Walking in a winter wonderland

I’ve been trying to restart my aborted ‘go for a walk each day’ habit. I could not say I have been successful: I’ve managed two days in a row, and feel like that’s plenty of walking for the rest of the year.

The walks are lovely despite my quickly fading interest in my physical health. We are having our first ‘real’ snow of the season at the moment: it started falling early this morning before I woke up, and I’d wager it will still be falling when the sun sets in a few hours. It makes the world look strange and freshly-born, and with an accumulation of perhaps 8 centimetres so far it does nothing to make the walk any harder.

(more…)

Continue ReadingWalking in a winter wonderland

Finding things to be grateful for

I mentioned in October that I was not yet practicing daily gratitude. I decided to fix that and, as is the routine for me, I felt compelled to buy a couple of things to get started. Thus far I’ve managed to find several things each day to feel positive about.

I probably couldn’t have picked a worse time to start this, though. The next four years of craziness and likely despair across our Southern border are going to be challenging to set aside each morning. But I am making the attempt, and finding it is a helpful habit to work on.

(more…)

Continue ReadingFinding things to be grateful for

Practicing gratitude…

It is Thanksgiving here in Canada this weekend. I really don’t think much about this holiday: Irene asked if we were making a special meal, and we agreed to order pizza later and save the big dinner thing for Christmas.

But I do often think about being grateful for what I have. I haven’t made a commitment yet to practicing daily gratitude or anything quite so progressive, but I do feel that making an effort to account for the benefits I receive in life is worth while. In that vein, here are a few things I’m grateful for at this point in 2024.

(more…)

Continue ReadingPracticing gratitude…

It is beginning to feel like fall…

Ah, the signs of fall in the Kootenays. Some of the trees have started to change their colours a bit early. The nights have a distinct chill to them: not quite frosty yet, but there is definitely a sense of that coming. The robins seem to have gotten quieter, and some tiny birds are performing strange flocking dances that don’t appear earlier in the year.

The strongest indicators of fall for me, though, come down to three annual chores that I’ve grown accustomed to.

(more…)

Continue ReadingIt is beginning to feel like fall…

Back home after a road trip

I returned home yesterday after being away for a week. Home these days is a lovely, peaceful place, and I am very lucky to live here. Now that I am retired, I can sit out on my porch and allow myself all the time I want to ponder life’s oddities.

One of these ponders: if I like my home so much, why did I go away on a motorcycle road trip for a week? Or any trip, for that matter?

(more…)

Continue ReadingBack home after a road trip

Visitors depart…now getting ready to ride

We had some visitors for the past several days. Irene’s cousin Anne and Anne’s husband Lester spent a couple of days with us as they travelled east through the province on their way to Alberta.

We had a really nice visit. I’m not exactly a social animal, but once I get going I probably can talk the ears off of a brass monkey. We had some good chats about a number of things we can’t really control: economics, politics, artificial intelligence, social media, and health. Good meals were prepared and eaten and a few drinks were consumed. And we had some lovely evenings sitting on the porch chatting as the light of the day dissipated.

(more…)

Continue ReadingVisitors depart…now getting ready to ride

Steady as We Go: Cancer, Retirement, and Making the Most of Every Moment

I went into some detail early in 2024 regarding Irene’s cancer diagnosis and how the treatment had progressed to that point. Back then we were still figuring out our ‘new normal’, and although the outcomes were positive it was still a very uncomfortable situation.

Not much has changed medically since January but I thought it was appropriate to give an update on how our life with cancer is progressing.

(more…)

Continue ReadingSteady as We Go: Cancer, Retirement, and Making the Most of Every Moment
Read more about the article Elk!  And Turkeys!
Elk with beautiful 5-point antlers

Elk! And Turkeys!

We live in a forest on the side of a small mountain. But our house is also just five minutes or so from the Castlegar’s downtown, so sharing our acreage with wildlife still seems rather surprising to me.

Recently we’ve been visited by a few reminders of where we live.

(more…)

Continue ReadingElk! And Turkeys!

Spring and summer views: 2022

I had planned on posting something new about our stairway construction by now, an upgrade that was already delayed from 2021. Unfortunately that still isn’t done despite being ‘in progress’ since the beginning of May.

Instead, I’ve decided to post some pictures from around the house and a few words about how the year has gone. Most of the pictures have already made an appearance on Facebook- apologies for folks who follow me there as well. But the words are mostly ‘new’…

(more…)

Continue ReadingSpring and summer views: 2022

End of content

No more pages to load