The last couple of days have given me lovely views of the morning sunrise. They don’t last long, but while they are there I just want to breathe them in.
Author: Snowbird of Paradise
An Albertan who spends winters in California.
Rust Magic in Ritchie
Just behind some shops on 82nd Avenue in Edmonton is an alley with some interesting murals. They are from several different artists and show a variety of styles, but they have one thing in common; courageous flair. I am always impressed by the confidence it takes to create artwork on such a massive scale, and […]
Old Movies, New Roles
Last week, I was idly looking for useful things to do when I opened the cupboard doors in my TV stand to see what I could clear out. (I’m experiencing a combination of Covid isolation and a late-life decluttering urge.) Inside the TV stand were some DVD’s that had been out of sight and out […]
More Lovely Autumn Colours
Before the wind takes all the leaves away, I got a few more pictures of the lovely colours. Enjoy!
Playing With Dolls
Originally posted on Snowbird of Paradise:
Image courtesy of Tam Gorzalka From the moment a child is born, we want to reassure ourselves that our baby fits into our perceptions of what is considered normal. Normal numbers of fingers and toes, normal weight, normal health, and normal gender. The problem with that is that we have…
Behind Gallery U
When I was visiting the Strathearn neighbourhood in Edmonton with my younger son last month, we stopped to enjoy a lovely little corner of the world. It is a parking area behind a strip mall, and a container garden, and a sculpture gallery all in one. I suspect the sculptures are the work of the […]
Three Books About Love and Loss
These three books are all very different and each is set in a different country, but all three have an understanding of women’s lives and women’s sorrows. Sweetness In The Belly by Camilla Gibb This story begins in Morocco, travels to Ethiopia during Emperor Heile Selassie’s reign, and continues to the London of Margaret Thatcher’s […]
Two Hundred and Fifteen
6 June 2021 Trigger Warning: This essay includes information about the deaths of indigenous students in residential schools in Canada. Canadians are shocked and horrified to learn of the extent of the genocide of indigenous children which took place at residential schools. It is a story that must be retold if there is to be […]
Elk Island In All Her Glory
Elk Island National Park near Edmonton was in all her glory today. I enjoyed a delightful 4 km walk beside Astotin Lake and even saw a Wood Bison near the road on the way home. Perfect.
Today I Learned
Today I learned that I have one ear longer than the other. You would think that by the time I got to be seventy-two years old I would have figured this out by now, but no. I found out today. The reason I found out was that I pierced my own ears today. If the […]
Wrapped Dinosaurs and a Worried Little Girl
In Borden Park this morning, workers were preparing for an exhibition of animatronic dinosaurs which will be open to the public September 24-26. Today’s park visitors were drawn to watch the hive of activity from behind red metal fences. We peered through the spaces to watch dinosaurs, wrapped in plastic, being carefully manoeuvred into place […]
The Colours Outside My Window
The changing leaves that I can see outside my window today inspired me to try to get all the colours within a single frame. Here are some of the photos I took.
Finite Funds And Energy
How do you plan for the next decade or two of your life when you are 72? I want to make the best use of my time, energy, health, and money with the awareness that all of those things will decline. The two people in my life whose advice I value the most, my sons, […]
Sun And Shadows
Today’s morning walk took me along the North Saskatchewan River from Louise McKinney Riverfront Park to Irene Parlby Park. I enjoyed seeing the play of light and shadow on the ground and through the leaves of the trees. I also enjoyed watching a group of about ten women learning to use Segways. When I first […]
Balancing Appearance and Access
As I was walking in Strathearn, Edmonton yesterday, I discovered an interesting protest. Outside of a small strip mall there were wheelchairs, walkers, canes, strollers, children’s tricycles, and crutches on display. There was also a tent on which I was invited to put my signature in support of the protest. In order to understand how […]
Erasing Ideas
It is easy to dismiss murals as graffiti or even as vandalism but over the years, and the last ten years in particular, they have flourished and have become widely accepted. What was once sometimes rude and crude is now often artful and valued. Wherever I go, I enjoy seeing mural art. Most cities encourage […]
Messages, Messenger, and a Meetup Mess
I stopped using Facebook in March 2018 when I learned that Cambridge Analytica had hijacked information about all of our Facebook friends. I might never have reactivated my Facebook account if Covid-19 had not put us in quarantine. I missed being in touch with family and friends and so I reconnected in December 2020. My […]
CBD, THC, and CBC
It all began about six weeks ago. Well, no. Actually it started several years ago when I first experienced osteoarthritis in my fingers and, coincidentally, insomnia. But, for the sake of this tale, the story began six weeks ago when I saw an ad on Facebook for CBD gummies. In case you have never been […]
