I used to get butterflies at the thought of climbing into a pressurized metal tube and being blasted through the skies at 700 kph at an altitude of 12 km. Those butterflies didn’t show up last weekend as I flew to Montréal and back. Maybe I’m beginning to enjoy air travel. Four hours on a … Continue reading Leaving on a jet plane
Whimsy
False alarm?
The Arctic Ocean is warming up, icebergs are growing scarcer and in some places the seals are finding the water too hot, according to a report to the Commerce Department yesterday from Consultafft, at Bergen, Norway. Reports from fishermen, seal hunters and explorers, all point to a radical change in climate conditions and hitherto unheard-of … Continue reading False alarm?
A lesson learned
When we lived in Ontario we often visited the farmers markets in and around Kitchener-Waterloo (there were three). Then we moved to Montréal and found markets that were even more wonderful, especially the Marché Jean-Talon. Now we are back in Saskatchewan and like to visit the Saskatoon Farmers Market; except we live out of … Continue reading A lesson learned
Nature notes
Several times, when I have been out for a walk after dark, I have seen fireflies in the ditches close to our home. There were fireflies near my boyhood home here in Saskatchewan, I saw lots of them when we lived in Ontario, but these are the first I have seen since coming back to … Continue reading Nature notes
Spectator or participant?
Canadian politics just became much more interesting. Maxime Bernier has withdrawn from the Conservative Party, of which he almost became leader, to found a new political party. He is speaking up about issues that others want to avoid talking about and this has raised a storm of criticism. Perhaps he is starting a movement at … Continue reading Spectator or participant?
Inspiration from cryptograms
To exercise my body, I walk or bounce on my rebounder (mini trampoline). To exercise my mind, I solve cryptograms. Some of the quotations thus decrypted seemed worth sharing. Sit down and write down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own … Continue reading Inspiration from cryptograms
The plain truth
We often speak the truth sharply, in an in your face manner that stings as the bite of a wasp. The hearer may not long remember the truth that was spoken, but he will remember how the words spoken made him feel. It were better to have spoken the truth plainly, in an unassuming manner … Continue reading The plain truth
Having fun is not the purpose of our life.
Happiness is often confused with having fun. But ask yourself, isn't the root of your desire for fun a wish to have your attention diverted from your problems, at least for a moment? To feel a constant need for amusement, entertainment, or recreation is self-defeating and even self-destructive. If our … Continue reading Having fun is not the purpose of our life.
The Emperor’s New Clothes and Donald Trump
In the tale The Emperor’s New Clothes, by Hans Christian Andersen, a vain emperor is approached by two men who claim to be master weavers. They offer to make him a marvellously fine set of clothes from material that only they know how to make. This material has a unique characteristic, it is invisible to … Continue reading The Emperor’s New Clothes and Donald Trump
The Wise Old Mother Cat
On this International Day of the Cat, it seems an opportune time to clear up some misconceptions about the relationship between cats and humans. From the human standpoint the relationship seems frustrating. We can’t train our cat to do anything, she won’t even come when we call. From the cat’s standpoint, the relationship is working … Continue reading The Wise Old Mother Cat
Flatlander Faith 