A cat is a home’s visible soul, said Jean Cocteau. If that is the case my home’s soul is visibly in need of vacuuming. I have moments when I am sweeping up pet hair from my floors and from my furniture for the fourth time on any given day, moments […]
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
The lakes of Northwestern Ontario have the power to restore a soul. And if scientists should test that hypothesis, they would concur–and it would be documented and written up in medical journals and the like, and everyone would know what Fort Frances residents (and those in surrounding communities) have known […]
If your heart is aching or unsure of itself, if the world feels heavy and makes no sense, I happen to know a cure. It’s organic and homeopathic so it will treat the heart, the brain, the soles of your feet–and it comes with an infallible guarantee. Follow my instructions […]
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 […]
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 […]
