The Blockbuster Trilogies
I never saw any of the Jurassic Park movies, nor did I read the book. I am, however, familiar with the premise. Extinct dinosaurs are brought back to life through the miracle of DNA reconstitution. Terror ensues. The list of “Jurassic” movies is getting long. The original blockbuster movie came out 25 years ago. It […]
The kid
And so it goes. Six months after our Vancouver kids landed in the County, they’ve found a home and moved into their own digs. They own their first home. It’s close to their workplaces and close to our granddaughter’s new school. All of us were looking forward to this event with a mix of excitement […]
Passion times
So here’s a thought. I’ve recently attended a talk series on the subject of passion. The series is the brainchild of our own David Simmonds; the premise to invite individuals within our midst to talk about their purposes, whatever fires their lives. Talks took place Saturday afternoons in the lower part of the Wellington library. […]
Binging season
“Binging”—overdoing it and knowing you are doing so— has deservedly received a bad reputation when it comes to food and drink. However, binging on video—such as spending the weekend in your pajamas watching every episode of M*A*S*H ever produced—seems to be a socially acceptable form of self-indulgence. And with the winter we’ve had, who can […]
Post this
Last week, Bill Roberts asked if I would be interested in being a special guest on Reel County: The Movie Thing, a 99.3 County FM radio show which he hosts. He asked if I would join him to discuss the movie The Post and, perhaps, share my journalistic view on the tough decisions facing writers […]
This is Your Cap’n speaking
Chile has taken a hard stand against obesity. Chile for heaven’s sake! In the face of “skyrocketing obesity” the government of Chile’s hammer came down on the likes of Pepsico, Quaker Oats, Frito-Lay and Ferrero Rocher, to name a few food producers/processors. Chile is “waging war on unhealthy foods with a phalanx of marketing restrictions, […]
A test of batteries
Sorry about missing last week. I went under the knife in Toronto on short notice. As regular readers of this column will know, I have had Parkinson’s for the past 25 years. Seven years ago, I was outfitted in Toronto with a “neurostimulator,” which sends an electrical pusle into the brain to override the misfiring […]
Lessons
Another Tuesday was unfolding. Keint-He’s winemaker, Lee, was taking his daughter to dance in Belleville. The harvest intern, Ryan Beverly, was looking forward to his volleyball game. Ryan had been working in the cellar for a month. He is a young guy; twenty-two but quickly gaining experience in winemaking. Before Ryan went to volleyball, he […]
Ollie, Ollie, Triple Lutz
So, I might have said I wasn’t going to watch anything “Olympic” this year. A good friend asked, “Not even the women’s hockey?” Well, maybe women’s hockey. But the truth of the matter is I haven’t watched women’s hockey, yet. But on Saturday evening, LOML and I poured ourselves a wee drink, filled a bowl […]
Renewal
County winters are too cold for grape vines. Most vines are buried every winter under a few inches of soil to protect them from the coldest days. After fall harvest, the four most promising canes from each vine are tied along a wire six inches above the ground. Through a mix of cultivating and plowing, […]