I separated out this story, because I didn’t want to give the impression that it ruined our day — and because I wanted to properly explicate it. The events were of minor consequence to us personally, but of major importance in the world at large. We hit a technology snag,
Continue readingTag: personal
wmtc: friends and family reunion road trip: day six: san francisco
Ah, San Francisco, how I love you. I love the energy of this city, its unique beauty, its mosaic of people and cultures and vibes. Just being here today was so fun and energizing. We had a late start and a frustrating morning (more on that later), but eventually had
Continue readingwmtc: friends and family reunion road trip: day six: ashland to berkeley
This morning, after packing up the gear and the dogs, we went to my mother’s place for a short visit before leaving town. She loves seeing Cookie and Kai, and it’s great to see her every day that we’re in the area. After more goodbyes, we headed to the Ashland
Continue readingwmtc: family and friends reunion road trip: day five: hanging out in ashland and talent
On Monday, we started the day at the Ashland Dog Park. Kai and Cookie had a great time. It was their second time there, and they were more comfortable and up for socializing. There were lots of beautiful dogs of all sizes, and people were friendly but not intrusive. Just
Continue readingwmtc: family and friends reunion road trip: day four: birthday party at a winery
This was another big family day, and a wonderful one. We took Kai and Cookie to a dogsitter who we found through Rover, the Airbnb for dogs. She has a sweet little older house with a big fenced-in yard, and was very relaxed and easy-going. I had already told her
Continue readingwmtc: family and friends reunion road trip: day three: an amazing day in southern oregon
We’ve run out of adjectives to describe the day. Amazing, incredible, awesome. A celebration. A love-fest. It would have been special and meaningful any time, but coming after the pandemic, it was profound. After a quick breakfast in the cottage, we headed straight to my mother’s place. She lives in
Continue readingwmtc: family and friends reunion road trip: day two: everett, washington to talent, oregon
I am happy to report that today was far less eventful. The most important thing was to get on the road early. We know from past experience (our first trip to Vancouver and Oregon in 2016… where the idea to move west was born!) that there are two major traffic
Continue readingwmtc: family and friends reunion road trip: day one: port hardy to everett, washington
Our epic road trip has begun! Excited? I’m over the moon. This was the trip we were supposed to take last year, but… covid. This year it’s even better: a celebration of my mother’s 90th birthday, with all her children, grandchildren, their partners, and her great-grandchild, all converging in southern
Continue readingwmtc: in which my plus-size clothing works for me one last time
I recently lost a lot of weight* and am selling all my plus-size clothing. Over the years I have donated many items and sold many others. Whether to donate or sell is just a quick gut-instinct decision, based on an item’s condition, its resale value, our current finances, and my
Continue readingwmtc: happy birthday to me: in which i arrive at a milestone
I have been alive on this planet for 60 years. I don’t know how that happened. It doesn’t seem even remotely possible. Yet here it is. I am 60. I keep hearing that getting older sucks. I’ve been hearing about it for 30 years, but have yet to see it
Continue readingwmtc: north island life: in which we buy a generator (when in rome)
Our new friend Here on Vancouver Island, frequent power outages are a fact of life. Obviously outages happen everywhere, but when high-wind storms come ripping off the Pacific, we’re the windbreak. On the North Island, add thousands of acres of tall trees, with instability caused by logging. Add to that
Continue readingwmtc: the return of a gardenette, plus worms (but no scary pics)
When we moved into our house, the grounds were spectacular. Even in this area where seemingly everyone gardens, the former owners were masters. There were beautifully designed flower groupings everywhere, nine huge raised beds, an herb garden, a large (and locally famous) raspberry patch, a greenhouse, and chickens. It was
Continue readingwmtc: reflections on a year of piano lessons by a dedicated (and untalented) student
The covid lockdown began on March 17, 2020. On March 20, I began piano lessons. I took piano lessons from age 6-10, before switching to violin (a mistake), then quitting. I later resumed piano lessons as a teenager — a very positive experience that ended when I left home for
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: With a heavy heart…
I haven’t been blogging these last couple of weeks because Fran, my mother, had to go to the hospital. She had an persistent UTI, which upon further investigation at the University of Alberta Hospital also coincided with a pneumonia. Fran was already suffering from the damage of two previous heart
Continue readingwmtc: five negatives and five positives about living in a small town and a remote region
Everything in life is a trade-off. Everything has pros and cons, advantages and pitfalls, clouds and silver linings. I honestly can’t think of anything this rule doesn’t apply to, including the Big Life Choices that are the most obvious and clear to us. This post has an additional disclaimer, more
Continue readingwmtc: very sad news: boomer cannot stay
My heart is heavy. My heart is broken. Boomer cannot stay with us. We can’t even foster him while we search for his forever home. One of our dogs is extremely stressed by Boomer’s presence. It’s causing some behaviours that are intolerable and potentially dangerous, and will only worsen over
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Core message
“How much do I know? I’m young and unschooled Bet l’m younger than you And even Jesus would Never forgive what you do I want to ask you one question Is your money that good? Will it buy you forgiveness And do you think that it could? I think that
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Candour, Volume One
I get periodically overwhelmed with the suffering of humanity. Spiritual practice should, and eventually does, bring a measure of calm abiding. And while I have practiced, and my inner strength is now, truly, vast; it is not yet limitless. I am human. And at times, this world, this society, does
Continue readingwmtc: in which the "no third dog rule" is happily thrown away: introducing boomer!
This handsome boy is Boomer, the newest addition to our family. I saw him a couple of times outside the library, scrounging food. He was quiet and meek, friendly but very cautious. A library regular — the person who used to have Cookie — told me folks have been calling
Continue readingwmtc: a reading plan for 2021: big stacks of nonfiction, plus some fiction, and series for mind breaks
2018: Titles and reading projects that were languishing on my List. 2019: The year of the biography. The first time I created a reading plan for the year. 2020: I liked having the 2019 plan, and created a new plan for 2020. In each case, I read many titles from
Continue reading