Something to get me going for January, Bloganuary.  Day 10: Has a book changed your life?

I think it is safe to say that all the books have changed my life. Some in small ways, some in angry ways, some in thoughtful ways, some in ways that keep me on the couch for hours at a time desperate not to leave my book behind to pursue life. I hope there never comes a time when I don’t open my mind to a new book to set me on a road less travelled.

Something to get me going for January, Bloganuary.  Day 9: What is the most memorable gift you have received?

 Well, whatever I say someone will be mad, but I think one of the most memorable was when my friend Susan flew into town for my 50th birthday and showed up at my front door with my friend Darca, who lived here at the time, dressed in capes and cat masks. Did I mention my birthday is on Hallowe’en?

Something to get me going for January, Bloganuary.  Day 9: How far back in your family tree can you go?

 Let’s see. My dad’s mom and dad lived in Defiance, Ohio, but I confess I don’t know if that is where they were born. If I go back to one of my, I think, great grandfathers, I think he came over as a kid from Switzerland, but I probably have that wrong because I don’t pay a lot of attention to this stuff. On mom’s side, and she will likely leet me know where I am wrong, there are people who were in the states during the revolutionary war. I think mom’s side has Scots-Irish as part of their background. I heard a story of my grandma going to Scotland and looking up her last name to see if she could find family connections, but the name is like Smith…

I have aunts and uncles who have done genealogical work on the family tree, and maybe someday I’ll review those docs I have tucked away somewhere. But I think of myself as Canadian first, and am always bemused by census forms that insist on asking you to record your heritage, as if somehow being Canadian is not enough.

Something to get me going for January, Bloganuary.  Day 7: Write a short story or poem about rain.

Ah rain

Coming down softly

Hardly enough to worry

And yet

The thought of walking

Makes me happy for fireplaces

And kittens

Something to get me going for January, Bloganuary.  Day 6: Why do you write?

 Maybe the better question is why don’t I write enough? I want to write more, I think about writing all the time and have ideas all the time, but often in moments when I can’t write (like when I’m driving…).

But theoretically I write because I want to tell stories, and when I start writing, it’s hard for me to stop. Yes, much of my writing has been telling stories of others. You can find the stories I have shared at Camosun Faculty Stories. It’s funny how I have no trouble telling the tale of others, but struggle when it comes to telling my own…

Something to get me going for January, Bloganuary.  Day 5: What brings you joy in life?

Kittens

Living here where I can walk all year round without freezing cold and snow.

BBQ on the deck with Kevin!

Something to get me going for January, Bloganuary.  Day 4: What is a treasure that’s been lost?

Betty White was a treasure we lost last year. Jasper was one of our kitty treasures, and we lost him last year too. Treasures come and go, but I think it’s important to remember that all things, good and bad, come and go and we need to enjoy them all while they are around, and learn from those things we would like to leave us alone. They all make us the people we are.

Ok, that’s enough philosophizing. Here is a picture of our Christmas tree in reflection – another treasure that will soon be gone.

Something to get me going for January, Bloganuary.  Day 3: What is the earliest memory you have?

 I always hate questions like this. My earliest memory I think is of opening a huge present at Christmas and there being absolutely nothing inside. A great joke by parents? Grandparents? Or is it not a memory at all, but a remnant of a dream, or perhaps a story told by someone else? I also remember getting stuck in the mud when I was very young and losing my boots in the muck. I don’t remember how I got them back… Hey, this is good fodder for my memoir! Or that kind of memoir that is “kind of true” anyway.

Something to get me going for January, Bloganuary.  Day 2: How are you brave?

 I am brave enough to face the day every morning, and to not follow recipes when I cook. And sometimes it even works out! Although mostly I prefer to eat what Kevin bbq’s on the deck…

Something to get me going for January, Bloganuary.  Day 1: What is something you want to achieve this year?

 Oh, a loaded question. There are always so many things I want to achieve every year, and I do achieve some things, but not always the thing I set out to achieve. So, here is a short list of hopes for 2023.

1. Walk at least one mile a day (or use the ski machine for 1 mile if the weather is too crappy for me to put myself out there)

2. Clean the basement out. Or at least clean a little bit out of the basement every week. In don’t think there are enough weeks in one year to finish the task, but we shall see.

3. Spend more time writing. Writing for myself, writing on my blog, maybe even starting to work on my book. Yes. I finally have an idea for a book. Doesn’t everyone?

Ok, that’s enough for now. There is also work and my photography and meditation and all the other things I want to keep working on, but the above are things to really improve.

Happy New Year!