Author: Andrea Cordonier
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More Urban Than You
Last summer we attended a barbecue at a friend’s house in Westboro, Ottawa’s hip neighbourhood filled with yoga studios, coffee houses and Montessori daycares. It was a stunningly gorgeous blue sky day, the spread of food looked amazing, and our kids happily wandered off in search of other kids to play with. I’m generally happy… Read more
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The Consequences of Living With Animals
I don’t know how to say this delicately so I’m just going to say it: my kid has pinworms. Read more
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How Did You Find Your Dream House?
ser·en·dip·i·ty/ˌserənˈdipitē/ Noun: The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way: “a fortunate stroke of serendipity”. – Merriam-Webster We never did look at another house. We were driving ever so slowly through the tiny rural village when we saw the real estate For Sale sign on the front lawn.… Read more
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CurioCabinet: Anatomy of a House
Ma’a’seh Toviyah Venice, 1708. Woodcut. National Library of Medicine. Toviyah Kats (ca. 1652-1729) [author] This illustration from a Hebrew encyclopedia pairs the interior of a human interior with the interior of a house, a visual metaphor: the organs, like rooms in… Read more
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SacredSpaces: Vedic Verses on the Mystical Rites of House Consecration
FROM THE VEDAS Reproduced with permission from Hinduism Today The building of a house, or even any transaction concerning it, is not just a matter of masonry or of business. It is in both instances a liturgical act, in which human lives as well as the powers above and below are involved. A house is… Read more
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Making Tangible Our Intangible Cultural Heritage
[pullquote]Cultural heritage does not end at monuments and collections of objects. It also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts. UNESCO Culture Sector, 2003… Read more
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The Mystic Music of Everyday Household Objects
Most people think ‘utilitarian’ when they see everyday objects like a trash bin or a plain white china side plate lying around their house. But musician/artist/composer/sound designer Diego Stocco observes these objects and hears music. Animate or inanimate, everything around his house – including the tree in his backyard – are potential instruments to create exceptional… Read more
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“Nothing in Front of Me But My Hands”
(I deem it time for some more Bentlily loveliness. All rights Samantha Reynolds.) It’s early and raining they are bundled my husband and son on an adventure they promise to bring home treasures sticks bright leaves unidentifiable pieces of plastic. The house is oddly still as though it isn’t us that runs around it but… Read more
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Weeding Out Unwanted Neighbours
I am self-delusional enough to believe that, for the most part as a neighbour, I mind my own business. I have several great, mindful neighbours, which is good fortune in itself, and am glad to keep an eye out for their health and well-being as they do for mine. But there are a couple of… Read more