It involves singing. She asked me to relax and let myself surrender to the music and just sing. I did. I sang a whole C major scale over a single octave, in tune, and with some wonderful tone. It felt good. She said, “There you are! That was you. …

My lived experiences There was another kid called Susan in my classes through all of grade school. She was Black. She was one of two Black kids in my high school. I never wondered if that was hard for her or if anyone was racist towards her. …

It was awful. I screamed and it didn’t matter. It felt like minutes went by while I tried to intervene between Rolo and Lelos. Brownie kept trying to put herself between them but they are both faster than she is. I took my oversized cardigan off and thew it towards…

Because being at home means getting more done, right? — Ah, May 2–4. The Canadian long weekend in May that is also known as Victoria Day weekend. Called May 2–4 because it’s the 24th of May long weekend, and because people often consume a case (or cases) of 24 beer (called locally a 2–4) over the course of the three…

Crafting Outside the Lines — I have been obsessed with getting the right kind of head gear over the past winter, living in Ottawa in Canada. The weather gets cold and I had been living in warmer countries. I started knitting hoods in the fall of 2019. I have long hair these days. It doesn’t…

Short term gains, long term pain. Here’s the thing — the pandemic is creating amazing, positive gains for the climate. Emissions are down. Electricity consumption has fallen. Animals are returning to cities. Globally, people are taking actions to curb the spread of this virus, actions that will define the current…

A reflection on the importance of creative pursuits — Years ago, I read The Gate to Women’s Country by feminist science fiction author Sheri S. Tepper. I actually hated the book. However, there was one thing that really struck me. In this particular female-dominated society, every woman was required to study three things. One sport, one art, and one…

Crafting outside the lines When you add sleeves to a vest you end up with a jacket. I made a vest without a pattern and was thrilled to end up with a wearable garment. I am far from a standard size. I’ve never been a standard size, but these days…

While Justice Moves at the Speed of Bureaucracy Watching the US system of government go through a slow descent into madness has been like watching a car crash. I can’t look away. I watch too much MSNBC and had to give up on CNN because I can’t take all the…