Gathering

Squirrels, squirrels everywhere, chirping: “Get ready; be prepared”, hoarding their finds with relish treetop leaping with added zest. The geese are gathering too – like all good Canadians – making plans for the winter weighing the options for flight.   Clouds gather to mark day’s end and the influx of autumn weather – and I […]

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Leaving Ottawa

Canada’s capital city has lots to offer.  Before leaving we took the scenic drive along the Rideau, stopping in at the various parks and places of note to take pictures.  At the Remic Rapids, Muskoka chairs line the grassy banks, overlooking rock sculptures in the water.  Apparently, artist John Felice Ceprano has been creating these […]

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Self-Talk

What I liked about starting a new school as a kid, was the opportunity to change my approach to life.  In the early years, I was known as a tough girl, a fighter.  I decided to leave her behind when I moved schools in 5th grade, and focus on being smart.  Instead, I learned to […]

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A Week of Accomplishment (VJWC)

To know I have accomplished something each day, is as important to me as the first cup of tea in the morning.  It is the satisfaction of knowing I have contributed, that I have made a stamp (no matter how minute) on the passage of time. Prior to illness, I didn’t think much about accomplishment; […]

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V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #7: Accomplishment

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”                                                             – Ralph Waldo Emerson Prior to […]

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A Photo A Week: Celebration

A year ago, as we sold off the rest of the contents of our house, I was both excited and wary about the path we had chosen.  Two-and-a-half years confined to a bed had stripped me of the ability to dream, but my husband was not about to give up. “I will put wheels on […]

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Confessions of Losses and Gains

Illness comes at a cost, yet even as the losses add up, there are gains. With the onset of summer, I recall leisurely hours spent golfing with my husband, or friends – a pastime we so loved.  My clubs now take up residence elsewhere, these muscles unfit for the exertion required. My tennis racquet sits […]

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Reflections on Tiny House Living

Four-hundred and fifty square feet has defined our living quarters for the past year.  Less space when we are on the road with the slides pulled in.  Front to back, the motor home is forty-one feet.  It is less than half of the size of our former home, which was a considerable downsize from the […]

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Pain Fog

The hockey game blares from the front of the bus with a confidence I am not feeling. Yesterday, I had two cracked and very infected teeth extracted, and my jaw is in intense pain. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” the dentist told me.  Apparently, I had clenched so hard that I split my back […]

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Relationship Ruptures

The sign on the community pool clearly indicated that the pool was closed, and the gate was locked, but that didn’t stop my friend from scaling the fence and jumping in.  Our other friend hesitated only briefly before joining her, and I stood by in disbelief. It was day one of our girls’ getaway, and […]

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