Blog
Remembering my dad…on Father’s Day and always
I’m about to mark my tenth Father’s Day without my dad. Although time has lessened the raw grief of his death, his absence is still and always will be a “hole” in my life familiar to all “orphaned children” no matter how old. I thought of Dad especially during the...
Advice to my younger self
On social media and elsewhere recently, many people are giving advice to their younger selves. Some posts are short and pithy (no major accomplishment without significant “butt hurt” is an especially topical one for writers!), but others are longer and thoughtful...
Fantasy to reality: No ‘rules’ for an engagement
This week, Tech Guy and I marked the twenty-fourth anniversary of our engagement. In some ways, that special day seems like yesterday. In others, it’s a lifetime ago and that young(er) couple are like people we used to know, almost strangers to who we’ve since become....
“Death and taxes”
Here in Canada, taxes were due on April 30 this year. As such, the phrase “death and taxes” (usually attributed to a 1789 letter by Benjamin Franklin in which he said they were the only two things certain in life), has been much on my mind. Multiple currencies...
Counting my blessings
The past month or so has been filled with what one of my grandmothers would have called “things sent to try us.” A viral infection for the entire family topped off with strep throat for English Rose. A broken tooth for me and multiple dental appointments...
Lost and found…
One of my dominant memories of English Rose’s primary (elementary) school years is of a constant search for lost items. At that time, she wore a dark-green school uniform, and I spent many minutes before and after my then day job sorting through an almost...
Sightseeing, shopping snacking and more: Celebrating a mini vacation
English Rose had a school holiday earlier this month so we spent a long weekend in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, forty-five minutes by car from where we live. Although we visit Ottawa every few months, it’s usually for medical appointments, brunch with family,...
Celebrating grandmothers
Earlier this week, English Rose bounced into the house with the kind of teenage excitement usually reserved for a meme, ‘tea’ (gossip between friends), or afternoon at the mall. “Look what Grandma J gave me,” she said, gesturing to the colourful bracelet on her...
My life in laundry
As you may have seen on Twitter, Tech Guy and I got a new washing machine last week. Not only did it mark a milestone in my complicated relationship with laundry but, and in a clear indication of advancing middle age, few things in recent years have brought me so much...
Photo by Robin Spencer, Spencer Studio