She Brought Me Her Worst Born

| July 11, 2010

Once upon a time my business included operation of the dispatch centre that handled calls for the Lunenburg-Mahone Bay Police Service and five Lunenburg County fire departments. A regular event was somebody losing track of their dog, or someone calling in to report that they had a stray in their possession. The logistics of these […]

The Spirit Lives On

| June 12, 2010

As related in my 30 May 2010 article titled Scout Leading Revisited, I was once tapped to fill the post of Publicity Chairman for the Lunenburg District Scouting Commission. Among my duties was the writing of a weekly column that appeared in both the Lunenburg Progress Enterprise and the Bridgewater Bulletin in space generously donated […]

The Perfect Survival Knife

| April 26, 2010

The generally held definition of a “survival knife” is a knife that is carried for the express purpose of facilitating the longevity of its owner in a situation wherein the shit has hit the fan. Internet forums on the subject abound with recommendations and equipment reviews, and I have my own opinions on the subject. […]

More Kitchen Knife Technique

| March 29, 2010

In a previous LFM article titled Kitchen Knife Technique I exposed you all to the teachings of Chad Ward, author of An Edge in the Kitchen. Today’s post introduces some exquisite knife work using what many of us would regard as an unlikely tool – the Nepalese khukuri.

St. Patrick and All That

| March 17, 2010

It’s been said that God invented whisky so the Irish wouldn’t take over the world. So far it’s worked. I’ve always appreciated a good toast, tastefully delivered, no matter how ribald the content, but the Irish are an odd people. Their toasts are full of statements like, “May you die in Ireland”, which for most […]

Every Season Needs a Theme Song

| February 12, 2010

The daily dose of sunlight is obviously longer now than it was a month ago, but this fact notwithstanding, I’ve noticed in my travels that a lot of you are singing the blues of “seasonal affective disorder”, apparently to explain why you’re still the same pissy bitch you are at every other time of the […]

Observations on the Best Food Show on Television

| April 18, 2009

As unrepentant carnivores, Mrs. Large Fierce Mammal and I have small tolerance for those among the Great Unwashed who see nothing wrong with eating meat while at the same time idiotically attempting to expunge their “sin” by repeatedly reminding everyone in earshot of how bad or guilty they feel about it. We have the utmost […]

Variations on a Theme

| April 5, 2009

Each of the axes in the following shots started life as a small hand axe pretty much identical to the one held by the kid above. A commonly encountered hand tool, they were often forged by local blacksmiths by hammering a flat plate of steel around a mandrel that created the eye for the handle, […]

Die My Dear? Why That’s the Last Thing I’ll Do.

| March 24, 2009

I took the title of this post from among the many wise and witty utterances of the immortal Groucho Marx. He also said, “I intend to live forever, or die trying.” Of no surprise to my readers will be the disclosure that my brand of humour veers sharply toward the dark side. My dance card […]

Musings as Hallowe’en Approaches

| September 6, 2008

“Like one, that on a lonesome road, Doth walk in fear and dread, And having once turned round walks on, And turns no more his head; Because he knows a frightful fiend Doth close behind him tread.” ~ The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge ~ I attended elementary school at Lunenburg Academy, […]