When I was growing up in the 1950’s, the older generation had scraped and scrabbled to survive the depression and they wanted their children to have a better life. The key to that was to get a good education so you could be someone who could make a living without working hard. Maybe that wasn’t … Continue reading What do you want to be when you grow up?
Learning
In the mood for a little subjunctive?
I made it through high school without ever encountering the subjunctive mood. Then I decided to learn French. I fought my way through the bewildering thicket of conjugations of regular and irregular verbs, then I was introduced to the subjunctive mood. My head hurt for weeks. I didn't seem to have any reference point in … Continue reading In the mood for a little subjunctive?
To better understand English, learn a little French
In its grammatical structure, English belongs to the Low German language family, a group of languages that developed from a common early Germanic root. The group includes Flemish, Dutch, Frisian, Afrikaans (the Dutch that is spoken in South Africa), Plautdietsch, English and Scots (not Gaelic but the variety of old English spoken by the lowland … Continue reading To better understand English, learn a little French
The virtue of vulnerability
Last Saturday, Chris and I attended a Christian writers' wordshop (a workshop about words). All the presenters were ladies; the attendees were also mostly ladies, plus four men and one boy. This is cause for much pondering; why are there so few men at this level? Yes.there are many books by male authors on the … Continue reading The virtue of vulnerability
Good things come in small packages
Aphorisms give you more for your time and money than any other literary form. Only the poem comes near to it, but then most good poems either start off from an aphorism or arrive at one. -Louis Dudek
Poverty + Prejudice ≠ Hopelessness
Some years ago I read an article in Ebony magazine written by a man who had grown up in one of the worst black tenement ghettos in Chicago. Drug dealing, crime and violence were the everyday reality and the police felt the area was too dangerous to send in individual officers to patrol. Like almost … Continue reading Poverty + Prejudice ≠ Hopelessness
An abandoned child
In 1797 a child, estimated to be 9 or 10 years old, was seen living in the wild in the region of Aveyron. He evaded capture until 1800. All attempts to discover who he was or where he came from were fruitless. He was taken to Paris to be examined. The leading minds were excited … Continue reading An abandoned child
A disinherited generation
This week I read a book that I feel to be tremendously important. Many people are disturbed by the disorder in the world today, but we have very different ideas about the cause and an even sharper difference in our ideas about a remedy. This book shines a clear light on the roots of the … Continue reading A disinherited generation
Lessons about writing from Claude Monet
This is the time of year when many businesses give out free calendars, with illustrations in varying shades of kitsch. As a counterbalance, I like to buy at least one calendar each year with pictures I will enjoy looking at as the months go by. This year it is a calendar with photographs of paintings … Continue reading Lessons about writing from Claude Monet
My first experiment a success
Marc Loiselle, a farmer from Vonda, Saskatchewan has spearheaded a revival of interest in Red Fife. The Loiselle farm also grows a selected strain of Marquis. A growing number of consumers are discovering the superior taste of bread made from Red Fife or Marquis flour. I bought a bread machine a couple years ago and … Continue reading My first experiment a success
Flatlander Faith 