Down the rabbit hole
I think my computer is winning the fight to pull me down the rabbit hole of useless information. It won a round the other day by a convincing margin. I was powering down to begin my afternoon meditation on the pressing issues of the day—whom to entrust with the keys to Canada’s public purse, how […]
Reaching for rainbows
I’ve got terrific neighbours. I do. Living in a community like Prince Edward County spoils you for anyplace else. One of my neighbours is a minister. Lynne Donovan. Not the preachy, Sunday-go-to-meeting kinda person at all. Lynne is intense but is as involved in her congregation as she is in her own family, her friends […]
Jambalaya
From the ashes of the 17th century European wars rose the new country of Holland, which would become a hugely successful and important trading nation. Not surprising, as they were the descendents of the Friesians who commanded the wine trade in the time of Charlemagne. In a very short space of time they built a […]
Opening Day 2011
Are you ready for baseball? They are packing their bags here in Florida for the annual trek north. On Friday, the Blue Jays open their regular season against the Minnesota Twins. As has usually been the case, the Rogers Centre is sold out for the first game; however, rest assured there will be plenty of […]
Grey places
So, here I am in beautiful (just kidding about the beauty), downtown Hamilton, missing Maple in the County. Of course, by the time this column hits the big blue Times stands, I’ll be at home wondering why I let myself miss something as excitingly delicious as Maple weekend in Prince Edward. But, the City of […]
Early explorers
When early explorers conquered the new world they quickly established their centres of civilization. In the case of the Spanish, when they conquered the lands of Mexico and South America, they developed trade with their mother country. Initially, all goods including wine were imported and fortunes of silver were returned in trade to Spain. Most […]
All good reasons
NHL on the brink of the playoffs At this point in the National Hockey League season, with less than a dozen games left, teams and individual players have a variety of motivations. Some teams are on the brink of elimination from post-season play, and are desperate to win to make the playoffs. Others have discovered […]
Columnist bite hands that feeds
A vulnerable headline: you just knew it would touch off a firestorm. The cover of the March 9 Wellington Times showed five swans gliding rather gracefully past the camera lens. The caption ran: “Spring thaw: a herd of swans finds open water as the winter’s ice and snow retreat from the harbour in Wellington.” Aherd? […]
Unplug me
I live in the dark. I mostly work from home and electricity rates are high during the day so, even on the most overcast and dreary days of winter, I only turn on lights if I can’t see my hand in front of my face. Mechanical timers abound in my house lest I overuse and […]
St. Patrick’s Day
It is romantic to glamorize the European age of discovery, yet in the most simplistic terms it was driven by trade. The Ottoman Empire strictly levied the trade routes to the Orient, forcing Western powers to find alternative routes to bypass the Empire, thereby cutting out the middleman and their ensuing taxes. Adventuring west was […]