An important family matriarch passed away this week, at the age of 96. Betty MacDowell was my partner Allan’s great-aunt, his father’s mother’s sister. She was one of the warmest, kindest, most good-hearted people I’ve ever known, and I wanted to share a few memories and write a little tribute
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wmtc: most useless and annoying advice ever: it’s cheaper if you make it yourself
I did not make this myself. Ever since moving to Canada, people have been telling me how I could make something myself for less money than I paid for it. Curtains, chair coverings, scarves. Kitchen gadgets. Dog needs. Skin care products. And food of all types. You can make that
Continue readingwmtc: welcome to the world, asher
This beautiful little human is Asher, the newest member of our family. Asher joins Sophia in the next generation, the child of one of my nephews and niece(-in-law)s. My brother and sister(-in-law) now have two grandchildren, and my mom has two great-grands! Asher was born on January 13 in
Continue readingwmtc: not a resolution part two: habit tracking and 85% thinking
If there’s a universal truth about getting older, it must be that we need to take better care of ourselves. Habits — or the lack of habits — that we could get away with in our 20s become more difficult in our 30s, barely possible in our 40s, and downright
Continue readingwmtc: not a new year’s resolution part one: precepts and generalities for 2022
A few years ago, I wrote in this blog: I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions, but I do enjoy using the revolution of our Earth around the Sun as an excuse to take stock in where I am and think about where I’m going. This is not a Big Promise
Continue readingwmtc: an analog breakthrough: in which we play tabletop games and this makes me very happy
In a few recent posts, I mentioned two details of my life that seemed to be in direct opposition to each other. One, I want to move further down the path of digital minimalism, spending less time on social media, more time with long-distance friends, and more time with analog pursuits.
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Secular Christmas Celebration – Drinking White Wine in the Sun
Tim Minchin’s classic Christmas tune. Enjoy your time with your family and friends while you can. My dear readers and commentators thank you for staying with me and sharing your thoughts and opinions. You are really quite a swell bunch. 🙂 Happy Holidays to you all and my best wishes
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: digital minimalism: choosing a focused life in a noisy world
Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World is an essential book for our time. Newport argues — quite persuasively — that smartphones and their constant connection to social media are degrading our quality of life. He offers ample proof of this, and offers a plan that
Continue readingwmtc: emergency preparedness: in which climate change plus living in a remote community push this 60-year-old into more responsible adulthood
In all our many years together, Allan and I never had an emergency kit in our home, or anything even approaching one. In New York, I never felt the need. Everything was in such easy reach all the time. It seemed nearly impossible to be cut off. We lived through
Continue readingwmtc: some things i’ve learned: notes from becoming a better version of myself
“Getting older sucks. You’ll see. I didn’t feel that way at your age either…” The first time I heard this, I had just turned 30, and I’ve been hearing it ever since. Well, now I’m 60, and I still don’t agree. I don’t hate aging. I don’t fear it. I
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: john steinbeck and me
I recently read Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck by William Souder, part of my new-found interest in biographies over the past few years.* Instead of reviewing the book, I thought I would write about the presence of John Steinbeck’s writing in my life — its history, its
Continue readingwmtc: gardening and games, but not piano: three things going on with me
Next year? I’m thinking borscht. It was not a total #gardenfail You may recall that I tried to plant my little gardenette, as we used to do in southern Ontario, here in northern Vancouver Island. I was not successful. The area we cleared became well grown over with weeds, and
Continue readingwmtc: friends and family reuinion road trip: day fourteen: portland to delta, in which we miss a crucial step
Step one: you must use an app We left Portland and drove north uneventfully. As we approached the border, I remembered that we were supposed to use the “ArriveCAN” app to facilitate our return. We considered pulling over to use it, but didn’t. Then the fun began. The border agent
Continue readingwmtc: friends and family road trip reunion: day thirteen: portland: books, street art, food
Portland is as advertised: an interesting city with a lot going on. We both look forward to returning, perhaps before or after a family visit. We got only a taste of the town, but it left us wanting more. In the morning, we dropped off the dogs, along with their
Continue readingwmtc: friends and family road trip reunion: day twelve: ashland to portland
On our last day in Oregon, we met my mother and sister-in-law for breakfast in Ashland, finally getting to Brothers, a favourite of mine from our 2016 trip to the area. After breakfast, we brought my mother with us to the dog park, which I knew she would enjoy. Allan
Continue readingwmtc: friends and family reunion road trip: day eleven: mostly waiting to see a vet, with some family time
Yesterday Cookie woke up with what appeared to be an eye infection. I was concerned that it might be conjunctivitis, which is highly contagious. We had a full day of daycare booked in Ashland, with someone I found on Rover, but obviously we couldn’t do that without knowing what was
Continue readingwmtc: friends and family reunion road trip: day ten: berkeley to medford
Yesterday, we got a short list of car repair places in Berkeley that are open on Sunday. Allan went out to try to get the electrical issue fixed, while I packed up and took care of the pups. No joy: the garages were either closed or extremely busy. One place
Continue readingwmtc: friends and family reunion road trip: day nine: friends, dogs, and views, plus some thoughts about future travels
When we went to the BART station to pick up our friend D yesterday, there was an unexpected surprise: a market! It was the Berkeley International Flea Market. A vendor told me it’s been going on every weekend, both Saturday and Sunday, for 47 years. I was immediately drawn to
Continue readingwmtc: friends and family reunion road trip: day eight: long-distance friends meet up in san francisco
Yesterday, after we dropped the pups at daycare, Allan and I took the BART into the city, but got off at separate stops. Allan was meeting a blog-friend (someone we have met before, and went to a game with the last time we were here, in 2010), and then had
Continue readingwmtc: friends and family reunion road trip: day seven: dodgers vs giants!
Yesterday, family and friends from different areas of my life were brought together, through our plans — and through baseball! We dropped the dogs at the daycare place in the late morning, then headed back to the BART station. (I noticed that regular parking is $3.00, which means the reservation
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