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Of moors, magic and martians
When I was a young girl – no more than eight or nine – my grandparents came to visit in the spring. This was a big deal. My parents had immigrated from England in the mid-60s, part of the exodus of recent science grads looking for a better life in Canada. We didn’t see my grandparents often, so each visit was a treat. As a grownup, I realize it must have been difficult for my mother, seeing her parents only every three years or so, but those infrequent visits have left indelible memories with me. My grandfather was special. Looking back at him with… Read more…
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Lady bug, lady bug, fly away home
The lady bug appeared in the middle of dinner. Indoors. In January. So as we sat, drinking wine and enjoying the meal (why is it that food prepared by someone other than yourself is SO delicious!?), we watched this lady bug with fascination. She wandered all around the dining room table and then made her way up the butter dish, right to the rim. She then proceeded to go round and round and round that butter dish, taking extra care to go out of the way of the one speck of butter that sullied the edge. A busy little orange… Read more…
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Where do babies come from?
When I had my first child, I was determined that I would teach my kids proper words for body terms. No “willies” and “special girl parts” for me. My kids were going to understand that babies grew inside my uterus and that they weren’t brought by the stork. They were going to understand that a special milk for babies came from breasts. That led to some – well, let’s call them interesting – discussions in some less than ideal places. More than once, a little one piped up more loudly than I would have liked in a shopping mall that… Read more…
