“Is it my imagination or are people friendlier this year?” I asked My Sweet as we walked from the marina up to our campsite. We had been in camp a few days and were noticing a difference. We were used to the politely mumbled morning greetings as we passed people in the dark on our […]
Know your limit – play within it
I’m in a dilemma. Mostly I have made my decision but I’m not very happy with myself about it. I feel like I’m letting myself down but I’m also pretty sure I’m making the best decision. My Sweet and I are on our annual fishing trip to the West Coast. He has been here every […]
The day my brain let me down…again…
Let’s see. Can I think back over my morning and find some aberration that explains what happened at lunch? Something, anything, that explains why my brain disconnected so spectacularly? I had my usual mini-carafe of coffee to start the day. It’s not quite a carafe, but almost. It’s 16 ounces of bright red ceramic, sturdy, […]
Snake in the grass
My Sweet and I have had a visitor this summer. Really, he’s been around long enough that I’ve resigned myself to the fact that he’s not visiting, he’s taken up residence. In fact, we named him because anyone that stays around that long needs to have a name. We called him Chuck. He’s not exactly […]
An Ordinary Day
Today was an ordinary day. I woke, dressed in a t-shirt and comfortable, flannel pants. I made coffee with cream in my favourite red mug. I took it outside, walked along the boardwalk to the pond in the front yard. I sat in my chair and drank my coffee, savouring every sip while I watched […]
I’ve got a secret
I’m going to tell you a secret. I’m not perfect. You’re not surprised. I’m not surprised that you’re not surprised. Why am I bringing up my lack of perfection? Because my creative writing stream has dried up like the Sahara in July. Unless it’s drier in the Sahara in January because if it is, that’s […]
The bogeyman and other lies from my childhood
Little B and I were taking a stroll around the yard, heading toward the back of the shop in search of the deer that have been hanging around. We rounded the corner when suddenly Little B gives a yank on my hand, puts a finger to his lips and says, “Gramma, sshhhh.” He points vigorously […]
Life is not a spectator sport
Last summer, a photo of a friend from high school showed up on my Facebook newsfeed. That in itself is not unusual, I keep in touch with quite a few of my high school friends through Facebook. But this particular photo and its caption was inspiring. My friend was standing at the top of a […]
Remembering Margaret…or not…
July 18, 1995 Dear Margaret, Hi there! You just popped into my mind! Whenever that happens – you know – you’re thinking about something and out of the blue a memory of a person comes up – I write that person a letter or note. I suddenly remembered the day I came by to tell […]
Family Ties
My father comes from a family of letter-writers and journal keepers. There’s no shortage of written material that tell the story of his family. The collections are precious, although I’m not sure my father is convinced they are anything special because he keeps threatening to throw them out. My mother, on the other hand, has […]
