Category: Family

Dusting for Exercise

Knitting is very conducive to thought. It is nice to knit a while, put down the needles, write a while, then take up the sock again. — Dorothy Day I feel as if I have disappeared again. This was the transitional week, the time I had “free” to get ready, to get things done. School…

British Columbia Tour, Part two

I forgot to post the rest of our photos from our trip to Canada, so if anyone is interested, here they are. After we left Jasper, we took the Skeena train (two days) through Prince George and stayed overnight there, (Hi uncle Lloyd and Aunt Jackie!) then on to Prince Rupert. There we picked up…

The Company of Songbirds

Something in the new birdseed has songbirds clamoring at the brass cage around my feeder. Wild songbirds– sparrows, chickadees, blackbirds, nuthatches, purple finches, tufted titmice, cardinals– they have come to visit me at my back window. When my family was here these past weeks, it made me tired. Feet on the floors above, the water…

Roadtrip, Alberta and British Columbia, 2008

Colin and I travel a lot, but usually in fits and starts. The last long, proper holiday we took was to Egypt. This time around Colin took me, along with my parents, on a tour of western Alberta and British Columbia, his homeland. Below is a slideshow of the images of the first half of…

A Post to the Futura

Look what arrived in the mail recently! Purchased from Mr. Typewriter in Florissant, MO., I got six brand new ribbons for my Royal Futura 800. You pop the top open here… … pressing the Red Royal button (Thanks Portable Typewriter Forum!) Of course, I spent about 20 minutes trying and failing to figure out how…

The Madness of Queen Betty

Since Colin and I returned from London, we are able to indulge in having animals again. Our first feline acquisition is BETTY (seen here), who is completely bonkers. Betty is a rescue kitty, who was feral for the first 10 weeks of her life. But that doesn’t explain her madness. Nothing could explain her penchant…

The Bluest Water

Colin and I like to travel a lot. When we were overseas, you could find us in a foreign country on any given weekend. Our latest adventure, to the Dominican Republic, was thanks to my brother-in-law Jay and my sister Mary. This was their trip, and they asked us to come along. Mary and I…

The Bad Wife

That’s Me… The bad wife, the bad influence. The pancake and pale ale pusher. This photo (at right) illustrates the crazed result. My hubby has been trying to slim down and he’s been doing a great job of it, despite my existence. Perhaps you’ve read the blog he shares with my brother, Loser In Laws,…

In a Crowded Room

Time holds only the shape you give it. This week, it was pressed thin, squashed against the wall, hot and heavy. It was pressing, but lovely all the same. I am not sure, exactly what I am supposed to do with the time I am given. I only know what when I am busy, the…

A Weekend’s Work in Never Done

Existential Question for the Day, Number 523: Does the American Dream create us, or do we create it? After leaving the confined space of London and the “cultured” space of Europe, Colin and I are handspringing back into the frontier life of the American Dream. On our To Do list, dutifully being followed and checked…

My Mazda Obsession… Part 2

Ah HAH! I did it! He doesn’t know it yet, but I DID IT! I secretly convinced my husband to buy the car I WANTED and made him think HE WAS THE ONE WHO ACTUALLY THOUGHT OF IT! HAHAHAHA! (evil laugh continues for quite some time….) (and continues…) Here’s my Mazda adventure, part 1. FABULOUS Beginnings……

Sailor’s Delight…

Remember summer? Summer for me is this: Kick the Can in the dusk around “the warehouse”… an old house abandoned house across the street with a grassy lot in front and gravelled alley out back. “Everybody OUTSIDE!” … the sound of my mother’s voice above everything, sending us to where we first were reluctant, but, after,…

This Bud’s for You

There are lots of good reasons to love guys… My husband is SUCH a guy. He and I went to meet the OTHER Canadian Colin for coffee Sunday lunch-ish… I didn’t stay long as I had to go to work at the pub. “Well, guys, I’ll leave you to it,” I think were my parting…

Karaoke King

Colin Phillips, Karaoke King. K-Box, Cranbourne Mansions Private Karaoke Room The Berlin Room! Leiceister Square Saturday Night Colin did Sinatra and ABBA proud, and sang along with gusto. Maybe it was the Tsingo Taos talking. Or the influence of our Chinese friends we were with. Or maybe Colin really IS the next American Idol. Anyway,…

The Parental Invasion

My in-laws, Henry and Linda, have descended upon us in London. Henry is a proper old limey, having been born here. Still, things are somewhat different since the World War II days, so I’ve been taking them around the town. Here we flying high in the London Eye… The weather has been spot on and…