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We said goodbye to our Diego yesterday. We had surgery to repair a ruptured knee ligament (ACL) about six weeks ago. He recovered quickly and was doing really well. And then. Two days ago, the other knee went. The repaired leg wasn't strong enough to hold his back end. He was not able to walk at all, or even stand. We could have had the second knee repaired, but it was clear that Diego's repaired leg would not be strong enough to support him during that recovery. That meant he'd likely end up re-injuring the first knee. For two days, he was only able to walk when we used a towel to sling his whole rear end -- and then only for a few steps. * * * * Diego was the happiest dog I ever knew. He was a big goof who loved everyone. From the moment he got in our car and left Toronto Animal Services, he loved his life. He especially loved the beach. We couldn't say the word beach  around him, he'd go nuts thinking he was going. Then we couldn't say b-e-a . We would say to

I missed this when it ran in 2017, but I found it when I needed it. Rebecca Solnit writes in The Guardian : Last month, Daniel Ellsberg and Edward Snowden had a public conversation about democracy, transparency, whistleblowing and more. In the course of it, Snowden – who was of course Skyping in from Moscow – said that without Ellsberg’s example he would not have done what he did to expose the extent to which the NSA was spying on millions of ordinary people. It was an extraordinary declaration. It meant that the consequences of Ellsberg’s release of the top-secret Pentagon Papers in 1971 were not limited to the impact on a presidency and a war in the 1970s. The consequences were not limited to people alive at that moment. His act was to have an impact on people decades later – Snowden was born 12 years after Ellsberg risked his future for the sake of his principles. Actions often ripple far beyond their immediate objective, and remembering this is reason to live by principle and act

Summer Reading Club is back! Register your child today. Can you believe it’s June already? The days are long, the kids are restless, and summer is in the air. Whether you’re cleaning out the camper, booking a cottage down island, or just wondering how you’re going to keep your children busy all summer, the library can be part of your plans. Books, movies, music, magazines – and free programs open to all – will help you fill hours and banish boredom. Even better, you’ll be helping your children succeed in school next year – when you sign them up for Summer Reading Club, and encourage them to read every day. Summer Reading Club is happening all over Canada, and VIRL goes all out to promote this amazing program in all of our 39 branches. The reason is simple: kids who read during the summer do better in school in September. Think of reading as exercise for the brain. We want our children’s brains to stay in shape! Summer Reading Club is all about making reading fun, and motivating kids to

Allan and I have been greatly anticipating "Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story", the new film by Martin Scorsese released this week on Netflix. When "The Last Waltz" opened at Radio City Music Hall in 1978, I was a senior in high school. My friends and I skipped school and snuck into the city to see it. About 10 years later, Allan and I saw it together (he for the first time) and it became a touchstone of our relationship. These days, rearranging work schedules to watch a movie is no longer an option, but we waited until we were both available and could watch this film together. I loved it. The film is a joy from start to finish. I'm sure I will watch it again and again, and future viewing will reveal more to delight, enlighten, obscure, befuddle, and entertain. Here are some reasons why. 1. Dylan then. His stage persona is warm, forceful, and passionate. The songs he has chosen are socially engaged. His voice has never been better. He seems relaxed, happy

Check out these incredible photographs of bald eagles at Storey's Beach in Port Hardy, created by my friend sM. The story is here. I wish sM would post more photos! There must be dozens of other great shots that don't meet her standards for public viewing. But these will give you the general idea.

Things are going really well with the new pack of five. Having three dogs isn't that big a deal! Who knew? But I should qualify: it's not that big a deal with this particular mix, in our current, specific circumstances. I don't think we'll need to have three forever -- but we are really enjoying it right now. Cookie is so affectionate -- not just to us, but to her canine packmates, too. She likes to squeeze in on a bed (or a crate!) that one of the other dogs is already using. This never fails to melt me. We had another trip to the beach, the second time with all three dogs. Cookie's recall was much improved! We did the same thing as last time -- gave them 5 or 10 minutes of running mayhem at the nearby ballfield before heading to the beach itself. This time Cookie never went off on her own. She and Kai ran and ran and ran -- sometimes quite far away, chasing birds -- but we would keep calling their names, and eventually they both circled back around to us (and trea

Jobs and Careers: We’ve Got You Covered Recently I had the pleasure of attending a career fair hosted by the Kwakiutl First Nation. I wasn’t there to convince anyone to become a librarian – although it is an awesome profession! I was telling people about the resources our library has for researching careers and looking for jobs. Whether you’re starting your first career or looking for something new – if you’re wondering what kind of job might be a good fit for you – if you’ve got interviews coming up and you need to prepare – and so many other career and job-search needs – we’ve got you covered. Career Cruising is my go-to app for all things job-related. With Career Cruising, you can take a self-assessment test to see what careers might be a good fit for you. Then you can find out what education you’ll need, what a typical day might be like, what kind of career path you might have, and how much money you can expect to earn – all for a huge variety of careers. Once you have some direct

We had been waiting to take Cookie for a run at the beach -- waiting until she was more bonded with us, until she had a bit of training, until she seemed to understand that we five are a family. There are no enclosed dog parks near us -- or, to my knowledge, anywhere north of Campbell River. There's a baseball field and a schoolyard nearby, but both too near the road for comfort. We knew that at some point, we'd have to make a leap and hope for the best. Today was that day. First we let the dogs loose on a semi-enclosed field near the beach. It was the first time the Kai and Cookie have really had room to run at full speed together. It was a sight! They were flying . We practiced some recall, trying to give Cookie the idea, then we went over to the beach itself. Diego does not appear to feel sad or left out. He also doesn't try to run after the littles or keep up at all. The beach is still his favourite place, and he's still super excited to go. He seems to enjoy it on