Canada axed the old Imperial measurement system and adopted the more global metric system fifty years ago. Back then, I was living with Joan, a friend from my Willard Hall days in downtown Toronto. I clearly remember her confidently declaring that she would not be ‘converting’. She was determined to abandon any previous knowledge of Imperial and declare herself wholely and utterly now in the…
After starting two or three books that turned out to be duds, I was delighted when my friend Terry recommended Let Them Eat Pancakes by Craig Carlson. Terry shares my taste in reading material so I knew I would like it . . . and I did! It was like taking a mini-trip to Paris without leaving the house. The title is a riff on…
The pandemic has shuttered thousands of businesses but despite the odds, there are many independent small boutiques that are managing to survive. They’ve developed a loyal customer base and are employing creative marketing techniques to stay viable. I admire their stamina and appreciate their importance to local communities. These shops deserve our loyal support and encouragement. Many small businesses have created online videos and helpful…
An article in The New York Times Magazine titled Name Days on February 28th by Linda Kinstler, made a shocking revelation. Kinstler’s parents were Latvian immigrants and in order to ensure their daughter was easily accepted and assimilated into the American way of life, they decided to give her a thoroughly pronounceable, spellable, and American name—Linda. What is unusual and even shocking about this choice…
An article that once appeared in The Globe and Mail: How to buy a home for your adult children by Anna Sharratt has convinced me that, despite all the benefits of being a baby boomer, I’m beginning to think I was born a couple of generations too soon. We had to do it the hard way by going without material things and saving our money…
Please tell me I’m not the only person in the world these days who is finding it difficult to justify getting showered and dressed each day. By the time I have breakfast, then retreat to my La-Z-Girl to finish reading the paper and drinking my tea, it’s mid-morning. So, I casually pick up my iPad mini and tuck into the latest book I’m reading, which…
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