It’s a bright, sunny day in Ottawa, which in January usually means deep cold. Sure enough, we’re supposed to get a high of -11°C but the thermometer is stubbornly stuck at -18°C. I don’t even want to think about wind chill. So I’m on the sofa with a book. Again.

All is not idleness, however — I scrubbed the kitchen floor this morning! A sudden notion struck me, so I leapt up and did the deed before I could think better of it. That floor is ceramic tile textured to look like pink granite, and I wonder if I’ll ever get all the grime out of all its random grooves. Yet more evidence that the previous occupants weren’t big on scrubbing, especially the kind that involves engaging the knees.