I was recalling memorable Canada Day moments from my past, from childhood. The July 1 parade always was a big deal and as a family, we came to town to join the throng lining the streets to see the floats and horses and kiddies, as well as those tossing candy […]
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
I’m trying to teach myself the art of relaxing; to live in the moment. It is an acquired skill for me, doesn’t fall under my list of natural talents the way eating at the speed of light seemed to jump on to the list with no effort on my part. […]
I’m well aware I have passed my “best before date,” though I’m not exactly certain when that happened. I still, with surprising frequency, wander around feeling unchanged from my 20-something self. But when I least expect it, my reflection in a mirror or window changes all that. When I glance […]
When I was little, I desperately wanted a house with a veranda–the kind of veranda that wrapped around the house like a giant hug, keeping everyone safe. You know, an inviting place to spend time. I imagined sitting in a large wicker chair or in a big swing, or maybe […]
I’m not afraid of spiders but having said that, they do occupy a space quite low on my list of barely tolerable things–somewhere down where snakes and centipedes find themselves but most certainly above earwigs and ticks (even though spiders and ticks are of the same family; distant relatives of […]
I suffer from a disease that, up to this moment, has been incurable–and in many ways, I’m not sure I would survive should a cure be found. This disorder may have some lengthy Latin derivative for a formal name, but you simply might call it Pollyanna-ism. The symptoms of this […]
Mother’s Day has just passed and I now have a new self-propelled, lightweight, battery-powered lawnmower in my shed in honour of being a mother. I can’t wait to give it a go when the rain stops. I look forward to not dragging and pushing the old Toro around, whose air […]
To say I find the number of those living on the street in this country, in any country, alarming and upsetting seems an obvious statement to make and somewhat trite. I heard someone in political authority once say there is no solution to poverty; that poverty begets poverty. I think […]
I attended a meeting recently with a group of individuals who are going to create a community arts centre in Kentville, N.S., close to where I live. I use the words “going to” because they are determined and don’t want to use tentative language such as “planning to” or “hoping […]
It is my baby’s birthday today (April 26), the youngest of my brood; four daughters who are no longer babies at all but instead are full-fledged adults, living lives in which I am an accessory, no longer a necessity. I can’t pull them on to my lap and kiss away […]
I was listening to CBC Radio the other day while I was driving. I can’t remember what the program was about, due to my failing retention, but the discussion focused on thinking for ourselves. On challenging those who make authoritative statements founded on nothing but opinion; where hubris gets in […]
I have a bucket list, of sorts. I don’t really think of the list as things I want to do before I take my last breath. That seems a bit like encouraging the dying thing; bringing it in to focus. Most of us, after all, just pretend dying will never […]
