It's the return of the Parade of Lights in Halifax this weekend. And I was thinking back to the holidays of my childhood and the memories we create for others.

As much as I know this will likely kick off a torrent of comments from the anti-vax cabal, so be it. Thank you Doctor Strang and Premier Houston for calling out the behaviour of the petulant, selfish Nova Scotians who aren't carrying their share of the work to end this pandemic.

It's not just annoying. I almost didn't answer my cell phone the other day because I was sure it was going to be one of those scam calls. The agency that regulates the service in Canada, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, estimates more than 1 in 4 cellphone calls in this country are robocalls. And there's now some pressure on the providers to fix this issue by the end of the month.

There's an old saying that there is a story behind every warning. And sometimes they seem like common sense. But there are new technologies and new concerns entering our lives all the time. Apparently, there isn't as much common knowledge about some dangers that are causing tragedies in our own communities.

Environmentalists and others are viewing the world through a climate change lens and the annual gift to Boston is giving people something to talk about. Some are saying we should abandon a tradition because it takes an old tree out of the forest. Others say it's only one tree and it means a lot to a lot of people. What do you say?

Someone's take is described as their attitude or opinion about a situation. And I've been asking you to spare three minutes each day as I share mine. A few things have come together recently to bring me to the one I offer you today.

An outbreak at a senior care facility in Nova Scotia has been traced back to a faith-based-gathering in the Amherst area. Not only did it affect the people who attended, it spread to other faith-based groups and the community. While officials aren't naming the group, it would seem the essential service designation may have been used as a loophole. And that's not fair to the groups that are following the rules.

I've noticed some of us are less anxious and concerned about contracting COVID as more and more Nova Scotians get vaccinated. And I've also stepped away from arguing with the hesitant or conspiracy minded crowd. But they still want to engage me to "Tell the truth about what is really happening."

The Premier stepped in it on Thursday when he was trying to defend the reasons why his government wasn't going to increase the minimum wage to 15-dollars an hour. And in the end, his critics have something to hold over him, whether or not he really thinks minimum wage jobs are real jobs.

Politicians can find themselves between a rock and a hard place when they make the move from government to opposition. It's something that can open them up to criticism if people feel their words don't match their own record. And it's even more challenging when that transition happened just a few months ago.