Category Archives: Uncategorized

(A repeat at the request of my friend, John Taylor) There are some hallways I will never enter. Strange doors I will never step through, and belief systems I cannot embrace. I’m talking not about scientology. It’s the appeal of the Hallmark channel with its 24/7 Christmas movies that I cannot understand. I know fullContinue reading “It’ a Stepford Family Christmas, Someone Bring the Cheese”

When the world feels heavier than usual, I put away my Game of Thrones novel or collected short stories by Virginia Wolfe (I want to love her writing, but no) and pick up something lighter. A mystery novel, perhaps, though nothing too suspenseful. Reading about a woman unaware of the strange man living in herContinue reading “Just Relax, Already”

This title might seem strange for those who know me. Of course you don’t have a tan, they’re thinking. You avoid the sun like a vampire, wear hats while gardening and stay indoors when it’s too hot. All this is true. My eyes tend to shy away from the light, and my skin feels burnedContinue reading “I Don’t Have a Tan”

This is a repost. I really want to write about my sister, Susan, who passed away on August 7th this summer. But I’m not able, yet, so I’ll set the stage with this family piece. Growing up in a house with six other children required a certain amount of hardiness. After a traditional baptism, anotherContinue reading “Hi Jinks”

For my trip home from Calgary – a twelve hour drive after a four hour sleep – I woke at 4:45 AM, bleary eyed and determined to beat the traffic. I climbed into the car and set my GPS for the town of Kindersley, certain that this would take me home to Flin Flon viaContinue reading “Talkin’ ‘Bout the Car Wash”

There are times when I’m pulled from my comfortable life by uncertain events. I’m no longer running on autopilot, which is how we all live when things are going well.  A few months ago I was flying to Winnipeg and ready for take-off when the flight attendant approached me. She spoke in a low tone,Continue reading “Up In the Air”

I think of myself as a moderate health nut, eating well and exercising. I never sign up for extreme sports and I won’t become a Vegan. (But I should be a vegan. I feel so guilty.) So when my friend…let’s call her S….told me about her new health kick, I was intrigued but a bitContinue reading “Shut Your Mouth”

 My journey with dark chocolate started a number of years ago with a desperately whispered prayer. As I lay on the sofa, a half-eaten Easter Bunny in hand, (not the live kind…I’m not that bad) and a tub of ice cream resting on my stomach, I said this to God.  “Please! Help me get offContinue reading “Cadmium and Lead in My Chocolate? Oh My”

I enjoy all kinds of dystopian fiction. Alien invasions, futuristic thrillers…any movie or series where things aren’t looking too good. Because no matter how messed up our world is, we’re not there yet and hopefully never will be. The thing I don’t like about shows like Mad Max-Fury Road, the Walking Dead, or Water World,Continue reading “How Canadians Dress for the Apocalypse”

I’m not trying to compare myself with the protagonist of the novel, ‘Divergent,’ who jumps from the platform of a speeding train to land on the roof of a tall building. I’d be dead before the book got started. But I believe the title accurately describes the strange routes and mysterious highways inside my brain. Continue reading “Divergent”