A chronology of Chianti
Perhaps the most recognized Italian wine, Chianti has a fabulous back-story. Around 600 BC, vines were brought to the region from the Middle East, where the Etruscans (for whom Tuscany is named) soon became famous for their winemaking skills. The Italian peninsula would see the rise and fall of the Roman and Byzantine Empires— along […]
Silent sky
Travelling from urban to rural settings and back again on a semi-regular schedule these days, I have begun more than ever to appreciate the solitude of wide-open country. Tonight, shutting the ignition on my truck—a noisy diesel affair—after a four-hour drive from Ottawa, I stand under the night sky and take in the stillness of […]
A font of logic
You will of course spot the logical fallacy in the following: Point 1. All women have two ears. Point 2. Fred has two ears. Point 3. Therefore, Fred is a woman. All women may have two ears, but it doesn’t follow that all two-eared creatures are women. Fred is probably a man, although she could […]
No secrets
Maybe you’ve noticed I haven’t written much about getting fit and healthy recently. Well, I’m still trying to sort myself out after all of these years. At the end of October, it will be five years since I decided to go on a starvation diet and strap myself to a treadmill until I lost forty […]
Safe haven
There’s a fissure forming. People are taking sides. The boundaries extend beyond party lines. It is a question of the limits of our compassion and the strength of our national pride. And the catalyst for it all, it seems, is one tragic image. Refugees have been seeking asylum in Canada for more than a century. […]
Sublime spirit
Early last week, there was an item on Canada AM about a very precious and rare Louis XIII cognac, the finest made by Rémy Martin. Each three-ounce pour was served in a hand-blown crystal glass—nearly double the standard drink unit. Everything about cognac seems larger than life. When Rémy Martin celebrated their 250th anniversary in […]
X marks the spot
First off, LOML and I had a great time at the Parkinson’s SuperWalk in Belleville. Yeah, yeah, it rained and rained and rained, but that’s just weather. We met some truly strong people who live with challenges that can only be managed, at best. To these people I say, “Thank you for making my day.” […]
The war of attrition
One of the sidebar stories emerging in the federal election campaign is the number of candidates who have been forced by their parties to resign after documentation of their dubious behaviour has come to light—thanks in large measure to the long memory of social media. A Liberal candidate from Alberta was done in, in part, […]
Horizons
Dear young people: Travel. If you feel like a lost soul, get on a plane, get on a bus— hitchhike if you must—and go somewhere you can get truly lost. If you live each day with the creeping fear that your world is getting too small, go out there and see how big it actually […]
The Journey of a Hockey Mom
Allyson Tufts is a hockey fan. She grew up with the game in a large family. She married a hockey player. She raised a hockey player. That does not make her much different from many other mothers in Canada. The difference, in her case, is that she took the time to write about her experiences. […]