When you are involved in public service and attending conferences, you are required to sit through speeches, presentations, and the opinions of panels of experts. Paradoxically, this is both one of the best and one of the worst things that could happen to a person. If the topic is boring and/or the delivery excruciating, the… Read more »
I look from thermometer to window and back and again. In this winter without end, the day is overcast and the snow is heaped and piled and drifted. The glare of white on white hurts my eyes. The truth of how far away spring really is hurts my soul. Even though I am knee-deep in… Read more »
With Roy’s new role as municipal councillor comes the opportunity, indeed the necessity, of attending conferences on governance and his related committee duties. In the past month, he has been to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and twice to Edmonton for stays of three days or more. In each case, I’ve tagged along on our own nickel…. Read more »
It is impossible to watch the footage of Japan’s tragic disaster without saying a prayer. The lost souls and their survivors need our prayers. Those injured or awaiting word on missing loved ones need our prayers. Those left to rebuild their lives, homes, communities, and country will need our prayers for strength and courage. And… Read more »
Another birthday has come and gone. The day before was spent in the city, but it was relaxed because there was no pressuring to-do list attached to our wanderings. We did the flea market circuit and added some more books to my library. Who wouldn’t love a mint 99-cent copy of the 2010 Giller prizewinner… Read more »
Last fall, as I was spending hours on end in the combine, I relied on CBC Radio to keep me company. The Jill Bolte Taylor interview stuck with me for months. I needed to know more about this woman’s incredible story. Her book My Stroke of Insight had been beckoning from a stack of must-reads,… Read more »
In December, Roy and I got iPhone 4s. Even with the three-year TELUS contract, we had to pony up nearly $160 for each of the phones. Then we needed to add call display to the bundle of features. Next, we selected a car charger and protective cases to safeguard our fancy-schmancy bit of technology. Roy… Read more »
When Kathy Bates dropped her robe and slipped into the hot tub with Jack Nicholson in the movie About Schmidt, everyone weighed in on the wisdom, courage, or folly of an older, full-figured woman taking such a chance with her career and her reputation. In a world obsessed with young, nymph-like creatures whose sizes are… Read more »
A good hair day is much like the coming of a comet: it doesn’t happen that often, but when it does, It’s a joy to behold. It also means that It’s a day when you won’t see that passive-aggressive girlfriend who spins like a weather vane, your ex-boyfriend, or anyone who can advance your career… Read more »
Because of our week-long Mexican getaway and our kids? two weeks in Palm Springs, we didn’t get to see our grandson Grady for more than three weeks. That is an eternity when the little someone is only 18 months old. We feared he might forget Nana and Dido. But he didn’t. We expected that he… Read more »