I’ve owned, or rather ‘been owned’, by two dogs. And both have enriched my life immeasurably. First was Ladybug, a white and brown spotted floppy-eared mutt. Adopted from a farm, she joined the family soon after my ninth birthday. Smart, active and curious, she’s part...
It’s been a long, hard winter here in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Except for the Pacific coast, Canadian winters are known for being cold and snowy, but the winter of 2025-2026 has seemed especially severe. And while the calendar says spring, winter still hasn’t fully...
As an author, I love words. In fact, my family might call me a bit of a ‘word nerd.’ From subscribing to Dictionary.com ‘Word of the Day’ emails to looking up new-to-me words used in books, news articles or conversation, I’ve rarely met a word I didn’t like. This week...
High school wasn’t the best time in my life, so I don’t often think of it. Yet, when I was recently in search of character names beyond online sources and a baby name book, I turned to a stack of old yearbooks—and took a stroll down memory lane. Long-forgotten...
I’ve never been a sporty type. From lurking (and surreptitiously reading!) in the outfield during a middle school baseball game, to spraining my back when I first attempted a forward roll and huffing and puffing in the gym as classmates ran around me, my lack of...
I’ve collected vintage books since childhood, and you may remember a post from last year, For the Love of Old Books, about that collection. Lately, given several recent “finds”, I’ve been thinking about the untold stories bookplates and inscriptions in...
