Nearing the end of his life, my father had moments of lucidity when the fog of dementia would lift briefly, and Dad would be with us again. It was during one of these moments that he told my sister Lynne that he felt that he was a failure in life. He looked back on his … More What is Success?
I’ve never been much of a cook and I have trained family and friends to call me a “Functional Cook”, in other words, I am able to do enough to get by. No one has gone to the hospital with food poisoning, but absolutely no one would call me a good cook. Mercifully, my … More Filling the Pantry
I woke to the soothing sound of rain on the window this morning. The slow patter of drops hitting the window, and the steady sound of dripping water was peaceful and reassuring. Even without my hearing aids, I could hear the wind blowing through the leaves that remained on the maples. Just before dawn, I … More Rainy Autumn Days
My love of life-long education began out of necessity. At twenty-eight years old, I was married and a mother of an infant son. I was also stuck in a dead-end job that required shift work, seven days a week. My marriage wasn’t healthy, and I needed to find a career that would provide a better … More Educating Grandma
I was stretched out on the sofa, sipping a steaming cup of tea, and completely engrossed in a great new book (Emma Donoghue’s “Pull of the Stars”). Zoey was curled up on her blanket at the other end of the sofa with her favorite stuffy tucked underneath her. There was some jazz music playing in … More Get down from there!
A Retiree looks at Time Management It was around 10 am and I was relaxed in my recliner having my second coffee of the morning and reviewing my calendar of events for the week. I noticed that I had a “daily event” planned for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, two events on Thursday, none on Friday. … More The Daily Event
Snowbirds in the era of Covid. If you are over 60, then you know at least a couple of Snowbirds who spend time south every winter, and you likely spend time south as well. It doesn’t matter if it is a couple of weeks at an all-inclusive in Mexico, or at a favorite vacation spot … More Clipped Wings
My partner Dave had been retired for several years when I met him. He was doing well in retirement, but one day he mentioned that he wanted to learn to sail. Just like Jimmy Buffet’s song “A pirate looks at 40”, Dave had wanted to sail for many, many years. His life included a busy … More A Pirate looks at 60+
I’ll use redecorating as a metaphor for life changes. January 2020. Covid-19 was emerging but still seemed so far away. Instead my family struggled with the failing health of our sister Patti. We were all with Patti at the end, held her hand, talked to her, supported each other in our grief. Coping with grief … More From Beige to Vibrant
Canadians After Work 