Dec 30 - Wow, A Baby That Puts Herself To Sleep And Plays Happily On Her Own!

E and I alone
while big sister hunts dinos
This one's so easy

Dec 29 - Capped Off With Three Episodes Of 'The Terror.' Because We Can

A day of nothing
Such luxury, to stand down
No plan. No people.

Dec 28 - Terry's Birthday Party Finds One Of Us Down With The Bad Flu That's Going Around

More socializing
Games are chaos with this crowd
Paul too sick to come

Dec 27 - The Post Office Guy Sure Was Weirded Out When I Showed Up To Mail The DNA Samples

Scrape both cheeks with care
Package up the two vials
Wait for roots reveal

Dec 26 - I Would Rather Feel Warm Than Look Sleek

Good to be cycling
I suspect I look homeless
Dressed for winter cold

Dec 25 - A Throw-Back To Those Old Hectic Days Of Christmas When It's All About Family And Food. Not So Bad, Really

Biscuits at one end
Turkey feast at the other
Lizard in between

Dec 24 - Mom Would Have Really Liked This Night

Ham with the wee ones
We're a festive group of 10
Boys play crokinole

Dec 23 - The Day Before The Day Before, Which Always Makes You Feel A Bit Like You're Preparing For The Zombie Apocalypse

Calm before the storm
Buy Zac's bike seat, turkey home
Food-laden kitchen

Dec 22 - At The Family Cocktail Party

House is hella-packed
Kids flash past, sweaty demons
Each drink adds more din

Dec 21 - Dorothy And Susan And I At The Peers Christmas Dinner

Double date with one
They fear looking strange. They don't.
Night feels a bit forced

Dec 20 - I Did Some Daytime Piano, Too

A day for huddling
Stay dry. Research ancestors
Knead cold shortbread dough

Dec 19 - Manipulating The Four-Year-Old Into Feeling Like She Really Did Want To Do Gymnastics And Just Needed To Warm To The Idea

This girl needs fast talk
"Just for now! Here, take this gift!"
But it works. She stays

Dec 18 - On Turning 63, Which Concludes With A Truly Fine Meal At Aura

I pack this day full
Pleased to be head-huntable
Dinner is small plates

Dec 17 - At The TC Retired People's Christmas Lunch At The Gorge Point Pub

Meal with the old guard
The faces so familiar
The names lost to time

Dec 16 - The Groomer Arrives To Deal With The Poor Senses-Deprived Dog Who Exudes A Bit Of A Biscuit Scent

Big day for Gerry
As usual, he's silent
How to tell if stressed?

Dec 15 - Those Wacky Hepburn Girls Put On The Queen Of All Christmas Parties

Nine-hour party
Twelve kinds of booze and appies
Shrivelled eyes await

Dec 14 - A Long, Late Night With The Person I Most Let Down

We talk until 2
Things go deep. Tears flow. Hearts break.
Oh, for one more chance

Dec 13 - Hard Not To Blame A Series Of Small But Unfortunate Events On This Being Friday The 13th

First, the bag catches
Then I get a flat tire
Other than that, fine

Dec 12 - We Pack Into Rachelle's Kitchen To Make Our Christmas Treats, To Which Z Brings His GF So We Can Meet Her

Shortbread and Baileys
Started with kids, now grandkids
Gin bottles readied

Dec 11 - Gerry's Illness Worsens And My Christmas-Treats Buddy Calls In Sick But Wanting Cookies, Leaving Me To Mop Up A Stink-Kitchen And Then Bake In It. Ewww.

Dog diarrhea
Day can't start much worse than that
Then I make shortbread

Dec 10 - Maybe A Winter At Home Won't Be So Bad. At This Moment...

Grab this sun day too
It keeps me from too much work
No stresses out here

Dec 9 - Not Much Of A Sandwich For $11 But The Mustard Was Nice And Spicy

My ride's long enough
to justify a sandwich
Deli special, please

Dec 8 - The Twinkly Truck Parade On A Fine Evening That Doesn't Require Us To Drive Anywhere

Night is warm and dry
We walk to watch the trucks pass
Hmm. Seems short this year

Dec 7 - Making A List And Checking It Twice

Christmas kind of day
I say I don't give presents
But I always do

Dec 6 - In Which A Fortuitous Appointment Gets Me Away From Ancestry Stuff, Though Not For Long

Brainstorming at Peers
An excuse to go cycling
and stop this digging

Dec 5- Shifting Times With My Young Pal As We Work Out What We'll Do Together Now

We go to the pool
Not as fun as the old days
Is it kids she wants?

Dec 4 - It's A Bit Predictable To Grow Old And Become Obsessed With Your Ancestry, But I Do Always Need A Project

This is familiar
Consumed. It's just how I roll
Steve, you died too soon

Dec 3 - I Really Needed To Be Able To Double Up On This Morning

The good thing about
conference calls is that they
let you multi-task

Dec 2 - I Had Plans For A Productive Day, And It Was, But Not In The Way That Makes Money

Roots search consumes me
Why am I looking for Pat?
Because he's hiding

Dec 1 - Family Weekend Day 2, And The Talk Turns To Geneaology When Grace Arrives

Warm at the base rink
O's team wins. They often do
R wants none of it

Nov 30 - Various Segments of Family Come And Go In A Bit Of A Festive Day

Hockey gang to Sooke
We dress warm for the parade
Sleepover for all

Nov 29 - Wha-a-a-t? A Free Night With Regan In The City

We walk through twinkles
Mother and daughter, malling
Eating big at Earle's

Nov 28 - I Stand Near A Door And Talk To People Who I'm Unclear Whether They've Come To Hear Me

Well, this is quite weird
There's soup, but no time to eat
I feel out of sync

Nov 27 - When The Electric Heat In The Old, Uninsulated House You're Calling Home These Days Can't Keep Up With Winter's Approach

Cold outside and in
I dress like I'm on a hike
Down vest, thermal socks

Nov 26 - The Dorothy Sessions Begin

Six people talking
Yet only two bodies here
We seek middle ground

Nov 25 - That Feeling When You Present Once Again To Young People In A Classroom And Wonder Why It's Just So Damn Rare To See Engagement

I speak to students
They don't speak back. Well, three do
So incurious

Nov 24 - Many Social Things Happened Today, And I Learned To Beware Of The Scalding Interiors Of Springrolls

Home in time to ride
I burn my gums with hot mash
Then schmooze in Sidney

Nov 23 - The Cousins Go North To Their Old Stomping Grounds

Weekend in Cow Bay
We marvel at docks so close
Different yet the same

Nov 22 - Missing The "Big Reveal" Guilts Me Into Doing Another Afternoon Of Volunteering On The Peers Reno

Hands-and-knees floor scrub
My, that's an off-skillset day
Ride is crisp and clear

Nov 21 - At Least The Sun Shone Brilliantly

A play date. Great plan
Me with my head still fogged up
Longing for Netflix

Nov 20 - Introduction To The Blind Schnauzer With Dementia

Jerry's popular
He seems to like small children
And he sure can't bite

Nov 19 - Something About Lying On Your Back Getting Weird Work Done Makes Me Want The Place To Myself

Eyebrow-scratching day
She's forgotten; double-booked
Bummer. But it's free

Nov 18 - You Know That Feeling When You Do A Lot Of Work And Then Processes Change And So You Do A Lot Of Work All Over Again?

I'm getting things done
Though the new charity stuff
is a big setback

Nov 17 - I Always Like This Gathering Of Women Who Have Made A Living Out Of Writing

Brunch at the Pitts home
I place myself near the fruit
Snacking where it's safe

Nov 16 - Assembling Amazing Pieces of Peers Art As The HeroWork Reno Draws To A Close

We arrange wood blocks
Rachel's got the nail gun knack
I'm all about glue

Nov 15 - At The Provincial Social Services Forum

This is a moment
I'm up here with the big guns
Look, ma! They like me!

Nov 14 - On The Road Again. I Suspect I've Used That Headline Before

Back to the ferry
R resists gym, then gives in
I wash sheets and leave

Nov 13 - Oh, Don't Go Thinking The Housesitting Life Is All A Charmed One, When You're Living Out Of Your Backpack And Everything's In Your Car And The Place Is So Damn Cold

A day to catch up
Squatting in this lonely house
Waiting for normal

Nov 12 - On The Road. Again. But I'll Sleep Like A Rock

Pack up and reverse
E screams from Duncan south, but
beams when we pull in

Nov 11 - This Really Wasn't The Ideal Time To Come For A Courtenay Visit

Meltdown at the rink
By night, the girls are wired
Nobody can sleep