Jane Macdougall

I don’t own an umbrella. I don’t carry one in my car. I don’t have a micro-mini umbrella tucked inside my purse. I’ve never had to return an umbrella as I’ve never borrowed one. I… Read More »LET IT RAIN

Ever heard of Christoph Willibald Gluck? No, me neither until very recently.  But Gluck performed a great service for people who love the opera. He also did a great service for people who have to… Read More »FI-GA-ROOOO

As summer jobs go, it was a classic. She’d got a job at the Dairy Queen. Most of her shifts had something of a carnival atmosphere where entire families, sunburnt from a day at the… Read More »GET A JOB!

In New York, it’s illegal to make a right hand turn on a red light. Don’t ask me how I know this but I do. So, after you’ve come to a full stop at the… Read More »LESSONS FROM BEHIND THE WHEEL

It’s a bone of contention. A dog bone of contention. People have strong opinions about off-leash dogs. The basis issue is the conflict between a dog’s essential nature and the right of people to not… Read More »UNLEASHING THE HOUNDS?

Ever heard of a negawatt? Negatory? That was a hint. You’ve, of course, heard of a watt before. A watt is a unit of power. The old incandescent light bulbs listed their wattage in faint… Read More »STRETCHING WATER

It’s the most ridiculous thing. People act like it’s a nuclear launch code. Others are holy proselytizers, initiating neophytes to their sacred practice and insisting on strict compliance. Some do it the way dear ol’… Read More »BURGER WARS

It would never have happened if I hadn’t picked up the fluttering leaflet. It would never have happened if not for a walloping misapprehension. It would never have happened if we weren’t up to our… Read More »OLÉ TO ORCAS

Uh oh. We’ve got another endangered species to add to the growing list. Yet again, we’re on the cusp of losing one of nature’s most precious creatures. What’s worse? This particular loss appears to be… Read More »GREATLY MISSED