The Spirit of Wild Horses

We’ve come back to Coon’s Bluff in hopes of seeing the wild horses.  The day is crystal blue, without a cloud in the sky.  My heart is heavy. I woke up in the middle of the night, with the lines of a poem running through my head.  Without turning on the light, I reached for […]

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Art (Life) Lessons

The how-to’s of watercolour, I am discovering, are applicable to other areas of our lives. Inspired by classes I took in Texas, I have continued to try my hand at this art form.  This is what I have learned so far: Begin with a plan.  We used carbon paper to trace the image’s outline, although […]

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Lines of Control

“Why do you always wear black; you look so much better in colours.” Then when you wear colour:  “You look like your mother in that outfit.  I prefer you in black.” “You’re not going to eat that, are you?  A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.” “You know if you loved me […]

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The ‘C’ Word

“I sat in the waiting room, naked from the waist up save for the hospital green awkwardly tied in front.  This was a call back: not the kind you pray for after an audition. “In nine out of ten times, it’s nothing,” the voice had said over the phone.  She added they wanted to do […]

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Stalking is a Crime

I’ve been stalked several times in my life: by an acquaintance of a former husband, by a fellow student at university, by a man I’d met at the Y, and by a former partner.  In the first two instances, I was naive, and only when the situation escalated did I become concerned.  I confronted my […]

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A Story and A Wish

Table six in the fourth floor dining room at the long-term care facility is a favourite with the staff.  Ninety-eight-year-old Dorothy leads the pack with her no-nonsense attitude.  Beside her sits Verna, just eight years her junior, who always has a smile and a kind word for everyone.  Carole is the junior member of the […]

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Just Tell Me I’m Not Cute

Never understood it when Dad called me cheeky as a kid, although I always recognized a tone of approval.   Then I saw it in my own children: that look of sheer defiance that melted my heart every time. This photo of our youngest granddaughter exemplifies the epitome of cheekiness, don’t you think? (In response to […]

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Televised Sports and Tantrums

What is unresolved in childhood resurfaces in adult relationships; it rears its head with all the finesse and grace of a child throwing a tantrum. I am guilty of such behaviour. Movie nights with Mom happened once a week.  Dad would be at work, and Mom would make a big pot of buttered popcorn and […]

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A Case for Moderation

Originally posted on One Woman's Quest:
“Before illness,”  I tell my therapist, “I had things I was working on – I was engaged with life.  Now I can’t do any of that.  I feel useless.” She nods.  “Yes, that is what illness does.” I’d had two days of feeling better.  Two days of being…

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RV-Able: Texas, Day One

“Is there a good place to eat around here?  And how about a grocery store?” “Just up the road is the town.  There is one Bar-b-que place, but it will be closed up by now – they sell out fast.” It was 3:00 p.m. “How about Mexican?” “There are five Mexican restaurants, three that are […]

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