A mediocre response
So according to our Prime Minister, physical distancing and social isolation will become the “new normal” for a while yet. If that’s the case, we have some thinking to do. It was only less than a year ago—June 14, 2019—that the Toronto Raptors won the NBA championship, beating the Golden State Warriors in six games. […]
Somedays I’m Ma, Somedays I’m Laura
All of a sudden I have an urge to head over to Oleson’s Mercantile to order a bolt of calico, a card of buttons, have the scissors sharpened and get a big spool of cotton thread. As I set another batch of sponge to rise for yet another loaf of homemade bread, I can’t help […]
Easter 2020, the cover version
I’ve never liked “covers”. LOML and I were enjoying a glass of wine this evening, Palm Sunday, and our discussion hovered around music covers. He’s always been open to an artist interpreting another’s music. He enjoys the variations. Maybe it’s the linguist in him, open to another take on things. However, for many years, I […]
Bringing Back the Lost Months
Do you get the feeling that March, April and May are going to be lost months, in which nothing positive happened except that we all got three months older? Would you like a do-over after the coronavirus crisis has passed its peak? I have a simple proposition for you. Since this is a leap year […]
Until we meet again
Earlier this month, The Times lost a dedicated member of its family. Roger Whittaker passed away at the age of 90. Roger was the true definition of a newspaperman. He studied journalism at Colorado State University, set in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. He found a job with the Kamloops Sentinel. Then across the […]
Old dogs, new tricks
Who said, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks?” Well, I’m here to say that’s not true. The new trick I’ve learned is social distancing. Heck, if it weren’t for LOML being in my life, I’d be a hermit. When I was a little, little kid, my mom used to say I was an […]
Taxing the walk
Just like you, I am confined to my house. However, unlike you returning snowbirds in self-isolation, I can go out for walks as long as I keep my two-metre distance from passersby—not that difficult an objective in Wellington. Of course, you can still greet them with a friendly hello—which passes for rich social interaction under […]
It takes a village
It might be cliché, but it has never been more fitting. First, I want to thank the community for its everlasting support. I have been inundated with text messages and emails from readers and contributors asking what they can do to help fill our newspaper pages in these troubling times. Be assured, we will strive […]
The crisis and the entrepreneurial mind
The coronavirus is a significant public health emergency: of that there can be no doubt. And it is painful to see hoarding taking place, especially when the most sought after items show up reselling on the web at many multiples of their original price. But there are entrepreneurs out there who are developing innovative new […]
Build a fort
In my dream the party was in full swing. My neighbour was double-dipping and her partner just coughed all over the cold cuts. Out of the corner of my eye, my already drunk, but affable, cousin is teetering across my brand new carpet holding a tray of crystal tumblers. Each tumbler is full to the […]