Yes, Virginia, we Canadians DO celebrate Halloween the same night as Murkens do, y'all.  As far as I can discern, there are few if any differences in the traditions - costumes, candy, parties, pumpkins dressed as Jacks O'Lantern...

Tonight in God's Country, it is warmer than norm… Read full post »

Just because

Tulips, and squirrels

no longer dance 

Too much munching on caviar,

perchance?

Just because

it's Friday

always a special day

Just Because

Hearts, bent but not broken

perhaps, like carrie's

misplaced

need venting

or mending

Hey, carrie - 

wonder if they ran… Read full post »

No, this post is not about "The Squirrel". hopefully, he doesn't eat tulips, unless whatever's in the crockpot is really vile that night.

 It IS the time of year when I should be planting more tulip bulbs, though I somehow managed to forget that until  talking gardening over coffee yesterda… Read full post »

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, or  maybe it was yesterday, I'm never quite sure which. Today is the day off, though. 

Sure, madcelt has a point that our holiday lacks the "Pilgrims and Indians" tradition, and thus is a somewhat pale copyof the American version. Gotta disagree though about… Read full post »

Except it did snow.

Our First Snow.  A more tangible sign of seasons passing than the calendar's notional marking of the equinox.

Which is not unusual for God's Country this time of year - the darn raccoons, squirrels and other varmints need a hint to go hibernate- but came suddenly… Read full post »

Today has been dark, rainy and especially windy in God's Country. Several areas of town have been without power. They say that "THE Mall" won't reopen until this evening, maybe tomorrow. Traffic lights have been out. Trees are down, including one just outside our lunch room window. Our little devil's… Read full post »

Happy Equinox, all!

 Seems like just yesterday I wished you all a Happy Summer and now it's time to harvest the tomatoes. Yes, I did get tomatoes. No sunflowers though. *sigh*

We had a rainy August in God's Country. Great September though, thank you.What is no longer politically correct to call… Read full post »

My elder son, Mid sized B, tends, rationalist that he is, towards atheism. He has recently read several books arguing against the existence of God.

 Fair minded person that he  also be,he now wants to read something from 'the other side'. 

I went to the bookstore to buy him:… Read full post »

Fragile,tender, feelings

Glassine figures,

skating on thin ice

cracked around the edges.

Not as strong as we think.

We've never passed this way before,

there may be dangers below.

We need time

We need patience

With a little help

understanding

and a little love,

Somehow

We will ma… Read full post »

I have commented before that my self-defined "mission" here on OS is to focus on positive vibes. sure, I occasionally post a melancholy Old Poem, or contribute a scathing comment about health care idiocy, but generally, I try to keep things up beat. There are enough downers in this world. Oddly… Read full post »

You picked me up,

and played with me.

Now you've put me down,

and walked away.

I'm just an old guitar

but we made good music, 

when you held me close

and strummed me gentle.

I'm just an old guitar,

but that's no reason.

To pick me up,

 and put me… Read full post »

"Where have I been?" you might have wondered. Or not.

 The answer on many a night since late May would be "out at the ball game."

Here in God's Country, we have our own little treat of a college summer league team. It is truly a sublime form of baseball. Young… Read full post »

My good chum Cindy has recently blogged about how the death spiral of the news industry is impacting upon her. I do not mean this post to demean her or anybody else personally affected, especially not the foot soldiers in the legions of doom.

 But ya gotta wonder whether mainstream media… Read full post »

If you blinked, you missed what might the one and only showing of Virtuality, the pilot/tv movie shown on fox last Friday. According to reports, it had terrible ratings.

Virtuality is the brain child of Ronald D. Moore, re imaginer of  Battlestar Galactica , together with BSG writer/producer Mi… Read full post »

Nighthawks at the door, calling

They want to blow your mind

with rock and roll music.

Sixteen hours of night work,

put a pot of coffee on,

drink a gallon down,

never need no sleep.

Sleep is for the dead.

Midnight so long past,

it seems like yesterday.

These are… Read full post »

Since I celebrated Spring, I best wish all a Happy  Summer.

 Solstice was at 5:45 this morning, I am informed. I was awake then, sipping that first great sip of coffee.

Yesterday, I got serious about  my summer gardening.I had planted a few hardy perennials the week before- a bleeding… Read full post »

"The World's Longest Undefended Border" is undergoing another fundamental shift today.

 The US-Canada border has never actually been undefended, but recent measures - drone Predator aircraft, increased patrols, infra red cameras, have improved security.

 Today, however,  the United Sta… Read full post »

The spring of love has come,

New-born flowers reach

Towards life-giving sun.

Venus arises from winter's sleep,

Eros' bow to bless.

Winter's shadows pulled back,

Like a curtain, unmasking proscenium,

Love's play begins. The chorus

welcomes us in. The dance

Begins. May-pole banners flutter

In… Read full post »

Lil B is working lots of 5 pm shifts at his part time job, including Sunday AND Monday this weekend, which was the long weekend in Canada. I'm STILL puzzled why we get our long weekend before the States, when it typically warms up earlier in the States (we had snow… Read full post »

Being frugal in many pleasures (okay, not when it comes to buying  clothes…), I tend to haunt my public library for books, except when traveling. When I browse my local chain megabookstore, I tend to gravitate towards the bargain bins. A good read for $2.00? Why not?

 It… Read full post »

When it is good, I love going to Church, but I haven't been going. Lost the habit years ago, as the marriage spiraled into the swamp. The wife would go to study, I would work, cook, do housework. The boyos were old enough to just say "no".

 I felt  and… Read full post »

Reflections Off the Edge of a Coffee Cup

 Another cup of coffee shared-

hardly an intimacy

and yet, you can read my mind

my mind which is not so simple

which even I don't fathom

sometimes. You are so wise

 and so beautiful.

I am cursed by wise… Read full post »

This could easily be an odd Sunday when I don't risk the rejection inherent in my need for validation. i could simply not post. No keen reason to post. I have one great posting idea (thanks, Janie), but it is not ready, not time sensitive. It might await my resolving my… Read full post »

In case you missed it, the feature article this morning over on The Mothership (Salon.com, not Verbal Remedy's mother) is Stephanie Zacharek's movie review of The Soloist, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, which she hails as "triumphant."

(Can't you just see that quoted in the next waves of… Read full post »

Now that Battlestar Galactica has passed into history, I suggest to you that Chuck is the best  show on television. There are a few highly touted premium cable dramas I have missed, so maybe Chuck is only the best show on network tv. However, I doubt any intense drama could compare… Read full post »