Dear Readers, As Mother’s Day approaches, I invite you to contribute to a celebratory post. I plan to compile a collection of words of advice or ways of influence that you remember your mother imparting in bygone years. What did she say or do that stays with you to this day? Be succinct, as I […]
FUN FACTS FRIDAYS: CANADIAN IMMIGRATION
My brother Tim (loyal reader, commenter too) requested additional posts of facts. Today’s gives a dozen highlights of Canadian immigration. Canada has welcomed over 19.5 million immigrants since 1867, the year of Confederation. The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is in Halifax, a location chosen because Pier 21 received almost one million new […]
GET FIT, SOCIALLY
With the easing of pandemic restrictions, many of us will break out of our somewhat sheltered lives to resume favourite activities. But after enduring more than two years of cautious conduct, we may muddle along for awhile trying to find our level of comfort while also respecting the choices of others. Decisions will differ, for […]
TV THURSDAYS: UNDERCOVER 3
You don’t need to watch seasons 1 and 2 of “Undercover” to appreciate its riveting 3rd, but why wouldn’t you? Both are reasonably satisfying viewing and lay the foundation for the best season in this Belgian/Dutch series on Netflix. The conceit: undercover agents infiltrate drug trafficking organizations to bring the kingpins to justice. While the […]
FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF SUNSET YEARS
The traditional symbol of a five-year anniversary is wood. In relating it to Sunset Years marking five years in January, I like to think wood represents robust roots and relationships with my readers, not wooden writing of my posts. The second anniversary post discussed the technical challenges in setting up my blog. I’m thankful to […]
RECKONING WITH RESILIENCE
When I google* the word of the year for 2021, different dictionaries cite allyship (supportive association with another person or group), vax and vaccine. But Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO at Thrive Global, chose a word that resonates with me: resilience+. Defined as “the ability of a person to adjust to or recover readily from illness, […]
TOP TV VIEWING OF 2021
Given my introduction in November 2020 of TV Thursdays, I thought periodic reviews rather than an annual summary of shows would cover our viewing recommendations. However, since Glen and I watched several excellent shows last year, I decided to give a list of unreviewed ones, organized by streaming service, in this New Year. HBO The […]
LISTEN UP!
“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” — Simone Weil (1909-43) Putting ourselves on mute when others talk is sound advice to follow during our conversations. This tactic ensures hearing, defined as the “the faculty or sense by which sound is perceived.” But how about listening, which means “to pay attention to sound; […]
NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER
Richard Louv coined the expression ‘nature deficit disorder’ (NDD) in his 2005 book about the detrimental effects on children of spending too much time indoors in front of screens. He associates the lack of nature in the lives of today’s wired generation to disturbing childhood trends: obesity, attention disorders, depression. Now we’ve learned adults too […]
FUN FACTS FRIDAYS: ARCHITECTURE
The mission of an architect is to help people understand how to make life more beautiful, the world a better one for living in, and to give reason, rhyme, and meaning to life.” – Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) The word ‘Architecture’ comes from the Greek ‘Arkhitekton’ meaning ‘chief builder’. Architects design homes, hospitals, office buildings, museums, […]