Musings
About retirement… and random other things!
These blogs first appear as weekly columns in the Red Deer Advocate
Choosing a place of rest
When I was visiting my friend earlier this spring, she told me she had just coordinated all the logistics around her and her husband’s gravesite. They had purchased a plot for their final resting place and did I want to drive over to take a look? Well, it wasn’t the sort of activity we typically imbibe in when we’re together and I was taken aback...
Don’t let the sun leave scars
Did you know that sunscreen has a best before date? You’d likely never know by looking at the tubes of it in your bathroom cupboard, because many don’t provide any indication of this important information. You wouldn’t eat yogurt after the expiry date, because it could make you sick. Well, speaking from a person who has had half a dozen patches...
Common sense oncology
I realize writing about death and dying is not the usual fare for this lighthearted column. But I write about life every week, of which death is an inevitable part. I have reflected a great deal, as have many of you I’m sure, on whether I will be able to focus my attention on every precious moment to guide myself and those around me on my own end...
Remember the days of dating?
You know the drill. You’re showered and all shined up like a pretty penny. You’ve chosen your clothes with care and even put on some make-up. You’re ready to go, but stop and ask yourself: do I smell like pee? To be clear, the possibility of smelling like pee would be fault of my old dog and not of a bathroom accident on my part – although that...
Bringing home my bundle of joy
Oh my, I was excited. I had waited for this day for so long, had researched and planned and strategized – and now it was finally time to go pick her up. I was feeling pretty intimidated, but also full of hope. I had purchased all the things needed to make this a success, so it was time to step up and head out. She was so perfect as I stood gazing...
Two speeding tickets in the same spot
If you’re following along, last week I wrote quite boastfully that I have an accident-free driving record after nearly 50 years behind the wheel. Glad I didn’t say it was a completely clear driving record, because that would be an alternate truth. I’ve had my share of parking tickets and a couple of speeding tickets, and perhaps a yellow light...
Those early driving experiences
My great-nephew is working towards getting his driver’s license. Strange, isn’t it? That I’m old enough to have a 16 year-old great nephew? Really, what I meant to say is that it’s strange to think of just starting out in what is truly an overwhelming undertaking. He didn’t quite make it on his first appointment, but that first driver’s test was...
Sweet nostalgia
Candy is the food that most readily takes me back to a childhood memory. That might be a sad statement for people whose first thought goes to spiced cookies or Irish stew or glass jars of preserves lining the cellar shelves. I have those wonderful memories, too, but the rainy afternoons when my oldest sister made a batch of fudge or our Friday...
A trillion creepy crawlies
Does the thought of one trillion insects emerging together from the ground bug you? In a rare dual emergence of two different kinds of cicadas, that is precisely what is happening this spring in midwestern and southeastern states. It’s a complex mix of nature, science and timing that hasn’t happened for 200 years. While lots of people are...