Summer Solstice on the Plateau
Six months ago, I never thought we'd still be on the Plateau, but now we're at that other solstice and I see a different world than what greeted us when…
Mary Soderstrom
They Gave Jack a Huge Vote of Conference: Wish I’d Been There
The NDP convention in Vancouver over the weekend has been making headlines. Seems there's was some controversy over whether to talk about a "socialist" or a "social democrat" party, as…
Saturday Photo: A City is a Palimpsest
Once upon a time, the Plateau district of Montreal was on the edge of town, in the country in fact. The house on the left bears witness to that nearly-countrified…
More on Tatoos from a Tatooed Lady, Five Years After
And as I was walking around yesterday, looking at the artfully tatooed arms and shoulders on the young folks here, I remembered that I have two tatoos. They're the marks…
More Signs of the Times: Tatoos
No pictures so far--it's a bit embarassing to stop people to ask--but I'm struck this year by how many young people now have tatoos. Not just roses or "I love"…
Time to Make Reading Lists for New Year!
This is the week when I do book discussions, and I've been working on reading lists for the season that will begin in September. Here's a preview:2011SeptemberSecret Daughter by Shilpi…
Going Green in Order to Grow Greenery: The Sweet Potato Experiment
Many, many years ago, my first house plants were sweet potatoes and avocado vines. They were cheap, and satisfied my hunger for greenery. Guess that wouldn't work today!
Saturday Photo: Signs of the Times on the Plateau
The Plateau district of Montreal was until about 30 years ago a working class neighborhood, full of small houses, neighborhood commerce and light industry. It was scheduled for urban renewal…
Plant Perennials: They Come up Even When You Neglect Them.
There are many varieties of columbine or Aquilegia, as it is known botanically. This lovely flower is a descendant of a couple of plants I bought about ten years ago,…
The Earth Is Full, and I’m Too Hot (almost) to Care
Today it is hot, heading for the low 30s (the mid 80s F) with humidity that makes the temperatures much more uncomfortable. Last night it was cooler and about 2…
Even The New York Times Gets Cot–Ulp, Caught–in the Spell Check Trap
Here's the latest from a New York Times feature on the mistakes they make:A quote about the DSK case: "While the American justice system has its origins in British common…
Four Years of Rants and Reflections but No Eden Recreated…
...but then I didn't expect to do that on June 5, 2007 when started this blog. It was born in a conversation at The Writers' Union of Canada annual general…
Saturday Photo: What a Difference a Few Months Makes..
This is what it looked like from the terrace yesterday, with Mount Royal covered in green. Below you'll find pix taken from similar points in December and in March.
Roadwork in the Walkable City: Necessary, and Less Trying for Pedestrians than Drivers
Traffic is mess in Montreal these days. Because not enough infrastructure maintenance was done for the last couple of decades, the city and road and bridge authorities are having to…
Because, Given the Weather Yesterday, We Were All Screaming for Ice Cream
So hot yesterday, so nice and cool today. But given the approach of summer, and the fact that local fruit is still several weeks away, I trotted out a delicious…
The Silver Lining to the Clouds of Disaster: Rebuilding is Like Stimulus Money
The New York Times reports on this probably up side of recent tornados and other disaster in the US this morning, "Reconstruciton Lifts Economy after Diaster." The story says: "There…
Another Reason to Be Bilingual: Provided You Use It, You Don’t "Lose It" as Fast
It's official: being a bilingual who uses both his or her languages regularly means you're less likely "to lose it" mentally. Or rather, research by York University's Ellen Bialystok and…
More Green House Gases: What Are We Going to Do about It?
Lots of stuff this morning about the increase in carbon emissions in the last year. The International Energy Agency has just reported that Energy-related carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2010 were…