Year: 2020

Seventy-five years ago, on May 5, 1945, the occupation of the Netherlands was finally over. A great number of people had suffered terribly. Jewish friends and neighbours were taken away to extermination camps, the large majority of them … Read more

We were very poor, and the J.C. Penney store carried good quality clothing. Mamma would put them on layaway until they were paid for. What a happy day it was when she brought the clothing home for us to wear for school. We didn't have to … Read more

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual deadline to submit our income tax returns at this time of year has been delayed. It's no-one's favourite thing to do. I don't know of anyone who rushes joyfully to pay their taxes! Instead, we … Read more

While glancing out my large bay window this morning to check on the weather, and hoping to catch a glimpse of what the squirrels were up to, I was amazed at the sight of a large wave of starlings soaring overhead. They seemed to be … Read more

Did you ever hear about The Great Gold Robbery of 1855? A train shipment of 200 pounds of gold was stolen on its way from London to Paris by four greedy conspirators. When I look back on 2020 and COVID-19, one event will stand out: I … Read more

This present year is like none that we've ever known. When we pay attention to the news, we are informed of all the families who have lost someone they love — a hard and harsh reality. We hear about doctors, nurses, long-term care … Read more

Each spring, the melting snows flow into the Madawaska River. From its source in Algonquin Provincial Park, it spills from lake to lake, punctuated by hydro dams along its course, until at last, it meets the Ottawa River. The lakes rise … Read more

From my kitchen window, I enjoy the heavy, low-flying, distinctively coloured, quiet, slow-mannered pair of wood ducks that like to rest on their webbed feet awhile on the horizontal branches of my big, old maple trees almost every morning … Read more

Whenever I feast on the wonder of a starlit sky, as daytime's sunset pulls down her blind and whispers goodnight, I cannot help but believe in God's handiwork. And though my eyesight has faded over time, and brilliant colours have lost … Read more

Each spring in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, the season is announced first by snowdrops, then by crocus blossoms. The sloping lawns around the Parliament Buildings are adorned by beds of the cheery crocus, purple and golden. For those of us who … Read more