We were late getting to bed Wednesday night. I was just brushing my teeth at midnight when I heard bumping and thumping coming from underneath our mobile home, accompanied by the terrified squeals of a small animal. The commotion lasted a minute or two, then all was quiet. In the quiet there came first a … Continue reading Things that go bump in the night
Whimsy
Don’t quit before you’re done
Sixty years ago, Ted Geisel was challenged to write and illustrate a book for six- and seven-year olds, using only 225 words. Nine months and 500 revisions later, The Cat in the Hat was ready for publication. The Cat in the Hat actually uses 236 words and is 1629 words in length. Of the 236 … Continue reading Don’t quit before you’re done
Could we please just have spring already?
For at least the past three weeks the weather forecasters have been telling us that sunny, springlike weather is just five days away. I am still clinging to the belief that one of these days it will actually happen. Our winter accumulation of snow is slowly going down, even on cloudy days when the temperature … Continue reading Could we please just have spring already?
Porcupine allegory, part one
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
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
Flatlander Faith 