So, what’s the latest news these days?” Dave Winston asked as he scanned the menu at Mabel’s Grill the other morning.
    “Who gets to watch the news?” grunted George Mackenzie. “The wife’s off on holidays these days and she ties up the TV most days watching reruns of Young Sheldon, and then she watches older Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory!”
    “Well, at least she’s still got stuff to watch,” said Cliff Murray as he selected pancakes off the menu. “There may not be much on TV if these strikes from the Hollywood writers and actors keep up.”
    “Would anybody notice?” Dave wondered. 
    “I feel sorry for the people who operate movie theatres,” said Molly Whiteside as she came to get their order. “I mean they were just beginning to recover from the COVID-19 scare when they closed down and people stayed home. I went to see that Barbie movie last week and I worried if we’d be able to get in because the lines were so long.”
    “Imagine!” said Cliff with a straight face, “not being able to see Barbie!”
    “Yeah,” said Molly as she took their order and didn’t see the irony in Cliff’s reply. “So far it’s been so popular it’s taken in more than a billion dollars at the box office.” She headed back to the kitchen.
    “I feel so old and left out with movies,” George sighed. “For me the biggest excitement is going to our fall fair coming up.”
    “How about the International Plowing Match?” wondered Dave. “I mean it’s close this year in Bowling Green over near Orangeville.”
    “I might go,” said George. “I always find it interesting to see people plow with horses, like my grandad used to talk about doing.”
    “It’s kind of funny that people go to the show to see plowing when these days if you plow people figure you’re old-fashioned, unless you’re breaking up an old pasture field,” said Cliff
    “Me, I go to see all the latest farm equipment,” said Dave. “It’s great to see those fancy big tractors put to the test.”
    “Yeah, all the stuff guys like me can’t afford to buy,” George sighed and took a sip of the coffee Molly had left for them.
    “Well I asked my brother-in-law who lives in Brampton, a few miles away, if he’s going to the Plowing Match and he grumbled that he couldn’t afford it because gas was too expensive, what with the federal government’s climate tax going up,” said Cliff.
    “Ha! If he thinks his gas tax is so high he should see mine!” Dave sputtered.
    “Yeah, well one minute he was complaining he was broke because of the carbon tax and the next thing he was telling me about the vacation he was planning to Puerto Vallarta in Mexico next January,” chuckled Cliff.
    “Funny, how people see there’s a big problem with the climate but they don’t think they’re part of the cause,” Molly said as she delivered their breakfast plates to the table.
    “Yeah, and he drives about three miles to work – about as far as I come for breakfast – meanwhile he seems to forget that for himself, his wife and three kids he gets about $1,000 back from the government to cover his tax,” Cliff sighed.
    “Oh, I forgot about the money we get to help with climate tax,” Molly said. “It just shows up in my bank account and helps pay my rent.”
    “Alright, alright, can we just stop talking about climate change as if it were real!” George exploded.
    “Oh, so you send the money back to the government since you don’t believe in climate change?” said Molly with a smirk.
    “Ha! Not with all the money I pay them, not just at the gas pump but in the rest of my life!” George sputtered.
    “Well good, then you can spend a little of that tax for a decent tip instead of your usual quarter!” Molly said hopefully. ◊