Having our life's belongings packed up and ready to go has allowed us lots of flexibility. The past two weeks were spent in Calgary, Alberta for a family Easter celebration.  Who would have expected a white Easter? Certainly not me, the British Columbian weather wimp, but apparently there can be snow during any month in…

My eldest daughter's and my names are blends combining the first and middle names of a number of family members. Elina's has part of mine, my mother's, my MIL's, our sisters, my cousin… Throw in her middle name, Marie, and at least four more are covered.  Mine is a combination of my mother's and grandmother's,…

Oh that feeling of completion. From finishing a years-in-progress knitting project to finalizing the tax returns to small endings like using up the last of the blue cheese dressing and tossing the jar into glass recycling. More space in the fridge and one less thing to think about moving, storing or giving away. I'll be glad…

What could that title possibly mean? There's a simple explanation: On the set of the Christmas movie, in which C and I were acting as artists at a craft fair, C had an extensive conversation with the movie's Santa. C proudly showed him the picture of his post Camino beard. With a beard like that,…

Some of you will remember that satirical David Frost news show, circa 1964, one of my dad's favourites. This will be one of those minutiae of life posts, a genre I generally don't appreciate, so popular on social media sites such as Facebook. But it was an interesting week, to me at least.  Monday: after a fun weekend with Blogless…

Remember old cartoons that depicted First Nations settlements with a circle of tipis and a totem pole in the middle? A cultural anachronism for sure, as those two items belonged to Native American groups located in completely different regions of North America. I live in the region known for its totems, constructed by Northwest Coastal Aboriginal…

Driving from the Coachella Valley to Phoenix, we stopped for gas. I asked permission to take a picture of the sign at the cash register: The clerk said boob money is a major issue. Who knew? Then we saw a massive building complex way off in the distance in the middle of nowhere. Next came the sign…

Living in our new-to-us soon-to-be partially torn down and rebuilt house has been an adventure in waiting, but it looks as though demolition will happen in May. It's a good thing. Fiction:                         Fact: Here, it's time for a new roof, siding, insulation, drywall…. During…

Packing disasters, the more you travel, chances are you've had your turn with a suitcase spill or some other packing mishap. A burst bottle of non-aerosol hairspray? A broken zipper spilling your dirty laundry onto the carousel for all to see? I've had a few myself: I packed a hostess gift for my friend,  two bottles…

My baby blue bike was a gift from my daughter and husband a few years back. Totally unexpected, it brought back exciting memories of my first two wheeler Schwinn in the same colour. Complete with plaid seat, basket and rubber bulb horn, what a wonderful surprise. They thought it would be a good means of…