Dress From the Inside Out

| July 25, 2016

My Mother always admonished me to put on clean underwear every morning because you never know when you’ll encounter a kind offer for sex. Or in case you get in an accident of some other sort. Anyway, that was a long time ago so the actual reason is vague, but the message was conveyed with […]

The Song of the Hand Dug Well

| July 21, 2016

Mrs. LFM, Bairns, Dogs and I live in an antique farm house the original construction of which predates electricity and indoor plumbing. The wise and hard working crew who threw their blood, sweat, and tears into its building and sustenance dug a well 20 feet deep on the hill overlooking the house, and by their […]

Scythe and Sword Revisited

| July 17, 2016

  The title of this piece carries forward from one I wrote back in April of 2014, and is motivated by fallout from my joyous efforts in restoring a very nice old scythe to service. It joined the LFM stable of steel about a month ago courtesy of the Esteemed Peter Thompson. Wooden snathed (the […]

Eschew the Feckless

| June 25, 2016

Just yesterday, my friend the Esteemed Cowboy John laid down this challenge: I used a word today that I simply love, and honestly don’t use enough. I don’t think it is used enough period. It is “feckless”. So I challenge my friends to USE this word today. Either in text or spoken. It is actually […]

Grohmann Knives – A Constructive Criticism of Customer Service

| June 5, 2016

Grohmann Knives (GK) designs and produces its excellent line of outdoor and kitchen cutlery from its factory outlet in Pictou, Nova Scotia. If there’s anyone who owns and uses a Grohmann knife anywhere in the world who can utter a substantive criticism of its quality and craftsmanship, he or she is a rare beast indeed, […]

The Minister’s Lawn and the Lilac Tree

| May 29, 2016

I grew up in the small but (then) prosperous town of  Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, in a house across the street from what was generally referred to as “the Minister’s lawn”. A part of the grounds of the Anglican Reverend’s residence, it was a beautifully manicured expanse of table top flatness, and came to be used […]

Bullies and Their Vital Role in Education

| May 21, 2016

Everyone now living is the product of tough, and as necessary rough, people, whether your 21st century sensibilities like it or not. Those of my own memory and upbringing were the kind of stoic, hard working, hard swearing, hard drinking, won’t take shit from anybody kind of folks who abounded in those days. It may […]

Worldly Wisdom Wednesday – If You Can’t Do It Slow, You Can’t Do It Fast

| April 20, 2016

“A man cannot understand the perfection and imperfections of his chosen art if he cannot see the value in other arts. Following rules only permits development up to a point in technique; to advance further the student and artist must learn and seek other knowledge. It makes sense to study other arts as well as […]

Such a Terrible Job I Have

| April 15, 2016

Plying my trade(s) in rural Nova Scotia exposes me to all manner of ordeals and sights you just can’t unsee. Oh, the panic that can’t be unpanicked! Case in point, the photos that follow taken last week on departure from a client’s premises. I’d say they are located in a typical area of woods and […]

Worldly Wisdom Wednesday – The Word of the Day is “Deliberate”

| April 13, 2016

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the adjective use of the word “deliberate” as: 1 Done consciously and intentionally: ‘a deliberate attempt to provoke conflict’ 2 Careful and unhurried: ‘a conscientious and deliberate worker’ 2.1 Fully considered; not impulsive: ‘a deliberate decision’ In common usage today, the word is most often associated with actions that are […]