Blog
Memories, like the corners of my mind
The Bat As you might know, the cottage was a decade-long work in progress. Many advances in degree of completion took place in the past two years, most notably siding last year and significant headway in drywall this summer. However, ...
Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
This week the cottage burned. To. The. Ground. We went up to look at it and it is amazing what a fire will take. The only things remotely recognizable were the cast iron frying pan and the shell of the ...
Who are the people in your neighbourhood?
The Flower Guy About 25 years ago when I first lived on the Danforth in Toronto, we went out for dinner a lot. This is because there are lots of restaurants and because I was too lazy to cook after ...
Italy: The Headmaster rules
As you may recall from a previous post , I travelled to Italy for two weeks to stay at an enclave of villas to celebrate my friend’s significant birthday. It was all women on the trip except for Judy’s son ...
Bicycle Chronicles Part 2: There’s Snow in Them Hills
In my opinion, bicycle trips are great vacations. You are outside in the fresh air, getting exercise, and at least in my case, moving slowly enough to enjoy the scenery. That’s why I’ve taken a number of cycling vacations. This ...
Identity Theft: Not a Recommended Experience
One of my final assignments at a research company I worked for involved an epic road trip that went from Seattle, to L.A., to Miami and finally to Boston, over the course of a week. I facilitated a series of ...
A Field Guide to Urban Wildlife
Cockroaches: Nature’s Perfect Pest The first time I ever saw a cockroach was when I was living at the graduate students residence at U of T. I opened my typewriter case one day and a strange bug crawled out. My ...
Greece: They Speak German There
Longer ago than I wish it was, I took a two week vacation to Greece. Actually there were four of us, two of my friends from business school, Rick and Anne, and my boyfriend Bob. It was a great deal: ...
My House is a Very Very Very Fine House
As the third owner of a house that turns 100 this year, I feel like I am the curator of a domestic museum. My house was born before the First World War. It was built on the optimism of the ...