This radio series co-hosted by Gwynn Scheltema and Chris Cameron features Northumberland writers. This week they interview Reva who includes readings from her book Twisted Branches. Also check out other recent shows for interviews with Marie-Lynn Hammond, Allan Briesmaster, Ted Staunton and many others. The shows archives go back to February 9, 2014. A Northumberland arts and letters treasure trove!
Part 1
Part 2
We all have conflicts from time to time. If there’s emotion attached, trying to say what you want can be very difficult. We don’t wish to come across as wimpy, but at the same time, we know that being too much of a bulldozer will likely not have the effect we may desire. So what to do?
Continue reading “Say What You Mean”Do you ever find yourself in a place that is not normal for you, look around, and feel that you’ve entered the Twilight Zone?
At this moment, I’m sitting at a little table outside of the Starbucks in the Yorkdale Mall in Toronto. It’s Sunday morning, the only time to come here when there is parking and fewer people. I’m waiting for my lesson at the Apple store, which is pre-booked and starts at 11: a.m. The mall is closed but there are senior people here who have come to walk around and get some exercise, I guess. There are new parents with strollers who don’t know what to do with a baby. Maybe they are bored and just want to be with others. There are ‘fancy’ people waiting to get their shopping fix. There are people drooling at store windows that offer a promise of some better life.
Continue reading “The Altered Universe”I have just wasted another 30 minutes playing ‘Words With Friends’ from my Facebook site. That’s easily justifiable—it’s like Scrabble, it’s good for the brain and you learn new words by trying out ridiculous combinations of letters that somehow work. Who knew that chemurgy is a word, besides chemists?
However, while on Facebook I watched an old Johnny Carson spot with Bette Midler singing, “I’m So Fat.” Then I watched some David Suzuki bloopers and a cat playing the piano. These clips made me smile, chuckle and even laugh out loud. Time waster? Yes, perhaps. But they made me feel good. They put a smile on my face, in exchange for about 8 minutes of time lost.
Continue reading “Ya gotta Laugh”A very close friend of mine passed away, just recently. Even though it was expected, it’s still sad and difficult. What’s helped is my friends who have contacted me and fed me soup. As simple as that sounds, it’s been one of the most wonderful things that has happened.
One friend came over with a most nutritious, home-made, chicken and vegetable soup. She even brought bread and wine to go with it. We ate and talked for two hours. Mostly I talked. Mostly, she listened. Comforting.
Continue reading “The Power of Soup”We’ve all been there, done that. We’ve eaten too much, or just too much of the wrong stuff (chips? chocolate? both?), drank too much (beer? wine? pop?) or made other bad choices. If you’re like me, you may do a lot of unconscious eating. The package of cookies (don’t buy it) is on the counter (at least put it away) and taking just 2 (which can become 4 in no time) happens like a mini-miracle, all by itself. But it’s not just about eating, or drinking, it’s also about driving more than walking, sitting more than standing, lounging more than stretching. Let’s face it, just about anything that’s fun can be exactly what packs on the pounds or the cholesterol in our blood or whatever doesn’t serve us well. The good news is that it doesn’t take all that much to undo the damage and make the choice to better health. However, it IS a choice.
Continue reading “Good Health is a Choice”I am sharing this Opinion piece I wrote for NorthumberlandNews.com titled, “Be the light for a stranger today”… The link goes to the article on their site.
