I want something. I want it bad. It distracts me. It maddens me. It is an obsession. Being without it makes me gloomy, disappointed and angry. There is a question that scares me – a question I prefer not to ask myself, but one that I force myself to think […]
Homemade frozen yogurt, canned tomato sauce, bagels and burgers were born in our kitchen this morning. In Canada, Labour Day marks the final day of the last weekend before school starts. Soon the fall routine will begin. A half bushel of beautiful tomatoes sat in our car, sent home with […]
I am drawn to the image of the lone ranger woman. Courageous. Independent. Confident. Fulfilled. She wears whatever she likes, does what she enjoys and needs approval from no one. The reality, though, is that often I fixate on pleasing others. I obsess over it. Leah, a woman whose story […]
Do you shy away from situations that scare you? Try to keep life tidy to stay safe? Doubt that a mess has anything to offer? Recently an old friend sent me a card in the mail. At first glance, it seemed garish and ugly to me, but then I looked […]
It’s been ages since I’ve seen family face to face. Although our province has, once again, initiated a state of lock-down for us all, we drove to see my sisters over the Easter weekend (visiting outside by a campfire with one and taking advantage of the chance to ‘join households’ […]
The past months have been unlike any I can remember, culminating in Ontario’s stay-at-home order, which permitted leaving home only for work or essentials such as groceries. I could share with you all the things I’ve missed most – I’m sure you’ve longed for some of the same things I […]
Growing up, everyone I knew hung prints on their walls: large landscapes, idyllic small town scenes, abstract splashes. Then, as a young adult, I met a man who filled my life with texture and pigment. He was always talking about Peru, his homeland: the food, the warmth, the history, the […]
As a child I found squash odious. Consequently, as an adult I never cooked it. Then, I discovered the joy of a simple, homemade butternut squash soup: fry an apple and onions in a generous amount of curry before adding broth and squash and you have the makings of a […]
A world in quarantine changed us all, I think, in big and small ways. We’ve heard about wild life returning, the clearing of the skies, people singing on balconies. Personally, I find it hard to articulate the subtle changes I sense in myself after months of forced seclusion. Stopping for […]
Subtle flavour and gentle sweetness are sensory pleasures I discovered later in life. My husband and I stumbled, together, across an obscure Japanese bakery in Markham, years ago, and the lightness of a strawberry shortcake we found there is with us still. Later, I tried, for the first time, an […]