I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to the Hudson’s Bay Company for erecting its Christmas merchandise displays on October 1st. I had totally forgotten that the Virgin Mary had entered her third trimester until I wandered through the Bay’s stunning array of fake Christmas trees, lights, and ornaments. I’m so grateful to have … More Merry Christmas From HBC

Was that a great weekend or what? Three perfect days with mild temperatures, sunny skies, and the changing leaves. I had the early shift this morning, so I packed the kids in the car after breakfast and headed up to the Gatineaus. I wanted to get there early to avoid the hoardes of tourists who … More A Great Holiday Weekend

Just to clarify, I have nothing against Thanksgiving. I just don’t see the need to celebrate the fall harvest by eating an ugly bird. For the record, here’s what we had for our Thanksgiving dinner: green salad; pork loin with roasted potato, onion, and garlic; sesame-ginger asparagus; squash; pumpkin pie (how did that sneak in?); … More Our Thanksgiving Dinner

I have a confession – I don’t like turkey. Actually, I don’t like the whole turkey dinner thing. Turkey is not one of those foods that I ever get a craving for. I don’t come home from work and think “Man, I could really go for a roasted turkey tonight”. Luckily the consumption of this … More No Turkey Love

A few years ago, it seemed like nearly every Canadian orchestra was on the verge of collapse. There were lockouts, strikes, or financial crises in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, and Montreal. Things gradually got better, and now it seems like most of the orchestras are at least treading water, if not flourishing. Perhaps that’s … More Another Orchestra Crisis