Finding the Woman in the Well

It had been a long day, and Ellen’s tooth throbbed. She felt a bit warm, which meant she probably had an infection. But she didn’t have the money or time to have a dentist pull a tooth. With a husband and a young daughter to feed and clothe, she had to put herself last. ThereContinue reading “Finding the Woman in the Well”

What’s Your Ikigai?

What gets you out of bed every day? In my case, it is two overzealous dogs, and I know what will happen if I don’t get up and at ‘em. Doesn’t mean I always want to. In fact, if they wake me before 8 am, I go back to bed. Especially in the winter. It’sContinue reading “What’s Your Ikigai?”

Say It Like You Mean It

I came across an interesting book: Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words. It’s authored by Anglo-Irish poet David Whyte and published in December of 2014. (Do you realize that was 11 years ago?) Consolations is a book of fifty-two short essays, each featuring a specific word and arranged in alphabetical order. TopicsContinue reading “Say It Like You Mean It”

Pet Power

As I write this blog, I am away from home looking after my “grand dog”, Bruce. Bruce is a nine-year-old English Bulldog. He is adorable, although I must admit I was terrified when my daughter told me she had adopted a bulldog from the local animal shelter. It was a surprise for her, as sheContinue reading “Pet Power”

Beltane (Round 2)

Today, Wednesday, May 1, is Beltane. Beltane is one of the four main festivals, or quarters, on the Pagan Wheel of the Year. It is also International Workers’ Day. The spirit of Beltane has not quite hit me yet, and my creative juices have been focused on another project. So, I am going to doContinue reading “Beltane (Round 2)”

Better late than never

We all have that one friend (or possibly two) who is constantly late. Late for coffee, late for dinner, late for appointments. They don’t do it intentionally; it just seems to happen. I hate being late for things. To me, it shows a lack of respect for the other person’s time. One day, on myContinue reading “Better late than never”

Don’t get scammed!

We had a major snowstorm the other day. We’re talking close to 30 cm in a few hours. Streets were impassable, and although city crews did get out quickly and clear the main roads, residential areas were a nightmare for days. The next thing I knew, I was getting texts from delivery companies informing meContinue reading “Don’t get scammed!”

One stitch at a time

A couple weeks ago, on a warm autumn afternoon, I spent a few hours helping sort, tag, and bag more than 300 hand-knit or crocheted blankets and about 200 toys—all for kittens. Say what? You heard me, for kittens. I recently became a volunteer with Knittins for Kittins (K4K), a non-profit organization whose members createContinue reading “One stitch at a time”

Perfect Strangers

The other day at the grocery store, there was an older fellow behind me with only two cartons of milk in his cart, while I had several items. I asked him if he would like to go ahead of me, but he said no because he wanted to stand and rest a bit. I guessContinue reading “Perfect Strangers”

Mercury is where?

The other day, during a lunch out with a couple of friends, our conversation went from the weather and smoke from northern fires to some of the annoying things that had been happening to each of us lately. “My boss has been a real pain in the butt,” said one. “It doesn’t matter what IContinue reading “Mercury is where?”