Mastering 100-Day Challenges: My Journey Have you ever heard of "100 Days of Hard"? Apparently, it was an incredibly intense exercise routine that you had to do for 100 days - without missing a day. And there are lots of them - especially on Minecraft. The first one I heard of was physical fitness…

Is JOY an Act of Resistance? For years, I have been making cards proclaiming JOY! As in "Joy to the World", the third Sunday of Advent...the shepherds. I guess it started with celebrating Advent at church...something I still practice. But, what does it mean, exactly? Especially now, as we face…

Wisdom Cries Lexio Divina is a process of sitting with a passage, usually biblical, but it doesn't have to be. It's something I want to do with things I see on Facebook. Poetry that is shared with me. How it "works" Read - this is the lexio part. Read slowly. Which words or phrases jump off the…

I am building my future - one step at a time.

Homestead Playbook: Week 1 I am privileged to receive an inheritance. I know not everyone gets one. But, I do. And the question is, "How do I use it to make my dreams come true? What do I want to be the end result? These are big questions. The biggest answer is that there will be a piece of…

You Should Read This, I Think This book is recommended for twelve-year-olds and up. The white grandmother in me screams, "No..wait until they're a little older, maybe sixteen or seventeen, Safiya's age?" This is hard stuff. The reality is that Indigenous peoples, brown and black people,…

Creative Ways to Cope with Sudden Loss of Income and Making Ends Meet If my mom was still living and needing care, I would not be writing this post. Just so you know. But she isn't. She's probably singing her heart out like she used to. She's happy. And I'm short on rent and living. My ideas for…

I listened to this last night: got to know a new artist and added more requests to the library's "Please buy" list! youtu.be/_Kg6w3M4b8E?...

My mom - whom you met in other posts, died on May 3. I was busy moving into an apartment - a retreat, while I spent most of my days and nights with her. Talk about a mind-fuck. I lose my mom, the income to help pay my rent, and the reason for being here in the first place. It's hard.

Creating Art that Satisfies from Everyday Moments I have spent so much time wanting to draw pictures like an artist. I have books. I have plans, I have ideas. Youtube videos galore....But I never believe I'm good at it. You know what's funny about that? I have helped my ESL students learn to draw…

Money tighter than usual? Wondering why? Wondering what to do? I've got some ideas to share!

Embracing Change: My Journey After Loss I found this quote at Hearts and Minds, a site about ending poverty. The picture comes from a Facebook post. It's been almost 2 months since my mom passed away. Loss of parents, loss of income, rent to pay .... When you have a lot of changes in your life, it…

Finding Joy in Unpacking: A Personal Journey I wish I could find the sidebar that let me make this text larger. There are little things that annoy me and this is one of them! I also wish I had a picture of the pile of crates I was looking at all the time! This is life - and we will move forward.…

Navigating Loss: My Mother’s Health Journey My last post was about my mom's mini-stroke. That was filled with ideas that I still hold on to. It's a bit hard to read in light of later events. There is a high chance of a second stroke within the first month. We rested the first few days back and…

Learn from Our Emergency Stroke Experience We spent just over 48 hours in Emergency...and here's the story Since January my mom has been in an ambulance three times. Twice to deal with a hernia issue that should not be a problem anymore. And then, this. Last Tuesday, she dropped a cup. Just lost…

Poetry is the Underwear of the Soul That's a line I learned in Mrs. Hughes Grade 8 English class. Crosby Heights Public School, Richmond Hill, Ontario. Thank you for this! (You never know how much impact you have on someone else's life. Lawrence Ferlinghetti wrote that and it appeared as a one…

From Shelters to Cars: The Many Facets of Homelessness I do not fit even my own idea of homelessness, but in some ways, I have been. I have had an easier time of it than most other homeless people. Maybe I've just been address-less, even though my mail still goes to my last address. The…

I am movin’ in!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, it needs that many exclamation marks - because I am super excited. My next post will be about the nuances of why I need so many of them, but now I just want to celebrate this new life I am creating! As you know - I have been taking care of my mom for most of my days…

Moments to Make You Stop! My brother, Leon took this picture in Sevilla, Spain. I just love these geese - one in mid -step. So, with his permission, I am sharing it. Creativity sometimes happens in a moment! My grandson (age 9 ) said something. The phrase "Shadows wandering" caught my attention.…

No one sets out to weigh 300 pounds Just so you know. If you have a family member or friend, someone you work with, or even someone who makes your travel a tad uncomfortable...know that they did NOT deliberately do this (Unless maybe you need to, but I think that is pretty unusual) Can you tell…

Bussing it to London,Ontario Background: I used to live with my daughter and her family just north of London. Shit happened,shit hit the fan,and things changed. It was tough in the moment but the outcome has been a blessing for all of us, my mom included. Anyways, I now travel to London every four…

“If” or “Because”? set goal, make plan, work, stick to it, reach goal - a success concept presented with colorful sticky notes I found this picture on this website about goals, losing weight and getting fit. Other people have similar images, but I liked the connection to my own goals and thought…

I am NOT happy with my mouse… And as soon as I type that, the thing starts working again. I do not like the finger mouse at all, so a mouse that isn't doing what it should becomes rather aggravating. I was going to add a picture of someone feeling annoyed or aggravated, but somehow, I couldn't get…

“If I can weigh 287 pounds, I can weigh 286”…or…”Because I weigh 287 today I can weigh 286 in the near future” Which one is stronger? #weightloss #mindset #getyourgoal #ajourneoftenyears

I am glad that my blog posts are showing up on Bluesky. I think I should make a personal post here, though. I did not make a single shot in the games I played today, but I did connect with the balls I intended to connect with. Practice will make me better!

I Shoot Lousy Pool!!! I asked AI to produce a picture of people playing pool. Now, people are not just male, people encompasses anyone and everyone - so guess what I got? Certainly not what I asked for. Maybe the person in the back is a woman but it is hard to tell. Notice, however, that there is…

Just a Quick Hello! Regarding yesterday's post, the pumpkin loaf was a bit of a flop. I don't think this recipe works well with whole wheat flour, which is all we had in the house. I'm going to try it again with regular flour and I'll report back. I'm off to play scrabble with my family, enjoying…

Busy in the Kitchen One of our favourite breakfasts is steel cut oats. Mom cooked them in the crockpot (much easier) but I wasn't a fan. I cooked them on top of the stove (much harder) and mom wasn't a fan. What to do? Find a new recipe, of course! And this is the one we found. I checked out other…

I don't know what I was thinking, being on social media every day...but here I am. And it's fun flying by the seat of your pants. Now if only I could figure out the vlogging part.

Gotta go! My mom is off having an adventure. SHe's bored because she's been kind of cooped up after her surgery. I don't blame her - not much fun watching me in at a computer...and there's not much to do. Eye sight is fading - so is hearing. Can't walk anymore. There's not much on TV on Saturday…

Did you think you'd take a 40 day pass on cookies today? Neither did I...until I did! Life is like that sometimes. How has life surprised you? Share in the comments!

I am giving up cookies for Lent. And I had to throw some away. This was tough. Cookies are too easy to eat too much of and I was building a habit I didn't like. My mom enjoys them so there will be plenty of chances to honour this promise! #ajourneyoftenyears, #lent #change

Lent can be a time of sharing - experiences, challenges, and good things. I'm hoping this challenge will help me build confidence in sharing my story! Glad you stopped by!

Yesterday, my train from London was DELAYED - behind the morning train that was just leaving the station at 4 pm. Too much snow to deal with in one day! Discovered Flixbus and made it home by 9 pm. #snowday #flixbus #ajourneyoftenyears

I'm all for Canada first - but let's support the smaller businesses that don't have the same buying power. People on lower incomes can't do that - but if you can, do it #shoplocal #canadalocal #supportsmallbusiness

Taking an elderly parent to emergency is like walking a half marathon - long, boring and stressful. All is well, but it is important to recover from the ordeal. True for the parent, but also the care-giver. (Picture from Next Avenue). #caregiver #elderly #journeyoftenyears #emergencycare

Learning Mosaic crochet this month thanks to #juniperandoakes New pattern, Starburst Mosaic Washcloth

The wound above the heel started small and grew. The tendon is exposed, dying and now frozen. Mom is in a wheel-chair. Wounds for diabetic elders with poor circulation need more than a bandage. Advocate to see a doctor at the Wound clinic. It is vital #eldercare #woundclinic #caregiver

I've decided to go outside every day, even if it is just for 2 minutes. This summer especially, it was hard for me to do this. Today I dashed across the parking lot, in the rain and the wind, just to say I'd done it!

Well, it's a day of new beginnings and I thought I'd join Bluesky. Kind of branching out and trying new things. youtu.be/bk5L1hSEJoc?...