In the summer, I wrote a blog post about how my dog Jessie is playing favourites. My friend Rae emailed after reading it suggesting I try to get it published. I wrote back: “That’s so sweet of you Rae! I will take a closer look…
In the fall of 2005, my sister and I visited our family cottage with my dad. He was dying and wanted to go there for the last time with his daughters. As we sat in the small living room, autumn leaves falling outside on a…
It’s Wednesday night. John is in PEI so it’s just the dog and me. I don’t feel like cooking. I rarely feel like cooking for myself. But when it comes to my family, I make award-winning dinners even on school nights. Monday night, I made…
I was not a sentimental bride. After my wedding, I did not lovingly have my dress dry-cleaned and boxed with romantic notions that it would be the “something old” worn by a future daughter. Even if I had had a daughter, my guess is that…
I was at the ELEVATE Toronto conference yesterday and the people sitting beside me said I smelled like marijuana. I swear to you I had not smoked a joint before arriving at the conference. But here is what did happen. The night before, Jessie was…
Do you trust people who act one way in public and another in private? The helpful neighbour who shovels your walk but leaves dirty socks around the house for his spouse to launder? The leadership guru who belittles her own employees? The politician who…
I always knew I had a very smart sister. But I didn’t know I had a crafty one. That’s her in the photo on the verandah of Ridge House Museum (a Victorian-era home), outside of Chatham, Ontario. We were making lavender wands and I just…
My canine daughter, Jessie, is turning 11 in November. According to the American Kennel Club this makes her about 70 years old in human years. She looks great for a senior and gets compliments all the time. But I’ve definitely noticed some changes. Jessie is…
It’s crazy the number of super talented and super nice women in my life. It’s like I’ve got the market cornered on “Super Nice Talented Female Friends” (SNTFF). But it’s an added bonus to not only have a SNTFF but to be able to write…
We were in the Laurentians last weekend at a typical family gathering. There were seventeen of us at the dinner table so you can imagine the decibel level. Add to that the rapid fire exchanges switching between English, French, German and Hungarian. It can be…