Randy | January 28, 2014
“Storytelling has a special place in indigenous culture. It’s a cultural torch passed from one generation to another, and from it flows teachings, lessons, and continuity. Storytelling is a powerful force for cultural survival and it can be many things – funny, profound, educational, a force of resistance, and a tool of reconciliation.” ~ Shelagh’s […]
Randy | January 23, 2014
Do what thy manhood bids thee do, From none but self expect applause; He noblest lives and noblest dies Who makes and keeps his self-made laws. ~ Sir Richard Francis Burton ~ If you’ve never heard of Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890), then you have been denied exposure to one of the greatest minds in […]
Randy | January 17, 2014
I wrote this for fun one night last week, while sitting in bed talking to Mrs. LFM during the nightly ritual of feeding the SFM before we all go down for the duration. I read it to her, and at her insistence, present it here. Swaddling is an age old practice dating far back before […]
Randy | December 29, 2013
“I am a product […of] endless books. My father bought all the books he read and never got rid of any of them. There were books in the study, books in the drawing room, books in the cloakroom, books (two deep) in the great bookcase on the landing, books in a bedroom, books piled as […]
Randy | December 28, 2013
I’m of the generation that grew up watching Rankin-Bass Christmas specials. I remember them and their characters with fondness, bless their dead little eyes, with the notable exception of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer that came out in December of 1964 and fanned my hatred of bullies. Yes, it was thoroughly entrenched even back then, and […]
Randy | December 26, 2013
Nova Scotians complaining about the state of the province’s roads in the wake of Sunday’s winter storm should be careful how much they grumble. An old law still on the province’s books can order “all physically fit male persons” between 16 and 60 years of age to shovel out highways made impassable by snow. At […]
Randy | December 24, 2013
This poem was inspired by actual events. I was there when it all came to pass. A Christmas Announcement By LFM Once upon a time I knew A little girl with trouble. Instead of coming out her bum Her farts would form a bubble. The bubble would get stuck inside, And really hurt a lot, […]
Randy | December 23, 2013
Winter, in latitudes where sub-freezing temperatures can occur, brings with it harsh realities that only frantic and organized preparation in the months prior can meet with any hope of success, leading to the passing down of parables such as the story of the ant and the grasshopper, and the legend of the Wendigo. This is […]
Randy | December 22, 2013
Written words are visual guides to the making of sounds that, when uttered aloud, convey meaning. An example is the word “label”. A label can be a physical object that, when applied to another object, conveys important information about it. What it’s made of, how to use it, how long it may be kept, and […]
Randy | December 21, 2013
Winter begins today, and those of us who understand the joys of travelling dark forest trails can walk slower tonight, for there is more darkness to enjoy. As I recall, the last time we all gathered here for A Long Winter’s Night, we were staring down the barrel of yet another ending of the world. […]