Winter isn't much fun anymore. Neither are the really hot days of summer. Everything takes longer – even getting out of bed in the morning. It's no longer a mystery how my Dad could take a nap after dinner. I'm more concerned that my shoes be comfortable than that they be fashionable. Some of the hair … Continue reading Thoughts on growing old
Whimsy
Two keys
I have two keys that, to my eyes at least, appear to be identical. One was made with a state of the art key cutting machine; the other was made by an elderly gentleman using a grinding wheel. Guess which one works? The machine-made key goes into the keyhole just a little bit roughly and … Continue reading Two keys
The Malwarebytes fiasco
I started using the free version of Malwarebytes some years ago when my anti-virus program didn't seem to be catching everything. I would run a scan with MWB every now and then and often it would pick up a couple of problems and delete them. They kept telling me how much more the premium version … Continue reading The Malwarebytes fiasco
Migrations
The Dene (pronounced Denay) people speak a language which has 39 consonants and 116 vowel sounds. That is a total of 155 phonemes. For the sake of comparison, English and French run from 40-45 phonemes (total consonant and vowel sounds). These people are indigenous to the northern regions of the four western provinces of Canada, … Continue reading Migrations
Another use for a station wagon
Why is this style of car called a station wagon? And what's with the faux wood trim? Well, the original station wagons were horse drawn conveyances for hauling passengers and baggage between hotels and railway stations. When motor cars started to become common, some people had the bright idea of putting such a wagon box … Continue reading Another use for a station wagon
Brain benumbed by beastly biting cold
We are in the midst of a Canada-wide cold wave, with temperatures 15 to 20 degrees below seasonal averages. (Those are Celsius degrees, too. Each one is worth 1.8 Fahrenheit degrees.) The National Post reports that it was colder in Winnipeg this morning than it was at the North Pole, the South Pole and the … Continue reading Brain benumbed by beastly biting cold
Boxing Day musings
Feasting on Christmas Day has a long and noble tradition and one is at risk of being branded a heretic if he suggests it might not be necessary. Noble in that first sentence is meant to be taken literally – for many centuries it was only the nobility and the rich who could afford to … Continue reading Boxing Day musings
How Do I “Bring People to God” Without “Shoving My Religion Down Their Throat”?
I wasn’t grown up yet
In the fall of 1959 I left home to go to university. The question of what I wanted to be when I grew up seemed to be settled - I would be an architect. During the last years of high school I began to pore over magazines with house floor plans and to draw my … Continue reading I wasn’t grown up yet
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Sixty years ago that question was often asked of me and my friends during our high school years. The suggestion was being planted in us that we needed to become something important – to be Somebody. Our parents had lived through the Great Depression of the 1930's and wanted a better life for their children. … Continue reading What do you want to be when you grow up?
Flatlander Faith 