So God Made A Dog
I believe this one has been around for a while but I just heard it today for the first time. It’s beautiful and so perfect. And on the 9th Day God looked down on his wide eyed children and said they need a companion So God made a Dog God said I need somebody to wake up and give kisses, pee on a tree, sleep all day, wake up again,…
Among School Children
Continuing in a Yeats vein, I’ve always enjoyed his poem Among School Children. I look upon the poem as a commentary on growing older and, hopefully, wiser. I I walk through the long schoolroom questioning;A kind old nun in a white hood replies;The children learn to cipher and to sing,To study reading-books and history,To cut and sew, be neat in everythingIn the best modern way—the children’s eyesIn momentary wonder stare…
Yeats’s “The Second Coming”
“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold…” For some unknown reason these words have been going through my head the last couple of weeks. The line is from the poem The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats. I remember some of the poem from required reading of it in English Literature during my university days. Written in 1919 in the aftermath of the First World War, the poem is also…
Remembrance Day
Today is Remembrance Day. I’d like to pay my deep respects once more to the uncle I never knew who gave his life in WWII, along with so many others, so that we could all be free. Thank you, Uncle George. George Clifford Quartly Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI), R.C.I.C., Company C Killed in action near Monte Cassino, ItalyMay 23, 1944 Uncle George is buried in Cassino War CemeteryCassino,…
First they came…
Lately I have been reviewing, captioning and posting my travel shots and journal from our 2012 trip to Berlin, Germany. Looking over the pictures we took of the Holocaust memorials and remembering their impact at the time has put me in mind of the powerful First they came… piece of prose. First they came… is the poetic form of a post-war confessional prose by the German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller…
You Could Have Heard A Pin Drop
This one has made the rounds before but as Remembrance Day approaches it is a great reminder to honour November 11th. In France, at a fairly large conference, Former Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper was asked by a French cabinet minister if Canadian involvement in Afghanistan was just an example of “empire building.” Mr. Harper answered by saying: Over the years, Canada has sent many of its fine young men…
My Mantra
Just be a good humanBe humble, be kindLove who you canHelp where you canGive what you can
Fog
The fog was rolling in a couple of days ago, and it put me in mind of the poem we learned in grade school – Fog. I seem to have retained this poem in my long term memory, I guess, due to its simplicity and imagery. I still love it all these years later: Fog The fog comeson little cat feet. It sits lookingover harbor and cityon silent haunchesand then…
Halloween On Church Street: A Look Back
Yet again, COVID-19 has squatted over something near and dear to my little heart and taken a huge dump: No Halloween street party on Church Street this year – BOO, HISS!!! To add insult to injury, Halloween falls on a Saturday night this year <ggrrrrr…> So, in lieu of the real thing this Halloween – as with our cancelled Pride Weekend earlier this year – I now present to you…
Halloween Prelude
Well, Halloween may not be happening on Church Street (or anywhere else) this year thanks to COVID-19 running rampant, but at least my physiotherapist’s office got into the spirit of things. On yesterday’s visit I was greeted by this guy:
Fall Leaves
It’s that time again: Fall – my favourite season! The weather is cooler and the evenings are crisp. It’s also the most colourful season with the trees displaying those gorgeous shades of red, yellow and orange. I made a few photo expeditions around the city this Fall to capture some of the changing leaves; here’s a small sampling of what I found: High Park Allan Gardens Cabbagetown Maitland Place Ahhhhh,…
A Simcoe-Grey-Bruce Adventure
As many know, Vince and I usually take a couple of weeks in mid-September to visit some European country or other. This year our destination was to be Belgium but, as with almost all things in life these days thanks to COVID-19, our plans were forcibly jettisoned. So…. where could we travel this year? Europe is out, South America is out, Asia is out as well, and the U.S. is…
Favourite Singers
These are singers whose voices move, soothe and inspire me. Some of the artists I’ve listed with their band’s name; this is in addition to their solo efforts. The “choice cuts” for each vocalist represent either my favourite songs by these artists, or a track highlighting their incredible style, range or crafting of the song. And now, on to the list… Karen Carpenter Starting with the best… Karen Carpenter, a…
Cat vs. Dog — War Of The Diaries
This is an old one, but it’s so very true. Whoever wrote this understands the true essence of cats and dogs. The Dog’s Diary 8:00 am – Dog food! My favorite thing! 9:30 am – A car ride! My favorite thing! 9:40 am – A walk in the park! My favorite thing! 10:30 am – Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing! 12:00 pm – Milk bones! My favorite thing!…
Goodbye, Sweet Girl
SOPHIE March 13, 2008 – July 10, 2020 The Bustle in a House (1108) The Bustle in a HouseThe Morning after DeathIs solemnest of industriesEnacted upon Earth – The Sweeping up the HeartAnd putting Love awayWe shall not want to use againUntil Eternity – Emily Dickinson Our beloved Sophie has left us. Words cannot express how much we miss her; our home is so quiet and still now without her.…