Personal Interests
Stay Home and Read Books
My friend went to New York City last year and brought back a bunch of postcards from Strand Book Store. When she told me to pick one for myself, I was immediately drawn to this one, for obvious reasons. Here’s the artist bio from the back of the postcard: Olivia Mew @stayhomeclubofficial) was an illustrator until…
Read MoreGoodbye 2017, Hello 2018!
I can’t say that I’m sad about seeing 2017 end. Not that it’s been a bad year – I filled about 40 pages of my gratitude journal – but a new year always feels like a fresh start, a chance for something even better. Maybe I’m just tired of the cold weather already, and anxious…
Read MoreThe Mindful Way to a Good Night’s Sleep
Sometimes when I have a few minutes to kill, I enter giveaways on Goodreads. I win just often enough (about once a year) to keep trying. My most recent win was The Mindful Way to a Good Night’s Sleep: Discover How to Use Dreamwork, Meditation, and Journaling to Sleep Deeply and Wake Up Well by…
Read MoreThe Canadian Reading Challenge: Recap
My Canadian Reading Challenge started in January 2016, when I challenged myself to read a book that takes place in or was written by an author from each of the 13 Provinces and Territories within a year. Since I typically read 40 or more books a year, it seemed like something I could accomplish and still…
Read MoreShades of Summer
Unlike many people, summer isn’t my favourite time of year. I don’t do well in the heat and humidity, I don’t have a garden, and I miss my sister, who is usually away for most of the summer. This summer, however, has been great, and I’m amazed that we’re already nearly halfway through August. So what’s…
Read MoreThe Time Management Trap
I was reading some articles I’d saved to Pocket when I spotted a notification that my sister had shared an article with me several months earlier. I either overlooked it at the time, or noticed it but decided to leave it for later because it was very long (it actually says “The long read” right at the…
Read MoreSpring is in the Air
This is one of my favourite times of year. After months of short, cold, grey days, it’s so energizing to see the sun more and more and for longer stretches of time. It’s so easy to go into hibernation during the winter months when you work from home, especially if you’re inclined to introversion as…
Read MoreThe Big Six Oh
Earlier this year, I celebrated my 60th birthday. I use the word “celebrated” loosely, because I really didn’t feel much like celebrating. After all, once you hit 60, you’re getting up there! You’re not even “middle aged” anymore. It was certainly different than my last milestone birthday! Having realized when I turned 40 that age is just a number…
Read MoreThe Canadian Reading Challenge: Northwest Territories
After a running start at the beginning of the year, I’ve realized that I’m probably not going to reach my goal of reading a book that takes place in or was written by an author from each of the 13 Provinces and Territories within a year. However, I’d rather it take longer than planned than just give…
Read MoreHow I’m spending my dash
Just over a year ago, I blogged about the passage of time and our perception of it. The older I get, the more I fear a day when I’ll look back and wish I’d done things differently. I don’t want to be like the character in one of the novels I read this summer: “He found himself infused…
Read MoreForever Friends
Today is my friend Chris’ birthday, but I’m not going to call and wish him a good one. I’m not even going to send him a lousy e-card. I’m not mad at him or anything. Or maybe I am. You see, Chris died on December 30. Since we met in 1999, he referred to me…
Read MoreSummer Vacation
When I was growing up, we spent two weeks at Orr Lake every summer. I have lots of great memories, but one of my earliest is of evening walks to the store for the daily newspaper for my Dad and treats for us kids. Here’s a photo of my mother and me from around that…
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