When you want to get out and read

A very happy February to you!

I had several ideas for this week’s newsletter, but then I slept in this morning (gloriously) and now find myself wanting to get to the art gallery before freezing rain hits. I’m also brained out after writing a scraper for Ontario’s database of historical plaques.

So, I leave you some links!

• Inspiring me this morning is Austin Kleon’s piece on Ursula K. Le Guin’s writing routine. Two things Kleon loves that I do, too: the dedicated space for both domestic work and reading. My afternoon today will include both of those.
• Charlotte Whitton, the first woman to be mayor of a Canadian city (Ottawa), was a total badass.
• The Canadiana Collection is now freely available to the public. I know it sounds dusty, but I assure you it’s fun to peruse. Consider, for example, the Canadian Railway and Steamboat Guide from 1858, or original copies of William Lyon Mackenzie King’s speeches. There’s so much in here, from newspapers to government records to books. And it’s all free!

I also want to gift you this poem, “Today”, from the late Mary Oliver, because it is delightful:

Today is a day of
dark clouds and slow rain.
The little blades of corn
are so happy.

May you be like those little blades of corn, happy even during days of dark clouds and slow rain. All the best for the week ahead!

Lucas