With contributions from Linnea Good It’s great to come home, especially when travelling by air, whether from a holiday, a productive work-related trip, or a visit with family and friends. It’s great to return to a familiar place, to be met by familiar people, who will help you carry your luggage out to the car—that... Continue Reading →
“My name is Ken.” “Hi Ken.” “I am a Blue Jays fan.” “Well that sucks.” It sure does, these days at least. According to Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star, “This (past week) was supposed to be a statement week for the Jays. Instead, it might be the week they gave the Rangers a second... Continue Reading →
Another in our “Life in my Little Town series” I was lost, and no one was able to help me. I asked several bystanders where the TAFA booth was located, but no one knew—I received only puzzled looks and pity—people had other priorities. We were surrounded by perhaps 100 beautifully restored cars. While a few... Continue Reading →
On a recent visit to Victoria we stayed in a lovely historic three-bedroom house on Selkirk Street in the Gorge district of Victoria West. This charming neighbourhood has much in common with areas of the city such as Fairfield and Fernwood, areas we know well having stayed there over the years. Vic West is however... Continue Reading →
Eddie Cross has a long and distinguished career as an administrator, economist, politician, writer, and more recently a blogger in Zimbabwe. Introduced to me online by my friend, Chris Rose--a personal acquaintance of Mr. Cross—I find his social, economic, and political analysis not just historically interesting, but also instructive for our own experience here in... Continue Reading →
I never would have believed it. If someone told me that Summerland’s favourite Labradoodle would be arrested and held in custody at the RCMP station in our little town, I would have laughed out loud, or even cried. But it happened. There I was, at the dog beach one summer afternoon, doing what Labradoodles do... Continue Reading →
Good friends, Greetings from the fire-ravaged BC interior, and the unceded land of the original people of the Okanagan, the Syilx. Some of you are part of the Johnson book project (now at the publisher copy-editing stage!); others are local St. Stephen’s Summerland leaders. Some are members of the Social and Ecological Justice working group... Continue Reading →
Should I feel threatened by the seven-day week? Some say YES, and their anxiety is beautifully crafted in a New Yorker article “How the Week Organizes and Tyrannizes Our Lives.” Harvard history professor Jill Lepore explains how “work schedules to TV seasons to baseball games, the seven-day cycle has long ordered American society. Will we... Continue Reading →
"How to Pray While the World Burns" -- by Hila Ratzabi Go outside.Find a patch of grass, sand, dirt.Sit, kneel, place a hand or justA finger to the soft earth.Feel it pulse back. Open your palms and divineThe words creased between.Rub the specks of dirtBetween your fingers,See how they cling to skin,How they listen in... Continue Reading →
A re-post from Anne Lamott. She is the New York Times bestselling author of Help, Thanks, Wow; Small Victories; Stitches; Some Assembly Required; Grace (Eventually); Plan B; Traveling Mercies; Bird by Bird; Operating Instructions, and the forthcoming Hallelujah Anyway. Her blog was posted Sunday, August 20, 2023. “The harvest is past, The summer is ended,... Continue Reading →
