Das Scandal
The first car I drove required the athletic skills of a bobsled runner: it refused to start from a standing position. The second had a quaint habit of fading out on any road that was more than walking distance from a repair facility. And the third required the nerve of a Russian Roulette player: one […]
It’s apparent you’re a parent
Many of you will nod and smile at this, but just when you think your children have grown up enough to stop being a challenge, they throw a wrench into the works. If you’re a parent, you never stop being a parent. Why do we, as parents, forget this? Raise your hand if you’ve ever […]
Vote
There were lots of grumbles when the federal election was officially called, far in advance of the set date of October 19. But now we’re no longer that far away. October is upon us, and the ballot boxes will be open in less than three weeks. Some found the prospect of a long campaign tedious, […]
The 2015 Terry Fox Run
It was thirty-five years ago that hordes of people started participating in what is known as the Terry Fox Run. I was there on that occasion. In fact, I pushed a stroller around the course that day, and on several other runs. I have travelled the course with two dogs, and I remember dragging Loki, […]
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 […]