Is it just me or was there more than the usual widespread angst in 2016? Some of it was global in the ferocity and atrocity of war. But, for many, I suspect those images and inconvenient reality are easy enough to ignore. I certainly haven’t been moved to take direct action. Then there’s been the… Read more »
Several years ago I took funeral celebrant training from American Doug Manning and his daughter Glenda. It didn’t seem that big a stretch from my work as a marriage commissioner. For more than twelve years I’ve officiated civil, non-denominational marriage ceremonies. That meant fulfilling a need and providing a service for couples, who for whatever… Read more »
People are funny, and not always in a good way. Case in point: last night we used a gift certificate for Yuk Yuks that had been languishing in my wallet since last Christmas. Master of Ceremonies, David Dempsey, was funny. First act and obvious beginner, Ben Cannon, not so much. Headliner and Edmontonian Shawn Gramiak… Read more »
After a quick junket to Victoria, BC, and Seattle, Washington, I’m back. What was to have been a proud moment for parents became a mother-daughter trip. Roy ended up staying home to babysit the propane heaters and electric fans trying to dry our damp canola. I was there in Victoria to see Hilary convocate from… Read more »
I live about one hundred kilometres from Edmonton. We could also say Edmontonians live one hundred kilometres from my rural property. Metaphorically the distance is far, far greater I fear. A hundred years ago I attended Grant McEwan College and worked in Edmonton as a CNIB caseworker for blind adults. We lived in a basement… Read more »
For as long as I can remember I’ve voyeuristically peeped into the inner sanctum of creative people. I love seeing the studio and office spaces of artists, artisans, crafters, designers, jewelry makers, and writers. I try to put myself into the space and see how it fits. I consider the feng shui implications. I consider… Read more »
I am now back at my desk and back in my ’real life’ after a weeklong retreat. In late October, I travel the 500 kilometres to our timeshare unit in Canmore for a period of relaxation, reflection, and, hopefully, a boatload of work. It’s a comfortable space of about 365 square feet, but, over the… Read more »
We all know about the principle of cause and effect. Do this and that will result. Read on for a recent real world example from my life. Monday evening, I read the Edmonton Journal and saw Liane Faulder’s nearly full-page interview with Neil Pasricha. He is the New York Times best selling author of The… Read more »
Before my time, and before the first television sets found their ways into our homes in the 1950s, radio was king. Guglielmo Marconi’s invention of the radio in Italy in 1895 led to more advances in the use of the technology. By 1906, Canadian inventor, Reginald Fessenden did the first public broadcast. Canada’s first national… Read more »
Harvest 2016 is now officially a shit-show. A couple of weeks ago we got one and a half inches of rain. That in itself is not a good thing when the ideal condition for combining fields of grain is hot, dry weather. An extended run of several days of sunny, frost-free, dew-free weather allows farmers… Read more »