Let the reader beware. These are my own contrarian views on the COVID-19 situation and not grounds to take things lightly. I am not a scientist or medical expert. Even if I am correct in what I say here, it still remains that elderly and infirm people are in danger and we need to take … Continue reading Caveat Lector
Whimsy
Where will the puck be?
“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been.” Wayne Gretzky That’s a great quote. One element of Grtzky’s success as a hockey player was his ability to read how the action around him was going to unfold and put himself in position to take control of the … Continue reading Where will the puck be?
Who is in charge here?
A friend, thinking to reprove my affection for cats, told this little fable: A dog, upon being given shelter, food and lots of affection, begins to worship his master, thinking to himself: “Wow! this man must be a god!” A cat, upon receiving the same kind of treatment and affection, thinks to himself: “Wow! I … Continue reading Who is in charge here?
More signs of spring
Ever since I was a little boy I have had this urge to get outside and do something on these sunny spring days: dig a little trench to drain a puddle of water or clear snow and ice off walkways. It probably speeds things up by about a day. Today I cleared our front walk, … Continue reading More signs of spring
Useful words
Here are a few common English words that are sometimes misused or misunderstood. Elegant - tasteful, graceful, comely, beautiful. It does not mean elaborate or ornate. An elegant solution is one that is ingeniously simple and completely solves the problem. The root meaning is carefully selected. Eloquence - fluent and effective use of language, persuasive speaking … Continue reading Useful words
The Pride of Man
Fifty-five years ago I bought Gordon Lightfoot's first LP record. Most of the songs were ones he wrote. One, The Pride of Man, was written by Hamilton Camp. The song is based on Biblical prophecies of the fall of Babylon. Every stanza ends with the line “Oh God, the pride of man, broken in the … Continue reading The Pride of Man
Soar with the eagles
Somewhere in Africa, a hunter returning home spies in a rocky place a large nest of branches on which lies a beautiful egg spotted with red. Still warm from the mother bird who will soon come back. Curious, the man examines the nest. Delighted at his discovery, he slips the egg into his pocket to … Continue reading Soar with the eagles
This has happened before
A careful observer who escaped the plague at Florence in 1617 describes the barricaded houses and empty streets, forbidden to all but food suppliers. Florence was dead: no business activities and no religious services — except for the odd mass which the officiant celebrated at the corner of a street and in which the people … Continue reading This has happened before
SPRING!
We heard, then saw, Canada geese this morning for the first time this spring. A reassuring sign that the wild things are carrying on as usual and spring is on its way.
He who is his own doctor has a fool for a patient
I have paraphrased the English proverb that says “He who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client.” I think the medical version is appropriate for our present situation. For someone to self-diagnose themselves as having COVID-19 and then to proclaim to have cured himself through some novel procedure unknown to medical science … Continue reading He who is his own doctor has a fool for a patient
