One of my lovely nieces introduced me to Storyworth when she mentioned giving a subscription to her mom as a present. An online service, Storyworth sends subscribers weekly questions by email to stimulate memories of their lives. Once they respond to the prompts, their anecdotes are saved to their account and after 52 weeks printed […]
D-DAY FACTS
D-Day occurred 80 years ago today on June 6, 1944, when nearly 160,000 Allied forces landed in Nazi-occupied France as part of the largest naval, air and land invasion ever executed. Of the naming of D-Day, U.S. Gen. Eisenhower said: “Any operation has a ‘departed date;’ therefore the shortened term ‘D-Day’ is used.” Normandy was […]
TV THURSDAYS: RIPLEY
Familiar with the term arthouse film? As examples, think of the works of past directors Bergman, Fellini and Goddard and, in contemporary times, Sofia Coppola, Terrence Malik, and Jane Campion. An arthouse film “strays from the mainstream commercial path to create a unique artistic expression. These films are typically characterized by their serious, often experimental […]
WORLD BOOK DAY 2024
“Books open the world for us; they are an incalculable, immeasurable gift,” wrote Khaled Hosseini in defence of The Kite Runner, which joined a growing list of titles ‘under review’ or challenged by school boards in the U.S. On World Book Day I recommend several books that entertained and/or enlightened me this past year. FICTION […]
THE RIGHT TIME
Last fall Glen and I made a momentous decision to sell our second home in Arizona. Gulp! We did not reach this decision easily. It followed much deliberation, debate, discussion — in a context of sadness. Although we accepted it was the right move, we felt bereft at the prospect of closing the door to […]
DECIDING ON DECISIONS
A friend asked how I choose topics to write about on my blog. Hmm. I keep a list of ideas that come to my mind on solitary walks, through reading, or in conversations with friends and family. Then I decide to address a topic based on timing — on the dates of International Friendship, Color and […]
TAKE IT TO HEART
February is Heart Month, a time to increase awareness of heart-related conditions and further educate us about ways of improving our heart health. Although heart disease has dropped to the No. 2 cause (after cancer) of death in Canada, it remains the No. 1 killer of both men and women in the U.S. Yet, according […]
FUN FACTS FRIDAYS: RIDDLES, THE SEQUEL
Given the seeming enjoyment of my post of riddles last August, I devised a sequel for today’s FFF. Some readers (e.g. Glen) suggested the riddles were too challenging, so this time I try to balance difficulty and simplicity. Have fun on Friday! What tastes better than it smells? Where is the only place where today […]
TOP TV VIEWING OF 2023
In keeping with an annual (since 2018) tradition, and since many people spend their evenings in front of a television, I outline several of Glen’s and my favourite shows of the past year. In our viewing we like to get attached to one or more of the characters, to get immersed in their world, so […]
SAY NO TO NEGATIVITY
As the end of 2023 approaches, I set a guiding principle for next year: say no to negativity. That doesn’t mean I will no longer read the glut of negative news; I still want to be a member of an informed public. It means I will try to limit my negative thinking, to subdue the […]