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One of the realities of living in the Canadian Rockies is that there is lots of driving to get chores done. When we want to go to a larger town to take advantage of sales at a Walmart or Superstore to stock up on supplies, it's a three hour round trip. When we go to the "big" town, we make a day of it. We do our shopping, then enjoy a take out meal in the truck at our favourite picnic spot. We walk the dog on paths in the lovely wetlands, listening to the ducks as they warn each...

There are prompts that people use to try to connect to others, using a series of questions to get to know the person they're speaking to; to go a bit "deeper" than regular pleasantries. I was working in a shop and was having a conversation with a lovely lady, when she asked me, "What are you reading?" I answered, "What room am I in?" She looked confused, then asked me the same question again, but louder. I gave her the same response, but even louder. A tiny voice whispered in my head: "Lori, this lady doesn't understand. She's from that OTHER...

The memory of the summer I learned to play chess still makes me smile. On sunny days, my best friend Scott would walk to my house in Montreal with his chess set under his arm. He patiently taught me everything he knew. (At 10 or 11 years old, our wisdom was vast!!!) He would also set up challenges from a reference book and we would race to see who could figure it out first. (I don't think I ever managed to win!) Years later, after I'd moved to B.C., I was working at a golf resort. To allay the boredom...

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...