This is a shameless promotion for my eldest son’s novel, coming out in a few weeks. More to follow.
Recent Posts
Contentment vs Happiness
When I was chatting with one of my singularly remarkable sisters who has recently become single, she said something that captured my attention. Normally, declarations that come with hesitations make me cautious, or even suspicious, but this one was instructive. After I asked her how she was feeling, she said: “I’m feeling hap. . . […]
The Joy of Not Reading
Don’t get me wrong. I am still reading, but lately I’ve been abandoning some books. It all started when I thought I should work my way through some of the un-heard books in my audiobook files and unread books in my e-reader. Most of them have been there for many years, silently waiting for me […]
Being at The Crossroads of Change
A couple of days ago, I told my eldest son that I wanted to thank him for being so supportive of his wife’s success. She recently had some good career news, and we were enjoying a celebratory dinner. My son said it was a “no brainer” to compliment her accomplishment, and I pointed out that […]
Tying Up Loose Ends
I am working on a crocheted blanket which will have one hundred and twenty-eight motifs joined together when it is finished. The pattern is stretching my capabilities a little, but so far I have been able to figure it out. Today I realized that, while I enjoy making each motif, I don’t much like the […]
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow was published in 2008 and, although it discusses computer technology that is now dated, it still has relevance today. It is a book intended for young adults and has teenaged characters who find ways to challenge and disrupt their dystopian world. Marcus is a tech-savvy seventeen-year-old who has figured out […]
History, Hardship, and a Hoopoe
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo This intriguing story is written in an unconventional manner, which I found bewildering at first. I’m glad I stuck with it, though, because it eventually becomes clear that the underlying message is about women who endure hardship and triumph over adversity. It is set in a […]
A Noteworthy Spelling Experience
This is just funny, for so many reasons. A couple of days ago I was watching television with my laptop on my lap when I got irritated by a spelling error on an advertisement. I usually manage to let spelling and grammatical errors slide right by me, but for some reason (probably red wine) this […]
I Cannot Cry
I sometimes feel as though I want to cry and all the normal emotional and physical triggers suggest that I am about to cry, but I don’t. I am told it is a side effect of one of my medications, and most of the time I am fine with that. Sometimes, though, I really need […]
The Significance of Voice
When you hear a story read aloud, you can enjoy the emphasis and drama in the voice of the storyteller. Their expression of the people and events become yours, too. When you read a story, on the other hand, your imagination brings images to mind and so your own perceptions inform your understanding. That distinction […]
Meme Morality
When I checked in with family and friends on Facebook Stories a few days ago, I saw a beautiful sunset in Hawaii, a message about racism at the border of Ukraine and Poland, and an image of a golf resort in England set to relaxing music. It struck me that these three messages encapsulated the […]
The Lovely Feisty Pam Grier
On 118th Avenue in Edmonton is an abandoned movie theatre. It has been standing unused for at least eight years, when I moved to the area. It is on a large piece of real estate in an area that is central to the city, and I have always wondered why no-one has bought it to […]
Thank You, Yaktrax
I don’t usually promote products or services on this website, but today I am making an exception. After a recommendation from Judy at New England Garden and Thread a few weeks ago, I ordered a set of Yaktrax, and this week they have been the only reason I have been able to get out of […]
Has Soap Changed?
It could be simply that I am getting older, but I feel as though soap has changed. As the years go by, my skin gets drier, and my hair is less joyful. And by ‘joyful’ I mean less wavy, less springy, less everything. I don’t remember this being a problem when I was younger, but […]
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
After I had reviewed The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, her book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents was recommended to me. It is another brilliant and very readable analysis of the social and racial issues facing the United States. Those same issues are facing other countries, too, but the circumstances Wilkerson describes […]
When Kneeling Is Respectful
Yesterday, Eminem took a knee at the end of his half-time show performance at the Super Bowl. This should not be newsworthy, but it was. Here is what I wrote about kneeling at public events back in 2018. ********************************************************************** All the brouhaha about the new Nike ad using Colin Kaepernick’s image has raised again the […]
Imagining Better Worlds
These are two books that I heartily recommend, and both imagine worlds that could improve people’s lives. One is a fictional child’s world, the other is a social economic possibility. My grandmother sends her regards and apologises by Fredrik Backman Elsa is a bright and strong-willed seven-year-old who has an eccentric, devoted, grandmother. After Elsa’s […]
Snowbird of Paradise 