Musings
About retirement… and random other things!
These blogs first appear as weekly columns in the Red Deer Advocate
A thankless job – many thankless jobs
Can you imagine being a receptionist at one of the UCP MLA offices right now? It would be a task almost as impossible as being a teacher in Alberta. I made my first-ever phone call to my MLA at 8:55 on October 28, the morning his party introduced Bill 2. ‘My constituency’ office phone rolled through nine rings before I received a message that the...
Halloween manners
A long time ago when my daughter was out with the throngs of other young trick or treaters, there was a bit of drama on the Halloween route and I needed to vacate my candy-giving duties at our front door to go run interference. It was those tricky few years when they were too old for a chaperone but too young to always have the world situations...
Childhood song is now an inventory list
Remember that song “head and shoulders knees and toes…” It was taught to us as kids and then we taught it to our kids to help them learn about their bodies. Now it’s a good jingle to carry into senior years because it’s a perfect inventory list when you’re doing your body scan to see if you should 1) get out of bed, 2) keep all the plans you made...
Lessons in democracy
Knowing that it takes all of us – men, women, children – everyone, from all walks of life, to protect and enhance fundamental human rights in this country, I have raised my daughter to clearly know the democratic process. It’s been important, but also sort of a blast, to bestow the knowledge. When she was a young toddler, thanks to the...
Challenge to self: Trying my hand at Bridge
Gramma won the gold medal at Seniors Card Olympics in the mid 70s, so I’m from a rich lineage of card sharps. We all learned Kings on the Corner from her and won many a nickel while we were growing up. Thing is, my card experience never extended beyond that and I’ve always wanted to see if I could tap into her love of cards. Why not try Bridge?!...
Little cakes pack big drama
I had a really good idea a few weeks ago, but it involved the kitchen so in retrospect I should have ignored it completely. Why not try my hand at creating little strawberry-shaped cake pops, I wondered, as one does from time to time. In fact, why not make some every week to sell at the u-pick farm where I work part time. I’m always looking for...
Our 45 year relationship with Terry Fox
I have an old fortune cookie slip taped inside the cover of one of my many writing journals that reads: Let the opportunities come to you. Now, when I think of Terry Fox, opportunity isn’t the first word that comes to mind. Resilience, heroism, kindness seem more fitting. But stories of opportunities that opened up for other people because of...
A Hero’s Legacy – ARTA’s Terry Fox feature
Like many, I feel deep admiration for Terry Fox and consider him a national treasure. Through the years, people have shared that he is an unmatched inspiration to them, like the Innisfail couples I featured in Golden Nuggets in November 2023. Bill Hoppins and Patrick Gleason and their spouses, all retired Chinook's Edge teachers, have fond...
Challenge to self: hunt down a covid shot
I want the latest dose of the covid vaccine. I know, the top of my head is exploding just anticipating all the yelling and finger pointing and general mayhem that statement will ignite. But here’s what I know: we are nearly six years into this situation and neither I, nor the young lady I am caregiver to, have either had covid. Good luck? Good...