Glenn Gould and the Last Supper
‘Primo penserio’—brainstorming—first thoughts in a new year bring me to how fortunate we are to have the lending library system that is ours. Libraries are the best of democratic facilities; sources of learning; advocates of literacy and, importantly, they are open and free to everyone. The very existence of libraries is a lesson in giving, […]
What they got for Xmas
I hope you survived the Christmas deluge. Let’s see what various personalities around the world got for Xmas. It turns out all of them got real books with real titles. Justin Trudeau. Costume Through the Ages: Over 1400 Illustrations. Perhaps this will satisfy his urge to dress up. Doug Ford. Fifty Places to Camp Before […]
A year of Mondays
New Year’s Day is like the mother of all Mondays. It’s the day for a list of resolutions. Like Monday, New Year’s Day is the day we clear the deck and make way for a brand new “me”. New Year’s Day! Let’s put Christmas away and jot down a few resolutions we’ll probably ignore, starting […]
Evensong
Vespers, Matins, Evensong… words with connotation of meditation, communion, spiritual engagement with a higher Being, however one may chose that to be. At this moment I’m borrowing the Church of England’s expression for an end-of-day gathering of community for prayer mostly rendered in song—Evensong. Mainly I like the poetry, the sounding of the word. It’s […]
Banana Republican of the Year?
You have to ask yourself what award Doug Ford is gunning for: Banana Republican of the Year, perhaps? Mr. Ford can’t seem to keep his hands off Hydro One, even though the government’s share in the company is less than 50 per cent and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Ordinarily, the […]
And, hee hee hee Holidays
Most of us have read the articles, or watched the lifestyle shows about how to survive the holidays. My dad once told me, “liquor helps”. But there’s got to be a better way. Right? You know I am. I know from personal experience that booze is just a Band- Aid. Oh sure, if you’re a […]
A pedestrian subject
Over the next year or two, it’s going to get busier than ever in downtown Picton. The Royal Hotel will open. The renovations to the Picton branch of the PEC Library will take place. Condos will be developed in the upper and lower parts of downtown. It all promises to be very urban-chic. And yet […]
Ha Ha Ha Holidays
Christmas is picture-perfect, I wonder just how much tinsel they snorted over the holidays. The perfect holiday celebration happens on the pages of magazines and in Hallmark made-for-television movies. I can honestly say it has never happened at our house. Nor did it ever happen when I was a kid. I’m not saying my parents […]
Hiding in plain sight
I’ve fallen for two ladies recently, a singer and a novelist. And the thing is, I’ve known of both of them for a long time, but ignored them. They were hiding in plain sight. The singer is Dionne Warwick. I first heard her in the early 1960s, when I resented her appearance on the British […]
One candy cane or two
I’m back! It’s December, and “You’re welcome”. I heard your pleas. I didn’t bring the Manitoba weather back to this part of Ontario. I understand folks here don’t like minus numbers, especially on the thermometer. I don’t know about you, but being cold isn’t my idea of a good time. I spent a month shivering […]