Ascending the mountain
Even if you are an occasional reader of this column, you are likely aware that I have great respect for the athlete who gets to the top, who wins the big one, who goes that extra mile to outdistance the foes. No matter what the sport, finishing first is a very good thing. Especially in […]
Delectable dessert wines
Holiday dinners, with their traditional desserts or cheeses, stimulate an appreciation of how well fortified dessert wines complement these foods. It is a time that calls for port, perhaps the best recognized fortified wine. Two English gentlemen in 1756 introduced the concept: blend some distilled clear grape spirit into your wine in order to arrest […]
Prayer shack
I’m building what I call a prayer shack. It’s out back in my yard. It’s not big, in fact it’s only a little bigger than a chiclet, I’d say. Perhaps it is the advent of winter solstice that inspired it. Built of cedar and hemlock and pine, the shack is sited so as to take […]
The last parade?
Could Wellington have seen its last parade? That is the gloomy view prognosticators are taking following the County’s review of its policy on the engagement of volunteers. For example, it doesn’t want voluteers clearing trees with chainsaws they are not properly trained to operate: the limbs they sever might include their own. But now the […]
Ho ho ho and Bah
A friend recently told me I wasn’t as edgy as I used to be. He told me he liked my old columns where I took issue with something and shook the daylights out of it. I suppose he’s probably right. I don’t rant and rave like I used to. I’ve got a smidge more internal […]
Dear trolls,
You know who you are. In fact, there’s a little bit of troll inside of all of us—that little monster that feeds on all the little frustrations in our lives; ignorance, unfairness, traffic jams. But when you get onto the world wide web, that monster is unleashed to wreak revenge upon the world. I suppose […]
A most fitting tribute
Last Friday night, Steve Molaski’s hockey jersey was retired at the Constantine Arena on the campus of the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. With a large group of family and friends in the stands, Molaski watched the ceremony from centre ice as the #23 was revealed on the wall at the arena. It is […]
’Tis the season
“Christmas” was celebrated long before the advent of Christianity. In olden days, December was the time to slaughter livestock (due to the lack of fodder). So the winter solstice was a time of plenty—and possibly the only time of the year when fresh meat was available to many people. Wine and beer was also newly […]
Solving the conundrum
So, are you going to go for it? “It” being an appointment to the Senate. The Trudeau government announced a plan last week for new senators to be appointed on the advice of a committee. Anybody can apply to the committee for one of 17 positions that will be filled before the end of 2016. […]
Ho, ho, hum
December snuck in quietly this year. There hasn’t been any snow. Parents haven’t had to deal with school closures and the ensuing scramble for childcare. If you’ve set your cap on shovelling for extra cash, it looks like lawn care might still be in the cards. On top of this, December is just a tough […]