Zhiyuan
I rode my bike into the dawn this morning. The sole mourning dove; the rooster’s call now muted beyond shuttered barn doors; wild hare bob into ditches; blue heron rises to the sky; dove song, rubber tires on gravel song, like the sizzle of bacon in a frying pan, all surrendered to the smell of […]
Sixty two official languages
Two official languages. Since the institution of the Official Languages Act, it has surprised me this country has only two official languages when there is potential for so many, many more. About 25 years ago, in my ignorance, I suggested there should be three official languages. English, French and “Native”. First of all, let me […]
Projects
Last week, a pedestrian was struck and injured at the top of the town hill in Picton. Fortunately, he will recover from his injuries, but it is still a reminder that traffic volume has changed in the County. We only have to look back to last November, when a pedestrian was struck and unfortunately killed […]
Easy-peasey, lemon squeezey
Hey! Here’s an idea, County folks. How about stopping at stop signs? I know. I know. I’ve harped on this topic once or twice before. And I heard from a lot of all y’all who think it’s okay to skip the stop and move straight to keep going. But seriously, stopping at a STOP sign […]
Pannes, Antlions and the Bonaparte Gull
The sun is undecided this morning, playing the same tune as I am; more likely the other way around. Dawn, especially as I welcome it in these months of living mostly out-of-doors, camp style is a meditative balm. The raven’s call, its shunted yelp that seems higher than a musical middle C note is an […]
For the community
Everyone loves a community parade. Waving. Fun floats. Candy. But with rising costs left on the shoulders of small community groups, parades are in jeopardy. It’s an issue I take personally. In my spare time, I chair the Wellington Recreation Committee. With that, comes the responsibility of preparing road closure paperwork for Wellington’s main events—Canada […]
All the s’mores
Well, it’s half-past August. At this time of the year it feels as if the hour hand moves more quickly on the seasonal clock. The County streets are still clogged with visitors. But time slows almost to a stop when locals are trying to get from here to there during tourist season. Slow going or […]
Modern is expensive
Staying current with the ever-changing technology world is challenging most of our lives. That is why earlier this year, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark announced that some of Ontario’s small and rural municipalities would be receiving modernization money. A grant to address the limited capacity to plan, modernize and improve the way […]
It’s not easy being green
I recently overheard a person complain about those individuals and businesses that are trying to eliminate singleuse plastic straws from their lives and their businesses. Her problem, which I’ve heard before, was there are so many other problems in the world that straw-shunning won’t fix. True, there are a lot of other problems. But singleuse […]
Bioluminescent
I named this piece after a new word I just learned: Bioluminescent. The word’s a gum ball of a thing to get your mouth around, so I don’t recommend uttering it as a first thought out of your head in the morning. Wait ‘til at least you’ve brushed your teeth and loosened jaw muscles. We […]