Lately, I have been having trouble seeing correctly. The ophthalmologist tells me I have cataracts on both eyes, so I will have surgery later in January. The cataracts are impairing my sight more in one eye than in the other. My son set my … Read more

One of the positives from being incapacitated and not finishing the restoration upstairs was that I had some money left to employ someone to finish off the re-glazing of the doors of the French windows in our dining room. Earlier this … Read more

One day just before Halloween, a young girl and her mentally challenged brother went to the market for their mother. While there, the lad wandered over to the bright orange candy display. Promptly, he began to pull bag after pretty bag … Read more

One spring, I determined that I would be outside every morning as the sun came up. So, every evening before I went to bed, I would check on the very minute that the sun was due to come up. If it said 6:23 a.m., I was out there, not at … Read more

Can you see them — three little plants poking out of the ground? They are strange sisters, but sisters indeed. Like sisters at their best, they support and encourage one another. First, sister corn pokes out of the ground and begins a … Read more

When my two college-aged grandchildren are home on school break, I'm often invited to the home of my daughter and son-in-law for games night with my grandkids and their friends. When we play word games or trivia games, that's when our … Read more

Our church has a sewing group called The Thread Bearers. This Christmas, the group put together stockings filled with goodies and trinkets — some handmade and some bought. Our over-fifty-years-of-age group delivered the stockings to the … Read more

He stood by the shopping cart and waited. My middle schoolers are known for some interesting prayer requests. If I ran the statistics, most would relate to sports — safe travels, good sportsmanship, the ability to remember moves, no … Read more

I needed to make an appointment to have my ears checked, so I called my ear, nose, and throat doctor. The next available appointment was a month away, and I booked it. A week before the appointment, I began getting text reminders to … Read more

Daisy, our West Highland Terrier, is now a year old. She amazes us by loving us, never growling in fear, even after being taken to the vet for an operation, and barking only to call us to play or to let her outside. Having had her … Read more

It was thrilling to watch the last two baby robins fledge, or leave their nest. That morning, we had arisen early to turn on the video recorder in anticipation of the big moment. For a while, the fledglings teetered precariously on the … Read more

One of my favourite chapters in the Bible is the thirteenth of Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth, in which he teaches about the three basics of faith, hope, and love. It especially details aspects of love. Accordingly, it is … Read more

Earl Grey came to me after two other families had failed to collect him. He is a grey tabby, and he loves to get into everything. I have discovered him everywhere from inside my mop pail to inside a cloth bag that had been left on the … Read more

At the end of January this year, we had a warm spell with brief flurries that deposited a thin mixture of snow and almost frozen water on the ground. Then, the temperature started to drop. That thin mixture was still a bit soft when we had … Read more

I will never forget the Christmas Eve service that I attended on December 24th, 1989. That year, it was decided that a significant portrayal of the Christmas story would be presented complete with wise men, shepherds, Joseph and Mary, and … Read more

I watched as if it were rolling in slow motion — or it could have been me moving in slow motion. I stretched my hand forward as it rolled to the floor — shattering. My heart skipped a beat. My favourite coffee mug lay in pieces on the … Read more

Recently, I've become acquainted with a woman who is rapidly losing her eyesight. She once had full sight, but as the years have advanced, her vision has declined, until now all that she can perceive is brightness and shadow. Her white … Read more

One of the great sadnesses that I have noticed about this prolonged pandemic has been the constant lack of love when people argue about their personal choices. It's far easier to berate and ridicule our opponents, rather than to have a … Read more

Pregnant with our last child, I begged my husband to stop sending the Unwed Mother Worker from her job with Children's Aid to visit me whenever she was near the tiny village where we lived temporarily. My husband was her boss, so she had … Read more

On Labour Day weekend, we went for a two-and-a-half-hour ride on our quads (four-wheeled all-terrain vehicles) — and what a ride it was! Donning jackets, wind pants, gloves, boots, and helmets, we mounted our quads and away we went. My … Read more

My oven has a triple-glazed oven door. Over time, the weekly routine of cooking fish and chips, cakes, and various roasts accumulates residue on the inside of the glass door. Whilst we may easily clean the outside of the glass daily with … Read more

Over the years, you have probably walked over many welcome mats at people's front doors. You may even have one of your own. The mat serves a practical purpose: to clean our footwear. But if it has on it the word "Welcome", it makes a … Read more

When I was five and my brother was four, we'd play church. We dressed up just like the grownups. My brother was the minister, and I was the organist. He'd stand on the kitchen table with a book in his hands (often upside-down) and preach … Read more

After three summers in my 34-foot fifth wheel, you'd think that I'd have figured out what works best and where to put everything, but this year, I discovered several ways to improve both the use and function of space. I replaced the couch … Read more

My friend and I had the opportunity to house-sit for her sister this past summer. Her sister lives on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada, so we figured that this would be a great opportunity to enjoy a little get-away. … Read more

At this holiday time of the year, the word "family" often seems to come up. Thanksgiving is observed in Canada in October and in the United States in November. Next month there will again be times of holiday celebrations, especially at … Read more

Having recently retired from being a Professor of Biology, I find the transition strange. No longer Professor, I am Professor Emeritus, and have the privilege of carrying on what I have been doing over the last couple of decades: on the … Read more

What do car washes and love have in common? This isn't a joke; it's to get us thinking. Obviously, both improve life: of vehicles, or of people. But that's not what I had in mind that day when I stood at the carwash mulling over the … Read more

I like to look at Facebook several times a day. Because my family is so far away in Scotland, it gives me the opportunity to see what they're doing and to comment on their exploits. I am able to keep in touch with them in a remarkable way … Read more

It's that time of year again: time to go through drawers and closets, sorting out, downsizing, and organizing. It's something that I like to do about this time each year, before the good weather comes when I would rather be outside … Read more

Recently, I lost my wedding ring. For over 43 years, it had seldom been off my finger, but at the end of that day, I looked at my hand and felt my stomach knot. Having already been evacuated once this summer by a forest fire, I had spent … Read more

I bought a spare chair a while ago. It sits in a corner of my kitchen, and for the most part, it doesn't do a lot. It came with a lovely, handwoven, green chair pad, which the cats really enjoy lounging on. I do stand upon it at times to … Read more

What? Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing a broken piece of pottery using gold, platinum, or silver mixed with lacquer. I learned about it on the Internet. Rather than throw away a treasured and precious possession, something that … Read more