I've always had girl crushes. They began in grade 4 with Patricia Zentilli, a grade 6 golden-haired actress. I has just been given the role of a maid in our school's production of The Wizard of Oz. I shook a feather duster and swung a broom. But Patricia,...
I spent most of my childhood sneaking around. My sneaking memories begin with cookie dough. We were living in Jackson, Mississippi at the time. I was four. I remember our '70's kitchen - lots of brown, a garburator and a lazy susan in the corner that...
When I sit down to write, sometimes I begin with just a seed of an idea and nothing more. This used to feel scary. Now I embrace it. I call it white space - a clear, uncluttered headspace, ready to go on a 'choose your own...
Snow is still on the ground here in Nova Scotia, but spring is revealing itself in lovely, subtle ways. On the way home from Wentworth we drove through a thick swath of smoke, streaming westward across the highway. Wild blueberry farmers follow a two-year crop management cycle,...
We sat on a luggage cart, Rose's head resting on the handle while I slumped on my suitcase. Actually it was a ski bag. A big, red, rectangular Norco ski bag, the kind with sections on the end for ski boots. But I wasn't on a ski...
I pressed start on the slow cooker and was filled with an overwhelming feeling of happiness. I didn't expect this feeling. It's just meat in a slow cooker. But it was 9 am, I had just rubbed brisket with coffee grinds and cocoa, and there it was,...
Do any of you keep a journal? I have a journal that bangs around in my purse. My intension is to sit down every morning, in the calm after the storm, and write down my to-do list for the day. Sometimes the list flows into thoughts;...
My first thought was SHRED IT. But then I changed my mind. Last week I shared my secret to getting through snow and sick days: cuddle up and purge anything within arms reach of the sofa. It's deeply satisfying, both getting rid of stuff, but also...
So far 2017 has been a collection of sick days and snow days. Sometimes the two collide. And as I've said before, on these days the to-do list goes out the window. Or it gets thrown in the garbage, along with all the other stuff I...
Do you remember the scene from Sound of Music when the Reverend Mother says to Maria, When God Closes a Door He Opens a Window? I think about that all the time. It doesn’t mean the Swiss Alps will be right there waiting for you, just outside the...
I love it when I get a note saying, "hey I had forgotten that my mom used to dry oranges for our Christmas tree, thanks for reminding me," or, "I made turnip stamps when I was little. I have a CSA box full of them,...
What to do with all those turnips? Some of you, far far away, are experiencing summer right now. Gardens are full. Queen Anne's Lace is self seeding. Over here on the East Coast of Canada, however, winter is in full swing. The ilex berries have blown...
Last week I introduced my ('I've never baked before') father as a bread maker. Guess what? He has also added poached eggs to his repertoire. And he can make them for a crowd, 'up to five at a time'. My Dad says he was inspired by Julia...
There is a portal for everyone into the kitchen. Mine was procrastination. Before a school assignment, exam, or academic project of any kind, I'd bake. Brownies. Cake. Cookies. Chocolate chip muffins. Anything that required my attention from the start, middle to delicious end. Then I'd work. For...
Alright, joke's over. That's what I say this time every year. I am not a dieter. I eat in moderation. Most of the time. But there are two points of the year where the scales tip too far in one direction and I've had it with myself:...