Impregnating the soothing summer air this morning was the delicate fragrance of field flowers. The scent reminded me of fresh soap. I was overwhelmed by the gentleness of the perfume as I cycled along the old railway line from the centre of town to the junction on the highway to Carleton Place - in all about 13 kms from beginning to end, approximately 1½ hours at a leisurely rate (including stops for photos). Today was Tuesday, the first business day following the holiday weekend. Canada Day was yesterday. The popular enthusiasm had evaporated. Throughout my sojourn there was only one other cyclist and one pedestrian. I imagine a lot of people are absent on holiday as well.
After the purgative morning cycle I composed myself to study "
A History of Canada, Volume 1: Beginnings to 1866", my latest edition from the Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History. I say "
study" because the subject is one which I take seriously. The information insinuates many elements of my personal life including the current dominance of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States of America. We in North America have an enormous heritage from England, France and Spain. It is of no small interest that indigenous law by far outdates colonial civil and common law. Equally compelling is that at this stage of my life the foundations of each of those three traditions is routinely manifest in the public domain.
Directing my time was my upcoming appointment mid-afternoon with my chiropractor. As I had expected, the visit was profitable and I left his office feeling very much relieved from the annoying persistent pain. My world was suddenly rounder and less jagged. I put down all the windows of the car, opened the roof and headed complacently along Upper Dwyer Hill Road to join the ribbon of highway into the City whence I travelled to get the car gassed and washed. After the car wash I chose the route to Arnprior - through the vast open fields - then back through the inner countryside and the Village of Pakenham to home.
After dinner this evening we further celebrated this special summery day by going to Scoops ice cream emporium on Waba Road in Pakenham. The girl who took my order essentially steered me through the choices which I had uninventively begun as vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup but which ended being soft ice cream, warm fudge sauce, nut sprinkles and maraschino cherry all topped with whipped cream. We sat in the sheltered wooden patio and silently spooned through our treats.
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