You know your life has shrunk when …

My life ground to a halt during the pandemic. Our home, back patio and front porch became a fortress against uncertainty. Venturing out for a carefully distanced walk with a good friend was like a beacon of sanity. Warm weather was a symbol of hope. But you know you’re slipping into dangerous waters when the …

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Here’s to Iris, Butterfield, Rocki, Emily, Clyde, Cecil …

I love cats. It’s OK if you like dogs. I like dogs too. I just like cats more. I love their independent nature; their sleek, powerful bodies; their distinct personalities; their unhinged imaginations; their uncanny ability to muster deep-felt affection 30 minutes before feeding time. My husband, Dwight, and I adopted two kittens in July …

Will it never end?

That question flashed through my brain on a regular basis – usually in full caps – while I was researching Life & Legacy, my book about my grandmother, Ruth (Birdsall) Elmhurst. Sure, I was fully engrossed in the research. After all, my endless forays down family-history rabbit holes were unravelling my own Peterborough County roots …

The power of the pen

During my youth and middle years – i.e. The Olden Days when cellphones, email, Messenger, etc. existed only in my brother’s subscription to Popular Mechanics – writing letters just made sense. Sure, you could use the telephone, solidly anchored in the kitchen for all to hear, but a long-distance call was a luxury. Actually, when …

Messages from my grandmother

Letters flowed from Ruth (Birdsall) Elmhurst’s pen like a fast-moving creek, her quirky penmanship barely keeping pace with her speeding thoughts and earnest observations about the world around her. Ruth, my paternal grandmother, closed several of the missives in my stash of letters by listing the other people she had to write to that evening. …