I cleaned my rain gutters this past weekend. I spaced what I used to consider a small task over two days. It used to take me about a half hour to dig the leaves and pinecones out of the eavestrough. This round, I paced myself to satisfy the naysayers. The […]
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 love autumn, for many reasons, perhaps mostly because it incites me to exhale, the season giving me permission to pause. The days shorten in proportion to the lengthening of my urge to nap. I wander instead of rushing, ponder instead of deciding, question instead of knowing. I love the […]
I often feel real fear when I listen to the reports that saturate our lives, reports from the US election in a system that has candidates spending more time campaigning than in service of a country’s business. My particular flavour of fear is founded deeply in the sense of being […]
A friend of mine is struggling. Life is beating him up, not through any fault of his, but because life just does that, targets individuals at random. He is one of those fine people, with a gentle spirit, a big heart, is a wonderful son, husband and father. You’d think […]
When I was young, which wasn’t yesterday but rather more than 50 years ago (yikes), a trusted friend of mine had a signature response to whenever I dared to complain or whine, the woe-is-me sort of thing, and the advice was this – “what are you going to do about […]
A video has been circulating on social media and I’ve seen it many times, but today, for whatever reason, I couldn’t stop watching the film over and over. A little girl was visiting an aquarium, and a dolphin came to the glass. The two of them exchanged greetings and a […]
When I was a kid, the words that used to shut me down in my tracks were “don’t be silly”. Those words were dismissive and robbed me of any sense of understanding myself and how I engaged with the world around me. I wanted to be a spy, for the […]
I love September, I do. But to love September, I first had to bid farewell to August and that is where the difficulty lies. The end of August always comes with a large dose of melancholy. I can hear John Denver, even now, crooning about it being “oh so sad […]
Dark days were ahead for me when we last left off. The infection in my spine caused considerable pain, with difficulty moving and sleeping. Patience and immobility have never been my strong suits. I was prescribed a low dose of Codeine Contin, despite being anxious about taking an opioid even […]
It isn’t easy to know how to walk back into a room I vacated months ago, without notice, while I ached for the connection to home and longed for the deadline. I picture those of you with your morning coffee, leafing through The Times and have turned the page and […]
Where I live has little or no light pollution and because of this, the sky is alive at night with the pulsing and beating hearts of the billions of stars that glow above us. This beauty, this “alive-ness” of the stars quiets my busy brain and I am surrounded by […]
The world is coming alive, with the crocus, hyacinth, daffodil, tulip, and marsh marigold in all their glory. Cherry blossoms are in bloom, like a sweet white swath announcing that Spring is here, her voice hesitant at first as she clears away winter’s clutter. Dandelions are coming. I can feel […]
