As many know who know me or read this blog, I am an Anglican. I was raised in the United Church of Canada, left there when I was around 15 and chose to return to church and become an Anglican about 15 years ago after having been absent from any faith life for about 18 years. One reason Anglicanism drew me in, besides the rich liturgical tradition, was that it is a church that prides itself on the ‘middle way’.

Within the Anglican tent a range of Christian beliefs have managed to get along and walk together in diversity. I have the freedom to explore, raise and discuss faith views across a wide spectrum without breaking the ‘dogma’ of the church. That appealed to my seeking ways, I didn’t want to be confined to being told what my interpretation of faith and the bible was. I wanted to be able to seek, learn and draw my own conclusions. Conclusions that would either strengthen my faith or send me away from it, but they would be my convictions. Read the rest of this entry »

Wow, yesterday was the largest number of visitors this blog has ever seen. There were 345 visitors to this site yesterday. Drawing the majority of traffic are the articles I wrote on Valentine’s Day. The entry Where Did Valentine’s Day Come From? has received a whopping 875 views since the first of February! For some blogs that is pretty normal, for this one, whose traffic is still growing, that is huge. Thanks to all those who visit.

It’s been a week since I posted an entry here and the last entry was some humour I rather enjoyed. I was working on finalizing the reports for the church’s annual vestry meeting at the time and really couldn’t take time to post a proper entry. The meeting was supposed to be last Sunday but it was delayed until this Sunday as we were walloped with snow squalls last Sunday and those in attendance chose to wait until this Sunday. Read the rest of this entry »

Life is a bit crazy this week and next. More on that later. Anyone who might think that I don’t have a sense of humour.. or at least the bizarre..I’ll share this with you:

In the beginning….
In the beginning, God covered the earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach. And Man and Woman lived long and healthy lives.
Then, using God’s bountiful gifts, Satan created Dairy Ice Cream and Magnums. And Satan said “You want hot fudge with that?” And Man said “Yes!”. And Woman said “I’ll have one too, with chocolate chips”. And lo, they gained 10 pounds. Read the rest of this entry »

The weather that settled in on February 1st and triggered a deadly accident nearby on Canada’s busiest highway is still going on today. It’s 6:30am and I’ve just returned from the church where I met up with the person who will be plowing the snow there. Sort of surprising that this is February and it is the first we’ve needed someone to plow the snow this winter. No wonder the guy who has done it for years went out of the business. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I posted a note that it was snowing in this area. Shortly after I posted that note, I noticed that highway 401 had started flowing past my house going eastbound. This is not uncommon when snow is happening, the volume of traffic in one direction or the other increases and the number of transports increases accordingly. That’s the final signal something has closed the highway.

It was later in the day when someone from head office called to find out if I was home or at my office. She told me that a serious crash had closed the 401. Checking the news sites I hang out on quickly confirmed what she had told me, initial reports were saying five had been killed on Canada’s busiest highway and traffic in both directions had been stopped as a multi-vehicle crash in the east bound lane had triggered a fuel tanker to explode and burn just east of Cobourg. Two have been confirmed dead. News coverage this morning shows a scene that looks like a war zone aftermath not a piece of busy highway. The Globe & Mail this morning carries a story of a eye witness report to the situation. Read the rest of this entry »

I have released a new blog today - Ides of Books. As some may have noticed, I enjoy reading. I decided that I’d create a separate blog where I can talk about the books I have read, books I’m reading, books I’d like to read or other book related news and commentary. Hope you find something to enjoy over there. Don’t forget, you can keep an eye on Patti’s Network News to know where I’ve been posting.

I may have earlier this year wondered where the hell winter had gone but I think I found it has indeed arrived. A tad late, but without doubt a peek out my window today is letting me know, I really do live in Canada. It’s comforting, I really would hate to discover that I had been transplanted to some other place like .. Florida and would require a passport to fly back to my favoured home.

Read the rest of this entry »