For Anne in her palliative care bed, every day is “Sweet Dessert Day” Rewind to the early 1980s: Like so many first-time parents, Anne and I were brimming with righteous resolve to shield our offspring from the evils of junk food. “Sweet Dessert Day” was our grand idea, a weekly treat so exclusive it..
Ramblings on January 25 to celebrate Robbie Burns’ Birthday Every year, on January 25th, the Scottish people, including the Scottish diaspora, celebrate Burns’ Night. This is the night where Scots highlight the life and works of Robert Burns, a poet and lyricist, and arguably one of Scotland’s most notable figures. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/robert-burns In my..
She’s a clean machine As a devoted caregiver for my wife Anne, I find myself constantly hovering, attentive to her every need – sometimes to an excessive degree. Her battle with terminal brain cancer has left her quite wobbly on her feet, requiring me to be vigilant at all times. Whether it’s guiding her through..
Attending a Séance, London, Ontario, January 1969 When I was 16 years old in Grade 12 at Oakridge High School in London, Ontario, I first experienced puppy love, with all the attendant tail-wagging and barking. The year was 1969. The object of my baying and howling was a Grade 11 student named Cathy Reed, who..
Reflections on Christmas Sunday and Christmas Carol Season: A Loss of Innocence From an early age I have been obsessed with the Biblical narrative of the Fall from grace, with its vivid imagery of innocence lost in Eden. From the time that I turned 12 or so, the story has resonated deeply as..
Tutoring French in London, Ontario, 1967 I was good in French; in fact, I was good at school, the academic part anyway. In phys ed or manual training, I was what my father kindly referred to as a dead loss. Back in the day, being an honours student was a catastrophic blow to any..
Summer Job 1969: A Red Cap My father had to pull a lot of strings to get me a “real” summer job in 1969. His employer, CN Express, offered very few openings for inexperienced 17-year-old whipper snappers, but Dad managed to call in his chips with a golfing buddy/ stationmaster, a Mr. Don Gutteridge,..
School field trips, 1958-1969, Chapel Street Public School, Georgetown, Ontario, Oakridge High School, London, Ontario When I was a child and an adolescent attending Ontario elementary and secondary institutions of higher learning, school trips were a primary source of pleasure and intellectual stimulation, starting as early as first grade. When students see the real-world..
Curling and cancer: a palliative sweep My wife Anne has been stricken by terminal brain cancer, and the treatments have caused her to lose much of her hair. Not surprisingly this has led her to become obsessed with what’s left of her locks and to spend hours in front of the bathroom mirror obsessing..
Adapting our apartment to Anne’s disability: The Great Escape revisited Have you ever seen the film The Great Escape? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Escape_(film) The 1963 epic film depicts a heavily fictionalized version of the mass escape by British Commonwealth prisoners of war from German POW camp Stalag Luft III in World War II. Our apartment is currently being adapted for an ongoing “Great Escape”,..