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Olga never said that someone had died. Instead, she said that they "went to live in Heaven." I'm sorry to have to share with you that my dear friend Olga went to live in Heaven recently, at the age of 92. Whenever we met someone who didn't know the story of our friendship, Olga would ask me to tell it and every time, she would laugh and laugh. Many years ago, when I first picked up a drawing pencil again, I joined a group of artists who met every Thursday night at the local high school. We encouraged each other,...

These days, when the TV is on at my house, you will find old Bugs Bunny cartoons or sitcoms, many from England. Episodes of Keeping Up Appearances or Last of the Summer Wine take me to a quiet place in my mind and keep worries at bay. For the past few years, summer in the Rocky Mountains of Canada has become nightmarish due to forest fires. Skies of choking yellow smoke with the sun a frightening neon orange. There are tears for families who have lost homes, ranches with barns full of animals destroyed in seconds. The familiar landscapes are...

The real estate shows on TV have something that happens in each episode; the potential buyers say they MUST have a view. The hosts/realtors then show them a home with a verandah or deck, looking out on an incredible landscape. The buyers then say, "I can see us having our morning coffee here, or maybe a glass of wine in the evening..." They forget about real life and how rushed each day is. We are barely awake, yet plunk ourselves at the kitchen table before heading out the door to get somewhere on time. Folks with kids on the way...

It's doubtful that anyone else, describing their Mother, would use Yosemite Sam, the character from the Bugs Bunny cartoons as an example...but you didn't know my Mother! (And if you are a reader of this blog and DID know her, you know I'm right!!!) Just like Yosemite Sam, my Mother was, "the ROUGHEST, TOUGHEST..." When she was frustrated or angry, just like Sam, she used to clench her fists and loudly swear, "RACK'N!!! FRACK'N!!!", although using other select words. If you needed someone to move a mountain, she could do it. In many ways, she was invincible. I like to...

My Mother loved people. Despite having a secretarial job with C-I-L Paints, her list of "dream jobs" included waiting tables. "Just think of all of the interesting people you'd meet!" After waiting tables for YEARS, I'm here to tell you that the public, at its best, was always...challenging. Having said that, the various "teams" that I worked with over the years were an amazing group of diverse folks, each with a unique skill set that transformed my world view. From a future doctor to a former stripper, each touched my heart and changed me. (I have to mention that for...