Footnotes to a Conversation, August 15, 2022
“We all have our time machines, don’t we. Those that take us back are memories … and those that carry us forward, are dreams.” – H.G. Wells
Desperation
There have been several stories recently of women running away with their children. In one case, the woman appears to have faked her own death. I haven’t followed these stories closely, but it strikes me that running away like that is an act of desperation and not undertaken lightly. It reminded me of a series of books by Thomas Perry about Jane Whitefield, an Indigenous woman who helps desperate people disappear. They’re captivating stories and very well written.
Room with a View
I’m housesitting in New Westminster this week in a 40th-storey apartment with a mesmerizing view over the Fraser River. New Westminster is densely populated with multiple high-rises. On the opposite bank are container ports and I watch barges loaded with gravel and tugs pulling log booms move up and down the river. We build our cities on rivers and estuaries because they offer such important transportation options, and yet they’re also rich in biodiversity and the natural environment is increasingly endangered due to human activity. When I lived on the Prairies, I didn’t give much thought to shipping and transportation. Now I do and I worry about our natural environment and our future. Here’s an article I wrote for EcoFriendly West about the Fraser Estuary.
Just Zap It
As a single person, I make extensive use of my microwave for reheating leftovers, stew, or soup that I’ve made in bulk. And I’m not alone as over 90% of US households own a microwave. I hadn’t realized how much I relied on it, however, until I had to do without as two of my recent housesits didn’t have a microwave. It made me wonder how their diet and eating habits compare to mine. How often do you use your microwave?
The Cashless Society
Like many Canadians, one immediate effect of the Covid pandemic was that I quit using cash. And that remains the case today, despite the fact that it’s absurd to use a card to pay for a drink or a snack costing $5 or less and we now know that Covid is transmitted by air not touch. But what if you don’t have a bank account or your credit rating isn’t good enough to obtain a credit card? Receiving payments is also challenging without a bank account. Alternatives include prepaid cards, banking services through Canada Post, and greater access to phones and laptops. [The Walrus]
Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I also post occasional articles on other dates, including frequent book reviews and travel tales.
If you share my love of nature, check out EcoFriendly West, an online publication encouraging environmental initiatives in Western Canada, and Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.