Jasper and I have just emerged from our first case of nursery school stomach flu. It’s stalking his toddler pals and their parents, and took us down this weekend. Nasty stuff, this. So far Suzy has escaped. She claims it’s her “superior genes”. Here are some flu links: Health Canada Flu Watch Influenza info, including vaccinations

I just cancelled my cell phone subscription — that string is cut; I’m not even wireless anymore. It feels great. Yet, ridding myself of this technology was more emotionally difficult than I thought it would be. Once the client rep at Bell Mobility got past the initial shock (“You want to what?” Cancel?”), she implied that I was taking unnecessary risk by cancelling. And didn’t I care about my family’s security? If risk and recklessness are defined in Canada by refusing expensive and unnecessary technology, then I will wear the title “rebel” with pride. If we all got rid of our cell phones, and spent the same amount of money…

From Worcester, Massachusetts, Walden Cabin guest Lisa sent us one of her favourite Fall recipes. If you’re looking for a change from the usual dessert, give Lisa’s flaky tart a try! Lisa writes: Invented on the first chill day this year out of refrigerator and pantry ingredients while playing Cheryl Wheeler’s “When Fall Comes to New England” at moderate volume. One must take breaks to sing along and dance with one’s dog(s) or children if available. Ingredients: – 3 ripe pears, sliced very thinly – Tablespoon of brown sugar – Teaspoon of fine white sugar – A sprinkling of cinnamon and allspice – A child’s handful of walnut pieces –…

I find myself inexorably drawn to Christmas stuff this year. Just yesterday I caught myself walking to the cash at a card shop with three boxes of Christmas cards. I put them back and picked up some beer instead. Does looking forward to Christmas in October indicate a healthy psyche buoyed by holiday anticipation, or is it a sign of imminent madness? Please let me know. There’s so little time left to decide! * * New: Visit the Walden Cabin Cover Photo Archive. Celebrating a year that’s, well, over. * * Delicious, and different Tired of apple pie? Looking for a new dinner party dessert for American Thanksgiving? Try Lisa’s…

Walden Cabin is being featured in the February issue of Homemaker’s Magazine (circ. 2 million). The magazine selected five “unique rental cabins” in Canada, one from each region of the country. Beat the rush and reserve a week now!

The JasperCam is two years old this month. We’ve selected 50 photos from the archive! Click here.

Laurence Foley would not have known what hit him. The affable father of three had been working in Jordan for the past two years. As he left his Amman home for work yesterday morning he also would not have felt in danger. Random acts of violence against foreigners just don’t happen in Jordan. That’s why yesterday’s killing of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) worker is not just a chilling act of terrorism, but also a potentially devastating blow to the tiny Middle Eastern nation. The murder of an American aid worker in Jordan will have long-term and profound repercussions for the Jordanian people. Jordan is a safe and…

Suzy and I just found out that my Reader’s Digest Feature (April 2002) about our sons Jasper and Angus is being translated for the Finland edition of the magazine! The legacy of Angus continues.

A year ago this morning I was soaking in the tub at Walden, listening to the shocking news on CBC Radio. I couldn’t believe it. The world had changed. The PC Party had formed a coalition with the Alliance dissidents to form the Progressive Conservative Democratic Representative Caucus! Then the phone rang. It was Suzy in Ottawa. “Did you hear the news?” “Yes. Can you believe that! What a stupid thing!” “I’m just sitting here shaking. Mom called because Dad is flying out of New York this morning … it’s just so terrible!” “I still think Joe will survive this.” “WHAT?” * * * The real news was more difficult…

“I have seen a dark cloud as wide as the sky rolling up from the northeast and blasting all my hopes …” Henry David Thoreau (Journal ) “War, to sane men … begins to look like an epidemic insanity, breaking out here and there like the cholera or influenza, infecting men’s brain instead of their bowels.” Ralph Waldo Emerson (War)

I wanted to add a final summer tune for the end of the season. This Tony Orlando and the Dawns song has been bugging me for days, and I finally found it on-line. When I sang it to Suzy, she grimaced like she usually does when I sing, but then said, “Why are they singing about a yeast infection?” I had no idea I had been humming for days about what my Oxford Reference defines as “a yeastlike parasitic fungus that causes thrush.” That might explain why the tune was so hard to shake. The future is bright The gypsy told me so last night. Said she saw our children…

Kinetic Travel has published my brief introduction to Greenwich, PEI. See: KineticTravel.net and choose Can- PEI from the drop-down menu.

The pronunciation is in dispute. Do you say it ‘dee lish ous’ or ‘dee lish eeus’. Please let me know. I was shocked to be told last night that I was pronouncing it incorrectly (and therefore have been doing so since I could talk). This talk of delicious all started in bed after a heated discussion of specious. Let your imagination wander. stuart@onechange.org

A fool is thirsty in the midst of water. – Ethiopian Proverb A current TV commercial shows a young woman sitting at the shore of Lake Ontario. With her back to the view, she scrolls through options on a cell phone, choosing Joke of the Day. Suddenly the camera swings around, catching the smoggy blue Toronto skyline in the background as she rolls back roaring in laughter. As I’m watching, I think: Don’t fall in the lake! One day, not too long from now, this kind of advertising will be seen differently. Our society has spent billions on technology we don’t need while we neglect the basics, such as clean…