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Melting
I’m melting. Full-on puddle of sweat on the living room floor. We’ve been in the middle of a heatwave. I thought I had it all planned. My air conditioner had never worked well since buying this house a few years ago. And original furnaces often grind to a halt in houses of this age. So, in an organized and responsible fashion, as soon as I figured these people were working, I had quotes on replacing them both. I chose a contractor and I scheduled replacement. Piece of cake! I’m not one to turn on the A/C early or often. I’d rather… Read more…
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Oh Canada!
It’s a funny kind of Canada Day this year. Normally, I might have been down by the wonderful Lake Ontario waterfront with throngs of other proud Canadians, celebrating our country’s birthday. But the world has other plans this year.
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What’s in a name?
I changed my last name when I got married. Thirty years ago, that wasn’t uncommon. I went from a bland 5 letter surname to a bland 4 letter surname. 15 years ago, I got divorced and I kept that name. It was the same name my children had, and I wanted to cement the connection – and not make another change in their young lives. In the last year or so though, I’ve begun to wonder. Should I change it back? Professionally, I was only known by my maiden name for 6 months, so it hardly makes sense in that…
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How does your garden grow?
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? This nursery rhyme was part of my childhood. I remember as a very young child, walking through our garden in the summer evenings with my Dad when he returned home from work. In my memory, I was fresh from a bath, with damp hair down my back, my little hand in his great big grownup one. I’ve carried that love of gardening into my own grownup life. One of the great joys of working from home has been watching my garden come to life this spring. From the very beginnings of… Read more…
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COVID Blessings
There have been so many grumblings about what COVID-19 has brought us – mine included – that I thought it was time to reflect on some of the good. Here are ten of the better things that I’ve enjoyed during this pandemic. The spring migration. I’ve so enjoyed watching the birds return, grow into their summer plumage and build nests, with the melodious accompaniment of their song. The daily changes in my garden – and the fact that it’s finally just about warm enough to see if I can do my work meetings from the back patio (shh, don’t tell… Read more…
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Breaking the cycle of boredom
Today, I brought a colleague a chair. It was the highlight of my day. I haven’t set foot into another retail establishment since mid-March although I have done a couple of curbside pickups. It’s not quite the same as browsing through the racks. Coronavirus lockdown is wearing on my nerves. Like everyone else, I’m keeping my distance, I’m limiting the number of interactions I have and I’m staying home. Grocery shopping trips are quick and infrequent. I had to pick up several tubs of margarine during my last to check if they were vegan, and when they weren’t I put… Read more…
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Breaking bread
I finally broke. After weeks of self-isolation and alternately mocking and cursing the people hoarding baking supplies (I really did run out of baking powder), I finally joined the ranks of those baking bread from scratch. A few of weeks ago, a dear friend sent me a care parcel (courtesy of porch drop-off by her husband) of lentil soup, Turkish delight and – wait for it – sour dough starter. The starter sat in the back of my fridge in hibernation until last weekend, when I realized that I’d better bring it out, warm it up and start feeding it, so hibernation didn’t… Read more…
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Silver linings
Forty-something days into self-isolation and the hair jokes are running rampant. Beards, mustaches, hair needing a cut, bad haircuts that have been undertaken and roots – the dreaded roots that have bottled blondes worried about becoming brunettes and brunettes worried about lighter colours growing in. My own locks are long enough that a month or two without a trim isn’t noticeable – and I was fortunate enough to have gone to my trusty hairdresser just before the world changed. So the most noticeable change for me is the silver halo I’m now beginning to sport. In my case though, the… Read more…
