Another Labour of Love
The problem is that those of us who are lucky enough to do work that we love are sometimes cursed with too damn much of it. Terry Gross, JournalistI sure don’t want to jinx us but lemme just say…I’m hoping that the cold has snapped and skedaddled away. I should know by now not to be smug thinking that I’m prepared and can relax. Such has proven true with grape vine and fruit tree pruning, weeding, harvest, mulching and especially cold snap water prep. I’ve written previously about the Honey-Do List, that roster of once-hidden wishful-thinking items that Laurie had compiled; those...
Read MoreDecember 18, 2023
Dear Santa, Now that I have the #1 item on my list (a horse) I’ve been finding that although I want for basically nothing (except of course world peace, the end of hunger, environmental salvation, and one of those mermaid costumes) there is something at this very moment that I think I need. It would be oh-so helpful … either a third functional hand or a Dictaphone. Your big bushy white eyebrows rise I see, but please let me explain. It seems that with everything in my life there is this pattern. In a nutshell, I wait till the last moment to complete the task. Like for example having my...
Read MoreHay There!
Make Hay While The Sun Shines’ – John Heywood, English Playwright 1546 As I briefly scanned the horizon last month, while driving through Cedar or into fair Ladysmith, I noted that the field marshmallows were popping up everywhere. And who would have thought that a playwright, and sometime musician/composer would have coined the prime rule when it comes to mak’in hay? Not I. Since we ‘bought the farm’ in 2004 this time of the season has always stressed me out to the max. Harvesting the early fruits and veggies is great for the spirit, but that hay! Depending on folks is one...
Read MoreMom & The Church of Tim Hortons
Her name was June. But of course she was always Mom to me. Only once did I call her June, just to test the waters, when I was a daring teenager, young and oh-so foolish. Once! But this piece is not about that particular event. In celebration of Mother’s Day (which I feel should be much more than once a year) I have a story; a true story about my Mom. Although I am loathed to advertise big businesses I’ve always entitled the tale as ‘The Church of Tim Hortons’. But first I need to set the stage, of course. Dad was a Catholic, through and through – his Dad, my...
Read MoreLost in the Translation
It’s been sooo cold this spring. Hail in April? On Vancouver Island? My aging body now prefers much warmer weather, ‘way down south’-type weather. And coupled with my zero-resistance to trip down memory lane (especially adventures with my soul mate Laurie Gourlay), I believe it is time for my Mexican Tale. It was my first ‘foreign adventure’ with Laurie way back in 1979. He had already hitchhiked around the world and down through the Baja when the highway was still a dirt road, with mass vehicle jams during the muddy season; when they waited till enough cars...
Read MoreLove … Unconditionally
For a long long time, since I was a wee bairn I’ve linked February with Valentine’s Day. You know the book of cards you gave out (& received) from classmates, in an envelope that had its own fake stamp, or your own SWAK on the back. Later it was fancier cards, chocolates, flowers. I was lucky. I got all 3 and the flowers were always in a pot so they lived on and on… if I remembered to water them. I don’t recall any stat holiday in this month until about a decade ago. Now PEI has Islander Day, Manitoba has Louis Reil Day, Nova Scotia has Heritage Day. In BC...
Read MoreSeasoned Greetings
If we’re not meant to have midnight snacks. why is there a light in the fridge? – unknown author Once again that magical time of the year is upon us. For many folks Christmas and New Years is all about friends and family and…FOOD, glorious food; my favourite 4-letter word that starts with F. Come to think of it, it appears to be the common denominator in all of life’s celebrations. Let’s name a few: Thanksgiving – turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, squash, and the grande finale pumpkin pie; then Christmas – more turkey, ham, brussel sprouts. But...
Read MoreBook Worm
There is more treasure in books, than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island -Walt Disney, I have a confession – a shocker for some. Although I like to write & love to talk (really?), I’ve never been a reader; a pleasure-reader that is. I have indeed digested many a medical tome. During my nurse training the favourite party tale was about how I sustained a black eye while studying late into the night. The massive anatomy book that I had propped up on a pillow suddenly careened over just as I was momentarily checking my eyelids for cracks. I believe the term...
Read MoreA Tale of Two Unicorn
A great horse will change your life. The truly special ones define it. As I sit here on the swing, in the shade of a rather large cedar tree, protecting me from the sun/cloud/rain (take your pick, give it an hour and we’ll get all three!), I’m looking out at the corral where my 2 unicorns remain sequestered. I watch them nibble away patiently, nay more like rambunctiously, at their hay net bags – nuzzling, prodding, lifting, teasing the stands of dried grass through...
Read MoreThe Hiatus & The Honey-Do List
The new year is well on it’s way…once again. 2021 was a lightning-quick one for me. The summer? Zipped right by. Writing was on hiatus – no time to wax the eloquent. Most of the farm production, plant-pick-preserve, was thankfully in the capable hands of a very good man and companion. My focus was on the Honey-Do List (and still is!). An explanation: It all started a few months after Laurie’s sudden passing, four years ago. He was an organized man, a list man and we both found great pleasure in figuring out retirement plans. You know, after we were mortgage-free and...
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