Category: People
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CurioCabinet: Lord Dundonald’s Servants and Their Pets (1904)
Ottawa, 1904 Credit: William James Topley / Library and Archives Canada / PA-208448 It IS Canada after all…. Read more
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The Farmer By the Side of the Road
It was clear by the tire impressions left in the tall grass that others had stopped at that same place by the side of the road. I’m guessing they stopped for the same reason we did: to ogle the dozen or so brand-spanking new lambs in the farmer’s field. Located just west of Kemptville on… Read more
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Expats: From Neither Here Nor There
Ottawa is known as a government town. It is predominantly middle-class, not obviously flash or sexy. I don’t say these things as a criticism. We chose to live here for the past thirteen years and continue to make that choice for a variety of reasons. But unlike Montreal or Vancouver, with their more obvious charms,… Read more
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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