Saturday Photo: The Book on Display…
Had a wonderful launch of Frenemy Nations: Love and Hate between Neighbo(u)ring States last Tuesday. Great crowd, good conversation and quite a few books sold. Don’t quite know what this…
Mary Soderstrom
Saturday Photo: Eviction Notice for Ducks?
Not sure which way the causality ran, but the family (or families, not sure if there were two) of 11 ducks which spent the summer in neighborhood parks have flown…
Saturday Photo: When You’re Forced to Take a Step Forward for the Planet
The cold weather is coming to this neck of the woods, climate change or not. Everyone knows you can’t live here without having heating, and until now we’ve relied on…
Saturday Photo: Glass Houses, and On Line Harrassment
A strange thing happened this week: an anonymous person tried to comment on this blog, writing “Dear Mary; Find a room in the glass house that you like to live…
Saturday Photo: No, This Time It’s a Video of my Walrus Talk…
“Across the River, The Height of the Land: Physical and Political Boundaries” That’s the title of the Walrus Talk I gave Sept. 23 in Gatineau. It was great fun to…
Saturday Photo: Asters, the Stars of Fall
Two sort of asters have sprung into bloom in the last couple of weeks. The first are the ones to the right which I’ve been encouraging in our little garden.…
Saturday Photo: Lesson from Spiders
Don’t know much about spiders but I think this time of year they are very busy, spinning webs, capturing prey, and setting up a cozy home for the next generation.…
Saturday Photo: Good Summer for Bees
The weather is a little wet and cool right now, but one of the advantages of our hot and dry summer is the abundance of flowers and of bees who…
Saturday Photo: The Connecticut River and Boundaries, Walrus Talk
The photo is of the Connecticut River which separate New Hampshire and Vermont. It’s just one example of how boundaries–arbitrary and otherwise–divide and influence people. In this case, the state…
Saturday Photo: More Pears Than the Squirrels Can Eat…
Well, actually I must admit that the photo was taken a few years ago, but the truth is that this year we have another bumper crop of pears. Over the…
Saturday Photo: Roman Walls at Conímbriga, Roman Concrete Lasts
This week I sent of the revisions to my next book: Rock of Ages: How Concrete Built the World as We Know It. The University of Regina Press will bring…
Saturday Photo: Pictures from the Summer of Dust
This is the Summer of Dust on our street. The work began in early June and probably won’t be finished before early September. Many things are being done: replacing lead…
Saturday Photo: Day Lilies….
The strong colours of summer are upon us. This day lily has just finished blooming, and now the golden rod is high, with native asters about to bloom. A nice…
Saturday Photo: The Road to Nieuport after the Field at North Hatley
Last week I posted a photo on my Facebook Page that I’d taken of a field at Glen Villa Gardens in North Hatley, QC. Lovely peaceful scene, I thought. The…
Saturday Photo: How Concrete Built the World as We Know It
The photo was taken two years ago when we were travelling in Washington state. That’s the Columbia river near Chief Joseph dam and the green stretches are irrigated fields and…
Saturday Photo: Glen Villa Garden: Wonderful Place
Well, sorry, folks you’ll have to wait until next year. You missed Open Garden Day at Glen Villa, a 750 acre estate near North Hatley in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. Patterson…
Saturday Photo: Time to Plunge Back into Concrete
Once upon a time, I had planned to have a book on concrete appear in 2019. But things got away from me–the zeitgeist, my editor said–and so the book for…
Saturday Photo: It’s Too Hot to Stay Inside..
Summer has arrived, and it is sticky hot in Montreal. The canicule, as they say around here, is late, and so far much less intense than what has gripped much…
Saturday Photo: An Octopus’s Garden in the Shade
Or rather in the sun. And maybe it’s a pentopus… This is the temporary water arrangement in front of our house. Five houses are hooked up to the hose which…
Saturday Photo: Fountains, Green and Summer
First full day of summer dawned sunny and not too warm. A welcome change from the cool, wet spring we’ve had. Walking home from a raucous borough council meeting (about…