Milkweed
To me, there’s no more spiritual experience than immersing myself in nature. The explosion of life that exists at the edges of the human imprint provides a feeling of wonder, of connectedness with this wonderful and anomalous world. One summer, I spent all my free time in a meadow in a city, a little patch […]
Spring into summer, fly into fall
And then? Well, and then it was half-past September and, like a lot of you, I’m left wondering where the heck summer went. Autumn happens this week. I still have “spring things” to do. When I was a kid I liked autumn because it meant cooler weather, Thanksgiving, Hallowe’en and school. Yeah, I kinda liked […]
Backfire
If you really, truly believe something, and someone provides you with evidence that your belief is false, there’s a good chance your reaction will be angry, defensive, even slightly fearful. While your mind processes these emotions, your mouth will recite the reasons this new information is ludicrous, and slowly, you’ll begin to feel better. It’s […]
A quiet hour
That wasn’t much of a summer to write home about, was it? All the ingredients were there, with the exception of the key one—summer weather. It almost makes you nostalgic for scorched earth. So we had to take our pleasures where we could get them. Like the Lions Club Tuesday evening gazebo concerts. Like our […]
The good and the challenge
The kids are back in school. One week down, and only the teachers can tell you how many weeks left until next summer’s break. The thing I remember about elementary school was figuring out who to avoid at recess, at the bus stop or in the hallway. Yep, even back in the olden days we […]
Typewriter or lathe?
When it comes right down to it, there are two types of people in this world—them that eats corn on the cob typewriter style, and them that eats it lathe style. Or, if you prefer, them that eats it across, and them that eats it around. Well, new research coming from Nebraska State University suggests […]
The kids are back in town
And then? Well, and then there are columns that just don’t want to be put on paper! Last week was a huge challenge of my ability to handle stress and a crush of emotions. Our oldest son, and his family, relocated to Ontario from British Columbia. In particular, they have chosen to live in Prince […]
Girl power
A few weeks ago, the viral web brought about a fresh discussion about women in the workplace. I recognize that is a conversation that has been ongoing for eons. Then controversies were stirred by a Google employee over a memo about women in tech jobs and an anecdote from a male worker about his outrage […]
An avalanche of drivel
Did you ever watch that 1996 Tom Hanks movie That Thing You Do!? It was about a high school rock band that became an overnight sensation. It featured some catchy songs, which sounded for all the world like the work of the Beatles. But as you analyzed it, you realized it wasn’t. Someone must have […]
Late summer, namaste
The summer, as we know it, is drawing to a close. Of course, Labour Day Weekend isn’t the end of the summer season but it’s the weekend the big winding-down happens. The back-to-school ads are on television and in the newspapers. This week, parents will warn kids about how normal bedtimes will soon be enforced. […]