the day in oakland
On the way out of Shelter Cove, I stopped at the general store, just to see it. It is tiny. And it is the only store in town. After that,…
personal
the day in shelter cove
View from Wedding Point, Shelter Cove Yesterday was amazing and so special. My niece E took me on a tour of the little community and local topography. We went to…
greetings from shelter cove, california (look it up!)
I am at the home of my niece E and her partner T, in a remote part of California known as the “Lost Coast”. It is so beautiful and peaceful…
dog agility, worm composting, and morning tea: three things going on with me
Does it make sense to create compost when you don’t garden? I don’t know, but I’m doing it. Worms, but no garden So, I’m not gardening. The Urban Worm Bag…
my happy kitchen life (i still love my instant pot — but it is not a good slow-cooker)
Don’t get rid of your slow-cooker! Since moving to a remote region with very limited food choices, I’ve upped my cook-ahead game to levels I never thought possible. I’m really…
in which i accommodate another quirk of small-town life: how to hand-wash a pea jacket
About a year ago, I blogged about some quirks of living in a remote region. It’s always amusing, baffling, and occasionally annoying to cope with what is and is not…
A new look
If you were looking for Views from the Beltline and thought you’d come to the wrong place, fear not dear readers, you are exactly where you wanted to be. A…
frank showler: called to be faithful
Frank Showler, born in 1919, died last week at the age of 102. Frank was a foundational figure in the social-justice activist community, seemingly participating in every demonstration, rally, vigil,…
memories of great-aunt betty
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,…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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,…
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…