars of this sport are world renowned and many are household names

Hell, I know quite a few and have never seen them play

The action is nonstop so they certainly earn their pay

They only have three games to prove themselves to get to the next round

You have to win all the rest if you want to be crowned

This for every team involved is such an arduous feat

No wonder there are so few nations that are able to repeat

This is the format that was implemented in the Olympic games

The way they do these championships is basically the same

So now I bring up our women’s team who had this monumental quest

Their tournament involved twenty eight teams which is only four less

They fought and won the gold at the last Olympic games

Just wondering how come the accolades don’t seem to be the same?

Our men’s FIFA team lost all three games with only two goals being scored

This nation of ours got together and everyone was on board

The team made major advances and they looked great out there

They were very competitive and didn’t seem out of place anywhere

It was valued experience for them and maybe next time we will achieve a win

Hopefully it won’t take another thirty six years for our men’s team to get back in

This is why our women’s team should garner more acclaim

They are the world champions, the best team in their game

Every member of this gold medal squad should all be well known

The popularity of the women’s soccer program certainly has grown

Some players of this team intend to keep young girls dreams alive

By starting a women’s professional  league in Canada to begin in 2025

Like I did last year and perhaps the year before

I am doing my Christmas shopping without entering a store

I request a list from my family members of what they seek

With a little bit of luck, I may be finished by the end of this week

Just have to go to the depot and they will bring it out to you

That is the procedure that some of us have chosen to do

You can also go online and arrange to get it shipped right to your front door

We think that this is so original but we all know it’s been done before

I thought to myself, is this really anything new?

This is something most of us Canadians used to do

It might seem so primitive by the standards we have today

The way that we accomplished this was in a different way

Two companies above the rest catered to us for our every need

It makes me still wonder, how come they didn’t continue to succeed

I now look at “Amazon” that is basically operating the same way

Still wondering how come these establishments aren’t operating today

If you were to think about it, they were ahead of their time

You got free delivery, no need for “Amazon Prime”

We had our Canadian company “Eaton’s” and their competition was American “Sears”

These institutions each lasted for over a hundred years

They issued out catalogs spring, summer, winter and fall

The edition dedicated to Christmas was the most cherished one of all

This was the publication that each child was eager to take a look

“Sears” cleverly marketed it as their “Wish Book”

When this arrived, you knew Christmas was getting close

Things that we hoped for were circled and some of us scribbled notes

This tradition went on every single year

Both companies went bankrupt with “Eaton’s” being the first to disappear

If you didn’t have one in your town, you could order from their book

Just calling up one of their clerks was the procedure that you took

You could place your order on any given day

In minutes it would be processed and soon be on its way

These were hired people that pleasantly placed your order

Not something that was said over a recorder

So many employees , the profit margin must have been small

This must have been the major reason for both of them to fall

“Jeff Bezos” is a multi billionaire and is performing the same task

So how come he is so successful, one might venture to ask?

Nowadays we order online and don’t require a clerk

This is now how most of these companies are designed to work

The timing he had is his claim to fame

Being it was the computer age, that’s why he’s a household name

If it happened a couple of decades earlier, “Sears” and “Eaton’s” would still thrive

This would mean that “Bezos” would still be selling books, trying to survive

I finally got around to starting this poem late on a Saturday night

It’s seems like I’m always waiting to the last minute before I decide to write

I want to finish this before tomorrow so I can be free

This way it won’t interfere with the two football games I want to see

My Bills play at one o’clock and we are attending a parade in town in the afternoon

It shouldn’t interfere with my plans because it is supposed to start at noon

I do have the luxury of putting this channel on pause

This would buy me an extra hour after waving goodbye to Santa Claus

This should give me enough time after this parade is done

Besides getting out to enjoy this event is a lot of fun

The weather is supposed to be chilly, so who knows how long we’ll stay

We will endure the cold as best we can and then be on our way

The “Grey Cup” game starts at six o’clock and there is a halftime show

There are three acts that are performing, perhaps someone you know

The “Bombers” and the “Argos” are the teams that you will see

Winnipeg has won it the last two years and could win number three

Sixteen lines of this poem is all I accomplished last night

Now it’s Sunday morning and I am sitting in the daylight

I lost what little focus I had in the middle of this rhyme

Now I am down to three hours before the parade time

We did get the snow and now the driveway has to be done

Outside it is cold but there is a nice bright sun

The snow looks like it is light but there certainly is a pile

I will get out to clear it all in just a little while

The neighbourhood is quiet , still no one has ventured out

Usually at this time of day, I have already completed my daily route

My objective this morning is to clear the way

So most likely I won’t have the time to walk the dog today

He will get plenty of exercise while we are shoveling snow

By chasing every scoopful that we have to throw

He loves to lay in wait below the porch as we toss it away

Getting a face full of snow is a game he likes to play

He’ll be barking most of the time while we gather it up

He has been playing like this since he was a pup

This is the first of many snowfalls that will come our way

Unlike a couple of weeks ago, this snow is here to stay

So I will do the shoveling and the dog will do his run

It shouldn’t take all that long to get this job done

So in order to try to achieve everything I want to do today

I can say I’m done this poem and then I’ll be on my way

Anyone who knows me is aware that I’m not a “Maple Leafs” fan by any means

However, what I witnessed before Saturday’s game was a touching scene

The first European to play hockey in the NHL

Has been diagnosed with “ALS” and isn’t doing well

He played for “Toronto” a total of sixteen years

His seventeenth was with “Detroit” and then he ended his North American career

He played another three years in “Sweden” over there

The fact he has this affliction all seems so unfair

They interviewed “Darryl Sittler” on this broadcast and he was an emotional guy

He spoke proudly of his former teammate while wiping the tears from his eyes

He was unable to get his last sentence out before they broke away

He showed so much passion on every word that he had to say

They then premiered a video of “Salming” in his prime

He is the best “Toronto” defenseman of all time

Once the reel was finished, they showed him and his family on our screen

Seeing them all there together was such a touching scene

They then panned the “Scotiabank” arena and you could see some fans in shock

His malady has advanced to the point that he is unable to talk

There was heartfelt applause by each and every fan

It was a thunderous ovation for this cherished man

His wife and daughter stood on either side of him and each had an arm they clutched

You could tell by “Borje’s” body language that he was really touched

Covering his mouth with his hand was his immediate reaction

Obviously over these many years he hasn’t lost any of his attraction

“Eric Nylander” and “Oliver Ekman-Larson” faced off at center ice

Both players hale from “Sweden” which was something nice

Borje dropped the ceremonial puck between his fellow countrymen

The tribute to this hockey hero didn’t stop then

“Toronto’s” starting lineup consisted of six “Swedes” including the man in goal

This truly emphasized this man’s major role

He is the one who led the way for these players to play this game

This is just another example of his claim to fame

This team showed a lot of class in honouring their star

As far as an organization, they really raised the bar

In turn they brought “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” into the public’s light

We are wishing Borje all the best in his epic fight

NOVEMBER 11^TH

IT’S ON THE ELEVENTH DAY OF THE ELEVENTH MONTH EVERY YEAR

A TIME TO REMEMBER WHEN WE ONCE LIVED IN FEAR

A TIME WHEN PEACE ON THE PLANET WAS PUT TO A TEST

WHEN EVIL RULED AND THERE WAS COMPLETE UNREST

THIS WAS A TIME WHEN MEN AND WOMEN FOUGHT THE FIGHT

THROUGH EVERY DAY AND EVERY NIGHT

THEIR LIVES WERE DEVASTATED AND MANY LIVES WERE LOST

ALL FOR PEACE AT A HORRIFIC COST

PEOPLE FROM OUR COUNTRY WHO CHOSE TO DEFEND

OUR RIGHT TO PEACE, UNWILLING TO BEND

NOT GIVING IN TO THE EVIL THAT WAS ALL CONSUMING AT THE TIME

A TYRANT THAT WAS KILLING WITHOUT REASON OR RHYME

THESE PEOPLE LEFT THEIR SAFE HOMELAND TO BATTLE THIS FOE

THEY ENLISTED BY THE THOUSANDS AS YOU AND I KNOW

TO STAND UP FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE WAS THEIR GOAL

THEY WERE PROUD TO BE SOLDIERS:  THEY CHOSE THIS ROLE

THEY LANDED IN EUROPE TO MAKE THEIR STAND

DETERMINED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THIS FOREIGN LAND

THEY WERE WELCOMED BY THESE PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARRIVED

WITHOUT THESE BRAVE SOLDIERS NO ONE WOULD HAVE SURVIVED

THEIR GOAL WAS TO END THIS GERMAN KILLING MACHINE

WHO WERE LED BY HITLER, A TERROR TRULY OBSCENE

MEMBERS OF THE JEWISH FAITH WERE THE PEOPLE HE CHOSE TO SLAY

THE GAS CHAMBERS HE USED FOR THESE ACTS REMAIN UNTIL THIS DAY

IT WAS DURING WORLD WAR II WHERE THESE PEOPLE WOULD FALL

THE WAR THAT PRECEDED THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO END THEM ALL

WORLD WAR ONE IS SAID TO HAVE DEFINED CANADA AS A NATION

THANKS TO OUR BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION

WE FOUGHT SO MANY WARS OVER THE YEARS

LOST SO MANY LIVES, SHED SO MANY TEARS

CANADA WAS AN INFANT WHEN WORLD WAR ONE BEGAN

WE HAVE BATTLED IN EUROPE, KOREA AND AFGHANISTAN

WE HAVE SOLDIERS BEING SACRIFICED IN THIS MODERN AGE

TO PRESERVE THE PEACE THAT OUR NATION HAS CHOSEN TO WAGE

CANADA HAS GROWN AS A NATION, WE’LL MAINTAIN OUR STANCE

OUR PAST HEROES ARE WORSHIPPED IN EUROPE: REVERED IN FRANCE

THE MAJORITY OF US HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE: NEVER EXPERIENCED WAR

SOME THINK IT AS HORRIBLE AND JUST CHOOSE TO IGNORE

NOVEMBER 11^TH  IS THE DATE WE HAVE CHOSEN TO SHARE

TO SHOW OUR ARMED FORCES THAT OUR NATION DOES TRULY CARE

WE JUST CAN’T BE APATHETIC AND NOT HONOUR THIS DATE

FOR ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN THAT REACHED THEIR GRIM FATE

TWO MINUTES OF SILENCE SEEMS SO LITTLE A TASK

FOR ALL THAT THEY SACRIFICED:  IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK?

The votes have been counted and the people have had their say

I hope that the majority of you were able to participate on election day

You didn’t even have to run to the voting sites if you didn’t want to roam

You could mark your X for your favourite candidate from the luxury of home

So “Peter Chirico” is our new Mayor and is poised to take the helm

We also have six new councilors to assist him in his realm

Only four of the  former members were able to retain their chair

So we now have seven new additions if you include the Mayor

Women took the top three spots in this election race

The highest of the incumbents finished in fourth place

This is a major change for our city as a whole

“Chirico” says the new arena and council transparency are two of his goals

Another interesting part when you look at the top ten

They were equally divided with five women and five men

So representation is equal in everything they propose to do

They definitely have the advantage of getting both points of view

“Mr. Chirico” has been wanting for this job so long

It’s time for him to finally prove his critics wrong

These ten members of his council are a perfect mix

The city that we live in requires a major fix

They need to get their goals together and come up with a plan

Then they will have to show the proof that they really can

We can’t just continue to sit back and watch “North Bay” slide

It’s time to get together and restore our sense of pride

There are so many things that have to be done

I am truly excited for these new members to start their four year run

They all agree that this city has to advance

Unlike their predecessors, they might not get a second chance

We have so much needed new blood who have also had enough

They all seem confident to get the chance to finally show their stuff

I am here to say that I am wishing you all the best

The city is hoping you are successful in this arduous quest

This used to be a place where you could walk anywhere carefree

We all just want to get back to the way it used to be

Get this accomplished with “no increase” in our taxes please!!!

I feel like I should be living in a penthouse because I am paying “condo fees”

The weather the last few days has been great

It was looking like this entry was going to be a tad late

I couldn’t seem to find the time to finally put a verse to pen

This as you all well know occurs every now and then

Saturday was beautiful and I figured it was time to get some work done

Decided to rake all the leaves and thought it would be fun

My daughter was here to help me and we gathered them all

Unfortunately this won’t be the last of them before end of fall

The maple out in front still has half its leaves waiting to be shed

I haven’t even touched the backyard so there is more gathering ahead

There’s an oak and three birch growing back there

The ground is coated with leaves everywhere

I can’t even see the grass, that’s tells you how much I got

The leaves aren’t going anywhere because I have a fenced in lot

I will rake them in the surrounding gardens so they can decompose

They will remain in my yard no matter which way the wind blows

The front yard I was more concerned because it can be seen by everyone

This was my top priority and it needed to be done

I took full advantage of this warm day and filled bags that totaled eight

They were filled to the max and fortunately didn’t pack much weight

My wife and I went to the organic drop off station which was just a few blocks away

That’s when we found out that we weren’t the only ones doing yard work this day

Things were going smooth and everything was going right

Until we turned on to the road that led to this site

The cars were bumper to bumper for the entire length of the street

Each of us waiting patiently while sitting in our front seats

Seems like everyone was taking advantage of this day to clean their outdoor space

That’s why there was an abundance of  people gathered at this place

It didn’t really seem all that long until we finally got to dispose of our load

Tossed them in the allotted bin and proceeded up to Station road

Now I have the luxury of just doing a little bit at a time instead

Here’s hoping there will be a few more days like these ahead

I was forced to do something I truly hate today

I decided to  pack all the patio furniture away

We are now only just one week from the start of fall

A step in the preparation for the long haul

The rug I rolled up after giving it a good shake

Stashed it in our shed and then grabbed the garden rake

The coloured leaves from our maple are blanketing the lawn

The reality is slowly setting in that summer is now gone

We are now just one season away from winter with it’s cold and ice

Hoping that most of the  coming days will turn out nice

You know the chill will creep in before December twenty first

The sad thing is that we are now going from bad to worse

So we will all become shut-ins and hibernate from the cold

A lot of our beloved outdoor activities will be put on hold

The baseball season is winding down and the “World Series” is coming up

The NHL has just begun it’s road to the “Stanley Cup”

The CFL with their “Grey Cup” is also coming to an end

I think the “Blue Bombers” will successfully defend

In the NFL, I’m hoping my “Buffalo Bills” will achieve their goal

By representing their division in the “Superbowl”

Will this be the year that the “Maple Leafs” championship will finally be fulfilled?

I have no aspirations for my “Blackhawks” as they are now in a total rebuild

How you choose to bide your time is totally up to you

Bulking up on sports and television series is some of the things I’ll do

That will be between the dog walks and the keeping the driveway clear

No wonder people head south at this time of year!

I’m sure some of our snowbirds will be forced to endure the cold

With all the damage from the hurricanes, their plans may be on hold

Depending on their location, they may not have a place to go

Instead of basking in the sun, they can go out to shovel snow

I like every other “Canadian” will do our annual thing

Endure the hardships of our winters while looking forward to the coming spring

I know Canada and the United States observe Thanksgiving in a similar way

If that is the case, why aren’t they recognized on the same day?

I decided to do a little research to find out why this is so

There are probably other people who would like to know

It might surprise you that Canada’s origin was before the States

“Martin Frobisher” hosted it in Newfoundland and 1578 was the date

Forty three years later the “Pilgrims” at “Plymouth Rock” would have their celebration

Many years before either one of our countries was a nation

What “Frobisher” started would evolve into a harvest festival over many years

It was at the time of the “American Revolution” before a turkey dinner would appear

Neither country over the years would have a fixed date

It became official in 1941 for the “United States”

It is on the last Thursday in November and is a four day long weekend down there

This is their busiest weekend as people are traveling everywhere

In 1957 “Canada” would choose the second Monday in October as the holiday

It’s a three day stretch up here, we didn’t get that extra day

All fifty states celebrate this holiday throughout the land

In “Canada” it is optional in “Prince Edward Island”, “New Brunswick”, “Nova Scotia”, “Labrador” and “Newfoundland”

The meals are very similar on each side of the border

There might be a little variance in the spices of your order

“Black Friday” is the date when the most money is being spent

These four days in America are filled with so many events

Remember this is just a month before “Christmas” and everything’s on sale

You have the option of standing in long lines or get your items in the mail

It is so robust that “Canada” follows their lead

They really haven’t a choice if they are hoping to succeed

Up here we may have a couple of “CFL” football games on our day

The “Americans” don’t hold back and just go all the way

More sports than you can possibly watch and even a parade

There is no way you will be able to catch every game that’s played

This year we have the “Blue Jays” on a playoff drive

Hoping after this weekend that they are still alive

“NHL” doesn’t start until Wednesday so there are no games to view

Hope you enjoy the holiday no matter what you decide to do

Nowadays “Thanksgiving” garnishes so much more appeal

We are more concerned about “sales” and “sports” than we are about the meal

The municipal elections are now just weeks away

It’s time for us to pay attention to what the candidates have to say

There was already a debate that was held last Thursday night

This only involved the campaigners in the Mayoral fight

The former occupant isn’t running, so the position is free

The ones vying for his job only number three

Now let’s factor in the ones that are battling for a council seat

Just getting them all to attend one event will be a major feat

We have officially set a record for candidates this fall

The number of people seeking these positions totals twenty nine in all

With what little time is left before the upcoming election

How are we going to know each of their platforms for us to make a selection?

Three of the incumbents have decided not to run at all

One of them resigned last year late into the fall

Another one has decided to take a shot for “Mayor”

Seven of the others are hoping they retain their chair

With so many running are we going to know who said what and where?

How can you give equal time to each and make it all look fair?

The cream will have to come to the top before we make our choice

The ones who want it bad enough will certainly have to sound their voice

I’m not sure if it hurts or helps the present council in this case

You have twenty two eager campaigners hoping to take their place

Most of our citizens aren’t happy with our present members on the board

These are the ones who won the prestigious “Code Of Silence” award

Not to mention that some of them that hold this position

Think they don’t need any pointers from an “Integrity Commission”

Do we need a new recreational centre is another issued that needs to be resolved

This probably won’t be settled before our current council is dissolved

This is a city but it has a small town feel

I think it would be nice to see some new recruits take the wheel

Some that may steer us on a steady course

From what we have experienced, could it get any worse?

You know the people in “North Bay” that have contributed to this city

The ones who have taken a stake in it and served on some committees

People you just know who deserve this chance to stake their claim

That’s the hopeful you want to help and mention them by name

That’s the only way we will be able to find that “diamond in the rough”

From what I am hearing, people have certainly had enough

If your wish list is maybe just three or four

Then just make them your selection, there’s no need to vote for more

“Up to ten” is an option, but how many is up to you

Choosing  just the ones you actually like is the best thing you can do

I know who I am voting for in this election run

I may just help them the best I can and choose to vote for one