Overall, 2021 will be remembered as mostly a suckfest. It was the year that deprived Betty White of her 100th birthday, just a few days away. We lived in a terrible tug of war with personal freedoms. One day we’ve got them, one day we don’t, as we attempt to stay out of the coronavirus’s way. But some good things did happen last year.
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As a Stoic, it’s my goal to accept things as they come. That means not wishing away a flat fire or tummy ache or worse. Acknowledge the moment, deal with it head on. Notice that I said it’s my “goal”. As a typically flawed human being, it can take a little time for stoicism to kick in.
…I do love a good meme. Starting the day with a positive bit of prose or a good laugh goes well with coffee. Universal truths somehow seem to resonate when they’re put into fancy script with a pretty background. But every once in a while, the meme maker gets it horribly wrong.
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Officially, we won’t be country bumpkins in three days. The big move-out is on Friday. Some straggling stuff will still need to be hoofed over to Port Stanley. But for all intents and purposes, on Friday we’re out.
…Does everybody’s weekly budget look like this?
Gas: $0. Movies & dinners out: $0. Groceries: $62,176.23.
Mail delivery resumed last week and with it came an ongoing, scammy letter that had me going for a few minutes. …
We had one expectation for this long weekend: free time. It included some friend time, some “we” time, and some time to do a few little things around the house. I had hoped to put wood protector on the deck but it was too hot out. (Yay!) Derek finished a project that – let’s face it – was more important to me than it was to him. …
When did being progressive become a bad thing? …
I don’t believe in saying “never” to anything on the food chain. If someone tells me they will never eat bread again, but they absolutely love bread, I’ll hold my tongue but I want to tell them they’re crazy. Where is the joy in depriving yourself of something you love? …
I was “let go” from a magazine before I even got started! The Managing Editor hired me to write a column titled Brandt’s Rant and then she left for another job. The new M.E. didn’t see me as a fit for the mag unless I wanted to write about something I have no interest in. And so it goes. …
The “progressive” part of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives was removed from their name on the weekend. What a mess. The Liberals were the real winners of the PC leadership debacle that elected Doug Ford. …
It’s been too cold to drag a saw out of the shop and cut wood. Too cold to sand or stain or paint for that matter, even in shop #2 in our basement. But it’s not too cold for stencils. …
We didn’t go shopping on Black Friday but Derek did pop out last Saturday to pick up one of the hottest sale items: the Instant Pot. …
Meaning “under vacuum”, sous vide is a cooking method used by many top chefs. You vacuum-seal your food in a bag and cook it in a water bath at a precise temperature for a longer period of time. It can’t overcook so it comes out exactly the way you want it. …
A taste for spice will help you reduce your salt intake. This has implications for anyone who’s trying to keep a cap on how much salt they eat. …
I have the reputation of being a Grammar Nazi. However, I’m not a grammar expert. I double-check myself before I post anything publicly and I still make mistakes. I learned a lot by having my first book edited by a bulldog of an editor (that’s a compliment) who was relentless in her pursuit of perfection. When I got my first draft back it looked like someone had coloured on the pages with markers. Those were the changes she insisted on making. It was at first depressing and then illuminating. …
Something didn’t sit right in my news-junkie tummy last week when a Canadian-American family was freed from Taliban custody after five years. …
