A Fitting Close

Sisters

Breakfast with another niece, 

  her husband,

    a grand niece and grand nephew;

  our brother (dad and grand-dad) and 

   one very elderly, sweet dog.

A Dinosaur game ~ 

    absolutely new to me;

   little dinosaur shapes 

   on game cards; 

complex rules second hand to the kids!

I just couldn’t get the rules so lost twice.

Shopping at Indigo and Canadian Tire

Supper out with sister was 

  a fitting close to this visit.

    (more stories and memory work)

Sisters

The End (of this visit)

“Poetry is the opening and closing of a door 

leaving those who look through to guess 

about what is seen during the moment.”

~ Carl Sandburg, writer

(1868 ~ 1967)

Correction: Congratulations 'Saskatchewan' Roughriders!!

**Correction:  

I reviewed the history of the Roughriders this morning on the Roughrider website: riderville.com/team-history/

.After a long history beginning in 1910 as the The Regina Ruby Club, the Regina Roughriders name was changed to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1948.

So:  

Congratulations to the 

'Saskatchewan' Roughriders 

for bringing the Grey Cup home to Saskatchewan on November 16, 2025. 

“Sometimes the kick in the pants we need must come from our own foot!”

~ Toni Sorenson, author

Congratulations Regina Roughriders!!

I have no Rider paraphernalia

I seldom know 

    when the Riders are playing

I’ve been to only 

    one game many years ago.

I flipped channels and landed on: 

3rd Quarter: 

    The Regina Roughriders ahead

4th Quarter: 

    The Montreal Alouettes pushed from behind

The game was fought hard and brilliantly ~ 

The Regina RoughRiders are bringing the Grey Cup home!!

“Champions are built on a thousand invisible mornings.”

~ Kirk Cousins, NFL quarterback 

At the Brandt Centre - Curling with Skill

Active and aware, the two curling teams were well matched until the very last rock was thrown. In this Brier match, the Saskatchewan team lost to Nova Scotia by three points. The first game I attended in many years, I was enthralled with their skill and precisions. One sheet over, Team Canada won their game handily. Their opponent was one of two Alberta teams. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the game of curling as a spectator. It is a quality game.

“The strategy is the tough part - it’s seeing things three shots ahead.”

~ Jared Allen 

(ex-NFL football player who took up curling after retirement)

Time for Play

Play date: March, 2022

In the game of Hide and Seek, there are always places to hide. Even if one if “too big to hide”! This was my quandary yesterday. I had been told: “You’re too big to hide!” Our game was limited to only a few rooms, but I fooled this four year old! I found two places - one was a pretty tight squeeze. The next problem was the little sister - just shy of two years old, she always found each of us first and very helpfully told the seeker! Wonderful fun, I have regrouped and recovered today with great memories of smiling faces and happy times.

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

On an Afternoon Walk ~ Flying High

Far and away from my hands 

but caught in my sight

~ a jet etched plumes 

in the blue

“The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.”

~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Hockey News: 

Team Canada Women claimed the Rivalry Series this afternoon, scoring 6-1 against Team U.S.A.Women in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Heroes and Essays

“I didn’t have time, Mr. Samson! You should have seen the work my mom and dad gave me this weekend. I wanted to get the essay written. Really I did!” Ralph was desperate. How could he get his teacher to believe him? What if he called his parents? He’d be hooped! Hanging his head, he caved. “Yes I had to do lots of chores this weekend but that’s not really why. I’m sorry, I just didn’t want anyone to know. “When I could get away from my chores, I went to the batting cages. The baseball diamond was empty when I got there.” Nine year old Ralph looked up at this stone faced teacher, tears in his eyes. “I just want to play baseball, sir.”

Mr. Samson’s face softened, not so much that his young student would notice. “Well then Ralph. That’s not a reason to neglect your homework. It’s a fine idea to have heroes. But heroes had to do their homework too.” He had no idea about baseball or base ball players, but needed to say something. “I’m going to change your assignment. You still have an essay to write, but I want you to choose your favourite baseball player. Write about him.” Ralph snapped upright, his face shining, he wiped his wet face with his sleeve. “Really! Gee, thanks Mr. Samson. I won’t disappoint you!!

The two men, one tall and stern; the other short and excited left the classroom while Ralph bubbled over with nine year old knowledge about Babe Ruth.

“Only children believe they are capable of everything.”

~ Paulo Coelho

Child's Play ~ 3

I learned a new game tonight.

Involving bubbles and a short runway (my deck).

The game?

As the runner ~ my great granddaughter - wiggled and called out “Ready, Set, Go!!!”; with three year old speed and energy she ran towards me.

Me: the bubble blower ~ blew bubbles that she ran into and popped.

Then: repeat ~ no specific number of times

Then a second challenge:

I became the runner to call out “Ready, Set, Go!” and raced with a bit less alacrity; just getting wet with bubble juice.

Oh, and a third challenge:

The length on the runway (my deck) doubled

The game resumed as before ~ 

Until it was time to bring more toys outside……….

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

On an Afternoon Walk - Square One

Musing under the springtime sky

Perfect symmetry ~

four sides with a

numbered space

like one section of

a hopscotch game

chalked on cement

the place to return to

when the game turns

on one end to the other

Perfect symmetry ~

four sides with space 

filled with a past design.

“Yea, I shall return with the tide.”

~ Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

A Look Below

Qu'appelle Valley, 2012

Substitutions for last year’s resolutions can be two fold. One: renewing a resolution made the previous January with just a bit of tweaking to see if this new year could be better. More motivation, not as much work/life imbalance… or any reason I need to not continue forward. The second part of substitutions for last year’s resolutions are to play word games! Change resolution to commitment. That should work. Actually, I’ve tried both solutions and neither work very well. Work/life balance ~ now retirement/life balance ~ just keeps tipping over! As far as the word games, I get so caught up in the game, I forget why I started playing them!

New Year’s resolutions have never been my strong suit. Making them has been easy ~ more like a wish list without a plan. Following through on any resolutions is another story completely. In January, 2019, I learned about the concept of ‘going deeper not wider’ from Winnipeg writer David Cain. An interview with Mary Hynes on CBC radio and David's blog at https://www.raptitude.com, suggested a change in perspective for his readers. Using the theory ‘going deeper not wider’ I have found an anchor. I no longer make New Year’s resolutions (i.e. commitments) in a wish list kind of way. Instead, decisions from previous year’s commitments are reviewed. Do I still want to go forward with any one of them, do a bit of the infamous tweaking, or continue to move forward? I have learned to follow through on the projects I have chosen. Some of them have been completed ~ like painting my closet. Some are ongoing ~ like clearing the clutter of years of moving. The most important is writing. Not just this blog, but another project that I took on over a year ago. And then there was the issue of retirement. When I first learned of a Depth Year, retirement was close and really needed my attention. This was one of my early projects that threatened to overwhelm and derail me.

Retirement has suggested, at least to me, stopping. Stopping has seldom been an option, so I decided last year to look more deeply into what retirement means for me, my relationship to life and all it has to offer. There is still much to do, but with the concept of ‘deeper not wider’, that most unpleasant feeling of being overwhelmed was placed as an issue for review using this new perspective. As a result, I've been learning how to take tippy toes into this new life in small steps, cheering myself on and listening to the wisdom of friends and family.

“Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow;

He who would search for pearls, must dive below.”

~ John Dryden, All for Love

Timing Challenge

Breathe....

Everything got done

Curveballs all caught

Game over for today……

almost ~ except for

Spanish class tonight

Adios y hasta mañana!

“I used to think timing was everything, I have since

 learned that now is the time for everything.”

~ Stella Mowen,  Until the Beat Stops

A Word Game

My words seem to have dashed away! 

Important or frivolous words gone! instead of jousting and playing with crossed swords of meaning and purpose. 

Importance too often wins over frivolity 

Frivolity smeared liberally between the heavy bricks of importance

builds something worth the time of day or week and month and year. 

Bricks of importance and privilege 

plus 

the mortar of frivolity with its own sort of privilege 

builds a whimsical house with 

a curvy sloped roof and a funny top hat chimney

puffing out smoke when the fire of passion is hot. 

There is only one leader of a country, 

one C.E.O. of an organization and 

    one famous author of each string of books

but 

a host of us ordinary folk 

living ordinary lives with 

little glitz or glamour

    make the world go ‘round 

        for the Really Important People 

    while doing frivolous things like 

     playing games with our children and going for ice cream.

We are :

Really Important Frivolous People

“The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms.”

~ Socrates

Only a Hop, Skip and. a Jump - On Skates

All the way to this fall. Am I talking about hockey too soon? Maybe, if it was only a hockey game. I have enjoyed hockey games from minor to major leagues. The cut of blades on ice. The whistle of the referee. The slap of hockey sticks against the boards. But I’ve never been a fan of the muscle that is unleashed on ice in the middle of a game. Helmets off and fists flying.

I’m also not a fan of active addiction, whether to alcohol, prescription drugs or illicit drugs, untreated or poorly managed mental health. Unfortunately, what is unleashed is not only muscle but much more serious and life threatening issues. Families shattered, depression, suicide……..I could go on, but you get the picture.

Last evening I attended the AGM for the Umbrella Society for Addictions and Mental Health. The Umbrella Society is dedicated to longterm housing in recovery homes, as well as supporting recovery from these dreadful conditions. Acceptance, encouragement, paramount for these relapsing conditions, is unconditionally offered to scores of those working towards good health and happiness. While still in my nursing career in detox I had many opportunities to work alongside the many frontline staff from Umbrella in their outreach programs. Each one was and has been dedicated to their clients in their recovery. Retirement has meant that I’ll no longer work with them in that capacity, however gaining membership in the Society last night changes all that for me.

My words are minuscule, compared to the ripples that The Umbrella Society on Addictions and Mental Health has made in this community. They have elevated a community of individuals suffering from their various health conditions, whether addictions or mental health, to communities of healthy individuals that live, work and play with clarity and sobriety. These journeys are long and arduous. Yet the Umbrella Society has continued to believe in these folks who have not felt belief from themselves or anyone else for a very long time.

On that note: Come to a Charity Hockey Game in October! The Boston Bruins against the Greater Victoria Firefighters. I’m not a huge fan of hockey, even though I was born, raised and live in Canada. I am definitely a fan of The Umbrella Society for Addictions and Mental Health.

“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is 

that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love? 

What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!”

~ Anne Frank