A large ceanothus tree grows in front of my office window. It blooms all summer long and there is always a variety of bees buzzing all over it. But now, in early spring it is not in bloom and instead a small hummingbird has made a wee nest in the branches. She may have had … Continue reading The wee madam!
Ok, lets give this a go!
Having lost my domain name of several decades and everything attached to it, I am starting over. Not happily! But nothing to be done about it. I’ve just retired - well 2 years ago really but it hardly seems possible - after 21 years in politics, raising a family, travelling a bit, working hard every … Continue reading Ok, lets give this a go!
If we want a better world!
I have become cranky as I grow older. The yammering of all stripes of political leaders, but most especially the far right, who try to ramp up anger and promote chaos just gets on my nerves…and I spent over two decades in politics in my community. But not like this. There is a new age … Continue reading If we want a better world!
Why did social media become so anti-social?
What happened to good manners, common courtesy, respect and consideration for the other humans in our world? And why did social media become such an anti-social and divisive communication tool? As kids, as soon as we could talk, we were taught to say please if we wanted something and thank you when we received it. … Continue reading Why did social media become so anti-social?
Inky fingers!
Both of my parents had lovely handwriting. They were highly accomplished with beautiful lettering skills they kept for their entire lives. It was not that common for men to have good handwriting so my father’s was particularly impressive. I love to read the notes and letters and photo captions each of them wrote. Penmanship it … Continue reading Inky fingers!
A lost ritual!
A lost ritual In the 1950s, when I was growing up, we didn’t have such a thing as a clothes dryer. Our washing machine was a wringer washer and our clothes were hung to dry on the clothesline in any weather except rain. Then we had a wooden clothes horse, and our items were carefully … Continue reading A lost ritual!
Hair….not the musical!
When I was a young girl, we got all dressed up in our best clothes to go to Sunday mass. We wore dresses and gloves and our best shoes reserved for Sunday’s only. And my mother styled our hair. On Saturday nights, my sisters and I would have a bath and my mother would wash … Continue reading Hair….not the musical!
Sunday dinner!
On Sundays, we always have a dinner that was more formal and elaborate than the casual suppers eaten at the kitchen table during the week. We would eat in the dining room, sometimes with the fancy place settings saved for the best occasions. This was particularly true if we had company for dinner, like my … Continue reading Sunday dinner!
Family Roots (continued)
Edmonton: mid-1930s In 1996, while my sister Elaine Crummy was researching our family tree, my mother's sister Ethelann Olsen, Auntie Ann, told this story of her Grandpa John Wrench, my great grandfather. ETS Leyland trolley #107 on McDougall Hill, circa 1939. City of Edmonton Archives, EA-75-877. My great grandparents lived on the south side … Continue reading Family Roots (continued)
Family Roots
1880s Manchester England Typical housing for the working poor in Manchester England, end of the 19th century My great grandparents on my mother’s side, John Wrench and Esther Entwhistle, worked in the cotton mills in Manchester England. Esther came from a family of mill workers. There are no records of the year they were born, … Continue reading Family Roots
When we ran wild!
My Aunt Isabel was my mother’s youngest sister and married to my Uncle Albert. They lived on a farm just outside Athabasca and my fondest childhood memories are of times on that farm. Uncle Alberta was a lovely, warm and funny man, big and strong and handsome, and was always kidding us or playing practical … Continue reading When we ran wild!
Maurine Karagianis....thinking out loud! 