Piece of cake
We’ve all heard something about Ivan Pavlov, although it’s his dog that made him famous. Pavlov noticed that the dog would salivate at the prospect of food, so he experimented with various stimuli and eventually trained the dog to salivate at the ringing of a bell. He called it a “conditioned response.” And partially out […]
The joy of long weekends
Long weekends for old fogeys, like LOML and me, are just like every other day of the week. Well, sorta, kinda like every other day of the week. LOML and I are reminded of an upcoming long weekend whenever one of our family members (from the city) or their friends call to make a reservation […]
Sweet transvestite
The Rocky Horror Show just finished a four-night run in Picton—a town of 4,000 in rural Ontario— with great reception from its local audiences. Of course, the show and its film adaptation are silly, campy fun, and it’s that, along with the movie’s cult following, that drew people to the Regent. But beyond that, the […]
Merely mortal
tWines from Burgundy have been immortalized, and in high demand, since the conquest of Gaul by Caesar. With this cachet, pressure on the pinot noir and chardonnay vines to meet demand has always been a significant problem. Over the last three years, however, I have found it more and more difficult to purchase decent Burgundian […]
The egalitarian spirit
If you take the train from Union Station in Toronto from time to time, as I do, you probably find it annoying to hear them announce (if you can hear it at all) “VIA business-class passengers may board at any time after they have finished their free drinks and snacks in the lounge. All other […]
In the end
This past weekend, LOML and I attended the memorial service of a friend and colleague. While I have never been a fan of the funeral-in-achurch service, I am a fan of memorial services. I’m a bit selfish that way. Funerals are so shockingly immediate while memorial services are often held weeks or even months after […]
The puck
It was on April 21, in 1951. The Canadiens and the Leafs battled in the Stanley Cup final at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The game went into overtime. One of the stalwarts on the Leafs blueline, “Bashing Bill” Barilko creased the twine behind Gerry McNeil to win the game, and the Cup. Old hockey […]
A killing frost
On the night of April 26, the commune of Meursault (in the Côte de Beaune region of Burgundy) was severely damaged by the worst killer frost since 1981. As County winegrowers can testify, such a calamity is truly heartbreaking— regardless of the region it strikes. We know the impact that plunging temperatures have, not only […]
Weeds
It’s May. That season when life bursts forth with delirious enthusiasm. Grass grows inches each day, birdsong overwhelms the quiet mornings. Grey and brown are replaced by a glorious palette of greens. And amidst those greens, little bursts of yellow— the neat, ubiquitous dandelion. Humans, it seems, have a love-hate relationship with the plant many […]
Mom, mommy, mama
Ah, Mother’s Day. As I write this, I’m thinking “everyone has a mother,” right? One way or another, there was a mom-person for each of us. It stands to reason it should be easy to write about the celebration of motherhood, shouldn’t it? From the get-go, motherhood has been complicated for me—but I’m sure it […]