Oops, I missed it; NOW I CAN DO IT BETTER!

Turn your problems into features!   That was my mantra when I ran into hitches in the homes I was building. A concrete stub wall in the way of my stairs? Curve the stairs at the bottom and hide the abutment inside a raised planter alongside the curve. Problem...
What my grandchild taught me about learning and life

What my grandchild taught me about learning and life

I love the mutual learning between myself and my grandchildren. Okay, they’re not officially my grandchildren, but I treat these informally adopted, just-turned-two, twins, as though they are. Last Sunday, I sat beside J and helped him learn the difference between his...

I decided to embrace opportunity

It was probably the last gorgeous day of summer!   I’m going canoeing, I said to myself. I’ve only dipped my canoe into the water once this summer, and this is likely my last chance. Spur of the moment, I called a friend, “Are you doing anything this afternoon?...

Do you hate the week after Labour Day, or love it?

This week on the calendar, I think, also signals for many of us a change of perspective! Regardless of our attachment to the school calendar, we feel a shift because so much of society is governed by that reality. It’s a shift from “living in the now” to “living for...
The colour “pig,” a marker of success

The colour “pig,” a marker of success

In rural Saskatchewan where I grew up, we didn’t have kindergarten. In fact, when I started school (those many years ago), we had two grades in each classroom. So, predictably, we started Grade 1 by learning the alphabet. And, for some unknown reason, the Grade 2’s...