They arrive in early January, two books full of my writing from the previous year. Every year since 2008 there’s been one, and this year there’s a second volume with my poems. One book goes on the shelf next to the others; the poetry one remains on the table beside my chair. I think I…
It was -16C when I got up yesterday morning—the first one in March. This morning, it’s-1C. I’m not sure if that qualifies as either a lion or lamb, but what it is to me is an exhale. We made it. The worst of winter is behind us. We’ve come through the dark months and there…
We’re almost two months into this year that seemed shiny with possibility just a few weeks ago. Anyone else feel like the shine tarnished almost as soon as 2026 was out of the gate? Eight weeks ago, we were setting intentions, loose as we may have held them at the time, and basking in the…
It’s another cold day (-27C when I got up this morning) here in Saskatchewan, but rumour has it tomorrow is actually going to be above freezing. May it be so. We watched the gold medal men’s hockey game this morning and cheered on our Canadian team. It was an exciting game even though our team…
I just sent this out to my subscribers on Substack. Posting it on here for the benefit of those who may be subscribed both there and here. I’m returning to my website, and making my blog, My Own Velvet Room, my primary online home. If you were previously subscribed to A Slice of Life on my…
Yesterday was a holiday—Family Day—and many people were off work. When we lived in a larger centre, I wouldn’t go to the shops for love nor money on a weekend or holiday, but it’s different living in our small city now. We went to the store to pick a couple of things (milk, yogurt, cottage…