Anne’s Red Pepper Revolution “The food of the true revolutionary is the red pepper. [She] who cannot endure red peppers is also unable to fight.” -Chairman Mao Zedong, a native of chili-loving Hunan province, famously linked the consumption of spicy food to revolutionary fervour. Anne liberally sprinkles Sichuan courage on her noodles– A revolution in..
Attending a Séance, London, Ontario, January 1969 When I was 16 years old in Grade 12 at Oakridge High School in London, Ontario, I first experienced puppy love, with all the attendant tail-wagging and barking. The year was 1969. The object of my baying and howling was a Grade 11 student named Cathy Reed, who..
Christmas for Anne in Slovakia As you know, many Canadians – and people the world over – celebrate Christmas today, on what we call “Christmas Eve.” https://flamingosschool.com/when-do-people-celebrate-christmas-in-various-countries-around-the-world/ For my wife Anne’s family December 25 was a mere afterthought, a day to recover from the previous day’s festivities. December 24 was THE day. Anne’s..
A Child’s Christmas Carol Confusion Wonder and Bewilderment in Yuletide Lyrics* When I was a small child growing up in Georgetown, Ontario, Christmas carols embodied an enchanting mystery – a flurry of twinkling words and sounds that tumbled through the air as delightfully as snowflakes, yet made about as much sense as trying to build..
Anne’s Yawn: Roaring Through It Anne yawns — wild as the MGM lion, Jaw unfurling in slow-motion spectacle, Lips stretching, raspberry pink, Her tongue a red carpet, rolling out for invisible guests, Teeth gleaming in a sunrise of surprise, The ceiling trembles at her operatic opening, She could swallow the morning whole. But behind..
Teasing Anne Do you ever think about, or indulge in, teasing? There’s “good” teasing and “bad” teasing, I think, and all sorts of shades between. Bad teasing involves making fun of someone in a cruel or unkind way, often targeting their insecurities or weaknesses, and accompanies, or is a prelude to, bullying…
A Little Help from our Friends In the fall of 1979, as the new school year was about to begin, I found myself in exile, shunted to a crowded, windowless office space in a remote corner of our tiny college, Champlain St. Lawrence CEGEP in Quebec City. As a young, part-time English instructor, I didn’t..
Lights out in 1979 “This level of exhaustion deserves its own genre of music.” Looking back on my 46-year relationship with my wife Anne, I can’t help but express certain profound regrets and proffer belated apologies. I’m so sorry that my nocturnal proclivities cost Anne so much sleep back in 1979… a situation..
School field trips, 1958-1969, Chapel Street Public School, Georgetown, Ontario, Oakridge High School, London, Ontario When I was a child and an adolescent attending Ontario elementary and secondary institutions of higher learning, school trips were a primary source of pleasure and intellectual stimulation, starting as early as first grade. When students see the real-world..
A PSW (Personal Support Worker) of our very own Until very recently, I was quite unsure as to how and for how long I could look after Anne here in our home. Anne is afflicted with stage 4 glioblastoma, a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer. Until Latifa, our assigned PSW, arrived at the door…