One of the best things I read in 2023 was a chapter of The Eagle and the Raven by James A. Michener (1990). A copy of Chapter One, “An Old Apple Tree,” was very kindly sent to me by Dr. Donald B. Smith, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Calgary. It has been …
In the spring of 2021, I set out to walk as many of Toronto’s ravines and nature trails as possible (COVID-19 restrictions and weekend subway closures allowing), tracking my progress on a map in purple marker. After varying degrees of lockdowns over the preceding winter, and since travel far afield was not happening, I was …
At the beginning of August 2020, I drafted a post titled, “Optimism in the Time of COVID-19,” containing a list of all the hopeful things I’d seen on a walk in the neighbourhood (wearing a sweaty face mask). However, I couldn’t make myself publish it, and I’ve been meditating upon why. At the time, I’d …
