Liquor laws
Much like the United States, Canada has unique laws governing interprovincial commerce in wine that can be directly attributed to prohibition efforts of the early 20th century. There is less bureaucracy for a wine merchant in California to export to Alberta than to ship from state to state. It can be even worse in Canada. […]
Crows
It was just the other day, when Jack was arriving, that I was watching the southern sky. Like a slate-shingled barn roof yes, but more like the silver screen of a drive-in theatre. I watched as crow after crow after a hundred more crows moved through the dusk of February. A rookery, I think that’s […]
A mature product
Does any one of these images of chewing gum stick with you? How about the prototypical American GI from the second war era, with the confident swagger and the can-do attitude and the gum chewed rather nonchalantly? Or the 1959 Lonnie Donegan skiffle music song, Does your chewing gum lose its flavour, on the bedpost […]
Family day with Dick and Jane
Ah, Family Day. I know, every day should be family day when you’re part of a family. Or so I’ve heard. But Family Day makes me think about how much I need to have one day to focus on embracing the fun side of having a family. Since 2007, LOML and I have made a […]
Preparing for the ACE Group Classic
It’s a little overcast here in Naples, Florida, on Monday morning. Corey Pavin has half a dozen golf balls on the putting green, and is trying to coax them into the cup. A light shower turns into a serious downpour, and Pavin takes refuge under an umbrella. For the most part, the putting area and […]
A touch of dryness
Prohibition was, in many ways, the culmination of a temperance movement that encouraged laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol as far back as the early 1800s. In fact, the first recorded accounts of Prohibition date back to the founder of the Xia Dynasty, who banned alcohol throughout his Chinese empire. Upon his death, his son, […]
Artefacts and Horses
I’m not sure why the image of the piano comes to mind. Sure, the rhythm of snow on the windshield is conjuring; the distant shoreline of Adolphustown in the grey of 5 p.m. plays like the Goldberg Variations; the ceiling of cloud, the amber glow from the deck lights of the Glenora ferry? Time to […]
Clinging to yellow paper
I was not particularly surprised when I read a headline in the print edition of my daily newspaper that stated, “Yellow Pages looks to the next chapter.” I was so certain the article was going to tell me the iconic directory was moving to an all-digital offering that I almost didn’t read it. But when […]
Heart of my heart
It’s February. Actually, it’s almost half-past February. I barely got used to saying 2015 and now we’re sliding— quite literally—into spring. If you know me, and a couple of you might, February is the month I mention hearts. I have been known to talk about heart health and the love of my life. Sometimes I […]
Still lacing up the skates
More than 20 years ago, in 1993, 14-year-old Daniel Cleary left Newfoundland to pursue a hockey career. His first stop was Kingston. He played for the Voyageurs in the old Metro Junior Hockey League and amassed 46 points in 43 games that season. Belleville Bulls owner Dr. Bob Vaughan and coach Larry Mavety liked what […]