Monthly Archives: October 2020
You’ve never heard of him, but…
…he was a big deal long before Christopher Columbus “discovered” America. Three years ago yesterday, I happened upon his statue while wandering through Bern, Switzerland. Adrian von Bubenberg was such a big deal that, after he died and was buried in Bern’s cathedral, the Pope wanted to dig up his grave and move the body […]
Mailing It In
The US election is in two weeks from today, and the ballots are starting to roll in by the millions. President Trump has been screaming about massive fraud. But does he have credibility? Due to the pandemic, an unprecedented number of Americans are voting by mail this year. In ordinary times, mail-in ballots are a […]
How Embarrassing
My wife says these notices are most unusual – they display a sense of humor. That’s not something Germans are known for. I gather there have been problems in the neighborhood with people not picking up after their dogs. Well, maybe not in the neighborhood but on this particular street. The message reads: Your dog […]
Reminder for Tough Times
A friend posted this on Facebook, and I though it worth passing on. This has been a rough year for so many people in so many ways. It isn’t always easy to keep a positive attitude. It reminded me of a passage from The Bible, from the fourth chapter of Philippians: Do not be anxious […]
Don’t Get Excited!
That parcel isn’t for you. It’s for me. An early Christmas present. I should be excited, but I’m not – because I don’t know where it is. I ordered it online. Amazon of course. Partly because that is what you do these days, but mostly because I wanted it delivered to my home in Ottawa. […]
Slim Pickings
It has been my habit over the past eight months to share with you some of the best COVID-19 humor I could find on the internet. I figure we can all use a laugh these days. As the pandemic has dragged on, it has become more difficult to find images that make me smile, let […]
Five Years Later
There are days you always remember. Sometimes they are momentous for society. Americans of my generation remember where they were when they heard JFK had been assassinated. For a younger generation it is probably the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. Then there are other days, important only to you and your family. Like […]
Thanksgiving Day
Given that it is a holiday in Canada I thought it was a good time for some reflections on the day. This is an edited version of my first Thanksgiving post from 2014. Following a Canadian tradition that goes back to English explorer Martin Frobisher in 1578, Canadians today are celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. The […]
Thanksgiving 2020
What a difference a year makes. Have you said that recently? Things are so unlike 2019. Last year the Canadian Thanksgiving fell less than two weeks after my mother’s death, so we made it a family celebration and time of remembrance. This year instead my sister will deliver a turkey meal to my daughter’s doorstep. […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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