The willow tree was planted the year I was born. It stands at the edge of the creek, on the southern border of our property. Though the poplars in the orchard are taller, it is the biggest tree, broad-trunked and expansive. No one believes … Continue reading
Dad died 14 days ago. I keep thinking it’s only been a week. I tried to write about it for weeks, the inevitability of it. I have unpublished posts filled with grief, anger, and anxiety. He was a difficult man and … Continue reading
Reality confounds me. I woke up early this morning. Between C’s snoring and our enormous cat wedging himself onto my side of the bed, sleep was impossible. I came downstairs to have a quiet coffee and opened my laptop to indulge in … Continue reading
“Every act of energy conservation like this is more than just common sense – I tell you it is an act of patriotism… We often think of conservation only in terms of sacrifice. In fact, it is the most … Continue reading
In an effort to practice better home economy, I have declared this the Winter of the Bean. In the last few weeks I’ve experimented with baked beans and chili. Today, I made Bohnensuppe (Bean Soup) as per a simple recipe in … Continue reading
I just started work on an upstairs bedroom; it’s going to be our office. I’ve settled on a colour scheme inspired by the changing leaves on our red-twig dogwoods, which have turned rich plum-and-gold. It fits, thematically, with the colours we’ve … Continue reading
I was reading an article about David Sedaris’ memoirs. It would seem very little of his “non-fiction” work is based in what we’d call truth. But, I thought to myself as I read, isn’t everything fiction? Naturally, there are certain events that come with … Continue reading
Everything has changed. As of September, I have left my job in the city and moved to live at our country house full-time. C is working as a grade 4-6 teacher at a local private school. I am, as of … Continue reading
This week I wrote my 20th and last column for our magazine. After 10 years, we’ll print one last issue in November and then that’s it. Mostly, I’m good with it. We produced something smart and worthwhile. We never sacrificed our ideals. As … Continue reading
Well, we moved. Sort of. All our stuff is at the–our–house. And my husband is there. And our cat and our dog. The only one not quite there is me. The teaching job didn’t come through (not yet, anyway) and … Continue reading
All intelligent thoughts have already been thought 