My first train trip was fifty-seven years ago. From Winnipeg to Vancouver. I was ten years old. I don’t remember many of the details of that trip, but the journey was the highlight of our family’s adventures. I know we boarded the train late at night, my sister and I […]
Wendi Stewart – Wendi with an ‘eye’
Wendi lives in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, but the farm on Rainy River in Crozier will always be her home. MEADOWLARK, her debut novel released September 15, is published by NeWest Press of Edmonton. She is the mother of four daughters who did the unforgivable: they grew up. http://wendistewart.writersresidence.com
Most of us who have had children are familiar with Goodnight Moon. The book was originally published in 1947, written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. I was surprised by its publishing date. I read the book to my children no less than 3,759 times, a story […]
It seems with greater frequency I am telling the story of fallen comrades. “We are of an age,” I am told, though that offers little comfort. When someone leaves us in our youth, the shock is severe, the heartache suffocating, but it was rare, thankfully, and we were observers of […]
One word plays in an unending loop in my head these days, for many days, days that add up to years, decades perhaps, and that word is … kindness. I can only imagine the worry and stress Fort Frances residents are experiencing as flooding disrupts life in frightening and chaotic […]
June is National Indigenous History month, a time when we express solemn and celebratory focus on the lives of Indigenous peoples, their rich and diverse history, the many contributions Indigenous peoples have made, and perhaps above all – the resilience of Indigenous people around the world. June 21st is dedicated […]
It is hard to feel whole these days, with more school shootings in the United States. It is impossible to fathom the level of grief and heartache, of loss and absolute despair those involved feel and those who have been witness. I wonder when enough will be enough, when enough […]
I had the lucky opportunity to visit with two of my grandchildren recently, a five-day immersion into chaos, a bit like Survivor but without the chance to win the immunity idol. They are busy boys, with an all-in attitude for living, with no self-preservation gene. There is only one speed […]
Have you heard of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) organization? Neither had I until I listened to Matt Galloway on CBC Radio’s The Current and he told me all about it. The not-profit WCK organization was founded by Jose Andres, a well-known chef with restaurants in Spain and in the […]
I don’t have Covid. That’s what a PCR test and five rapid tests are saying. My body thinks otherwise and is doing its impression of a Covid-infected organism, an Oscar-winning performance it turns out. If I wasn’t so sick, I would offer up a standing ovation but getting out of […]
I have a confession, but let it be our secret. If word of my transgression gets out who knows what could happen. It’s a bit of a long story so best to start at the beginning where all good stories start. Pull up a chair and put your feet up […]
I knew the day might not be a good one as soon it began. I held my face-recognition iPhone up in front of me and my phone had the audacity not to recognize me and opted not to open. “Nope,” it clearly said. Whatever face I was wearing in that […]
In Spring, I find myself missing home more than maybe I do the rest of the year. Maybe. It isn’t so much about my childhood home, but rather the farm, the river, spring calves, dandelions. In April, play was all about water, about melting snow, of the spring run-off racing […]
