It's Dilovely

Let’s take a walk! What could be more invigorating, more wholesome, more beneficial for body and soul? I can take the kids, we can all get some fresh air, and the baby can have a nice lung-cleansing nap. On Wednesday I took my children for a walk around the neighbourhood. We have been graciously handed [...]

On Friday evening, Sean and I had the good fortune to see ukulelist James Hill in concert with his cellist fiancee, Anne Janelle (Davison)… in the company of our not-quite-four-week-old Baby A. We had debated about whether to go, since we would have to buy our baby a ticket, and then there was always the [...]

Prime Minister Stephen Harper Langevin Building 80 Wellington Street Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 Mr. Harper: As a polite Canadian, I’d like to be able to write a proper, respectful salutation; unfortunately, I have seen no evidence of respectful governance to warrant one. This is my second open letter to you. You obviously did not heed [...]

Dear Mr. Shooter: So. It appears, from the status of the person you succeeded in killing, that your decision, i.e. to open fire in the crowd at the food court in the Toronto Eaton Centre yesterday, was gang-related. We, the public, still don’t know who you are or where you’re from. We don’t know what [...]

I first became truly aware of vaccination when I was about eleven. I’d had my standard (Ontario) childhood vaccinations, but didn’t remember them, and hadn’t actually thought about them. Then I read a story about Edward Jenner in Cricket magazine – and I never forgot it. As you may know, Jenner was the English scientist [...]

The other week at my school, Grade 5s and 6s participated in hypothetical democracy: student “elections”. I put that in quotes because they don’t actually get to elect anyone – there is no student council or anything – but they get to hear speeches and platforms and read campaign signs, and then vote. One of [...]

Hey, beloved readers. Welcome to NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month)! In honour of this, and in accordance with tradition, I will be challenging myself to post something every day. (We shall see if I manage.) If you are totally sick of me by the end of November, I will have done my job. My first post [...]

Today, as I write this, millions have gathered their minds together to honour you, Jack. I hope you can see them. They drew all over the square with chalk and love. They got up hours before the sun, to make sure they could come see you. They are shedding tears for you and your family [...]

Prime Minister Stephen Harper Langevin Building 80 Wellington Street Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 Dear Prime Minister, Firstly, I would like to apologize. I know I have started off on the wrong foot: I am supposed to address you as the Prime Minister of Canada, but with “Harper Government” replacing “Government of Canada”, I got confused [...]

Something dawned on me recently: I have some heavy prejudices when it comes to politics. (Warning: Di-atribe.) It’s not that I thought I was completely free from bias, but I try to be as open-minded and critical-thinking as I can. Though I am white, female, educated, middle-class, anglophone, straight, and born in Canada, I try [...]