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Peak Oil and the Zombie Apocalypse
Have you ever had this conversation? Amy: I’m sort of worried about this peak-oil thing. Bruce: Yeah. What are we going to do when we can’t afford to fill our cars? Amy: Well, groceries are going to get more expensive. Bruce: We might have to fix up those old bikes. Amy: And I guess that…
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Wood Heating – Fantasy and Reality
The crackling fire, the comforting warmth against the icy blast. The woodstove is one of my favourite parts of our rural lifestyle. I have one of those lovely iron wood racks next to the main stove: This is what the actual wood pile looks like: (All the stuff in front of it was already stored…
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Why Dilettante?
Dilettante: (according to Merriam Webster): an admirer or lover of the arts a person having a superficial interest in an art or a branch of knowledge When I first drafted this post, I began with a list of the projects and activities that I have worked on, played with, or investigated since July, but it…
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Poem: The Morning After
The Morning After… Awaking in a rented bed The morning after the Wedding He gazes upon his Newly Minted Bride “Do you take cream in your coffee?” he poses “I do,” she replies and Grins
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Sun Chips is Missing an Opportunity
So, the Sun Chips Bag. I saw an article on The Atlantic regarding the new compostable bag, which is being suspended (although possibly only in the US) because it is loud. I scoffed. I did. “How could we be so superficial,” thought I. And then I went to the grocery store in search…
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Water, again
Unsurprisingly, spending a day reading other people’s blogs about water has got me all fired up… er. Something like that. So, now that we know that, what do we do? I know that I have trouble confronting numbers like: 900,000,000. That’s the number of people who don’t have access to clean water, or even minimally…
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Water, Water Everywhere
This post was written to participate in 2010 Blog Action Day. Today the world is writing about Water. Let me start with position. I live in a swamp (or possibly a marsh, according to one of my regular commenters). The photo in the header was taken in my back yard. My front yard…
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The Chicken Rodeo
The chickens got out about 15 minutes ago, as they do every few days. When one has livestock AND a garden, this is an urgent situation. Last fall they skeletonized two rows of chard the week that they were ready for the market. So, I dashed out the door and met my son, sticks in…
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The Dance of Balance
Welcome to the October Carnival of Natural Parenting: Staying Centered, Finding Balance This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared how they stay centered and find balance. Please read to the end to find a list…
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Never underestimate the power of a good bumper sticker
Somewhere in southern Ontario, there is a black jeep whose bumper proudly proclaims, “Not all those who wander are lost.” I know this because I was behind it one day. I turned to my friend beside me and asked, “What do you think that means?” She said something witty about not following them. It happened…
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In defense of Theory
This is a very long article (word count 1800) that I wrote several years ago to explain why I spend so much time immersed in theory, even though I am deeply concerned with practical implications. The examples are specific to education at the university level, but the idea of the connection between theory and practice…
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Poem: Calling in…
For a change of pace: Bad beat poetry about universities. Calling in… Apathetic. I’m too tired. And my chest hurts anyway. And somehow I just don’t care. About your priorities, And all your pet projects, And the fact that you guys just can’t Get it together. So you’ll buy a $60,000 multimedia Whiz-bang high def…