This painting, “The Milk Maid” by Johannes Vermeer, is a masterpiece, painted in 1658 and startling in its realism. The canvas shimmers with its depiction of light and colour and the stillness and warmth of the scene. The woman pouring milk into a bowl is evocative, stirring.
What the woman is making is interesting, too.… Continue reading
I suffer from a common affliction called earworm. At any given moment, there might be two or three musical tunes on permanent rotation in my head. They’re not all playing at once, mind you. When one earworm fades or shows weakness, the next earworm asserts itself and assumes control. There are legions of these songs waiting in the queue.… Continue reading
A poem comes to mind — a controversial one — as I see new fences appearing on Pender, where there once were none. Or bigger, bolder ones replacing older fences.
It’s Robert Frost’s famous poem, “Mending Wall.” Read the full poem here.
“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, that wants it down …” it says part-way through.… Continue reading
Jeffrey Hamelman has a problem with artisan bakers.
The legendary American baker and author, writing in the Bread Bakers Guild newsletter, thinks there’s nothing wrong with just being a baker.
The increasing use of the term “artisan,” he says, is a ploy that “elevates bakers’ importance while at the same time separating them from other woefully “non-artisan” bakers.… Continue reading
For days, I’d been keeping an eye on the weather forecasts.
An arctic outflow was making its way south, they said, bringing lower than seasonal temperatures. And that, combined with windy conditions, could produce wind chills of up to -20ºF. Snow was expected in coastal locations.… Continue reading