On Monday, according to our handy-dandy La Crosse electronic home weather station, the temperature was five degrees Celsius with the wind chill. FIVE degrees on August 23. It was a cloudy, miserable day. In the Big Sky Country of Alberta, where we’re used to sparkly blue, often cloudless skies, dark, dreary days are especially hard… Read more »

Life, or at least my life, has the habit of turning on a dime. Or maybe more accurately, the idea for change comes quickly, but the actual deed takes much longer. Case in point: in February, I read a special Edmonton Journal pullout section on the funeral industry. The article that captured my interest and… Read more »

On August 11, Roy and I will drop everything and set aside our work so we can head off to celebrate our wedding anniversary. It’s not one of the huge, party-worthy ones, but at big number 37, It’s nothing to sneeze at, either. we’ll drive for an hour to a nice restaurant and share a… Read more »

As much as I understand the reality, the inevitability of death, it still comes like a thief in the night, shocking and saddening all those affected. It’s dreaded, feared, and misunderstood by most, yet often it is welcomed and embraced by those who are dying. I remember my dad wishing for it as he faced… Read more »

A July 25 article on page A3 of the Edmonton Journal has me shaking my head. The half-page story appeared under the headline ?Mother sues son she abandoned?; the subheading was ?BC woman, 71, seeks support from children under archaic statute.? Shirley Anderson is suing her adult children for support under The Parents? Maintenance Act… Read more »

Is there anything quite so lovely as a bowl of freshly-washed cherries? Go ahead; pop one in your mouth. Savour the cool droplets of water on the dark burgundy skin just before your teeth cut into the rich, juicy flesh. Hang on to the stem as your tongue works the treat off the stone. Discard… Read more »

Some days, I feel like blowing out the walls of our 1100-square-foot home and enlarging this 1960s house to better accommodate the needs of a couple in the 21st century. I’d start with our only main-floor bathroom, which measures seven-and-a-half feet in either direction. That is microscopic when you realize that the tub, toilet, and… Read more »

I’m not sure if it is a widespread affliction affecting females everywhere, or a Hazel-specific condition. It seems harmless at onset, and small, short bouts are easily handled by healthy individuals. It isn’t marked by high fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. There’s no sign of blood or discharge of any kind, unless, of course, you count… Read more »

A few days ago, I returned from a week-long getaway at Canmore, Alberta’s Falcon Crest. The plans had been made 10 months ago. It was to have been after seeding of the crops was complete so Roy could attend, too. What we didn’t factor in was the spraying. With crops (and weeds!) growing like crazy… Read more »

For the past few weeks, whenever I come home, I hurry from car to house. When I run errands or go to town, I do the same in reverse: house to car. It’s been a busy time of moving from one project to another, from one long to-do list of reminders and obligations to even… Read more »