In the USA, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, the day that Christmas merchandise goes on sale for the first time. It's a big thing, usually the highest dollar volume of sales for the year. In Canada it obviously just a crass copy-cat attempt to pry a little more money out of shoppers' bank … Continue reading Let’s eradicate Black Friday in Canada
Canada
Winter’s adventure lost
Seventy years ago, when our family wanted to go somewhere in winter we used a cutter much like the one illustrated. We dressed very warmly, heated a stone or two in the oven, placed them on the floor of the cutter and draped horsehide robes over our laps and feet. Nowadays, I push a button … Continue reading Winter’s adventure lost
Chapter 3 – My father
The time has come for me to write about my father, but I don’t want to. I’m afraid that I’m going to make him sound like an ogre, and he really wasn’t. Most of the time he was a pretty decent sort, but I grew up living in dread of the times when his internal … Continue reading Chapter 3 – My father
The significance of Canada Day
July 1 is Canada Day. This year we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Canadian history goes back much further than July 1, 1867. Why has this date been chosen as the birth of Canada as a nation? A quaint notion has arisen today that before the coming of white people the aboriginal … Continue reading The significance of Canada Day
Attitude correction
For more than 200 years, the government of Canada has graciously extended the privilege of exemption from military service to members of religious denominations which objected to participation in warfare for reasons of faith and conscience. At first, the law required conscientious objectors between the ages of sixteen and sixty to register annually and pay … Continue reading Attitude correction
Quebec city shooting and aftermath
Monday evening a man with a gun walked into a Québec City mosque and began shooting those who were there to worship. Within an hour, two university students were in custody, Alexandre Bissonnette and Mohammed Belkhadir. Before long, the police announced that only Mr. Bissonnette was a suspect, Mr. Belkhadir was a witness; he was … Continue reading Quebec city shooting and aftermath
What on earth is a “Canadian Black Friday” sale?
I hope my readers will forgive me as I go off on another rant. I promise to soon get back to more normal posts. (Normal for this blog, at least.) Today is the second Monday in October – Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Thanksgiving is not quite as big a deal in Canada as it is … Continue reading What on earth is a “Canadian Black Friday” sale?
Unto the hills around
Unto the hills around do I lift up my longing eyes; O whence for me shall my salvation come, from whence arise? From God, the Lord, doth come my certain aid, From God, the Lord, who heav’n and earth hath made. He will not suffer that thy foot be moved: Safe shalt thou be. No … Continue reading Unto the hills around
A new cruiser for the information highway
My wife has been in need of a new computer for some time, hers was still running Windows XP. She has been receiving warnings about XP's obsolescence for several years, but it continued to work. More or less, anyway. Now it seemed the time had come to replace the old clunker. So we went around … Continue reading A new cruiser for the information highway
Happy Canada Day!
Today, July 1, 2016, is the 149th anniversary of Confederation, the union of Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island to form the nation of Canada. It soon expanded to the west – Manitoba was added in 1870, British Columbia in 1871, Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905. In 1949 Newfoundland became the 10th … Continue reading Happy Canada Day!
Flatlander Faith 