Category: My Old House
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How Did You Find Your Dream House?
ser·en·dip·i·ty/ˌserənˈdipitē/ Noun: The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way: “a fortunate stroke of serendipity”. – Merriam-Webster We never did look at another house. We were driving ever so slowly through the tiny rural village when we saw the real estate For Sale sign on the front lawn.… Read more
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When Opportunity Knocks
I recently returned from a two week stint in Vancouver which was 98% critical family business and 2% my first solo vacation in thirteen years without kids. I was there to find a long-term living facility for my father, who now requires 24/7 care due to Alzheimers. I did, however, manage to fit in… Read more
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Getting Up, Dusting Off, Moving On
Apparently, to my chagrin, there is a limit to the number of balls I can keep in the air without running around like a chicken with my head cut off or forgoing sleep altogether. New blog entries and housecleaning fell hard and fast off the virtual priority list. But it has been an intense and… Read more
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What Can You Do When You Live in a Zoo?
When our beloved Cocker Spaniel, Devon, died of cancer five years ago I vowed that we would not add another dog to our existing menagerie of kids and cats. Read more
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And So the Bounty Begins
Feeling our European roots on this steaming summer day, Husband and I sat down to a very civilized midday meal. Pesto penne. Baby eggplant fritters. Parboiled green, yellow and purple beans. Mixed greens with cherry tomatoes and broccoli. A glass of red wine and a baguette. The grapes, apples and melons are ripening beautifully, the… Read more
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Picture Perfect
Patricia McCarney and I are related and unrelated at the same time. Three summers ago she knocked on my front door. “I’m Patricia McCarney,” she said. “This house was in my family for more than fifty years.” “I know,” I replied, inviting her in. “I’ve been expecting you.” She told me that she woke that… Read more
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Fire in the Hole
Okay, so it wasn’t exactly on fire but I was in a hole and it was well over 40 degrees with humidity. That hole is the crawl space below my front porch deck which, of course, needed to be stripped out and, of course needed to be almost entirely rebuilt. It was my window of… Read more
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I Smell Summer
Today was, without a doubt, a great day verging on perfect. It was hot, the blue skies were deep and I bore witness to the indubitable arrival of summer. The grass was trim, my twelve ‘Madame Lemoine’ lilacs saturated the air of the formal fragrance garden, the peonies and iris waited with bated breath… Read more
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The Season of ‘And’
I love living in a place with distinct seasons. Theoretically, it means putting aside certain activities every few months in favour of fresh, new-sounding ones. In Ottawa we have three distinct seasons – summer, fall and winter. Spring jams its foot in the door, churning out a last ditch attempt at snow immediately followed by… Read more
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Bananas, Like Mr. Lovins
About ten years ago a foodie friend of mine from the south of France accused me and my fellow Canadians of being the heaviest energy users in the world. (Not exactly true and a tricky calculation at best – see http://earthtrends.wri.org.) It was early April and we were taking a picnic in the hills above… Read more