I heard a story recently about a city official whose past online postings, containing derisive and hateful speech, were brought to the present wider audience. He was embarrassed and expressed remorse, saying that his postings were … Read more

I started to scratch my head the minute that my daughter announced that my oldest granddaughter had picked up head lice: those creepy-crawly, hard-to-get-rid-of, teeny-tiny creatures that live in your hair and suck your blood. … Read more

Last summer, I repaired the broken glass on the fence side of the greenhouse. This required taking down the neighbouring fence to gain access to the panes. In so doing, I closed the entrance for the mice that set up home in the cold … Read more

We have a wooden deck behind half of our house. It is a place where we can sit when the weather is good. It is about three feet (one metre) off the ground, with four steps at one end to take us down to the lawn, the vegetable garden, the … Read more

My grandfather served as a US Army foot soldier during World War I in France in 1917. During that time, he used a weapon called brass knuckles. He used them in hand-to-hand combat, to defend himself while in foxholes and trenches. When he … Read more

Many years ago, we bought a brand new car. Before we did this, I had owned three used cars, and we thought that it would be nice to have a new one. We looked around at different types, but we ended up buying a new model of the same car … Read more

Working with words has always been a lot of fun and a challenge for me. I enjoy their different sounds and meanings. I love to hunt them out in word puzzles and use them to paint captivating pictures. Words are also both spoken and … Read more

I have spent the last eleven months working on a healthier me; I have incorporated many new habits into my life. The biggest change so far is that I have lost 85 pounds. It has been difficult at times, to … Read more

According to Answers.com , the biblical definition of a stronghold is as follows: The Greek word for stronghold, taken literally, means a fortress. It is used in the Bible also as a metaphor to represent things that are based … Read more

As far back as I can remember, I have had an active imagination with the ability to visualize. This can be pleasant and sweetly exciting when it works for good. But in the past, I frequently experienced periods of extremely … Read more

Strongholds! The root word means "castle". Instead of leaning on God, the Israelites tried to protect themselves from their enemy in "castles" of their own making. Only then, did they discover that a stronghold isn't really like a castle. … Read more

When I discovered that the word "stronghold" came from the Greek word "echo", some interesting thoughts came to mind. For instance, an old country song about lost love goes on about "the echoes of my mind". The dictionary defines our … Read more

One day as I was returning my metal grocery cart to the "corral" to collect my twenty-five-cent deposit, a woman in a pick-up truck cut very close to me, pulling into the obviously-marked "No Parking" space beside it. As well … Read more

"Go ahead and set down son! Make yourself miserable." (Basil Owen Gary, 1912-1998) The above quotation from my grandfather still resounds loud and painfully clear when I find myself anxious, emotionally flat, or thinking negatively. He was a remarkable man … Read more

I have just come home from my walking group, with whom I volunteer, spending time with people in bereavement. We walked the sea-wall on the water's edge, and the rain was harsh, pelting against us. The wind was strong, whisking … Read more

Imagination. What a wonderful thing. Just close your eyes and imagine you are somewhere else, like in Hawaii, or someone else, like a millionaire. Imagine the fun, the money, the excitement. Imagine how great it would be if only you … Read more