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...

Why do I write?

In a Facebook group this week, another writer asked: “Why do you write?”  While the answer is different for each writer, the question made me think about the constants from when I first started my writing journey—enthusiastic and starry eyed—through to now—still...

Hunkering down for winter

I grew up in a Canadian city (profiled in a documentary “Colder Than Mars”) that is either celebrated, or depending on your perspective, reviled for the harshness of its winter weather. Now I live near a place that this week garnered the dubious distinction as the...

A year to cultivate

In the past few weeks, my social media feeds have been dotted with posts from those who have chosen a particular word to guide them through 2019. I’ve chosen a ‘word for the year’ since 2014 (read more here), and because I don’t usually make resolutions (and never in...