Everybody dance now: Abba’s Dancing Queen at 50
Fifty years ago, Abba released Dancing Queen. I can’t think of too many songs that have had so much currency throughout those years, that — even now — can pack a dance floor within a… Read More
Year: 2026
After the fall: Mom recovered from an injury, but Alzheimer’s exacts a toll
The call came in around 3 in the morning, and we were sound asleep. It was a nurse, telling me my mom had fallen in her bathroom. It was a Sunday morning, and ordinarily, I… Read More
Summer afternoons: They’re more prized as they dwindle
“Summer afternoon — summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”— Henry James There are things about late August and early September that seem to contradict… Read More
Bonnie Leyton: Exuberant, joyful, one of a kind
“Hello, Bonnie,” I would often say. “Hello, darling,” she might often reply. I knew Bonnie Leyton in a variety of contexts over a large number of years, but I saw her most often over the… Read More
One of Dolly Parton’s greatest creations was herself
“I’ve always been misunderstood because of how I look; don’t judge me by the cover ’cause I’m a real good book.” — Dolly Parton In November 2023, I borrowed the audiobook of Songteller: My Life… Read More
Julita’s paella: The dish that feeds and delights a crowd
Over the weekend, we hosted some visiting friends for a dinner, and Martha reached for a true family favourite for the main course: the paella recipe she learned from her mother. Julita Muzychka moved from… Read More
Tubthumping: A shower person reflects on bathtubs
“There are two kinds of people in the world: bath people and shower people.”— Yoko Ono We’re in the midst of preparations for — finally! — replacing the little bathroom attached to our bedroom. The… Read More
I’m slowly personalizing my laptop, but I don’t know about a nickname
“Once you get to naming your laptop, you know that you’re really having a deep relationship with it.”— Cory Doctorow The Toronto-born author and blogger Cory Doctorow wrote these words in his novel Little Brother…. Read More
Saunas have remarkable health benefits. Why promote phoney ones?
It’s become one of my happy places. After a workout at the local Y, I pull into the sauna in the changing room, and just unwind for 10 or 15 minutes … if I can… Read More
Leftovers forever: In praise of making more than a little extra
“The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for 30 years she served nothing but leftovers. The original meal was never found.”— Tracey Ullman The British comedian Tracey Ullman’s insight into home dynamics (if… Read More
Bill Bryson and the remarkable summer of almost a century ago
I spent some lovely time this month with Bill Bryson’s wonderful One Summer: America, 1927. Bryson finished the book 13 years ago, and I read it just a year before the centennial of the period… Read More
Ride or Die: Frothy, fluffy summer stuff
August is flying by, and summer will sooner or later be a memory. Don’t let the season go by without doing something that fits the height of the season. That could mean a bit more… Read More
‘To have no hope is to thirst beside a fountain’
“Hope is a gift. You can’t choose to have it. To believe and yet to have no hope is to thirst beside a fountain.”— Ann-Marie MacDonald Fall on Your Knees, the novel from which today’s… Read More
The best revenge? Getting on with everything
“The best revenge is to live on and prove yourself.”— Eddie Vedder Something of a voice for Gen X kids like myself, Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder’s quote above has been dished up around the… Read More
Today is not that day: Alzheimer’s hurts, especially when the patient is self-aware
Most Saturday mornings, we head over to Mom’s for a visit, with a purpose. This is the time when Martha, my wife, gives my mother, Sheila Gushue, a manicure complete with polish. It’s relaxed, it’s… Read More