Personal Life

The Face of Elder Abuse

This post is general and it’s personal. My former mother-in-law has had her life savings, and even her wedding rings, stolen by a couple of family members. Close ones. The ones she would never suspect would treat her like she no longer mattered. I would love to name them and shame them and hunt them down. But it’s not my place.

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Dad's bingo-themed suspenders hang over a kitchen chair

A Few of Dad’s Favourite Things

It’s natural to think about those we’ve lost at this time of year. Yesterday, the great Penny Marshall joined the long list of people who left us in 2018. We think of our dear friend Kerry. Mike Cooper’s wonderful wife Debbie. Our warm and lovable colleague, Jodi. And my Dad’s been in my thoughts more than usual, now a year-and-a-half after he died.

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Derek stands beside an entrance sign for Highway 101 south

In the Palm of our Hands

You know the kind of person who can tell you the street names and highlights of towns and cities they’ve visited only once? Well, I’m not one of those people. I have just dug through a mountain of receipts to remember where we have been! Lucky for us, we mainly drove on one road: highway 101 along the Pacific coast, from Washington to California.  …

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portrait photo of Rob Lowe

The Grinder

It’s a Rob Lowe-Fred Savage comedy that was cancelled too soon. It’s also my new nickname, given by my dentist. I’m the grinder. And I’d like to warn you about a recommended solution that went horribly wrong. Caution: Mentions of Rob Lowe have now passed and there will be no further Rob Lowe info in this post.* If you require more Rob Lowe, please scroll back up to the top and look at him again.  …

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The back of a woman as she stands, seemingly wondering whether to walk into the woods

Decisions, Decisions

When you were a little kid and you needed to make a decision about your life, it was simple. Do you want to go to Grandma’s house or should I turn this car around right now? Okay then, stop fighting, you two! And you and your brother stopped fighting, because you loved Grandma and she probably baked a pie. Not to mention, no one ever noticed you digging into Grandma’s candy dish, where you would eat as many dusty Humbugs as you could free from the hard, sticky ball they had become.  …

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