One of the good (but unintended) results of tackling an extensive reno is the forced re-examination of all one’s things. For months now I’ve been donating extraneous stuff, throwing out what’s past its prime, and packing and storing what I want to keep. One easy-to-do activity has been flipping through the magazines that come into… Read more »

Here’s hoping that surviving renovations is like surviving childbirth. For the latter, God gave us the gift of amnesia. When we lay our eyes on the precious life we’ve created, all memories of the searing labour pains vanish. We forget the weight gain, the stretch marks, the ugly clothes, the waddling gait. We forget the… Read more »

With harvest well out of the way and our kitchen cabinets due to be delivered in early November, It’s becoming crunch time for our reno. The drywaller/stippler/painter who saw the project in early August gave a quote and accepted the job. But when I called him over Thanksgiving weekend, he said there were other jobs… Read more »

After a self-inflicted estrangement of about 30 years, Roy’s aunt called us. With no explanation for the distancing, she was gently reinserting herself into our lives. And I suppose it was understandable. She is now 95 years old and alone. She never had children, and her marriage ended decades ago–a matter she has never spoken… Read more »

Hilary is in many ways the typical 27-year-old: full of dreams and projects but wanting to live each day fully right now. She’s also exceptional in that she works crazy long hours, volunteers for good causes, travels for work and pleasure, has an active social life, and is committed to family. All that adds up… Read more »

A great deal has been written about the relationship between kids and grandparents. The stereotypical image is the grandparent deliberately spoiling the child and then smugly returning the brat to the unsuspecting parents. Another, sadder scenario is the broken relationship in which through power tripping or vindictiveness, the parents ration or withhold contact between child… Read more »

Harvest 2012 was a thing of beauty. Never in 35 years of farming do I remember such a long stretch of absolutely perfect harvest weather. And That’s quite something for a farmer to admit! We began combining at 5 pm on Sunday, September 16, and worked almost without interruption until 1:30 on September 25. Each… Read more »

In my first update from the front lines of the war zone known as my kitchen renovation, I blow the drywall dust off my glasses, keyboard, and hands to write this. Lest You’re tempted to remind me, I do remember saying I’d gladly live through six months of chaos than wait for the perfect moment… Read more »

Students of human behaviour have long known what motivates us. Most of us will do more to avoid pain than to gain pleasure. we’ll quit smoking when we’ve got lung cancer rather than doing it to have sweeter breath or more lung capacity and money. we’ll lose weight as a prerequisite for knee replacement surgery,… Read more »

Believe it or not, plans for our kitchen reno are moving along. That is, they were until Roy suddenly took an interest in the project. I thought we had a kitchen layout and cabinet style agreed upon a month or two ago. I ordered a sample door and end panel so we could see the… Read more »