tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-373590482012-02-16T10:43:16.892-05:00Sometimes I hit paydirt, sometimes I end up with a headache, but every time I drill a hole I learn more about the tree.The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.comBlogger981100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-82478814008778973122011-07-27T07:23:00.007-04:002011-07-27T08:19:17.060-04:00

"When we were kids, our parents taught us to meditate. They said 'Sit down and shut up!'" ~ unknownRaising kids to become responsible, well-adjusted adults is pretty tricky business I think. As the mother of two teenagers, I feel sometimes like I am flailing about in unknown waters as I throw life preservers at my kids. How in the world do you nurture a sense of adventure in your children when

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-79546048593877816812011-07-23T21:29:00.002-04:002011-07-23T23:24:56.067-04:00

I was thinking today of my Grandma. When she passed, a small red book came to be in my care. It is a collection of pages written in the careful penmanship of someone who spent a lifetime scrolling letters across an expansive blackboard. Careful letters canting to the right in a lazy, lovely flow of captured versus. She wrote in this book, quotes and captions that held some secret meaning for

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-1032745609236466682011-07-04T20:01:00.008-04:002011-07-04T21:21:53.475-04:00

It's been said that one man's trash is another man's treasure. Well, our dump has this incredibly popular re-use centre. Locals can donate unwanted items that haven't quite reached throw-away condition.An entire section of the centre is devoted to books. Not surprising really. Have you ever seen anyone throw out a book. Even a poorly written one. People just don't finish a book, close it up and

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-25726708630072461892011-05-25T19:17:00.001-04:002011-05-25T19:17:17.394-04:00

Did anyone else find it a little strange that the rapture was predicted to occur at the kick off of this year's network season finales? Clever really. Did Harold Camping doze off in front of the TV one night recently and wake up with this doomsday epiphany? He says, of course, that the date was chosen after lengthy computations and a lifetime devotion to theology but...the subconscious is so

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-49504793313420159082011-04-26T05:39:00.000-04:002011-04-26T05:40:00.995-04:00

Years ago, I fell in love with language and words. It never ceases to amaze me how "the right word" can capture at once an emotion or an idea that would otherwise be lost. Fact is, English is much like our brain...you can easily function using just a fraction of its true capacity. It happens. All the time.Admittedly, I have, over the years, become a bit of a "language snob." Ask my best

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-75182970633617994512011-04-23T21:23:00.012-04:002011-04-24T07:30:07.899-04:00

As much as I do wish William and Kate the very best in their future together, I won't be tuning in for their wedding. In all fairness, they did not attend mine...nor did they request a copy of the video. Let's face it...should we meet one day in the future...we can all avoid a terribly awkward moment if I simply tune out next Friday and give them the privacy that they deserve during such a

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-7484073105391700972011-04-22T08:33:00.004-04:002011-04-22T09:56:03.504-04:00

Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation. - George Washington (1732 - 1799)In the sandbox of preschools, friendship blossoms over shared toys or from a simple, tentative smile. In

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-9390736591804430592011-04-20T21:16:00.002-04:002011-04-20T22:05:27.342-04:00

I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. - Harper Lee (1926 - ), To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960Courage, I think, may be found in the silent pep talks we have with ourselves in the bathroom mirror after we wipe away

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-76759871202476616822009-06-22T06:01:00.003-04:002009-06-22T06:36:37.152-04:00

It never ceases to amaze me, the kinds of things that the media determines as newsworthy. I take for granted the news delivered in the daily paper or on the evening newscast until they inevitably turn their attention to some inane story. Take Obama and the fly for instance. They said he was odd. Why? Because he killed a fly. I killed a fly. I kill them all the time. In fact, I kill mosquitoes,

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-38320328797942033482009-06-20T09:18:00.007-04:002009-06-20T11:14:13.055-04:00

Maybe it's the fact that my 40th birthday is fast approaching, or maybe it's the series of events that have unfolded over the past two years that have prompted me to spend hours of my time in quiet introspection. Normally a healthy practice towards achieving self-awareness, over time it has become a slug fest of sorts where I ultimately end up picking at the scabs of my regrets.At one level, I

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-91141696017215139852008-12-01T20:25:00.002-05:002008-12-01T20:35:39.131-05:00

I've been gone a long time. I've struggled the last little while trying to decide whether to finish this travel diary or move along. A lot has changed in my life...many things I need to purge though probably not online...others would be best forgotten altogether...but this trip was an important part of my transformation and so - I suppose -- the story deserves its telling.I need to collect my

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-75422509486686893452008-04-28T06:15:00.000-04:002008-04-28T06:19:48.346-04:00

Sally, Annie, Sharon and I stood in the lobby of the hotel for a few minutes deliberating how we would spend our time waiting for the group to return. This evening we were supposed to meet with Julio Cesar of CAPISE and tomorrow we were leaving for the mountains so it would be a few days before we would have time to look around San Cristobal. Annie and Sharon wanted to get some money changed so

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-3978352722977620462008-04-03T20:23:00.005-04:002008-04-03T21:25:41.063-04:00

We were headed back down the mountain towards San Cristobal. In the back seat, I leaned over and whispered into Sally's ear."I remember reading that you are supposed to negotiate the taxi fare BEFORE you get into the cab.""Well's too late now," said Sally, "but least we're off the street."The streets slid by our little Nissan taxi in colourful blurs. I loved the colours of the houses that lined

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-20385028415075591332008-03-23T07:50:00.003-04:002008-03-23T09:47:22.585-04:00

We entered the taxis in groups of four. The taxis in San Cristobal are largely compact cars with standard transmissions and many were souped up with non-standard features including hood scoops, rope lights, duel exhausts and phallic antennas.While Sharon, Sally, Annie and I got into the taxi, Chris provided the driver with instructions in Spanish and then leaned into the car through the driver's

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-56432432525312722872008-03-22T15:06:00.006-04:002008-03-22T19:50:13.349-04:00

I stood in the courtyard at CIEPAC taking in the fresh air as I enjoyed the sound of the songbirds while tiny circles of filtered sunlight danced at my feet. Chelsea led a small group through a series of yoga stretches to help them loosen up muscles that tightened up during the morning's class.Jodi was saying goodbye to Miguel as the rest of the group purchased some of CIEPAC's documentaries and

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-27185112888057681622008-03-16T08:03:00.012-04:002009-01-21T06:08:59.536-05:00

The sidewalks were so narrow and in such disrepair that walking on the street at times offered less risk of bodily injury. The streets are only a few metres wide, barely enough for two cars to pass -- no room in fact, if there are parked cars along the crowded streets -- but this does not affect the behaviour or speed of the motorists. I feel the warm rush of a breeze slap at my jacket every time

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-77709579015348005872008-03-07T19:16:00.013-05:002008-03-08T14:19:48.228-05:00

Before we left the hotel, Chris excused himself from the group. He explained that he and Julio would be spending the day traveling to meet with the Juntas to coordinate visits to Zapatista communities located at Yachil and Bolon Ajaw. Let me explain.The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) was named after Emaliano Zapata who was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution which began in

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-61350548628901117232008-03-03T19:15:00.001-05:002008-03-03T21:00:42.151-05:00

I woke early on Tuesday morning to the crowing of roosters and to the barking of dogs. The sun rose at around 5:30 am and light began to filter into the room through the open window. My roommate was still sleeping so I decided to get a jump on the morning's routine.I tiptoed into the bathroom and gently closed the door. I cracked open the window and started the shower. As I waited on the dry side

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-35163857645273790502008-02-27T20:49:00.017-05:002008-02-28T22:35:22.336-05:00

At the top of the stairs, I caught the scent of a fragrant flower; a scent I did not recognize. The corridor was well lit and, as it turns out, Room 7 (our room) was at the very top of the stairs on the right-hand side. Sharon unlocked the door.The room was not what I expected. In truth, the entire hotel was not what I had expected. I had done a little research on the web trying to find out more

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-60838923698342316742008-02-25T20:05:00.006-05:002008-02-25T23:02:41.202-05:00

As I entered the airport at Tuxtla Gutierrez I was met with the most wonderful breeze. I slowed my step, closing my eyes so that I could take in its smell and enjoy the feel of it washing over my travel-weary body. I had left winter behind in Canada and was delighted to meet up with this old friend in Mexico. This breeze pulled me towards the baggage claim, just one doorway away from the airport

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-83799353084282332732008-02-23T08:27:00.010-05:002008-02-24T09:57:33.411-05:00

I woke as we began our descent into Mexico City. I was pleased to have a window seat because I have never seen a larger city. It seemed as though it spread into the horizon with no end. Even at tens of thousands of feet in the air, we could not see the beginning and end of this city at once. I had been told before I left that Mexico City was the largest city measured by land mass. In fact, it is

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-25297487212729091612008-02-20T18:18:00.006-05:002008-02-20T20:13:07.506-05:00

I woke early on the 11th. I showered and dressed and prepared myself for a long day of travel. I reviewed the contents of my luggage one last time before locking them up. Sleeping bag...check. Binoculars...check. First Aid Kit...check. Insect repellant, flashlight, rain gear, Pepto Bismo...check, check, check, check. I made sure one last time that my carry on luggage did not contain liquids or

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-89534415146317772162008-02-19T19:23:00.006-05:002008-02-19T20:34:09.109-05:00

I returned from Chiapas last night shortly after midnight. I have many, many stories to share with you. I would like to start tonight but I am still exhausted from the trip and my bed is calling to me, coaxing me to lie between its warm blankets.This trip was, by far and away, the most exciting experience of my life. As I told my bosses, it was the coolest thing I have ever done. I was challenged

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-22031077718986135292008-02-02T07:38:00.000-05:002008-02-02T08:43:06.765-05:00

I'm going to check the mail today. I'm waiting for my passport to arrive. I am leaving on February 11th for a trip to Chiapas, Mexico. We're setting up at San Cristobal de las Casas and taking day trips into the mountains, surrounding villages and (hopefully) the Lacandon rainforest. I'm going as part of my work with Equator Coffee Roasters to visit the coffee cooperative we deal with in Yachil.

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-73848058284402392952008-02-01T06:31:00.000-05:002008-02-01T07:10:25.439-05:00

Well, the buses have been cancelled today. There's not a single snowflake in sight, but they are predicting 30 - 40 centimetres of snow. That's 15 - 20 inches of snow! They say it will come mixed with freezing rain. It's already in Toronto (4 hours west of here). I wonder if my brother's flight home from Cuba will make it in or if he and his family will be forced to layover somehwere. If so

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-30517939302428692092008-01-29T06:27:00.000-05:002008-01-29T06:48:17.761-05:00

In the prairies today, the temperature is -50 degrees with the wind chill. On the news they showed pictures of vacant playgrounds and broken-down cars on empty highways. Authories in those provinces are asking people to stay at home until the weather system passes. Schools have been closed. I can't imagine how cold -50 would feel and, quite frankly, I would prefer not to know.I keep telling

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-5859432913368000952008-01-25T17:02:00.000-05:002008-01-25T17:59:36.765-05:00

Today I thought I would dedicate a post to the value of the "Booger Check." For those of you that are not familiar with the term, it is simply a tool to avoid the embarrassment of an unwanted...um...uh...shall we say...nose buddy.Today at breakfast, a waitress came to the table with a...ahem...nose buddy. After a quick first glance, I thought it was piercing because of where it was positioned.

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-5347100181573842252008-01-25T06:03:00.000-05:002008-01-25T06:35:47.946-05:00

I was up again at 4 am today. That's three days in a row. I've been wrestling with a decision about work and it's screwing up my sleep.My best friend and I have long talked about working together and the time is upon us. My worry, as I have expressed to her, is how this might strain our friendship. Above all else, I told her, my interest is in protecting our friendship. What is making this

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-83926462572519418002008-01-21T21:12:00.000-05:002008-01-21T21:53:17.976-05:00

Tonight I watched the first show in a series called "The Week The Women Left." It is a reality show about a social experiment conducted in Hardisty, Alberta in June 2007. During one week in June, this small Canadian town of just over 700 people saw 85% of its women embark on a week long vacation.The television crew filmed the cocky husbands (please excuse this unfortunate pun) talking about how

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-13210115553913757872008-01-20T17:34:00.000-05:002008-01-20T18:36:35.433-05:00

I have so few answers these days that even I am tired of hearing me say, "I don't know." I lack the capacity and the confidence for making big decisions so I simply don't. (I suspect that it is the perfectionist in me that prevents me from making a bad decision by making no decision at all.) Hardly a recipe for success, though these days survival seems to be the more pressing objective than

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-71559830692872644252008-01-16T17:25:00.000-05:002008-01-16T17:45:51.227-05:00

My wake up call came at 6:15 am. I didn't answer. I got another at 6:45. I picked it up and listened. "I don't want to start my days like this." My protests go unheeded so I lay the handset down and go about making myself a coffee and pop some bread into the toaster. I sip my coffee, butter my toast and listen for handset noises in the background. Can't hear any. I go into the living room and

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-87210996126430410092008-01-15T21:21:00.000-05:002008-01-15T21:43:22.497-05:00

He said, "for all of those years, I wasn't happy with myself and it kept me from finding happiness with you and the kids. I've spent the last year working on myself and I like the new me. Now all I want is to find happiness with my family."All of those years, I was happy with myself and I tried to find happiness with him. I've spent the last year without him but I have failed to move forward

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-51520936529910000812008-01-07T20:19:00.000-05:002008-01-07T21:13:35.571-05:00

It was classic movie weekend at our place last weekend. Little girl rented Hitchcock's The Birds and I grabbed Breakfast at Tiffany's. The young man grabbed Safe Men featuring Sam Rockwell, Steve Zahn, Mark Ruffalo and Paul Giamatti. I tried to explain that Safe Men didn't qualify as a classic, however I could not sell the idea and so out we walked with two classics and some brain candy.I love

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-83352447021273998872008-01-01T13:21:00.000-05:002008-01-01T13:34:20.039-05:00

A beautiful little blue bird formally known as the Blue Jay. At my Granny & Grandpa’s house in front of their kitchen window they have a bird feeder and a basket with bones and a bit of left over meat in it. I’m not quite sure about a left over meat eating and bone chewing bird though. Didn’t know they existed. Mom brought a bag of birdseed home from town the other day and we filled up the bird

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-59816838317883104752007-12-29T13:34:00.000-05:002007-12-29T13:41:12.725-05:00

I'm bored, she says. One week out of school, Christmas over, beautiful mild winter day outside and she says that she's bored. She got games, books, a ski tube, movies and music for Christmas but still she says, "I'm bored."We adults hustle and bustle our way through life checking important tasks off of our "to do list" as we complete them. Do the laundry - check. Do the dishes - check. Get

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-62714993159894464272007-12-22T09:51:00.000-05:002007-12-22T11:04:00.601-05:00

Wordpecker jr. reporting our family Christmas eve {Christmas day}Christmas Eve, Usually we put out some snacks and deserts and then have some friends over and when they go home, we get dressed up and go to church, when we come back we get dressed up all cozy have more snacks and deserts then we would call up our friends and then we have fun talking and laughing and I would play with my friends

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-44958562663603699412007-12-21T19:58:00.000-05:002007-12-21T20:56:48.006-05:00

So here is how it happened...I got home on Wednesday afternoon at about 5 pm. I heated up a can of beans for dinner (not kidding) and collected all of my ingredients. I got a little distracted with gift wrapping and realized at about 8 pm that I was running over schedule. I unwrapped my $13.00 worth of chocolate, poured my 35% cream and measured out 2 tbsp from my bottle of Grand Marnier. I

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-26866650506916149852007-12-19T19:49:00.001-05:002007-12-19T20:18:05.121-05:00

I managed to get most of my baking done on the weekend. I made: Crunchy bars (12 o'clock covered in chocolate and pecans) You would never believe that these are made with saltines. They taste like Skor bars.Shortbread with cranberries and pistachios (2 o'clock round cookies). I made these with whole wheat flour and the least amount of butter I could to keep the cookie from falling apart. They

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-34782283470115817362007-12-14T07:20:00.000-05:002007-12-14T07:39:46.428-05:00

What a week it's been! Our customers at work are all preparing for the Christmas Holidays so they're beginning to stock up. This week was a record week for the comany's history. We roasted over 3200 lbs of coffee. Our record-breaking day was Tuesday when we roasted nearly half of that. Tuesday was nuts! I arrived a little before 8 am and started entering orders right away. I broke at 2 pm

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-15732420966949397242007-12-06T22:51:00.000-05:002007-12-06T23:03:05.831-05:00

Just a short post tonight. I've been working on a letter for the organization I volunteer with and it went much later than I had planned.Parent Teacher Interviews Tonight! Yee-haw!I met with Reid's teachers. Two young guys barely out of school themselves I think. I heard how brilliantly Reid performed during class debates. Heard how he quickly processed information, formed responses (with no

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-83779390884718616422007-12-04T21:35:00.000-05:002007-12-04T22:23:05.601-05:00

I am coming to the slow realization that I may be a dork. I should come with my own little warning (like my car mirror) -- Object may appear dorky when in the company of others. I don't know if it's a phase. I hope it's a phase. Lately it seems as though my life is overflowing with these painfully long moments where I feel like an awkward kid in a room full of grown ups. It happens at work more

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-62005204983951137902007-12-03T21:47:00.000-05:002007-12-03T22:18:35.965-05:00

I bought Christmas lights on Saturday. They are the new LED lights that save energy and last up to 200,000 hours. They are lovely and shimmery and they are called "Icy white." They look a little bit blue against the snow. They are perfect, I love them! I'm really getting into the spirit of the season. Maybe it's all the snow.I read all of the instructions, filed the guarantee and put the

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-79755352963514789362007-11-29T19:36:00.000-05:002007-11-29T20:05:37.292-05:00

I began this blog when I quit my last job. I had worked for a company that owned several long-term care homes throughout the province. My office was in one of the homes nearby. It's the largest in the chain. It was really a lot like going to work at somebody else's home....well, mansion really with 160 people living in it. TV's would be going, stereos with music playing, people working on

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-81120831507506839442007-11-28T17:42:00.000-05:002007-11-28T18:00:25.376-05:00

It has snowed every day since last Thursday. Thursday morning we woke up to a huge dumping of snow. Most of the school buses in the nearby rural municipalities were cancelled. It was my daughter's birthday and she was hoping for a snow day, but her bus came and she went to school to celebrate with her friends. It snowed all day. It was fun and pretty and helped me get into the spirit of the

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-45346305116212056322007-11-26T05:37:00.000-05:002007-11-26T06:18:26.089-05:00

I watched the movie, "The Number 23" yesterday with the kids. Don't worry, we fast -forwarded through the "adult relationship" parts (the kids always say, "Yuck, old people kissing.") My daughter LOVES horror movies. Well, at least she says she does. I don't let them watch horror movies, so it's not clear to me how she has arrived at this determination. She's a sweet, sweet kid whose capacity

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-84741487528460235672007-11-14T19:08:00.000-05:002007-11-14T19:39:51.922-05:00

I need new glasses. Well, I've needed new glasses for about three years now. I'm not sure whether my vision has changed or not, but I do know that my glasses are a spectacle (pardon the pun...or not)! The lenses are scratched, I lost a nose-piece and they have been out of style for about four years. The clip-on sunglass lenses are scratched too. I step on them about every two months. To their

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-90224428384182792132007-10-13T09:22:00.000-04:002007-10-13T09:29:05.335-04:00

Diana Krall has this great song - Autumn Leaves. It's nice. Today reminds me of that song. I play it over and over in my head. It's cool, there are still leaves on the trees and plenty on the ground. When it is cool like this, the air seems cleaner somehow.Wednesday was elections here in Ontario. We re-elected a party that lied, broke promises and gave millions of dollars away in "grants"

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-66795730861977685662007-10-04T18:50:00.000-04:002007-10-04T18:58:23.270-04:00

I just logged off after doing some work for my old company and thought I had better check in. I'm in a cafe in small town, Ontario, listening to a nice variety of music and sipping a Chai Latte. I'm not really a cafe crowd person. Well, in fact, I'm not really a crowd person at all. If I were here without my computer I would feel completely out of place. What a geek! I think.The name of the

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-74186137514034229962007-09-26T06:29:00.000-04:002007-09-26T06:59:22.451-04:00

At the lake, there is very poor reception where radio and TV stations are concerned. Now this is not really a problem since I can count on one hand the amount of hours I spend in front of a TV. Limited radio stations, however, took a lot of adjustment. I love music! If I ran the world, I'd have music pumped into the atmosphere. A little something for everybody -- jazz, classical, rock,

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-25238616027560881812007-09-20T19:37:00.000-04:002007-09-20T20:09:06.325-04:00

The phone thing didn't work out for me. No kidding, you say. The down side is that I've been away far longer than I ever dreamed I would be. Can you believe my last post was May 7th? Whoosh! That was time. It flew by. I didn't realize how important blogging was to me until I stopped. About the middle of May I started to experience the first few symptoms of blogging withdrawl. I started

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-2766346470406003002007-05-07T17:10:00.000-04:002007-05-07T17:17:12.724-04:00

OK...well maybe "off the grid" doesn't exactly describe my situation, but I feel awfully isolated without a phone line. I've been borrowing a phone for local calls but it's not the same as owning a phone. There's no cell service at the lake which is kind of a good thing, but also inconvenient when trying to communicate with the rest of the free world.I'm going to buy a cheap phone, have the

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-24694012515266007072007-04-17T19:33:00.000-04:002007-04-17T20:22:03.879-04:00

There's a kind of person that I'm not too keen about conversing with -- the know-it-all, advice-giving control freak. You know the type...the person that has an answer for everything. The person that's done everything and, incidentally, done it better than anyone else. The person has "forgotten more than you'll ever know" and has little reason to listen since it only delays his/her giving of

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-15534235088966757622007-04-02T17:52:00.000-04:002007-04-02T18:21:00.505-04:00

I have had a really difficult time setting and observing a schedule lately. Seems these days I have more tasks than time. What's more, since the warmer weather arrived I want nothing more than to spend my time outside with the birds, which makes it all the more difficult to focus on completing my work.I can't believe that it's April already. Easter is coming up and I haven't got one chocolate

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-87974490019411193302007-03-28T06:29:00.000-04:002007-03-28T07:20:11.615-04:00

Every year, when the snow starts to melt away from the fairways, we don our mucky-boots and head out to find little dimpled treasures left behind from last year’s golfers. This past Saturday, we once again observed this annual tradition.We started by searching the rough grass between holes one and nine. I found nothing. We headed on towards hole two and I scanned the long grass between the second

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-38804735691722551482007-03-23T06:34:00.000-04:002007-03-25T15:22:55.538-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I began reading 90 Minutes in Heaven last week and finished it earlier this morning. The book chronicles the accident, death and recovery of Baptist Minister Don Piper, and recounts his visit to Heaven on the day he died.The book begins, "I died on January 18, 1989." Don Piper was in a terrible car accident on his way home from a conference. A prison inmate

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-19528990125367031302007-03-20T17:35:00.000-04:002007-03-20T21:16:59.300-04:00

March is the month of birthdays here in Ottawa. My husband celebrated his on the 4th, my niece celebrated on the 16th, my other niece has a birthday on Thursday and Mom turns 60 on Sunday! There have been black forest cakes, a rocking horse cake, and a cake that looked like a turtle made with edible play dough. There will be more cake before the end of the month, but I am curious to see the next

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-69857291092092511062007-03-19T20:09:00.000-04:002007-03-19T20:43:16.511-04:00

On the day of Grandma Bea's funeral, I woke early. We were expected to be at the church by 12:30 and were met by the hearse when we arrived. I was rather hoping that the funeral home would already have her coffin inside by the pulpit, but it was not to be. As a pall-bearer I helped my siblings, my cousin and two other dear friends carry the coffin inside the church. We tried to keep to the

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-76726882477584052922007-03-12T08:00:00.000-04:002007-03-12T08:38:36.012-04:00

My Grandmother's visitation was yesterday at the town funeral parlour from 2-4 and 6-8. From 1-2, the immediate family arrived and took their turn saying farewell to the greatest lady we had ever known. It was sacred but not somber. Grandma lived far too great a life for anyone to be sad about. As my brother said...quality and quantity.The kids went to the funeral parlour. I spent a lot of

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-59533360285941784152007-03-10T05:45:00.000-05:002007-03-10T06:40:09.101-05:00

I usually try to avoid using first names on the Internet. I don't know why really. It seems, now that I think of it, silly to be afraid of naming the people in my life to protect their privacy. I wanted to pay tribute to my Grandmother today, so I decided to break my own rule. How can I tell the world how great she was, if I didn't share her name? I called her Grandma Bea.Grandma Bea, can I have

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-45583080154608281032007-03-05T19:07:00.000-05:002007-03-05T19:56:44.851-05:00

Well, my niece attended her second public speaking competition yesterday. My brother and sister-in-law were there and so was niece #2. They arrived early to get their little speaker registered. They managed to get seats near the front. My sister and her boyfriend met me there and they saved me a seat in their row near the back of the room.The competition started at noon. Again, there were

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-90058402894679803582007-02-27T18:14:00.000-05:002007-02-27T18:46:46.769-05:00

On this past Sunday afternoon, the kids and I went to see a public speaking competition for students in grades 2-8. A local branch of the Canadian Legion sponsors a few competitions each year -- public speaking, essays and poetry. This past Sunday was one of those contests.The local schools have students in each class prepare and deliver a speech. The speeches must be between 2.5 and 5 minutes in

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-9425504245036385192007-02-25T18:05:00.000-05:002007-02-25T20:41:38.143-05:00

I visited my Grandma on Saturday. Earlier in the week I learned that she wasn't doing well -- she hasn't been eating. I had been warned of her decline. In fact, the last time I visited Grandma, she hadn't spent more than a few minutes awake and had no words for me at all. I had prepared myself for a difficult visit. I was worried because it had been five weeks since I last saw her.My sister, our

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-23049316838120004352007-02-21T19:19:00.000-05:002007-02-21T20:13:35.588-05:00

I don't just have bad hair days, I have "crazy hair." During my entire childhood, my hair was short and straight and thin and boring. Most people thought I was a boy (though I'll be the first to admit that I acted like one). I remember my mother wrapping my head in a kerchief in the spring so that the black flies wouldn't tear my scalp apart. My hair was hardly an obstacle for hungry northern

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-16242280604719621182007-02-19T18:13:00.000-05:002007-02-19T18:52:05.882-05:00

Things are going pretty well at work. I really enjoy the atmosphere. The storefront is a tiny cafe with four tables, some fresh baked goods and several thermoses of coffee from which to choose. The Barista likes to experiment with flavours and drinks and I have volunteered to be her official taste tester. The cafe is open Monday to Saturday from 6 am - 6 pm. People come and go throughout the day

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-89132705240911328502007-02-17T17:12:00.000-05:002007-02-17T18:58:04.239-05:00

This is the last weekend of Winterlude in Ottawa. It's a winter festival that's held every year during the first three week-ends in February. I took the kids to the Rideau Canal for a skate during the first weekend, couldn't coerce them to return last weekend, but managed to convince them to take one last trip to the city before the end of Winterlude. In fact, everybody went -- the whole fam

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-27645983694695919532007-02-15T18:36:00.000-05:002007-02-15T19:32:38.666-05:00

It snowed yesterday and last night so I stayed in town. I just got back now after working a longer-than-usual day at the coffee house. I drove into the big driveway (shared by my brother) and was relieved to see that it was totally clear. My brother makes arrangements with a local fellow to have the driveway plowed after each big snowfall. Thank goodness too because I'm feeling tired from my

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-4452396738753671272007-02-13T06:21:00.000-05:002007-02-12T01:19:19.044-05:00

On the last day of January, I returned to the small town I grew up in. OK town might be an exaggeration, it's more like a bunch of houses built around a lake. The neighbour to the southwest is my brother, the neighbour to my northeast is a snowdrift that crawls across the road every night. Every morning the plow comes by to drive it back towards the lake it came from but moments later, the

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-76340191673890194902007-02-09T15:20:00.000-05:002007-02-01T17:57:09.769-05:00

For those people regularly checking in to my blogspot (all three of you), check back in a week or so. I am temporarily out of service but am trying to setup a new connection.See you soon!

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-15223441469757789032007-01-31T10:24:00.000-05:002007-01-31T12:26:43.172-05:00

On Sunday, my son participated in a Discover SCUBA session at the local swimming pool. The session was held by Kanata Diving Supply and we learned about it through a contact at Scouts. Turns out one of the Scouters is a SCUBA diver and lifetime client of Kanata Diving Supply.The idea behind the Discover SCUBA session is to introduce individuals to the sport, explain the certification process and

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-60810932878783644062007-01-26T09:19:00.000-05:002007-01-26T11:35:21.775-05:00

Well I did it! I bowed to the pressure of security and economics and got myself a job. The company is called Equator Coffee and I picked up an office position working there from 9-1 each day. OK, OK, it's part time, but it still counts as employment. My creditors will be pleased, as will Revenue Canada. Self-employment I've learned, is not unlike unemployment to banks (at least initially); it

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-38619122549655775892007-01-19T19:18:00.000-05:002007-01-21T07:26:00.308-05:00

Another Blogger, The Patient Flosser, wrote that she had thought (among other things) about putting a nasty poster on her neighbour's door that reads, I AM AN INCONSIDERATE F***. She calls him Stompy and you'll have to read the entire post to decide whether he is deserving of the label or not. Here's the link (it's a quick read):http://patientflosser.blogspot.com/2007/01/stompy.htmlShe described

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-86137170871857059912007-01-18T17:54:00.000-05:002007-01-19T11:25:06.843-05:00

As I was enjoying my morning coffee yesterday, Canada AM host Seamus O'Reagan told me that the Doomsday Clock has been set two minutes closer to midnight. As of January 17, 2007, the big hand is on the 11 and the small hand is on the 12. Do you know what that means kids? It means that there are only five more minutes until midnight. That's right, five minutes 'til doomsday. Grab your hats and

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-1479925469224957362007-01-13T09:33:00.000-05:002007-01-13T11:03:43.186-05:00

Let me introduce my two new friends. Cute couple don't you think? I met them in a body sculpting class. I really enjoyed their company so I asked them to move in with me. Here they are getting acquainted with my sneakers.I have decided to work on strengthening my core and toning my muscles over the next few months. I'm on a budget that doesn't include gym fees, so I'm on my own. I am, as of

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-66279118172729462242007-01-12T09:09:00.000-05:002007-01-12T11:03:03.625-05:00

Not unlike the Bermuda Triangle, there is some mysterious energy force at work in the southwestern corner of my bedroom. Coincidentally, this is the exact location of my nightstand. I anticipate that this claim will be met with some measure of skepticism so I submit this photo as evidence. Looking at this picture, the room almost appears to tilt into the deep recess of a corner that seems much

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-8231029279834242122007-01-10T09:16:00.000-05:002007-01-10T10:54:28.351-05:00

Lately, the radio station at work has been tuned to a local country station. On occasion I have found myself absently tapping my feet to an upbeat country song. You have no idea how much it pains me to confess to this. Truly.I am a huge music lover. If you were to conduct a personality test using my CD collection I'm sure you would leave my living room shaking your head in complete bewilderment.

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-2086323420999159922007-01-04T18:39:00.000-05:002007-01-05T18:49:28.216-05:00

I know that I should probably give serious thought to committing to a new year's resolution. There are thousands from which to choose:lose weight again (did you see that? it says a-gain! :O I feel as though I've already failed)get a job (a real one, you know, with bi-weekly paycheques, benefits and tax deductions)write a book (I say that every month, never mind every year)read more wisdom

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-87668394699856815762007-01-03T19:36:00.000-05:002007-01-04T09:02:22.404-05:00

I finally spent time at my dashboard and added links to some of my favourite blog sites. You can now find the links in the pane to the right for Outside the Bubble, Grew Up Rural and Thought Spot.Outside the Bubble is one of the first sites I visited at Blogger.com. Don lives in Montana and often provides some really great pics of the landscape (I have dubbed him Treebowitz...visit his site,

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-48071218551301499512007-01-03T08:48:00.000-05:002007-01-03T12:22:16.471-05:00

I finished Lynne Truss's book, Talk to the Hand (The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today, or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door). She is such an entertaining writer. In the introduction, Truss warns the reader that the book is not a handbook to good manners. In fact, the bibliography boasts a generous list of more than 20 references on manners, etiquette, civility, class and

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-16243743112547083682006-12-30T10:30:00.000-05:002006-12-30T10:34:40.110-05:00

On her Thought Spot blog, Diane talked about formalities and the way that her father raised her in an environment bursting with old-fashioned military etiquette. What she didn't learn from her father would be instilled in her later, as she trained to become a marine officer. (Here's the link.) http://the-thought-spot.blogspot.com/2006/12/on-formalities.html I regard manners in much the same way

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-36043590342310215842006-12-29T09:04:00.000-05:002006-12-29T10:22:26.960-05:00

Well, Christmas is officially over. I know this because the garbage man just threw our bag of wrapping and bows into the back of his truck. It was a lovely bag brimming with red and silver bows with coils of gold foil ribbon twisting themselves through the opening at the top. In some cases, it took me nearly half an hour to decorate presents as I matched patterns, invisibly joined seams with

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-68529301514375619302006-12-23T07:55:00.000-05:002006-12-23T08:52:19.263-05:00

Saturday morning. Stealing time to visit my e-community before I do my baking and cleaning. I love baking; I detest housecleaning. In fact, I can pretty much predict how this day is going to unfold. I'm going to go nuts baking and then, somewhere around noon, I'm going to realize I only have a few hours left to clean the house. I'll tidy up the counter, cover all my baking and survey the damage

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-33257199147216646372006-12-22T10:05:00.000-05:002006-12-22T12:31:42.477-05:00

One week before Christmas, and all through the house,The children were restless, they bickered and groused.The cousins were over, their parents away,Attending Mom's company year-end hurray.The children were gathered surrounding the table,Adding sprinkles to cookies, and preparing their labels.Mamma in her track suit, dad in the shed,Trying to survive 'til the kids go to bed.Back and forth to the

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-51796988914329787092006-12-21T15:16:00.000-05:002006-12-21T16:39:05.670-05:00

I finished the last of my Christmas shopping today. Well, actually, I finished last week but I was in town so I thought I'd join the masses for one last kick at the cash. I don't remember ever being this ready for Christmas (I usually finish wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve) and I'm a little uncomfortable with all this extra time I now find on my hands. What to do? What to do?Gifts are bought,

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-23626416348955511772006-12-08T12:10:00.000-05:002006-12-08T13:50:06.744-05:00

When I look out the window it appears to be a beautiful, sunny day. But it's December 8th and I know better; it may be sunny, but it's not warm. In fact, it's -11°C here in Ottawa, and the weatherman says it feels like -17°C with the windchill. I wonder why we don't factor in the windchill during the summer. How come we don't say that it's 30°C but it feels like 23°C with the windchill? After all

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-523230767810963612006-12-07T12:58:00.000-05:002007-01-31T10:19:56.332-05:00

Kerry Crofton, PH.D., authored a book in 1998 aimed at encouraging Type A personalities to find balance in their life. The book is called, The Healthy Type A, Good News for Go-Getters, and I think it was her way of helping traditional Type-A's avoid a future of emergency-room visits. You know the type I'm talking about – impatient, often over-bearing, control freaks that jack up the office

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-47712070511262017062006-12-06T14:57:00.000-05:002006-12-06T16:07:56.207-05:00

It’s 5:38 in the morning. I came downstairs for some “alone time” but had only a few moments with my thoughts before my husband awoke. He thinks that my time should be reserved for his purposes and, lately, that involves picking at the scabs of our marriage. I think that he feels they’ll heal faster and so he can’t understand my reluctance to join him in this process of discovery. While he

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-51838616016255309262006-12-05T10:24:00.000-05:002006-12-05T11:44:58.095-05:00

My niece turned 16 and was gracious enough to involve the family in her big celebration. Not a typical teenager, this girl is an absolute sweetie- pie and she always has been. She is soft-spoken, considerate and thoughtful. While she often dresses in black, it certainly doesn't reflect her mood or her outlook. In fact, I would describe her as sunny though I know better than to suggest she dress

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-1164642970331998522006-11-27T09:18:00.000-05:002006-11-27T10:56:10.450-05:00

Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in a spelling bee competition. The event was coordinated by a local charity whose programs include, among others, Adult Literacy; part of this agency’s funding is provided by the Lanark County chapter of the United Way. I volunteer as a Board Member of another non-profit organization called the Ontario Early Years Centre/Children’s Resources on

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-1164391775372813182006-11-24T12:26:00.000-05:002006-11-24T13:09:36.953-05:00

This week my daughter celebrated her 10th birthday. Remember when you were 10? Me neither. I can barely believe that she's 10 already. She's my youngest...my baby. I hate cliches as much as the next person but, wow, seems like only yesterday she was (insert adorable baby behaviour here). She was an easy baby to care for. She rarely fussed, allowing me to dedicate my full attention to her busy,

The Wordpeckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612741361723507164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37359048.post-1163789864843731882006-11-17T13:38:00.000-05:002006-11-17T13:57:44.863-05:00

Killing Me SoftlyYesterday I talked about corporate criminals behaving like bullies on the international schoolyard. I mentioned Dow Chemical, Lockheed Martin, Phillip Morris, DynCorp and Ford Motors and gave an accounting of their (alleged) sins. I wrote to tell you that Chevron takes home the prize for worst offender in the world. It is, without dispute, Public Enemy Number One. Originally,

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Companies We Love to HateMy daughter came home with an assignment from school a few weeks ago. Her grade five class is studying the topic of human rights and so her assignment was to collect two or three articles on that topic. The articles could either discuss the protection and preservation of human rights or present a case involving the violation of human rights. As usual, I turned to the

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I have one good game of golf every year. Perhaps ironically, it is the one I play by myself after a long winter of not thinking about golf. It is also the one I choose to play alone so that I don't hear "you looked up" umpteen times in one day.My parents own a golf course in Lanark County. It's called Dalhousie Glen. The picture above shows the 2nd hole taken from the trees at the 3rd tee. The

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I’m cranky.I spent an hour and a half doing math homework while I hammered away at the knot burning a hole in the back of my neck. When I couldn’t take the pain any longer, I begged my son to deliver a flurry of karate chops to my too-tense shoulders. When he went all crouching dragon, hidden tiger on me, I sent him back to finish his ratios and sweetly summoned my daughter. At my request, she

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There's something about this time of year. The air seems cleaner and the sounds more crisp. Views become vistas painted with the colours of autumn. I love the Fall! When it arrives, it's warm and sunny and dry and spectacular.I spent a weekend at our cabin on the lake a few weeks ago. I woke early to stoke the fire and drive away the dampness that had settled in overnight. I cracked open the

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The first thing that I see when I wake up every morning is a wall-hanging that reads:“Remember this, that very little is needed to make a happy life. – Marcus Aurelius. It reminds me that I don’t need an expensive house or a new car or designer clothes to be happy. It hangs next to a drafty, old window that needs to be replaced in a room that is in desperate need of a makeover. The quote reminds

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Last night, my best bud and I went to see Elton John in concert at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa. She bought me a ticket for my birthday last month.The show opened with Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, as 15,000 screaming fans welcomed Captain Fantastic to the nation's capital. Somewhere during the first verse of Benny and the Jets, I decided that this was, without question, the best

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My 12-year old son came to me last night to complain about his feet and how sore they were. He normally discusses his personal health issues with his dad but, you know, sometimes when you feel crummy, you just want your mom. His feet were red, swollen messes and it was clear to me that he had a mild case of Athlete's Foot (in his case Athlete's Feet). Never having suffered with this ailment, it

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My niece is 6 years old and I love her to pieces. I call her Em. She started kindergarten this year. We all anticipated that at some early point in her academic career there would be "a scene", trips to the school, calls from the principle, possibly even retaliation on the part of classmates or their parents. Thing is, the teacher loves her and she's doing fine in class. Em's outspoken, bossy,

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