Sharing in abundance

Hello! Following last week, a bunch of planning and enabling, this weekend was for woodworking—and boy has it been fun. Yesterday, T and I (mostly) built a cover for one of the garden beds, learning some good lessons in the process; today, SR and I (mostly) built a barbecue counter, learning some good lessons in the process. Neither project was fine woodworking, which was a good change of pace—less worrying about squareness or perfect appearances. If the fun is there, and the learning’s there, and it does its job well enough, we’ll call it a success.

As I write this, the tree out front is full of goldfinches (or some other small, yellow bird—the foliage is a bit dense to make out all the details), chirping away as they enjoy the young fruit. The various plants and flowers T is tending have been bearing flowers and other, more edible foliage (basil, mint, parsley, you know the drill), which we’ve been very happily eating with our lunches and dinners. But those berries? Too high and too inconvenient for us. I’m glad we can all share in this abundance—enjoy, little ones!

• I’ve told multiple people about this podcast episode since listening to it the other day, discussing the history of refrigeration, its impact on our society and planet, and what might replace it in the future. There’s also an essay version in the New Yorker, “How the fridge changed flavor”, and it’s all material from an upcoming book, Frostbite. (via Jason Kottke)
• Paul Wells, with the third part of a reporting series on Canada’s opioid crisis and the varied responses to it in Alberta. I found interesting the discussion of the connection between childhood trauma and complex care needs; also the important reminder that, for many with the most complex needs, there isn’t a “normal” or “better” life to “go back to” after going through a recovery program.
• How could I not link to the in-depth feature article on the Microsoft Excel championship!? (h/t Sean)
• It has been an eventful year for higher education across Canada, and Alex Usher has bad news for the future of institutional revenues (well, not news to the sector). There’s a fix, but, uh, it should be fun to implement: “we might have to centre efficiency for a change”.
• Speaking of higher education, what’s it for anyway? Sara Hendren explores the question as a parent and a professor, one particularly attuned to different conceptions of higher education, a deep understanding of the liberal arts, and professional experience in STEM faculties. Two parts so far: the how and the why and the how and the why, part 2.

All the best for the week ahead!

Lucas