TREE HOUSE NEWS 🏡

Land of Whispering Pines 🌲

Good morning! May the Great Spirit bless you 🙏

It's a lovely, pleasant, warm, sunny, QUIET morning 👩‍💻 🌞 🐦 🦜 🍃here at the Tree House.🏡 I am not looking forward to hearing that moaning sound all day tomorrow from up the road. I found out what it was; it was one of those gutter vacuum cleaners. You know those trucks with the large tank and a flexible pipe that extends into the sewer or storm drains? You see, I never stopped to ask which one. I hope they're done and pack up their nice little pump, and please move on tomorrow. Go irritate another neighborhood, why don't you?

I haven't told any stories in a while, like the adventures I had when I was a lot younger and felt more indestructible. I cherish those memories, among many other wonderful recollections from the past. I don't even remember the bad ones; they're kind of buried under the sand, and they remain there unless I go digging for them. I seldom do that unless there is a very good reason, like sharing my experiences to help others avoid a similar scenario.

I'm a Jane of all trades but a master of none. Just being part of the mystery is good enough for me, Paula and Bobbie McGee, my imaginary friend, make three. OK, all we need to get to heaven now is to buy a MINI Cooper. 🚕 We'll also require a U-Haul trailer 🚛 for all our imaginary critters living under the bed.

You live a loner's life for most of your life, and you will acquire many good imaginary friends and critters, even the real living ones in the bush. The ones from nature, at times, will come to visit me in the house. I would not be able to live comfortably without my trees and nature.

I am also a bit of a survivalist. We are well-equipped in the event of a prolonged electrical failure, with a solar panel generator, all Coleman accessories, a stove, a lantern, and two heaters. We can also utilize the building's natural air circulation ducts to draw in fresh air through a cracked open window, ensuring safety. We are always well-stocked with supplies, water, and food.

🍁~Wake up, Captain Canuck it's Cartoon Time ~🍁

~~~~~ 😎 🥸 😼 🤡 🐭 🐰 💫 ⚡️ 💥 🥊 😵 🦸‍♂️ ~~~~

Now, onto the discussion of the day. Thank you for reading the news.

TODAY'S DISCUSSION:

SURVIVALIST

As I mentioned above, I have always been a survivalist. As a survivalist, I have identified eight essential items to have in case of a power grid failure, particularly during the winter months.

For the average wage earner and apartment dweller:

.1 The first thing on your agenda is to have a dry place to shelter in and stay warm, at least above freezing.

.2 Is food and water. We always have five 5-gal—jugs of spring water for the water cooler stocked up.

.3 If you run out of flush and wash water, melt snow or boil water from a nearby creek or another source within the community that still has tap water. Try to save the spring water for drinking.

.4 Sanitation is essential; ensure a sufficient supply of hand cleaners, hand towels, and toilet tissue is available.

.5 A solar power generator to power the refrigerator and to charge and run electronic devices.

.6 A five-gallon Jerry can for flushing water.

.7 At least one device that is connected to the outside world, like a radio with emergency and shortwave bands.

.8 A dependable vehicle with a topped tank.

You will also need companionship with other people; a cell phone can become a lifesaver in many different ways. I thank you for taking the time to read the discussion.

BREAKING NEWS:

Musk says he is forming new political party after fallout with Trump

Billionaire Elon Musk said Saturday he is forming a third political party, after a dramatic falling out with Donald Trump, indicating he will make good on threats he made if the president’s domestic policy bill became law.

“When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” Trump’s former “first buddy” said on his social media platform, X. “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.” Musk, the largest individual donor to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and, until recently, a close adviser to the president who spearheaded his administration’s push to cut government waste, had criticized Trump’s “big beautiful bill” because of estimates that it would add trillions of dollars to the federal deficit.

It’s unclear to what extent Musk has taken steps to legally form the party, which would be required to register with the Federal Election Commission. The most recent FEC filings showed no indication that has happened...

Read More:

Published 9:22 PM EDT, Sat July 5, 2025

- CNN -

Tropical Storm Chantal makes landfall in South Carolina, the first system of hurricane season to impact the US

Tropical Storm Chantal became the first named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season to hit the United States after it made landfall in South Carolina in the earliest hours of Sunday morning.

Chantal came ashore around 4 a.m. ET Sunday near Litchfield by the Sea, South Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center, about 10 to 20 miles south of Myrtle Beach. The tropical storm was packing sustained winds between 50 and 60 mph at landfall, with stronger gusts. Chantal is the third named storm of the Atlantic season — a mark usually hit around early August. While Chantal is the first of the season to impact the United States, it isn’t a major threat to land, but will continue to drench parts of the Southeast and create risky beach conditions through Monday.

Chantal will deteriorate over land as it tracks generally to the north Sunday and ultimately become a tropical depression. The system could fully dissipate as early as Sunday evening, but some impacts will linger after that occurs...

Read More:

Updated July 6, 2025 - 2 hr ago

- CNN -

Dalai Lama marks his 90th birthday as crowds throng his home-in-exile

Thousands of people gathered in India’s Dharamshala on Sunday to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama – a key milestone in the life of the spiritual leader and Nobel Peace laureate known for his message of compassion and his quest for greater freedoms for Tibet under Beijing’s rule.

Undeterred by heavy monsoon rain and thick fog, crowds dressed in their finery packed the narrow streets from early morning and queued in droves hoping to catch a glimpse of the Dalai Lama at the Tsuklakhang Tibetan Buddhist complex. Hundreds of hopeful attendees were left waiting to see if they would be allowed into the temple, which reached full capacity before the festivities began and was heavily manned by Indian police and security personnel.

Masked dancers in traditional outfits twirled to the sounds of gongs, pipes and horns as the Dalai Lama was led into the complex by two attendants. Indian government ministers spoke at the event, as well as Hollywood actor Richard Gere, a longtime supporter of the Dalai Lama. Singing performances filled the courtyard as the Dalai Lama was served a slice of his birthday cake, topped with fresh fruit and a white lily...

A devotee looks at a tall layered cake at the Dalai Lama's birthday celebration in Dharamshala on Sundan

• Reincarnation:

Students wait in line for the gates to open at the Tsuklakhang Tibetan Buddhist complex on Sunday.

Actor Richard Gere, right, kisses the the Dalai Lama's hand at an event celebrating his 90th birthday in Dharamshala, India, on Sunday.

Read More:

Updated 3:20 AM EDT, Sun July 6, 2025

- CNN -

CANADIAN NEWS:

Does anyone still clip coupons? Consumers want deals, but how they find them is shifting

Coupon use has been declining since the 1990s. Some are turning to AI to find deals

For some, it's a ritual — sitting down with that week's flyers and clipping out coupons for the best deals. For others, it's a lifestyle. Couponing entered the lexicon in the 1950s, and then came Extreme Couponing, the popular 2010 U.S. television show that ran for four seasons. And for many, it's a necessity. The majority of Canadians are actively seeking ways to save on food costs, including using more coupons, according to a 2024 report from the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

But as a wave of reports shows a decline in coupon distribution and redemption, and amid the increasing use of AI to hunt down deals, is couponing in danger of becoming a lost art?...

Kathleen Cassidy of Toronto runs the popular social media couponing account Living on a Loonie. (Submitted by Kathleen Cassidy)

• Changes in the coupon landscape;
• The evolutions of coupons;

Samira Hussain reports on the rising trend in "extreme" coupon clipping.

A digital-only coupon for Pampers brand baby wipes is displayed at a Kroger in Ann Arbor, Mich., in November 2022.

• 'Life-changing shopping hack':

Understanding 'loud budgeting,' TikTok's newest finance trend

Deal Diva AudioHow clipping coupons has evolved into deep digital discounts

• Can AI hunt down deals?:

Can we still tell what's real? 'Unsettling' new AI tech makes generating ultrarealistic videos easy

Here's how this woman saves $1K a month or more on groceries

Read More:

Posted: Jul 06, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

- CBC -

Amid tariffs and falling sales, is Canada's EV mandate doomed?

Experts say Carney could make adjustments instead of ending mandate outright

With U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum and light-duty vehicles continuing to batter the Canadian automobile industry, the CEOs of Canada's big three automakers are asking for a break. They met with Prime Minister Mark Carney this week to lobby for the elimination of the Liberal government's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate. Maintaining it, they say, will cripple their companies and put thousands of jobs at risk.

Carney cancelled Canada's digital services tax last weekend to keep trade negotiations going with the U.S. Could the ZEV mandate also be removed to help an auto industry bleeding from the trade war? And what would that mean for Carney politically if he did so? The mandate requires the number of new ZEVs sold in Canada to hit 20 per cent by next year, 60 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2035 in order to help the country hit its emission-reduction targets...

Automakers 'cautiously optimistic' for EV mandate changes after meeting with Carney

EV rebates are disappearing in Canada. What does that mean for the market?

• Killing the U.S. ZEV mandate:

In January, Canada paused its own rebate that offered up to $5,000 off the purchase of a new electric car.

• Competing concerns:

Carney meets with car industry CEOs as U.S. trade talks continue

Automakers want Canada to scrap its EV sales mandate. What would that do to emissions?

New EV rebate program in the works, environment minister says

• Fudging it:

_Recent headlines have suggested that consumers are losing interest in electric vehicles, but a closer look at the trends tells a different story. CBC’s Nisha Patel breaks down where we’re at in the EV transition and why experts say the future is still electric._

Read More:

Posted: Jul 06, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

- CBC -

♪♫NATURE'S SOUNDS AND MUSIC TO SOOTH THE SOUL♪♫

🌟 🍃 ~The Sacred glow radiates from within, a healing calmness ~ 🍃 🌟

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCpswEPbIEY