Author: Lynne Phipps

Every eye in the congregation was transfixed by the light. The altar's peace candle had melted down, igniting the puddle of wax at its base, instantaneously transforming the flickering flame into a leaping, dancing passion. How timely, I mused, as … Read more

Would you like some cheese with that whine, Hoss? Whine, whine, whine. How I get fed up some days with listening to that dog whine. In fact, I get so sick of hearing him whine that he often ends up … Read more

In the winter, our home gets very dry. Heating with wood adds to this problem. We therefore have a number of humidifiers around the place. Humidifiers blow moist air into the room, which helps to prevent dry, scratchy throats, itchy … Read more

I love the wind. I love to watch the way it can transform a quiet sea into a sloshing, tossing world of change. I am awed by its power and unpredictability. I am amazed how it stirs the trees to … Read more

Chance, the seven-year-old Sheltie we adopted from the animal shelter, was having a bad day. We were dog-sitting for our neighbours, which meant that on top of our own nine, we now had two more canines romping about the place. … Read more

My collie, Belle, has collie eye anomaly, which permanently affects her vision. Thus, I closely monitor both her behaviour and the visible health of her eyes in order to detect further vision problems which may be developing. Not long ago, … Read more

These days, it seems that we need passwords to access so many things. Online shopping requires one. Our bank machines require one. In fact, so many things require passwords that keeping track of them all nearly drives me nuts. Passwords … Read more

Our two-storey log home does not have heat registers upstairs. We depend upon the heat from the main floor's woodstove to meander its way up the staircase. Although this works well most of the time, during the year's coldest months, … Read more

Chance likes to bark. Unfortunately, he barks far too often. Instead of using his voice to let us know when an intruder is on the property or to say hello or good morning, Chance barks just to hear the sound … Read more

Not long ago, I witnessed a congregation hard at work renovating their tiny church building. As I watched their progress over a number of weeks and months, I began to consider some of the reasons why renovations of church structures … Read more