Play Mancala with an expert

 

I believe I have mentioned Mancala in the past. Mancala is one of the oldest games still played today. Its roots possibly go back as far as 700 B.C. The game clearly has staying power. If you would like to sample the game, read on and please click the link in the 3rd paragraph. You will not be disappointed.

I play Mancala with my little granddaughter. She beats me. The last time we played she told me to find a partner and improve my game. My wife bowed out. I turned to the computer and found a fine opponent. The computer not only beat me but did it with poetry. The way it ends the game is absolutely beautiful.

I introduced the online mancala game to my granddaughter. The computer and Isla were soon playing. The computer won. She agreed it was beautiful to watch the computer moves. We agreed that now we both knew how a knowledgeable desert nomad might play. 

I researched the strategy of the game and I played and played and played. I got better with time. And then it happened, I beat the computer. It was gracious in defeat.

Mask use is fading outdoor

 

Wearing a mask never seemed necessary when walking in the park but still masks were often sported by those using the biggest park in London. With so much room, social distancing in Springbank Park was never a problem. Yet, as recently as last month, a walk in the park without a mask could earn one a lot of nasty stares.

Now, in late February the mood has changed. Masks seem to be out. I spotted a mask on only one park visitor. The province is easing the restrictions applying to theatres, restaurants and more and clearly people are ready. Soon we may all know just what endemic entails when applied to COVID-19.

Icy wires only sign of winter storm

 

Driving home from the grocery store, I noticed the wires along the road were sparkling thanks to a thick coating of ice, the last remaining sign of the severe winter storm than had moved through southwestern Ontario just a few hours before.

Skiing is not the only way down a snowy slope

It's cold and windy today and stopping a car to take a picture puts one in danger and others as well. And so, today, I'm running a picture from the past.

Helping shovel snow: a Canadian tradition

Last night the biggest snow storm of the year hit. When I was boy, we'd have put on our winter duds and headed off to school. School was just a short walk away. Today, with school bus trips taking over an hour each way for some kids, school was cancelled.

This little eight-year-old took this as an opportunity to help Gug, her grandfather, shovel the front sidewalk and drive. She was not alone. A walk through the neighbourhood found lots of kids out helping parents and grandparents clear away the snow. It is a Canadian tradition.

As a boy, I never saw a school bus

School buses are everywhere today. When I was a boy, schools were smaller, more numerous and located in the students' neighbourhood.

We walked to school. We did not take the bus. We didn't need to. I left for school at 8:45 a.m. School was but a fifteen minute walk away.

Two of my granddaughters must take a school bus. One granddaughter is up each morning at 5 a.m. to catch her bus. She rides the yellow bus for hours and hours everyday to and from school. That just seems so wrong.

A simple story in the snow is a good story

Tracks in the snow tell a story. Usually the story is a simple one documenting the passing of a rabbit or sometimes a field mouse. City wildlife has it easy but if the little critters let their guard down, a good neighbourhood can quickly turn bad. There are dangers lurking in the suburban backyards.

Packs of coyotes roam suburban backyards when night falls. During the day cruising hawks and even the occasional bald eagle.pose a threat from above. Even family pets, dogs and cats, present a danger. Some days the story written in the snow documents the life and death struggle little critters confront every day and every night. These stories don't always end well.