Throwing the
h a m m e r ,
getting over the
hogline, sweeping
rocks - what kind
of game uses terms like this? If you
have never played the game of curling
(and I don’t mean your hair), you have
probably never heard these words.
Curling consists of two teams of four
people. The two teams slide “rocks”
over an ice surface toward a target
circle. The players use brooms to help
the rocks glide. The team that gets its
rocks closest to the centre of the target
wins. But what do some of these crazy
terms mean? Read
More
"Next year in
Mexico," they
c o n f i d e n t l y
toasted. At that
particular spot in
time, they probably really did believe
that it would come to pass. Read
More
I was a bit of a Johnny Carson fan, as
a teen in the early seventies. My
father would get home from the
Canadian Legion around that time,
half in the bag on some nights, but
usually it was much later on in the
show. He would see me glued to the
RCA console television, intent on
watching the monologue, before
going into the kitchen for a quick bite
to eat. Read
More
Vol.12,
No.68, 2009 - THE CONTEST ISSUE "Plain and Simple" by Daphne Winans
The best advice I've ever heard
Is: "Say it with a simple word."
Writing that is cumbersome
Is apt to make us slumber some. Read
More
Vol.12,
No.68, 2009 - THE CONTEST ISSUE "Yukon Rituals" by Marcia Lee Laycock
The thin slip of red mercury barely
rose above its bulbous pool at the
bottom of the thermometer. The
Yukon was proving its myths to be
true. The place is more than cold.
When I ventured out, the mystery of it
made me stand still, watching,
listening. I knew I risked frozen lungs
if I removed my scarf, but I could
breathe out heavily through its wool
and hear my breath crackle. Read
More
Vol.12,
No.67, 2009 Best of Show by Charalene Denton
There was a country
fair in an isolated
northern outpost. For a
city in the middle of
nowhere, fairs seemed so
unlikely, but it occurred
three years in a row. The fair had an
origami category that looked
intriguing. I had entered other
categories and was finding it hard to
get a first place. I am very
competitive, so I wanted first place or
best of show, but it was only
happening in the baking division. I
got best of show for beet jelly. It
tastes like grape jelly and the award
was a shock to receive. Having done
it I figured getting one in origami
would be no problem. Read
More
I have always enjoyed gardening.
However when I moved to
Brighton, the back lawn of the house
that I had bought was a weed patch
and full of trash. I thought to myself,
“I’ll rototill a patch of ground right in
the middle of that lawn.” So I did.
That done, I proceeded to plant the
usual beets, carrots, beans, onions and
squash. The land proved to be very
fertile and by harvest time I had
nothing but squash. The vines had
taken over my entire garden and the
beets, carrots and beans had given up
trying to reach the light. Spanish
onions were the same size as when I
had planted them. But the squash -
wow - all 23 of them were perfect! Read
More
A teacher once said to a tot
"It is rude to say ain't, say is not!"
"Okay," said the kid
tho it ain't what he did -
cuz mosta the time he forgot. Read
More
The red digits
on the clock
show 1:00. I slide
my feet into the
depression next to
me on the mattress and it’s still warm.
I keep the blinds and drapes drawn
tightly and so I’m never sure exactly
what part of the day it is. The pillow
beside mine retains the indent from
his head. I listen for the toilet or the
tap in the en suite. No light under the
bathroom door. Read
More
The year was
1970 and we
were living in
Damascus, Syria,
the oldest
continuously inhabited city in the
world.
My husband, a Canadian Naval
Officer, had been appointed to the
United Nations as an UNMO, a
United Nations Military Observer. His
job was to report and observe
violations of the cease-fire between
Israel and its Arab neighbours.
“Cooking and looking,” he called it. Read
More
I have always enjoyed gardening.
However when I moved to
Brighton, the back lawn of the house
that I had bought was a weed patch
and full of trash. I thought to myself,
“I’ll rototill a patch of ground right in
the middle of that lawn.” So I did.
That done, I proceeded to plant the
usual beets, carrots, beans, onions and
squash. The land proved to be very
fertile and by harvest time I had
nothing but squash. The vines had
taken over my entire garden and the
beets, carrots and beans had given up
trying to reach the light. Spanish
onions were the same size as when I
had planted them. But the squash -
wow - all 23 of them were perfect!