At the end of the year, I enjoy looking back at the list of books I read in the previous twelve months. I often remember specific times and places when a particular book held my attention, and browsing the titles takes me back to moments sitting on the back deck in the heat of summer…
It’s mid-morning on December 24th as I write this, and I’ve just sat down with a mug of reheated coffee. Handel’s Messiah is playing on our Alexa Dot and a pot of water is simmering on the stove steaming my mom’s Christmas cake. I’ve had her recipe in the plastic yellow box I’ve kept special…
It’s the winter solstice, and sunrise here in Moose Jaw happened at 9 a.m.—tomorrow, we begin the slow crawl toward light and garden season. Two snowstorms in the past few days have kept us mostly at home and indoors. Gerry’s been out a couple of times with his birthday snowblower, and I took advantage of…
Jarred from the peace of sleep and the comfort of warm flannel sheets, I retrieve my glasses and Kindle from my bedside table and, with a little Yorkie in my arms, stumble from the bedroom. Molly’s internal clock says it’s time to get up. It’s barely 4 a.m. and I inadvertently trained her to rise…
Gerry and I are home from Costco or, said differently, we survived Costco. There is no such beast in Moose Jaw; Regina, about 40 minutes east, is the closest one. We originally planned to go yesterday, but the weather was less than optimum for winter highway travel so we opted to stay home—and spent a…
Molly and I are up at 4 a.m. as is usual for us. I brew a mug of tea and take it to my woman cave. There, Molly goes back to sleep on my lap while I pray, read, and listen to Handel’s Messiah performed by the Cape Town Youth Choir. Two candles flicker on…