I recently received a note from The Tyee, a BC independent media source I follow daily with both interest and appreciation. Here is what I received: Thank you so much for your ongoing support of The Tyee, especially in this very uncertain time for media in Canada.I have to tell you, it’s a very strange... Continue Reading →
Summerland – The Town where dogs should not be seen or heard
I am Incredulous! I could not believe my eyes or ears. It seems that the “Downward Dog” has new meaning and potency this morning in our little town. Summerland council said NO to making the pop-up Peach Orchard dog park permanent. Citing significant neighbour and resident objection, council will seek alternate locations for a permanent... Continue Reading →
Pooling our Thoughts: Decision Time in Our Little Town of Summerland
The New Pool referendum draws nigh, and the conversations continue. New pool, old pool. Fix ‘er up, or, don’t throw new money after bad. The seesaw continues—in locker rooms, at coffee shops, on social media, and around the dinner table. Summerland residents will decide the fate of a new recreation facility in a referendum on... Continue Reading →
Funding and filling the food bank
Shared by Kamloops’ good guy Rick Windjack, one who knows the street and the world of the poor really well, and originally posted on Facebook by Tricia Anne Meyer in 2001, here on some tips on what works and what does not work when we contribute to local food banks everywhere. Thanks Rick for the... Continue Reading →
On Failure
Image: Harmony Lawrence from Pixabay I doubt that any of us enjoy failure, but according to Jancee Dunn writing in the New York Times, if not fun, failure has its benefits. Dunn goes so far as to say that if we want to thrive, first, learn to fail. She tells of Sara Blakely, founder of... Continue Reading →
UKE & ME—An Air Canada ode
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 →
Such a fine Fall Fayre – Summerland does it again
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 →
Arrested and behind bars—Another Juno chronicle
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 →
A Letter, concerning “The Letter” – A must-see during the 2023 Season of Creation
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 →
The Tyranny of Time—How the 7-day week ruins our lives
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 →