Contemplating a boot
I have a favourite pair of hiking boots. We’ve travelled well together for over two decades. Labrador mountains; prairie dirt; ocean to ocean. They’ve given loyal service but the day has come when my friendly boots need attention. I discover Jean François Lapointe: Cobbler. He’s working on a pair of auburn cowboy boots in a […]
Matthias leads the prowling cats
Bill Lindsay works as a colour commentator for the Florida Panthers. His partner is Steve Goldstein, and they complement each other quite nicely. Lindsay takes a fair amount of good-natured ribbing from Goldstein, and laughs it off easily. Lindsay played for the Panthers in the team’s inaugural seasons, and has been around the NHL many […]
Fear not the sediment
Last week we addressed the common occurrence of tartrates in wine. This week we will examine why wines have sediment The initial sediment that forms in wine is called the “lees.” It is composed of dead yeast cells, stems, skins and other solid matter that settles to the bottom of the tanks during fermentation. Winemakers […]
Bring me sunshine
Sometimes, you just have to tip your hat to government for opening the windows and letting the sunshine in, however much glare it causes. For instance, it’s been a perverse pleasure to follow the legislative committee hearings on the gas plant cancellations—a pleasure in the same way you just knew the Watergate hearings, tragic though […]
Parfait!
Faultless. Flawless. Ideal. Impeccable. Indefectible. Irreproachable. Immaculate. Unblemished. Perfect. Have you noticed, there’s a whole lot of “perfect” going on in the retail and food service industries these days. Go on, order a coffee and I’ll bet you dollars to dunking donuts the server is bound to pronounce your order, “perfect.” You’ve probably already ordered […]
More spring training notes
I usually pick up a copy of Lindy’s Baseball before every season. I checked this year’s edition before heading out to the Red Sox game against the Baltimore Orioles at Jet Blue Stadium in Fort Myers. There is one Red Sox player who has caused a great deal of commotion in the offices of the […]
Summer classic
You may occasionally find crystals in your wine, attached either to the cork or resting on the bottom of the bottle. These tartrate crystals—found in both red and white wines—are formed by the combination of tartaric acid and potassium bitartrate, a byproduct of winemaking. For you bakers out there, cream of tartar is usually made […]
UnHarperizing
It’s starting to get less and less interesting. First George Takach dropped out. Then Marc Garneau. Then David Bertschi. Six are still left (Trudeau, Murray, Cauchon, Hall Findlay, Coyne and McCrimmon), one of whom (Coyne) has freely admitted she can’t win. One is tempted to ask why so many of them dropped in to begin […]
Syrupy sweet
So, how was Maple weekend for you? LOML and I did a quick tour of a few Maple sites with our youngest daughter, her friend and her friend’s rather large dog, Aries. In the past, it was our children who limited or defined where we’d visit while on “tour.” This past weekend, we had to […]
On meeting Al
I recently met Al in the darndest of places. I mean I’ve heard him read his stuff at author’s nights. I’ve met him in the library—on the page that is. And from time to time my dog Cabot and I have ventured down Purdy Lane in Ameliasburg to visit Al’s monument. I still call it […]