My photographic abilities are not of the professional category. I'm not adept in filters, light meters, time-exposure settings, or anything else that distinguishes the professional from the amateur. Even so, I do manage to capture some pretty wonderful images, and … Read more

Did you ever go into a gas station or convenience store just to buy a paper? The conversation might go something like this: "Want to buy a lottery ticket to go with that?" "Uhm, no thank you, just the paper … Read more

If you were to discuss the West Coast of Canada with anyone, you might likely be told that "it never snows there", though indeed it does. We had quite a heavy snowfall the first week of February. Soft, wet, heavy … Read more

It was just a little three-and-a-half inch by one-and-a-half inch article halfway down page five in the morning newspaper: "Catholics To Hold Cross High". It stated that as part of World Youth Day Celebrations, a twelve-foot-high cross was going to … Read more

Often, towards the end of a speech or lecture, the presenter will say something like, "One last word before I leave you." Or, perhaps, sometimes we have felt it necessary to have the last word, or been the brunt of … Read more

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be" is a familiar old phrase, and, for the most part, that is how I like to live. I don't borrow, and would rather give something than lend it, for lending, lots of times, … Read more

As a guest on a talk show, the ophthalmologist was talking about the different diseases of the eye, and the conditions such as macular degeneration which occur naturally as we age. Arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries as it is … Read more

Sometimes a little humour sends us into a deeper understanding of something else. The other day an old verse came to me, which said: I love myself I think I'm grand. I go to shows and hold my hand. I … Read more

We have known each other since early childhood, she and I. Our piano-playing mothers sometimes spelled each other off in their little community band, augmented by saxophone, drums, guitar, and accordion. We've lived our lives along much different paths. She … Read more

When I was young, Saturdays were something well worth looking towards. It meant a trip to town. First, there were piano lessons with my beloved teacher, a nun, with a sense of humour and a sensitivity for young fingers that … Read more