An inferior stopper
Last week we noted that cork has traditionally been valued as a stopper, since it excels at re-expanding to the shape of a bottle. A popular misconception holds that Dom Perignon devised a conical cork to better withstand the pressure that develops within a bottle of sparkling wine. Many also mistakenly think he was visually […]
Celebrity democracy
You can bet that neither the Conservatives nor the NDP are taking this Justin Trudeau business lying down. Plan A, of course, is to expose him as a well-coiffed puffball. Plan B is to turn on the charm of the existing players. But it’s plan C—going celebrity to celebrity—that really has my attention. Plan A […]
Hook, line and sinker
I am thankful for so many things. Thanksgiving does that to a gal. Near the top of my list is the fact that I am debt-free. It took a very long time to get to this point in my life (our lives, LOML and I). When we started out as newlyweds, in the sixties, we […]
Don’t poke the bear!
The Toronto Blue Jays completed a four game series against the New York Yankees last weekend. The series ended in a draw, two games apiece. More importantly for the Yankees, they have scratched out just enough wins to gain a berth in post-season play. The Blue Jays have three games remaining at home. They will […]
Cork it up
The cork stopper was another technological advance important to wine. A species of the oak tree (Quercus Suber) provides the ultimate, most natural, stopper for wine. It is found primarily on the Iberian Peninsula and in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains in North Africa. Although the Egyptians used cork stoppers three thousand years ago, […]
A catalogue of mirth
One of the requirements for obtaining the coveted “CHC” (Certified Humour Columnist) designation from the American Humour Association is to write a piece about the annual Hammacher Schlemmer catalogue. I’m working toward my CHC, so this is one of my compulsories. And the catologue just arrived, so here goes. Hammacher Schlemmer (I am tempted to […]
Built for the race
So recently I was speaking with a friend about women in politics or, rather, the lack of women in politics. Actually she did most of the talking and I was making notes with an “uh huh” and “you bet” here and there. I was really listening, by the way. Like a lot of folks, she’s […]
Wood to wine
Winemakers’ willingness to accept the steep cost of barrel aging demonstrates the importance of wood to wine. A French barrel can cost upwards of $900 (Canadian) — while a barrel from Eastern Europe can fetch $600. An average barrel contains a little over 300 bottles of wine. If only used once, aging in a French […]
How to hoop an engine
The sun has dropped and in its wake steel-purple cutouts of silos, out-buildings, hedge rows and willows are propped against an alabaster sky. Beside the ditch on the old rail line, beyond clumps of teasel and burdock is a squared post rising ghostlike from the ground. The burdocks shackle my socks when I try to […]
Bronko Nagurski Part 2
Another highly respected American football observer, Grantland Rice, also had good things to say about “The Bronk.” When asked to select an all-time allstar team he said, “That’s easy. I’d pick 11 Bronko Nagurskis. I honestly don’t think it would be a contest. The 11 Nagurskis would be a mop-up. It would be something close […]