A great joy in my life is being a Grandma without ever having children. Wait, that didn’t come out right. It’s not that I am joyful that I didn’t have children. But I got grandkids anyway. …
Thankful Thursday – Grandbabies Read More »
Forget the KonMari method – deciding to keep only the items that bring you joy. Don’t buy a bunch of baskets and sort your stuff. That only helps the basket-makers and doesn’t do enough to reduce the amount of stuff you keep. No, I’ve developed a new way of looking at your stuff that will make you want to get rid of anything you don’t really need. …
A New Method for Decluttering Read More »
You can buy the same microwave as ours at a zillion Canadian retailers. It’s a Samsung over-the-range unit. Reasonably priced. It has all of the doodads you want in a microwave including a turntable and popular settings. It’s all good, right? …
A Lightbulb Moment Read More »
Thanks to our pal Bruce Barker, we got a trial start on a weekly subscription of Good Food. It’s a meal prep service that delivers all of the ingredients you need to make wonderful meals. Only olive oil, salt and pepper aren’t included. …
Hands up, anyone who loves scraping layers of paint off a metal door? Anybody? Bueller? I didn’t think so. …
When I moved into the house almost ten years ago, I ordered a large wardrobe from Ikea. It helped solve the lack-of-closet-space issue that many houses of this era have. If our home was a person, it would be getting its pension and planning its shopping trips for senior’s days. …
It’s Not Easy Being Clean Read More »
Sunday would have been Dad’s 83rd birthday. Life expectancy for a Canadian man is just over 82 years, so I suppose he was pretty average in that way. Yes, I looked it up, trying to make sense of it and continuing to fail at making it okay that he’s gone. Reminding myself that it’s the natural order of things. …
Lessons Learned and Learning Read More »
This debut novel came to me in an unusual way. The author, Holly Ducarte, is the sister of a former radio station colleague. It’s classified as YA – Young Adult fiction, but this older adult truly enjoyed it. …
Review: The Light Over Broken Tide Read More »
Happy short work-week! I think that should become more of a thing. Long weekend. Short work-week. I’ll get in touch with Hallmark and see if we can’t get some cards made up. But I digress. …
The Voice Down the Hallway Read More »
I call her Mamasita, Matka, Ma, Mom and other variations on the same theme. And when I’m serious about something, I use her full name: Mother! It’s the equivalent of her using my full name when I was a kid. Strikes terror in her heart! (not really)Â …
Thankful Thursday – My Mama Read More »
As we explored the St. Stephen-St. Andrews-Calais area last week, we took the advice of anyone who offered it. If someone said we should go see something, we went. That included my brother’s suggestion that we head up to McAdam and see the old train station. …
Take The Last Train to McAdam Read More »
There are places in North America where you can stand in Canada and the US simultaneously. A massive, historic home straddles Stanstead, Quebec and Plain, Vermont, for example. You can enter the house from both countries. …
The Thin Red Line Read More »
Anthropologists probably have something deep and insightful to say about why Derek and I are drawn to water. All we know is that we feel calmer and happier around a body of water of just about any kind. Bigger than a puddle but not necessarily an ocean. …
Full tank of gas? Check. GPS? Check. House/pet sitter? Check. Blog posts for next week? Um, uncheck. There might be one or two.
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On the Road Again Read More »
Translation: It’s been ten years since Derek and I visited England and France. We also went to Monaco but didn’t quite make it to Italy. I’d love to spend a couple of years visiting tiny pockets of Europe. The only other European country I’ve seen is Iceland. …
Throwback Thursday – Une Dizaine D’annees, Mon Dieu!Read More »
Throwback Thursday – Une Dizaine D’annees, Mon Dieu! Read More »
The personal possession purge continues. A cedar chest we acquired and have no room for; a barnboard-and-bulb-cage chandelier made by Derek; an extra motorcycle windshield we boxed up and stored – it’s all going, going, gone! …
The Wheat Stuff and the Chaff Stuff Read More »
Sunday can’t possibly be the first anniversary of my father’s death. It’s gone so fast and time has also crawled. I truly thought I understood what it must be like to lose a parent but I didn’t – I couldn’t – until I lost my own Dad. …
Thankful Thursday – My Least Favourite Year Read More »
