These two books about migrations within America and to America have given me a lot to think about. They go beneath the surface and find both heartwarming and unsettling consequences. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson Between 1915 and 1970 six million Black Americans fled the South for cities in the North and […]
Today the temperature rose to 7 C and it was lovely to get outside in the sunshine. The sky was blue and the air was warm as my eldest son and I took a walk across the Tawatinâ Bridge. (Tawatinâ is the Cree word for “Valley.”) I have wanted to walk here ever since this new […]
I’ve been making hats. It’s a pastime I began a couple of years ago and I picked it up again this winter. When you arrive at the confluence of time, isolation, terrible weather, and a supply of random leftover yarn, that’s what you do. I’m not a great knitter or crocheter, but I can handle […]
If you use Facebook at all, you will have seen some random questions occasionally. You have also, probably, answered a few of them. I once answered the question about how far I live from my birthplace, and the one about how many grandparents I can name. Mostly, though, I have resisted the temptation. These questions […]
On Christmas Eve my son drove his family and me out to my daughter-in-law’s family for the holiday. They live in Blackfoot, Alberta and the drive took about three hours. It would normally be a quicker journey but we were slowed down by ice on the road part of the way there. Or, as Canadians […]
After I hung a bird feeder in the tree outside my window, I expected to see magpies because they are the neighbourhood bully-birds, and they did not let me down. After that first day, though, it has been a delightful surprise to see some of the smaller birds also getting a chance to eat a […]
Last winter the springs in my recliner-couch lost most of their oomph and so I went online to buy a replacement. From a popular furniture store sale, I bought an armchair recliner and a loveseat to replace the uncomfortable old couch. I thought I had bought a matching set, but it turned out that the […]
After I hung out a birdseed feeder, I watched two magpies taking turns to eat the seeds and nuts. They ate about a third of the seed ball in less than an hour.
These two books were both recommended to me, and I am happy to recommend them to you. They are both enjoyable and engaging, although they are very different in style and tone. One is about staying in a home town and the other is about travelling all over the country. Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout […]
Yesterday someone with my garage remote was accused of stealing packages from the mailroom in my condo building in San Jose. To say I was shocked and horrified is to understate my feelings when I got the email from the property management company. The email was quite terse and, I thought, unnecessarily accusatory. Here is […]
E Is for Evidence by Sue Grafton Private Investigator Kinsey Millhone must solve a murder in order to restore her professional reputation, and she must do so without smart phones and with no internet to aid the detective work. She must rely on interviews and logic to figure things out. She records notes and compiles […]
It was unusually warm for a November day and was about 4 C (39 F) as I walked in Borden Park. It began to rain as I was leaving but I managed to get home before the roads became covered in freezing rain.
The 19th Christmas by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro This is one in a series of the Women’s Murder Club thrillers. I had not read any of the other books in this series, but it didn’t matter because the story stands alone. It mostly revolves around only one member of the club, although she draws […]
Is there such a thing as empathy burnout? If so, that is what I am feeling. All my get-up-and-go got up and went. For the last couple of months, I have received one piece of bad news after another. People I know and love have died, are dying, cannot get the surgery they need, or […]
Here are two books that I have recently finished. They are both well-written and engaging, but I am left wondering why I want to like the protagonists in the novels I read. The Last Trial by Scott Turow This is one in a series of books about defense lawyer Alejandro “Sandy” Stern. He is eighty-five […]
“There’s no crying in Alberta. P.S. Get a job & give back. Thank you. Merci. Hyi Hyi. Gratious & such. Be blessed & a blessing. Much love & respect. Strawberry. Amen.” Discuss.
Recently, my local community centre invited seniors to a drop-in. They wanted to find out what services this group of local people would like to see offered at the centre. The drop-in was to be between 1:00 and 4:00 PM on the Tuesday, so I made a note of it on my calendar. They said […]
I ran outside in my pyjamas and bath robe to take these photos this morning. What an amazing sky! It was pink and purple on one side of the house and orange and peach on the other side. These were taken with my Olympus E-M10II camera using the sunset scene settings.
Snowbird of Paradise 