Stuck in November
The cedar chest? It takes something obvious, like firstsnow, for me to remember why the chest sits in the corner of the room. And then after remembering why it’s there, an avalanche of ‘shoulda dones’ is triggered: storm windows on, firewood in, shovels out, lawn mower in, snow tires on, ice-melt out, tulip bulbs in— […]
Meanwhile in language news
Oh the complications language can bring. Consider the news from England, Italy and Canada. In England, a hot profession has become that of the speech tutor. Why? Because in that country, the speaking voice tends to give away the class and region of the speaker, and those with working class or backwater regional accents are […]
Needs
Home. I have a renewed appreciation for the beauty and tranquility of Prince Edward County after spending a month on the road. I know, I’ve said the West Coast is like my second home, but this time, there was a claustrophobic clamminess about the city of Vancouver that, after a few days, overwhelmed me. Vancouverites […]
Space in sport
I have been thinking about space lately. Not Star Trek space, not the final frontier, but space in sports, and its importance. Space is critical in all areas of sport, and certain athletes know how to utilize it better than others. Rob Gronkowski is a tight end for the New England Patriots. He is a […]
A re-think
The far hill beyond the creek is the back on a wild boar this morning. The sienna stain of flesh of the land peeks from beneath the hard bristle of hawthorn and dogwood and brambleberry. And the water has receded under the bridge. Geese get a move on across the slow, cobalt sky. I take […]
On the road to red
Every winemaker in the County wants to extract the utmost flavour profile from his or her grapes. However, there are no shortcuts to making a memorable red wine. It all begins once the winemaker, in conjunction with the vineyard manager, determine the exact moment for the grapes to be harvested. In most cases, the grape […]
“God Bless You, Phil Collins”
Those were the words spoken recently by Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson as he accepted the rock star’s donation of artifacts having to do with the Alamo. Although the Reuters press report didn’t give a value to the donation, Texas is going to build a $100 million edifice to hold the collection, which will be […]
Remembering them
Our last week away from the County is being spent on a military base in Manitoba. Yep, we’re at CFB Shiloh. It’s not exactly a vacation mecca. In true Canadian military fashion, it’s almost indistinguishable from most other CFBs in Canada. This is where MCOM (Military Children of Mine), aka The Girlies, live. This is […]
Back on the ice
The Florida Everblades played their third game of the season last Saturday night at home in the Germain Arena. The arena is located on I-75, between Fort Myers and Naples, close to the municipality of Estero. More than 7,000 seats fill the barn, and tickets are most reasonable, starting at $16. The Blades faced their […]
Tanks for the wine
During the production of white wine, it is paramount that contact between the juice and oxygen be kept to a minimum, to preserve the fruit characteristics. Before crushing, stems are normally taken off white grapes, since they can add a note of unwanted astringency. Sometimes, stems are added to allow a more freeflowing juice. This […]