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Neil Young sat beside me last Saturday during choir practice. Metaphorically, of course. But it felt real. We were learning his song, ‘After the Gold Rush.’ The harmony was lovely and haunting, bringing me close to tears. The music feels like a dirge with its plaintive talk of drugs and mother nature. And yet. As we moved through the piece I began to feel like myContinue reading “Neil Young and me on a Saturday Morning”

In 1979 I was standing on a mountain in the Himalayas. My face hadn’t seen water in four days and my 25th birthday loomed over me like a serial killer. The thing I’d been dreading all year had arrived. It was finally time for me to grow up. I made a few promises to myself back then, which I’ve kept. For example, to stopContinue reading “Safe, on the Other Side of Sixty”

This is my tribute to women during the busiest season of their lives. In no way should my male readers take this as a slight or a rejection of all they have to offer. I know that any one of you can pour a drink with the best of them. You probably make excellent egg nog, and areContinue reading “A Moment of Silence for the Women of Christmas”

Writing a blog reminds me of going to confession. Something about the tiny room in the back of my old Catholic church, the lingering scent of incense, the attentive and gentle presence of the priest. It all seems to work in much the same way. On the page and in the church I spill the beans every time. Are bloggers actually seeking forgiveness, then, or some type of absolution? TheContinue reading “In Pursuit of Good Enough”

Now that I’m older, I’ve decided to give my life the respect it deserves. By savoring each moment, the simple transforms into the extraordinary. Like when I’m listening to CBC radio in the kitchen and feel such a heady rush of joy, I know it’s impossible to feel any happier.  That store of joy is tucked away inside me, ready to be releasedContinue reading “Please Proceed to the Back of the Plane”

A week ago I got back from a trip, woke up on Thursday morning and remembered I’d agreed to do the church service on Sunday. I started thinking about my sermon and all the stuff I had to do over the next few days. I felt excessively busy, but in a very disorganized way. I had an overwhelming feelingContinue reading “Faith, Stress, and the Zombie Apocalypse”

In the last few days, I’ve been in a Bob Dylan frame of mind. Meaning, I’m feeling a little whiny. This hang dog, self pity party got its start during a road trip to Winnipeg. The catalyst  for the whole experience was my morning fruit shake, which I always have for breakfast, even when traveling.Continue reading “Blowin’ in the Wind”

About a week ago I was standing on my back deck when I smelled something truly terrible. It was a sweetish odor, and rotten, like a potato that is so old, it has collapsed in on itself. I searched the area around the deck, but a wind wafted the scent away and I forgot aboutContinue reading “What’s That Smell?”

I have a guilty secret that I desperately need to share. When I was twenty-two years old, newly married and living in Carmen, Manitoba, I developed a peculiar addiction. Like most people with a secret life, I was finally found out by none other than my husband. I tried to draw him into my utterlyContinue reading “Fifty Shades of Cheese”

After years of bragging about my stoic hike to the base camp of Mount Everest, I’m going to out myself by publishing my diary. Twenty-four days of climbing, complaining, itching and rats. And beautiful scenery. See? The word order is a strong indication of a wee inclination for whining. Here goes. Jan 8, 1979 We’reContinue reading “Diary of a Whiny Himalayan Trekker – 1979”