Every time I return from Toronto I know that these trips will be over soon. After my dad and his wife died I never went back to Victoria. The home, the chairs sitting in the sun, the desk with the photos, the box of tea, the couch where I crashed, were gone. Those very things … Continue reading Mama is Preparing to Leave this World
Life
Tiny Moments of Reflection
In many tiny moments I think about life and death. If I am carefully pouring sugar water into a small glass bottle for hummingbirds, I think about my Dad and how he would have done this, when he was alive. How my Dad would have enjoyed my bird feeders, and laughed with me about the … Continue reading Tiny Moments of Reflection
East Coast Challenges: Buying Furniture
'Gathering' is a necessary strategy out here in the east, a survival technique for the barren grounds of the Maritimes, where the couches no longer roam free.
Mom and the Old Bitch Above
There was a time in my youth when I wished my Mom was dead. As soon as I wished it I realized that it was a terrible solution. I knew that my Mom drove me crazy in various ways but it was certainly not fair to request her death in order to set me free … Continue reading Mom and the Old Bitch Above
Chaos and Order – Life and Music
I drove to Dorchester the other weekend to go to a village organized garage sale extravaganza. I found a few things but one of the most wonderful things was the music I found. I was looking through a box of things and found some hand labeled CD’s and cassette tapes. What drew me to the … Continue reading Chaos and Order – Life and Music
A Cuppa
My friend looked at me with an expression of dismay, “Well”, she said, “I don’t know what to do now”. I was at a loss too. Her husband was lying dead on the driveway with my favorite scarf jammed between the ice and his grey hair. He … Continue reading A Cuppa
Stay Calm, Be Brave and wait for the Signs
I have been spending much of my time thinking and writing in my wonderful philosophy class that I am taking long distance from Memorial University in Newfoundland. Prof Craig Cramm offers a gem of a course for students looking for an elective, and the class has more engineering students than philosophy students. This is my last class … Continue reading Stay Calm, Be Brave and wait for the Signs
Examining my Breasts
I found a piece of writing in a dusty file and pulled it out. It was something I wrote about breasts and self examinations 12 years ago. Since then I have had close relatives lose their breasts to the scourge of cancer and I am even more appreciative of the old gals. While looking for … Continue reading Examining my Breasts
The Long Form Census and Moi
Part of me wanted to defend myself, ‘but I only just lost my job last spring, and I may get a new job soon, I am waiting to hear…’ But another part of me wanted to throw her tiny ass out in the snow so I just looked at her. “Have you worked for the government for long”, I asked.
Writing about Writing
I wrote this post three years ago. Now I live without my Mom's voice and I am doing what I promised. I am working on a big project, writing a novel and my mind is playing on a big canvas. My blog posts arrive quietly in my mind while I am cleaning, sorting or … Continue reading Writing about Writing
Notes from a Sinking Isthmus 