There's something beautiful happening at one of the homes in our cul-de-sac. It belongs to an older woman who lost her husband sometime before we moved here in 2014. I used to see her regularly heading out for a walk on the nearby hills, but I don't see her often anymore. There was a water
I’ve known for some time that I don’t hear as well as I should. It’s become a habit to turn to Gerry in all kinds of situations and ask “What did he/she say?”. I became especially aware of the problem when Makiya and Laurinda (temporarily) moved in with us. The three of them were united in
I read a post this morning on Christy Woolum’s blog, Gathering Around the Table, called Ten Things Savimg My Life Right Now, where she shared 10 things helping her through the bleak mid-winter. Her post was in response to Anne Vogel’s post on her blog, Modern Mrs. Darcy, and invitation to others to do make
Mesmerized, I watch the snow blow across the surface of the frozen river. In the distance, a small animal runs across the ice toward the shore. A fox, maybe? Downriver a short distance, there's an office building on the opposite shore. I worked there a lifetime ago but it's owned by a different business now.
Thirteen years ago today, an early-morning phone call from my daughter letting me know she was in labour, sent me scrambling to book a last-minute flight from balmy Seattle to frigid Calgary. I made it in time to be there when my granddaughter was born and I fell in love with her the moment I
On this the last day of the year, it seems fitting to take a literal look back at some ordinary days of 2021 with twelve photos and a few memories. We welcomed the start of the year with a mild January. We went outside and took the dogs for walks on balmy afternoons. We did
Hands held. Driveways shovelled. Laughter shared. A chocolate offered. A gift given. A sacrifice made. A candy bar cut in four pieces. Serious conversation. Meals cooked. Tears. Hugs. Prayers. Clean bath towels in bathrooms. Notes written. Dishes washed. Questions asked. Mincemeat tarts. Vegetables chopped. Ringing bells. A coffee shop. Text messages. Windshield washer fluid poured
We curl up in the living room in the morning—me with a mug of yerba mate and her with a mug of soy milky frothy chocolatey coffee, and enjoy mother-daughter conversation for an hour or so. When we've exhausted every topic (well, almost, and only for the time being) I head to the kitchen to
Yesterday was a holiday here in Canada so it's a Friday that feels like a Monday. This, after turning the clocks back last weekend and it's a recipe for discombobulation. Seems like a good time to look back at the week that was and find things to be thankful for with another edition of Friday's
I finally tended to the carrots we harvested from our backyard garden many weeks ago. They've been resting on the back deck waiting for me to get a burst of energy and turn my attention to them. This morning I brought them in, washed, and chopped some for soup and others for munching, and the
I'm having a quiet, albeit busy, Monday morning. With Makiya at school, Laurinda and work, and Gerry out hiking, it's just me, Maya, Murphy (who, incidentally, joined our family one year ago today), and a pretty kitty named Chica who is still adjusting to being a Kamloopsian. Earlier, the dogs and the cat declared a