Next time you have your house clean and your life is a placid sea of tranquil serenity, have your grandkids over for a sleepover. Both will soon implode before your startled eyes. Especially if It’s a multi-day weekend because of a school PD day. Especially if the Oilers are in the playoffs and a certain… Read more »
I don’t consider myself to have a depressive personality. I tend to be even-keeled and don’t enjoy euphoric highs or suffer debilitating lows in my moods. I can rationalize and absorb most things. Sooner or later, I can see the “silver lining” in bad news. But I find myself being tested. Regular readers will know… Read more »
Our son hasn’t played minor hockey in more than twenty years. Back then having a kid in hockey was not a cheap proposition. Minor hockey fees and equipment were direct out-of-pocket expenses and easy to tabulate. Less so, were the fundraisers; fuel to get to practices, games, and tournaments; hotel rooms, and all those meals… Read more »
The other day when Hilary called I got to the phone first. “Is dad there?” she asked. “Yep, he just walked in,” I said. “What’s up?” I ask. “Get dad on the line and I’ll tell you both at the same time.” Oh. “Well, that sounds scary,” I said as my mother-brain kicked into oh-crap-what-now… Read more »
I love CTV’s Marilyn Denis Show because of Marilyn herself and her panel of regular experts. Among those is nutritionist, Julie Daniluk. Her bubbling enthusiasm and healthy vibrancy today belie decades of food allergies, infections, food poisonings, and a near death experience in Thailand. The years-long journey to heal herself is now being shared through… Read more »
You know how sometimes you look around at your tribe and wonder, “Who the hell are these people and how can I possibly be related to them?” I’m happy to report that, as most of us gathered for Easter Sunday dinner at my mom’s, the thought never once entered my head. It’s not that I’m… Read more »
Living on a farm has its share of blessings and pain-in-the-butt realities. We are largely responsible for our own affairs. If you want potable water, dig a well and run a line into your house. If you want to trade in your coal oil lamp for something with a few more lumens, you need to… Read more »
It’s almost the end of March and it looks like we’ll make it through another winter. Woohoo. With spring in the near distance, it seems we’re a bit late planning a getaway to break up the long, frigid brutality of winter. Last fall we talked to my sister and brother-in-law about a Vegas quickie. Not… Read more »
Decades ago I was asked to help write our community’s history book, just one of a spate of such projects for Alberta’s 75th anniversary in 1980. The books would chronicle community histories before they were forgotten. Fast forward to today. Canada is celebrating its 150th as Ukrainians celebrate too. One hundred and twenty-five years ago… Read more »
Is there some activity you engage in that makes time stand still? Something that so clearly grabs your heart and mind that hours pass unnoticed. Something that pulls you in to that meditative blissed-out place where life is good and all else falls away. In my case, It’s always a solitary one. And maybe that… Read more »