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Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom , David W. Blight's monumental biography of that greatest of Americans, is a long, challenging, and utterly fascinating read. After waiting for months to borrow it from the library, I ended up returning the library copy and buying it from Amazon. The book is filled with so many fascinating, inspiring, horrific, and thrilling views on some of the most pivotal moments of United States history,  including the "Second Revolution" -- the Civil War. Here are a few random factoids. After winning the battle for Blacks to join the Union forces, Douglass used the slogan Men of Color! To Arms!  on his long recruiting tours.  1. The expression "personal of color" is at least 150 years old. Frederick Douglass frequently referred to African Americans as people of color. 2. When Malcolm X said "the ballot or the bullet" and "by any means necessary," he was hearkening back to Frederick Douglass. Douglass wrote that Amer...

Diego is walking on three legs, a result of a ruptured knee ligament (ACL). Surgery is scheduled for Friday. Our first dog, Gypsy, had the same injury. It's not uncommon in large dogs. In those days, surgery was new and experimental; we borrowed a car to see a surgeon in a nearby suburb. Gypsy had a rough recovery, which included a post-operative infection, but she came through and lived another two years. These days, surgery is fairly routine, and the good folks at the North Island Animal Hospital are able to take care of it. It was so awful to see Diego in pain, barely able to drag himself up and hobble outside. Then after a few days, he seemed to adjust, and is now moving around ably on three legs. Naturally we don't want to push it. The x-rays showed no arthritis or hip dysplasia, and no tumours, so we're looking forward to getting the surgery over with. Diego and Kai pre-injury. Hopefully we'll see a lot more of this. Meanwhile, Kai and Diego are having so much fun...

I normally don't complain about prices, and I dislike when other people with privilege do so. But for every rule, there's at least one exception, and this is it. What the hell is going on with the price of gas?? Gas is always expensive in our area, often a good $0.10 more per litre than in Nanaimo or Victoria. When we left Ontario, gas prices were fluctuating between around $1.15 and $1.25. The highest price I ever saw in southern Ontario was $1.35. Driving from the GTA to the Island, we were amazed to see less than $1.00/litre in Manitoba. When we arrived on the Island, gas was $1.43 in Port Hardy, and usually two cents less in Port McNeill. And it stayed that way for months. Suddenly, three weeks ago, it shot up to $1.48... then $1.50... now $1.50 would be a welcome change. When I left Port Hardy yesterday, gas was $1.68/litre. Further down island in Campbell River, it was $1.55. Much better, but still crazy-high. This story -- Gas prices break records in B.C. for second week...

A new fence, eh? Not so fast! One minute the dogs are on their side of the fence, barking at a woman walking her dog past the house. The next minute, Kai is playing with the dog, on the street. Of course Kai completely ignored our calls. Her training is going really well, but it would be too much expect her to come back in these circumstances -- training too new, distraction too interesting. So we have to run in the back door, grab her leash, and run out the front door. By the time we got outside, some of the excitement had worn off, and she came running back. We called out apologies and explanation ("We didn't know she could do that!"). The woman had very kindly stopped walking so Kai didn't follow her home. How did she do it? Over or under? We weren't completely sure. In one area, the wooden fence -- the original fence already around some of the yard -- doesn't completely reach the ground. The ground is depressed, likely where there were once shrubs or plant...

The chickens have voted for Colonel Sanders again. It's an old, old story, and we seem farther away than ever from changing the ending. Doug Ford is destroying Ontario in a way Mike Harris only dreamed of. Healthcare, schools, libraries, parks, public transit -- all programs, all supports, and countless jobs are under the ax. Jason Kenney will expand the petrostate and destroy whatever gains have been made in renewable resource development, when he's not busy destroying public education and healthcare. Both men are skillful, deceitful manipulators. Neither are to be trusted. Yet hundreds of thousands voted for them. And while it's true that an NDP government will never be as good as advertised, there is a clear distinction between what's on offer from both parties. And more people chose right-wing over left-leaning. And yes, Alberta has been restored to its more typical conservative government, but last time out, these same voters chose the NDP. And Ontario? Don't s...

In our local paper. At Your Library: Is Your Child Ready to Read? Kindergarten is a child’s introduction to school – but your children’s education begins long before they ever set foot in a classroom. At The Library: Is Your Child Ready to Read? Teachers and librarians talk about something called “ reading readiness ”. A child who is ready to read begins kindergarten set up for success. A child who doesn’t have reading readiness may begin school already struggling. Here’s another way to look at it. Children who do well in school have more options, better life chances. How do children do well in school? By being strong readers. How do children become strong readers? By beginning school with reading readiness, then continuing to read throughout their school years. And how do children become ready to read? Through their parents and caregivers. Helping your child become ready to read is not difficult. You may be already doing it without even realizing it. Here are five ways parents and car...

We did it! We closed the gaps in our partially fenced yard, in a way that looks decent, was within our budget, and within our skill set. First we researched online, and eliminated many possibilities. Then we simplified the project by choosing the least number of gaps to close that would still give the dogs a nice-sized area to play in, and by not having a gate. After investigating local options, we drove five hours round-trip to the Home Depot in Campbell River to buy materials, and visited an off-leash dog park while we were there. And today, we put up the fencing in about two hours. We are not at all  DIYers, and we are all kinds of pleased with ourselves for doing this. Kai and Diego are even happier! Kai ran in crazy circles before settling down with a toy. On the other side of the house, we closed off the deck. The deck plus some yard forms an L with the fenced-in area. This is off the other side of the deck, the short side of the L. When the replacement parts for our new woo...

He lives. Those of you who go back a long way with wmtc will remember how this blog was the target of trolls, back in the heyday of the blogosphere, before Twitter and Instagram existed, before so many bloggers moved to Facebook. Social media evolved, attention spans got shorter, and the trolls eventually left wmtc. All but one. You know who I'm talking about. The one and only magnolia_2000, a/k/a Mags. Mags has disappeared for long stretches of time, but he always returns. Allan says that Mags is addicted to me and will never leave -- that no matter how much time passes, we will always hear from him again. I am his obsession. Recently he's revived his pathetic attempt at bullying. I can't say I understand it. Can he possibly think I care what some random wacko thinks of my life choices?? It is utterly bizarre. Here are some recent gems from the boy. He doesn't like Port Hardy. He doesn't like Kai. He doesn't like where we shop. He doesn't like our rugs! Oh ...

We see bald eagles every day here, and we've seen lots of elk -- but they never stick around for a photo. This little guy was munching away, and let us get some pics from the safety of our car. It was a beautiful privilege to see him. No lectures on bear safety, please. I've never forgotten what I learned in Alaska. One bit from the ranger at Denali National Park has always stayed with me: "Bears are mostly vegetarian. They love berries, sweetgrass, and clover. But bears are highly intelligent, with unique personalities. A bear might wake up that morning and feel like eating meat. And you're meat."

I'm writing a library column for the local newspaper! I'm really excited about it. Everyone reads this free paper, so a column is an amazing opportunity to promote our services. It's also a fun writing challenge, to strip away the library jargon, appeal to a wide audience, and quickly write 500-ish words. I've decided to post the columns here, too. Here's the first one. * * * * At Your Library: Your Library Card: Hidden Treasure This is the first column highlighting what's happening at your local branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library, better known as VIRL. I'm super excited to have this space to speak to North Island residents about their libraries – Port Alice, Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Sointula, and Woss – and I'm grateful to publisher/editor Kathy O'Reilly for this amazing opportunity. Your library card is a treasure trove of resources and information. You know about the books, of course – millions of books for every age and nearly every...

The yard is only partially fenced, so until we close the gap, Kai is tethered. She doesn't seem to mind. Allan, Diego, and I are totally smitten by this little munchkin. What a surprise, eh? In no particular order, here are ten awesome things about Kai. 1. She's housetrained. Through at least four foster homes and who knows what else, she hasn't had an accident in the house. 2. She loves toys. Kai always wants to have a toy handy. If she runs off to greet one of us, she first grabs a toy. If she's lying quietly, she wants to have a toy nearby. Tala was the same way, and this reminds us of T, in a good, not-totally-heartbreaking way. Final Foster Mom brought a bagful of Kai's toys, and they're all over the house. 3. She's discovering her boundaries. Can I stick my head in this big bag of dog food? Oops, guess not! Can I jump in bed with Mommy? Nope! If I sit, will I get a treat? Yes! Kai has Serious Resting Face. 4. She's super affectionate and snuggly. 5...

Wayfair.ca  has amazing customer service! Their selection is great, the prices are competitive, and they offer free shipping with orders of more than $75. But their customer service has sealed the deal. We bought two lamps, replacing the lamps that were smashed by We Help Moving 's ineptitude. The glass shade on one of the new lamps was scratched. The lamp had been tightly packed in several pieces, and I was dreading sending back the damaged part, or worse, the whole lamp. Earlier this year, we bought a lamp from Ikea that arrived damaged. It was also a piece of crap, and we asked for a refund rather than a replacement. They sent us a postage sticker, and they had to receive the lamp before they would process the refund -- even though the damage was too extensive to re-sell it. Wayfair shipped the new lamp immediately, and suggested we bring the damaged one to a thrift store. It was as simple as emailing them. Our biggest purchase for our new place has been patio furniture. We deci...

Our first meeting Introducing Kai, the new addition to our pack, and Diego's new sister! Kai (rhymes with eye) is small for us, about 30 pounds, a pit-mix with a "Staffie" look. She is much smaller than a Staffie -- unless her foster mom was very wrong about her age! We believe she is about 18 months old. Her coat is a dark brindle colour with a white blaze. More than two years after  losing Tala , Allan and I decided it was finally time to restore our full family, a pack of four. About a month ago, Allan found a Vancouver-based group that rescues street dogs from other countries. He sent me a few links, and I immediately chose a honey-coloured Shepherd mix living in a tough city in the Middle East. We filled out an extensive application. While we were waiting, Allan went to the vet to pick up some supplies, and saw a flyer, looking for a home for Kai. (Foster Mom spelled it  Kye . We changed the spelling but not the name.) I was already getting attached to the idea of th...