• dandelion puff balls

    make a wish

    by  • May 20, 2013 • 2 Comments

    A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows. ~Doug Larson Loving dandelions feels like a revolutionary act. People in the suburbs don’t like them. There are whole aisles of the hardware store dedicated to their eradication. You could be “that neighbour” if you...

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    light through the trees

    we’re ready

    by  • March 28, 2013 • 2 Comments

    It’s time. The crate has been empty long enough. The leash has hung limp long enough. We’re ready for a new dog to come home to us. Last summer and fall, when the grief over losing Kaylah was overshadowed by my surgeries and recovery, it was inconceivable that we’d fill that space with a...

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    keep on playing

    by  • March 18, 2013 • 4 Comments

    stuffed friends know how to play

    We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. ~George Bernard Shaw I’ve been thinking about play and happy and ageing. I like to play. I like stuffed animals and board games and make-believe. I can turn just about anything into playtime. Which is not to say that...

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    winter sports for kids

    by  • February 27, 2013 • 6 Comments

    minnesota in january

    It must suck to live somewhere puddle jumping and ice skating are the same thing. ~Kristina at a Minnesota rest stop As a child, Kristina was the original puddle jumper. Every year we bought a new pair of  waterproof boots, in a bright and cheery colour – puddle jumpers. We didn’t ever call them...

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    things we love to see in hotel rooms

    by  • February 26, 2013 • 3 Comments

    charge ALL the things

    Somewhere in the middle of Minnesota, we began to feel hopeful. The sun was shining for the first time since it dropped below the clouds of a misty sunset near Spokane, WA. We’d been tested by storms in Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota. Our windshield washer lines were still empty and frozen, but we...

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    as Charlotte might say, “some friend”

    by  • February 22, 2013 • 2 Comments

    fading purple tulip

    A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow. ~Shakespeare This morning I had a call with a friend who embodies all of this. And even though – on the scale of life – she is...

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    feeling gutted and blessed at the same time

    by  • February 21, 2013 • 5 Comments

    moon in tree silhouette

    Many promising reconciliations have broken down because, while both parties come prepared to forgive, neither party comes prepared to be forgiven. —-Charles Williams Recently, Jen Louden shared the quote above on her facebook page. It stopped me in my tracks. I know that in order to give kindness without being a martyr, I must...

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    every fresh start

    by  • February 8, 2013 • 8 Comments

    clover in the redwoods

    You are full of unshaped dreams… You are laden with beginnings… There is hope in you… ~ Lola Ridge (from TWLOHA page on FB) “Now I can finally start my life,” she said. “This time,” I said to her. “Again. This time.” You started your life when you got your drivers licence. You started your life...

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