I decided to retire my parka late last week, when the runoff from Toronto’s snowmageddon was pooling in the crevasses of the wonky sidewalks and the snowbanks were withering under a sun that hadn’t been seen for many months. Only to break it out again, when gale force winds and snow squalls arrived the next […]
Canadian Status Report 20250308 Read More »
I went to the grocery store today, Farm Boy, a resolutely Canadian grocery store. I just had to pick up a few things I needed for dinner today and tomorrow. Lasagna incorporating freezer leftovers. Some kind of curry, ditto. As the resolutely Canadian weather promises to persist this week, after a few healthy dumps of
Call centre person: “Hello, this is Stephanie. How can I help you?” Me: “I’d like to cancel my online Toronto Star subscription.” CCP: “Oh. I’m sorry you want to do that. Why do you want to cancel?” Me: “Because it’s too expensive.” CCP: “Let me look up your account. You paid $141 on November 5.”
An Honest-to-goodness actual phone interaction Read More »
Last week, I received the following email, which I have copied and pasted verbatim: Hey Marilyn – you’re the person responsible for fiscal decisions related to Marilyn M Carr The Foundation, right? Are you interested in a line-of-credit for your business? Thanks Marilyn & let me know asap! Sheri McDaniel Approvals Director Starke Business Financing
My friend Michelle “threw off her mortal coil” in her 61st year last week. And I use that expression as the most apt I could think of in this circumstance. Michelle was a fierce defender of justice, a rabid protector of lost souls, a not-to-be-trifled-with trivia maven, a Fluevog shoe flaunter, a clawed defender
My Friend Michelle Read More »
At the cottage, we use our iPhone hotspots to access the internet. This works pretty well, except on summer long weekends or when it’s raining, when everybody and their progeny piles on to the cellphone tower. Are there other options to reach the world wide web? Kind of, but suboptimal for heavily wooded islands. But
I am pleased to announce that the Broken Appliance of the Month award goes to the dishwasher. Even though we’re not quite through July, I’m pretty confident nothing else will swoop in to claim the title. (I’m looking at you, stove replaced last October to salvage Thanksgiving dinner). The cottage dishwasher has lost its mind
Cottage Status Report 20240729 Read More »
As I have mentioned, I have experienced an unexpected reversal in my aversion to crossword puzzles. This is partially because they have evolved considerably from their previous incarnation, which was rife with clues involving Chinese currency and Biblical references. It’s true that Adam, Eve, and their progeny still show up with some regularity, but there’s
I’ve launched on a Marie Kondo-ish spree, decluttering closets and cupboards. My rule is if it hasn’t been touched in five years, its useful life is over, at least in my universe. Especially if it’s clothing. All of the suit jackets, even ones with exquisite buttons that look like intricate knots, even conservatively pinstriped ones
Dennis was born in a barn, or if maybe not exactly in a barn, born barn-adjacent on someone’s horse farm. But if he had put his elbows on the Sunday dinner table and his mother had said “were you born in a barn?” he would have said yes actually, I was born in a barn.
