First Snow

One of the real joys of being a Canadian is that first cold morning each year when you look out and see Snow. It doesn't matter where you live in this great country... white snow, blowing snow, drifting snow, flaky snow... it's all good. As much as it means shoveling, slippery driving, uncomfortable clothing... you know it will all be worth it because Today is the day. Today is the day you've been planning for. Today you get to prove yourself over Mother Nature. Today is payoff day for all the conditioning and training you've done over the past few months. Yes, today is the day you're going to open the door, face the world, and make that noise that tells your pet that the door is open and it's okay to run straight outside without looking for dangers or distractions. Today's the day when you get to remind your critter that you are the greater in your relationship. Today is the day that your pet, who you've humbled yourself to by spending money and feeding and cleaning and brushing and walking and sometimes flossing! - is now dependent on you in a most frantic way, to get them safely back to the door, IF you choose to let them in. I'm sure everyone has their own special celebration at this moment. Mine is to look the critter in the eye and say "TOP of the food chain, HA!"... ... before heading off to refill their bowl and put down fresh water for them.

Poison Ivy

Well, well, well... Cathey did a bunch of ruthless gardening last week, just before we headed off for vacation. She tore out all kinds of old growth stuff... stuff that had been there since Tecumseh & Pontiac camped in our yard. This seemed like a great accomplishment, until 3 or 4 days later. ITCHY does not begin to describe the next few days. Toxicodendron radicans... Poison Ivy... acchh! We're now doing Prednisone, prescription-strength Benadryl and goops of Polysporin. If you look really closely at the pic from our trip, you'll see small red spots on Cathey's arm. Imagine 8,000 of them. Arrrrrggg!!

Niagara Trip

Off we went to Niagara Region. No reservations, no plans. It was better than staying home but it wasn't the best trip ever. The road trip itself was great. The geography of Highway 3, along Lake Erie, varies a lot from place to place. Some spots look arid & dusty (like Osoyoos, BC), many spots look green, lush and forested (like almost anywhere in Canada) and lots of it look like mature, rich, small-to-medium farming (like you can only see in southwestern Ontario).

One special memory was when we chanced on Holland House Restaurant in Iona Station, ON. If you're ever near there, drop in. We had an excellent lunch, in the company of hundreds of old books and antiques. It's just 5 minutes off the 401, exit 157... a little dusty, but cool.

Once in Niagara Region, it turns out that there's lots of beautiful places to see, but no where that really made us feel welcome. The beach at Crystal Beach is fenced & gated... with Pay & Display parking! The drive from Fort Erie to St Catharines is really nice, with lots of historical stops. We shopped for antiques, shopped in downtown Niagara on-the-Lake, etc.

But then we opted for something different, and went to Stratford and St Jacobs. That was cool, but after seeing Music Man and Love's Labour's Lost we just booked it for home. It's GOOD here!

Taste a little of the Summer

It's summer time folks. Time to get out and lie on a lawn, or find a sprinkler to play with, or go get some locally-grown fruits & veggies.


Greg Brown has a song called Canned Goods...

Peaches on the shelf
Potatoes in the bin
Supper's ready, everybody come on in, now
Taste a little of the summer,
Taste a little of the summer,
Taste a little of the summer,
My grandma put it all in jars.

I'm looking forward to some hot buttered corn, myself. Check out Harvest Canada. See you in the fields!

March Break in New York City

We went to New York City.

We saw Newark NJ, the Holland Tunnel, Times Square, Herald Square, Macy's, Grand Central Station, the Brooklyn Bridge, Battery Park, Staten Island Ferry, Statue of Liberty, Empire State building, FOA Schwarz, World Trade Center/Ground Zero site, Alexander Hamilton's grave, Grant's Tomb, the Apollo Theater in Harlem, The Dakota, Central Park, a Broadway Show (Spamalot), Greewich Village, "Little" everything, Rockefeller Plaza, United Nations, lot's o' museums, a pigeon on a statue of Teddy Roosevelt, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and a Bull.



We saw lots of skyscrapers, some cops, lots of other tourists, cabbies, food cart vendors and lots of New Yorkers.

I think I did them a favour. The guy on the tour bus said that New York was "the city that never sleeps". I showed them how...

Jonathon Zgoralski

Jay was a talented, intelligent, handsome guy. He had parents who loved him, and a lot of misfortune in his life. His passing brings terrible sadness, frustration, anger and love. Good bye Jay. We'll think of you every time we hear or sing a Beatles tune.