“Some days you’re the bug and some days you’re the windshield.” Lately, I’ve felt like the bug. Take a peek at my week. A few weeks ago, our 3/4 ton farm truck’s transmission gave out. The dilemma is repair or replace. At almost 400,000 miles on the odometer, maybe its day is done. In the… Read more »
Jackie Kennedy Onassis is credited with saying “If you’ve bungled the raising of your children, nothing else you do matters much.” Whoa. That’s a mouthful. As someone who believes she’s succeeded on that count, I’m tempted to agree heartily with her. But is it that straight forward, that black and white? What if early indications… Read more »
I love reading. I’ll read anything, anytime, anywhere. Well, except Harlequins. Can’t take all that talk about heaving breasts, hard loins and happy endings. I read bumper stickers and cereal boxes. I read vanity licence plates and billboards. I read those yellow, portable, rental signs with do-it-yourself lettering. I read newspapers — dailies and weeklies…. Read more »
Have you ever decided to spade up some established grassy area in your yard because you just had to plant more flowers? Have you ever moved rocks, concrete blocks, or timbers to add definition to your garden? Have you ever transplanted trees or shrubs by hand? Have you ever gone head to head with the… Read more »
At work the other day conversation turned to the relative value of men in our lives. Unscrewing pickle jars and checking oil were two quick responses. Assembling multi-part contraptions was another. Unfortunately, the end of coffee break signaled the end of the discussion — just before it got juicy! My interest was piqued. What better… Read more »
In the after-word to Dropped Threads author Carol Shields wrote “… there has been time for everything from raising five children to spending a full afternoon crafting one sentence. In a long and healthy life, which is what most of us have, there is plenty of time. There is time to sit on a houseboat… Read more »
I had a chance recently to travel through the United States. I found Montana to be an odd and desolate mix of wide, open nothingness and badlands type hills. As this prairie girl traveled through those hills with the sheer rock faces and stepped, terraced rock formations, I was struck by one of nature’s miracles…. Read more »
The very public and widespread outpouring of grief following the death of four Canadian soldiers in Kandahar has gotten me thinking. And I’m not alone. Historians and war veterans, in particular, seem from newspaper accounts, to be baffled by what has been described as an over-reaction. The memorial service at Skyreach was attended by 16,000… Read more »
Are you part of Canada’s fastest growing pastime? Are you a gardener? If not, why not? The scope and variety of garden gizmos, gadgets, decorations and plant material has never been greater. The dollars spent are staggering. The possibilities are endless. I’ve noticed that individually and collectively, gardeners are characters. Gardeners have their own ‘look’…. Read more »
Not long ago I bought the Oxford Dictionary of Current English, Third Edition at Coles for $9.95 plus GST. This fat, little blue paperback is 1 3/4″ thick, weighs in at one pound, five ounces and has 1083 pages. It also claims to be one of ‘The World’s Most Trusted Dictionaries’. This tool boasts over… Read more »