Summer’s End

Well, it’s here. The final day of summer holidays. It’s back to work and school tomorrow for many. I had a great summer.

We had a wonderful time meeting up with old high school friends with a fun three days in Niagara Falls with amazing food from a sky-high restaurant, a walk under the falls, and a climb to the top of a tower with a million-dollar view. We celebrated a friend’s birthday with the same group on a beautiful patio barbecue and swim. It’s been a summer of renewed friendship.

We enjoyed several local festivals: The Orangeville Jazz & Blues Festival with its great music and car and motorcycle show and the Hillside Music Festival with world music, crafts, old friends, and time with family. The Multicultural Festival was a celebration of international culture, where we shared some Arabian food and made some new friends. Festivals bring community together with fun activities and shared talents.

Summer food and all its delights was celebrated with family picnics and Elora’s Longest Barbecue. There’s nothing better than grilled meats hot off the grill, fresh fruits and vegetables, and trying new artisan food and recipes. I loved stopping at farmer’s stands, visiting markets, picking fresh berries to enjoy at my own table and revelling in summer’s harvest.

The highlight of the summer was our family visit to Newfoundland with its incredible sights and scenery. Boat rides through 2000 foot fjords, hundreds of circling puffins, hikes on ancient trails, fresh cod caught on our lines and cooked for lunch that day, stone art on beach shores, bald eagles, minke whales, starfish, jellyfish, sea glass and smooth stones gathered on lazy afternoons on ocean shorelines. Best of all, a spontaneous kitchen party with the locals in a small local hall with dancing, a Screech-In ceremony, and lots of fun and laughter.

But I can’t forget the quiet moments of summer’s gifts: the hummingbird at the feeder, the chipmunk filling his cheeks, the morning glories bursting with the sun, the flowers filling my garden and patio with reds and pinks and purple petals, fresh tomatoes ripened on my vines, flowered, flowing summer skirts and dresses, sandals and painted toes, easy reads, breakfast on the deck, bare feet in the grass, long, lazy swims in cool waters, strolls along forest paths, dripping ice cream cones, and starry nights and full moon-lit skies. Let’s not forget to remember the gift of time, the moments shared with family and friends when we’re not bound to work and school schedules. We enjoyed food, and stories, and laughter, and hugs.

Summer’s not officially over. The leaves are barely changing colour and we still have many warm days ahead of us. But for most of us, vacation time and long, lazy days are over as we return to busy schedules.

I hope the summer was all you hoped for. May the memories sustain you through the cold winter months. Continue to dream of new adventures and time spent with family and friends, as the seasons change and holidays bring us together again.

Celebrate Life

Years ago, when I was an elementary school teacher, I discovered a book by author Byrd Baylor called “I’m in Charge of Celebrations.” It’s the story of a girl who shares her love for desert life as she tells of treasured experiences like dancing in the wind on Dust Devil Day or sleeping outside on a hot summer night during The Time of the Falling Stars. I loved her philosophy of life. Not only the big events of our lives can be celebrated such as birthdays, retirement, or weddings, but the small everyday events can be recognized and honoured too.

I am a big fan of celebrating life whenever and wherever I am. When my most recent book was published, I got a bottle of champagne and my whole family had a toast together. On our last day in Newfoundland, we ordered a seafood feast and had a party. But even the small things can be recognized and applauded. The dog learned a new trick, everyone gets treats! The first morning glory popped its glorious purple bud, and is celebrated with coffee on the deck and a photo shoot. The first day of school certainly warrants a new outfit, backpack, and markers. Life is full of precious moments. Recognize them, acknowledge them, celebrate them.

Life Story vs. Memoir

Coming out of the isolation of COVID, I was happy to join a writer’s group at my local senior centre. It was titled “Write Your Own Memoir.” I was in the midst of writing my latest book, a memoir/cookbook, “For the Love of Food: Family Edition,” and was eager to find other writers for camaraderie and feedback. As our weekly sessions continued, it became obvious that most people were writing their own autobiographies and that is, indeed, what our facilitator was guiding us through; a chronological retelling of our lives. She decided to change the name of the group to “Writing Your Life Story” which was really the focus of the group.

So, what is the difference between a memoir and a life story? Both are personal accounts of your life but with a different focus and style of writing. Before you begin either, you have to ask yourself why you are choosing to write this story and who you are writing it for. Do you want to write about your whole life or a specific time or event in your life?

A life story is a chronological re-telling of one’s life, the major milestones and moments that formed who you are. It usually starts with your birth and moves through your life in an orderly fashion, covering a wide range of topics and events and incidents as you move from childhood to adulthood. The purpose of an autobiography or life story may be to highlight and perhaps, evaluate your whole life, or it may teach others about time periods or lifestyles during a specific time in history. What was your childhood like? What was school like? What was your first car? Your first home? Your first job? Your travels? An autobiography can tell us what it was like to live during the war, or be a farmer in earlier years, or live through different cultural, historical, or technological growth. An autobiography will give us the facts in short engaging stories that give the reader an overall perspective on the storyteller’s life as a whole, from early years to later years.

A memoir focuses on a specific event or time period in the writer’s life. It has a theme or specific experience that is explored in depth, often with deeply personal and emotional sentiments. A memoir has a more universal tone. It illuminates the reader’s life and makes us question or think about our own lives. It will be more reflective rather than factual, more creative and contemplative. The writer of a memoir isn’t just retelling the facts of a story; the writer is sharing his/her feelings and the emotional repercussions of living through the story. It is limited in its scope in that a memoir will focus clearly on a specific theme, but it is deeper than an autobiography in that we are engaged emotionally with the writer as the story unfolds with depth and description. The reader will not know all the facts of a writer’s life but will know specific facts with more insight and intensity. We will feel what it is like to live life as a gardener, a teacher, a black man or woman, a scientist, a dying patient, or a grieving widow. All our senses, our thoughts, our feelings will be fully engaged in a good memoir.

If you are solely into documentation of your life with orderly facts and details through specific time periods, you may feel satisfied writing your life story. The story could be told solely for yourself as you assess and evaluate your life. What have I accomplished? What were the highlights of my life? Have I lived a life well-lived? The story may be written for your family and friends. As you approach the later years of your life, you may want to leave behind a written legacy of your life for interest, for historical significance, for ancestral knowledge, for a record of memories for your loved ones left behind.

If you want to delve into a specific time period or issue of your own life, you may want to write a memoir to bring clarity, depth of understanding, and creativity for not only yourself but other readers who may be entertained and challenged to rethink their own lives. When a story is told for a greater audience, the writer must consider an unknown reader at all points in the story to offer clarity and understanding. Literary considerations such as setting, plot, grammar, and spelling need to be considered. Most importantly, the writer needs to ask, “What is the life lesson my memoir is offering?”

Both the writing of a life story and a memoir involve long periods of contemplation and time. Again, it is up to you as the writer to decide why you want to write about your life and who you want to write your story for. It will take an enormous effort, but, in the end, it will be well worth it. Happy writing!

A Noun or a Verb?

“If you want to be a grocer, or a general, or a politician, or a judge, you will invariably become it; that is your punishment. If you never know what you want to be, if you live what some might call the dynamic life but what I will call the artistic life, if each day you are unsure of who you are and what you know you will never become anything, and that is your reward.”
~Oscar Wilde

I came across this reference to Oscar Wilde’s quote through Ashley Parcher Photography. She adds this comment:
“Actually, not knowing what you want to be, reinventing yourself every morning, not being a noun but a verb, moving in life, not being fixed in life, is a privilege.”

Sometimes because of duty, responsibilities, financial pressures, family needs, social expectations, we are forced to choose a fixed and stable path. For many years, I felt privileged to be able to pursue a dance career. Financially, life was difficult, but oh, life was so exciting. But there came a time when I was ready for something more stable, and I returned to school to get a Bachelor of Education and become a teacher. It had rewards too. I was grateful for that steady income and regular hours which allowed me to be with my family. I learned a lot. I contributed to many children’s education and love of learning. It wasn’t always exciting, but it was satisfying.

Now, in retirement, I am able to return to that freer life of what Ashley Parcher calls, being a verb rather than a noun. I decide each day what I want to do with the free hours ahead of me. It is in my retirement years that I travelled around the world. I became a published author. I discovered NIA Dance and conscious dance. I began gardening in earnest. Cooking became a delight rather than a chore. Photography became a way of capturing the world and seeing it with new eyes. Writing in all its genres; journals, poetry, short stories, memoir, research, offered new areas to explore and create with words. Every day is a new opportunity to seek, create, and enjoy the world. It is a privilege.

I am full of gratitude for all the opportunities I have been offered in life. Some came my way through fixed routines and lifestyles, some through synchronicity, others I actively sought. Whether I was a noun for a time or a verb, each choice and role has contributed to a joyful and fulfilling life. I am thankful for all of it.

Hope and Action

A friend put a post up today expressing her fear and hopelessness in these times of political and climate decline. She fears for her children and grandchildren and the future of our planet.

She’s not the only one. Many of us are filled with a form of grief and lack of purpose at times. When it seems all is hopeless. But I refuse to accept that.

It is a form of grief to be living in these times. But as I did when my beloved husband Tom died and all looked hopeless, I embraced the grief, let the tears flow, then stepped forward into a new day.

Focus on the things we can do, rather than what we can’t do, what we do have rather than what we don’t have.

Take inspiration from those who hold out hope.

Jane Goodall, “Every day we make some impact on the planet. And the cumulative effect of millions of small ethical actions will truly make a difference.”

Fred Rogers, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Greta Thunberg, “Hope resides in collective action, not in governments. . . No one is too small to make a difference.”

Bruce Springsteen sings from a grounded realism with an enduring faith in the human spirit.

The people of Minneapolis and other cities made a difference by gathering together with marches, costumes, songs, and other forms of peaceful protest.

Yes, we have grief and fear but we also have hope and action, love and strength. Make your choice how you will make a difference.

A Visit to the International Space Station

What is it like to actually be in the International Space Station? What does Earth look like from space? 🌍 I got to experience it as if I was really there.

Yesterday friends and I visited “Space Explorers: THE INFINITE,” an immersive virtual reality journey, seen through the eyes and ears of a virtual reality headset. This travelling encounter offers a glimpse into life and work in orbit aboard the ISS using real footage with real astronauts during their daily lives.

While walking through a darkened space, I searched for shining orbs, reached out and touched them, and was immediately transported to the world inside the International Space Station. It was an altering experience. I felt as if I was actually there, with full 360 degree awareness. I could see it and hear it, life-size, as if I was really there in real life with the real astronauts.

I could move from orb to orb, catching different scenes within the station. I watched one astronaut give another a haircut. I watched two astronauts at work while a third one slept on the ceiling above them, held in place with straps to prevent her from floating about in the weightless environment. One astronaut, while working on assembly of the space camera, was so close to me that I actually stepped back because I felt he was going to bump into me. Christina Koch, the astronaut, was so close to me that I reached out to touch her hair which was floating about her head due to weightlessness.

As a walking avatar, a humanoid creature of light, I could walk through the walls of the station and found myself on the outside of the station. I watched two astronaut space walkers suspended near me as they worked on the outside of the ship. I turned and looked away off into outer space at the stars and the milky way, then shifted my gaze to see the shifting white clouds and blue oceans of the planet Earth. I was seeing it as if I was one of the astronauts floating beside them.

What a remarkable experience!

You can still catch it in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and stay tuned to know their next stop: https://infinity-experiences.com/…/space-explorers…

The Correspondent – A Review

I just finished reading “The Correspondent” by Virginia Evans and felt immediately moved to write about it. It’s a favourite book of mine this year, a 5-star novel!

It touched me intimately, maybe because the main character, Sybil, is about my age. She assesses her life as she reveals and reviews it through hand-written letters to family, friends, and others.

Sybil’s character is so feisty, so intelligent, so honest (in the end), so strong. She tells us all, as she faces old age and coming blindness. We live her life with her—all her regrets, all her joys, all her foibles, all her strengths, all her doubts.

I cried near the end. Not through sentimental sadness, but because of deep honest pain that finally was revealed through her letters.

Her UNSENT letters, with the final words, hit deep. It swelled up inside me, in my heart, in my gut, a wholeness only intimate, honest truth is capable of unmasking.

I need time to assimilate this book within me and then I will read it again, this time to savour the story of a wise, honest woman who is just a woman trying to live her best life. As we all are.

Thank You Writing Your Life Story Writers

Back in September 2022, I joined a local Memoir Writers’ Group (later changed to Writing Your Life Story) at the Evergreen Seniors Community Centre and, for the next 3½ years, I met weekly with a small number of like-minded seniors. Jennifer Blackie, our group leader and facilitator, wrote her life story during the COVID-19 isolation and felt that perhaps others would like to record their life journeys too. She felt led to offer her experience and guide that first group of twelve writers through the process. The initial focus was to record our life story as an autobiography written in chronological order.

We all had a desire to record our stories. I think the reasons for writing our life stories may have differed. Some wanted to write to leave memories for their family. Some wrote truly for themselves as an assessment of their own lives. We all want to know our lives matter. We want to know we left a mark. We value our memories as our legacy and want a record of them left behind. Perhaps our families are not the least bit interested in reading them at this time but, one never knows, there may come a day when they are glad to have the stories and the information and memories they contain. I know my own daughters didn’t value their old journals from school but as they aged and had children of their own, now they do. Some had bigger dreams and hoped that their stories would be of value and interest to a general public. Perhaps they may even be published someday.


I joined the group because I had a memoir-in-progress titled For the Love of Food: Family Edition. It was to be a memoir/cookbook that traced food as a language of love throughout five generations of my family from my grandparents, my parents, myself, my children, to my grandchildren and was to include food-related poems, stories, and recipes from my family history. I had been researching and writing alone for 1½ years and I wanted the company of other writers for encouragement and companionship.
 

In addition, in October 2022, I began a 12-week online course called Memoir Writers, Ink led by teacher Alison Wearing. I wanted to improve my writing and had a lot to learn. Both the weekly WYLS meeting and the online course activities were fun and informative and added to my writing skills. Both gave me a kick-in-the-butt to stick to a regular writing regime.


I love story! We all have them. We all think, “I have nothing of interest to others” but, in the end, we do. Sharing our simple memorable moments is a wonderful way to share our lives and identify with each other or learn new things. Even if we all visit Paris, we each will have a unique story to tell about it from our own perspective. There is value in that.

Week by week, we shared our stories and learned more and more about each other. Sharing our stories began to bond us together in trust and community. We realized we all have happy stories and we all have sad stories and there has been much laughter and some tears over the months and years. The members of the group have become good friends, almost like family. We have become very close and truly care about each other. This is not usual in a writer’s group. Over the years, I have been a member of several writer’s groups and I have never enjoyed any of them as much as I have this wonderful group of people.  

I am grateful for the experience of knowing you all. I have never known such a group of fun-loving and heartfelt people. Thank you to all of you for your openness and respect. Thank you for sharing your lives and allowing me to get to know you so well.

Jennifer, thank you for creating this group, for working so hard to keep us all on track, for offering your encouragement and ideas, and for the extensive work on the anthologies which took hours of time and stacks of paper. Thank you for your generosity in sharing your home with us for some truly epic parties. I’ll never forget our Summer Beach Party complete with fresh mocktails, colourful leis, a patio barbecue, and outdoor games.  What fun we had at our Christmas Party sharing gifts and talents after an amazing meal. And who can forget our Afternoon Tea Party, with scones and clotted cream, china tea pots, and fancy hats and fasteners.


I will miss you all but acknowledge that the time has come to move on to new projects. My book was published in December 2024 and I thank Jennifer and that early group of writers that gave me a platform to share my work and get feedback and encouragement. It was because of your friendship that I stayed on and kept writing for another 1½ years and made more new friends.  I now have so many stories, enough to fill even more books. My Life Story isn’t over yet!

I Read, I Write, I Learn, I Think (A Typical Day)

Now that I’m retired. Now that I live alone. Now that my time is my own. Now that I am almost 74 years old, my daily life has a regular slow pattern.

I wake up and begin my morning routine. I visit the washroom. I make my bed. I make a pot of coffee. I go to the computer and begin.

I read, I write, I learn, I think.

I read. I read it all. The good, the bad, the ugly. Although I can only take so much of the bad as it overwhelms me. Then I seek the good, flood my eyes and mind with wholesome, inspiring, beautiful messages to drown out the darkness. I read the news, I read human interest stories, nature stories, travel tales. I read poetry and prose and short stories, and read about fashion, writing, psychology, art, music, dance. I read about gardening and cooking, birds and children. When I’m done with the computer and the Internet messages, I curl up with my latest book in hand and disappear into another world of words.

I write. I write to friends, emails and Facebook entries. It’s important to stay connected and communicating. I let friends and family know they are important to me. I write ideas in my journal so I won’t forget them. Although I rarely reread them. Sometimes I am deeply inspired and I will create my own words, my own thoughts, like a waterfall pouring out on paper or on my computer screen. When that happens, I will work relentlessly, holding off on coffee or breakfast so that the Muse isn’t interrupted. I can tell when it’s finished its monologue and I can finally listen to my growling stomach or finally wet my dry mouth.  Sometimes I have a goal, I am a very goal-oriented person, and I will work relentlessly on my project, until the idea is complete and on the page. Don’t interrupt me with a phone call when the writing is flowing.

I learn. I am aware that I learn best by listening or reading and then transferring my thoughts to paper through my own keyboard or pen.  As if the repetition of the moving words imprint more deeply upon my brain cells, fire along the neuron pathways and embed their message into my body and soul, where they will last. Words are important to me but so are visuals. Beautiful photos. Art work. Colour, details, creative expressions, speak as powerfully as words to me. That’s why I love photography, my own as well as others. Photos are a way of stopping, examining, listening, seeing the world close-up and suspended in time. Some capture beauty. Some tell a story. Some pare the world down to its most important details. Some make me laugh. Some bring tears to my eyes. The best say Stop and look with me. Linger a while. Do you see it too?

I think. I fill myself up with ideas and information and then sit quietly and contemplate their meaning and place in my life. I dream, make connections, wander through memories, and make new links of knowledge in my brain.

Every day, I talk. One of my three daughters often calls me, Maegan on her long drive to her next client, Brittany during her solo walk to work along Toronto streets. Lara less often, but when she finds a quiet moment at home or in her car. Sometimes I will hear from Maegan more than once a day. I think I help her long drives to go a little faster. Harold phones me every night at 9:30 p.m. and we usually talk for at least ½ hour.

I socialize. Visits with my best friend Sandy, monthly lunches with my retired RR Alumni teacher friends, my Writing Your Life Story group, my Photo Club. I see Harold for three days of the week, either at his home in Orangeville, or mine in Guelph. I visit with my daughters and families whenever I can, at least once a month. That isn’t always easy as Brittany lives in Toronto, Maegan north of Barrie, and Lara in Orangeville. We always celebrate holidays with family, both mine and Harold’s.

During afternoons, I will continue with a new book or a new writing project if I have one on the go.Otherwise, I will do household chores, both inside or out. I grab my camera and take some photos. I go shopping. I plan meals. I love to cook, trying out new recipes or creating my own by checking “What’s in the Fridge or Pantry.”

Evening hours are spent in front of the TV which is purposely put in my rec’ room in the basement. I usually only watch evening programs; the news, game shows, American Idol, America’s Got Talent, The Voice, Dancing With the Stars, documentaries or movies. Oh, and Grey’s Anatomy. Can’t miss that. I love a good variety of movies, both old and new, comedies and romance, science fiction and action films.

By 11 p.m. I’m usually ready for bed.

I love being retired. I love having me time to do whatever I wish. I love having solitary, quiet time at home. To break my daily routine, I do enjoy gardening, camping, fishing, canoeing, volunteering at the annual Hillside Music Festival, road trips, and international travel.

Life is good.

A ‘Flight’ful Family Day

Yesterday we celebrated “Family Day” in Ontario, Canada. Most of my family were able to get together. I made a “Flight” lunch for them with three different soups, and a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches.

Lunch started with an appetizer tray of bocconcini cheese balls served with spears of cherry tomatoes, small dill pickles, olives, and pickled garlic cloves, with an array of crackers.

Soups were Caribbean Mushroom Soup with Rice and Peas, Tortilla Soup, and a home-made Vegetable Soup. The grilled cheese sandwiches were made with three different cheeses: Cheddar, Mozzarella, and Boursin Scallions & Chives Cream Cheese, topped with bacon, ham, and/or fresh sliced tomatoes.

We ended the meal with a two-tier tray of sliced watermelon, canary melon, fresh grapes, and an assortment of cookies, brownies, chocolates, and candies.

After lunch we had a fun time at the local bowling alley. What better way to enjoy each other’s company than through a home-cooked meal and a family outing.

AI Overview

“In the food world, a flight is a curated selection of three or more small-portioned, themed food or beverage items served together for tasting and comparison.

“Flights are designed to spark curiosity, offer variety, and provide an interactive, experiential dining experience. They cater to “adventurous eaters” who want to try multiple items at once.”