Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a porcupine named Rolly. Like the other porcupines in this far away land, Rolly was big, much bigger than the little porcupines that we mostly see as road kill along our highways. Because of his size and his quills, other animals did not bother … Continue reading Porcupine allegory, part one
Whimsy
I have a funny name
I belong to an old family, the various spellings of the name revealing to which genealogical line we belong. Our ancestors came from Wiltshire to Massachusetts on 1638. The descendents of Edmund spell their name Goodenow or Goodnow and are mostly still found in New England. Another subgroup of this line spells their name Goodeno … Continue reading I have a funny name
Illusions
Tweetie-tweet-tweet-tweet — thunk! Tweetie-tweet-tweet-tweet — thunk! The sound was coming from just outside our bedroom window. I roused myself groggily and peered through the blind. Here was a yellow warbler on the window ledge outside. He would sing his song, then fly up toward the top corner of the window — and bump into the … Continue reading Illusions
Lament for the incandescent light bulb
I’m having second thoughts about “environmentally friendly” light bulbs that produce little heat. I live in Saskatchewan and that heat was not a wasteful byproduct. On Christmas day this year the sun rose at 9:15 AM, set at 5:00 PM and the high for the day was -26° Celsius. We are saving energy on our … Continue reading Lament for the incandescent light bulb
Suspicions of Suppression
Some years ago, a backyard mechanic on the Canadian prairies designed and built a carburetor that got fantastic gas mileage with no sacrifice of performance. He drove a car equipped with this carburetor from Winnipeg to Vancouver, averaging 130 miles per gallon for the trip (or 107 miles per US gallon). Or did he drive … Continue reading Suspicions of Suppression
Thomas Jefferson’s Miscalculation
When the War of 1812 began, the US government assumed that the Canadian colonies to the north would quickly grasp the opportunity to throw off British colonial rule and become part of the USA. Thomas Jefferson declared that Canada could be acquired simply by marching North. It probably seemed a logical assumption. The colonies of … Continue reading Thomas Jefferson’s Miscalculation
What is this world coming to?
In the home where I grew up there was a marvellous old gramophone and a hundred or more cylinders with recorded music. The gramophone consisted of a well crafted wooden case with a crank on the side that provided the power to turn a spindle under the lid. To play, I would first wind it … Continue reading What is this world coming to?
Three score and ten
We spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. So teach us to number our days, that … Continue reading Three score and ten
Illusions
I was awakened early one summer morning by a “tweetie-tweet-tweet-tweet - thunk!” directly outside our bedroom window, repeated over and over again. I finally got up and peeked through the blind. There was a yellow warbler on the outside window ledge. He would sing his song, then fly up toward the top corner of the … Continue reading Illusions
Flatlander Faith 