If I do any preserving at all this year, it will be chutney in September, and most of it will be Christmas presents. I have at least three years' worth of jam in the pantry, and my range of home cooking just gets plainer and simpler as the days roll by.

This morning, the Globe and Mail published a major editorial on Canada's debt to the Afghans who worked for our military task forces and civilian representatives in Afghanistan. In its typically folksy way, the Toronto Star is publishing human-interest stories to tweak the heart-strings of policy wonks and politicians. But, as Stilly says, it's a totally uncalled-for mess for which our federal government is entirely responsible.