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Making Things Out of Junk
One of our kids returned proudly from pre-school one day holding up a creation made entirely from objects rescued from the recycling bin. If we were unsure what this random glued-together collection of cups and sticks was, exactly, so was she. But it was her creation, and that was enough to call it something like…
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Winter Reveals
“Summer conceals, winter reveals.” – Annie Dillard A few short months ago, the forest trails were but a thread through the lush green tunnel. Without a trail, in fact, travel through the woods in summer would prove nearly impossible. After a rain, the crowding branches leave you drenched. At times the undergrowth is so thick,…
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The Things Dad Brought Home
Last weekend I ran on the frozen Seine River. Because of the rumours of wildlife along this twisting urban waterway, I kept my camera (the kind that also makes phone calls) handy. Sure enough, within the first couple kilometres I’d chased up a fox, later a small herd of friendly whitetails. And at about the…
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Listening to the Dishwater
We’ve been doing the dishes by hand lately. It’s the daily ritual. (We’ve tried skipping a day, but quickly regret our past selves’ laziness the next.) Some days the kids help out, but inevitably, once the youngsters are in bed, the house gets quiet, and I turn to the mess that is the kitchen. Yes,…
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The Year of the Fun Run
When race cancellation emails began to fill runners’ inboxes in early 2020, causing a primary running and training motivator to fizzle, everyone was forced to look for those alternative motivations to keep moving forward. For several years I’d been finding “running as art” a good motivator for getting out the door daily (those RunHaiku won’t…
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15 hours and 52 minutes
Ever since the first Longest Night Run, the gaping void between sunset and sunrise during the solstice has beckoned like a menacing “triple dog dare” (Christmas Story, anyone?) We’ve tackled it as a relay, with young and old taking their turn in running/walking/riding through the night. Others have decided to take on longer legs, putting…
