Contemplative Musician, Soundwork Practitioner, Music Facilitator & Mixed Media Artist
Heather Lair (1956 - 2013), Gimli, MB, Canada, was an amazing artist. Her passion, amongst other things, was textiles. I will miss her beautiful smile, piercing eyes, lilting voice, nimble fingers, generosity of spirit and positive attitude. Our brief friendship was treasured. We feel privileged to have one of her quilts gracing our abode. Every... Continue Reading →
I was browsing through the tourist brochures while recently on the lounge deck of the MS Chi Cheemaun ferry to Manitoulin Island. "The Art Map: Year Round Trail Guide to Galleries, Art Studios and Events" popped out at me. I'm the type of person who is willing to step out of my comfort zone if I sense that I might... Continue Reading →
Ailsa Craig is a tiny little town in South Western Ontario, Canada. It was there that I was immersed in quilts from Israel! My daughter and I went to see the annual Ailsa Craig Community Quilt Festival. Each year a group of committed volunteers mount an amazing display of quilts from other lands. My absolute favourite... Continue Reading →
When I was a kid I loved when my mother had to take fancy sandwiches to the church for some function or another, mostly funerals. First, days in advance, she had to special order the bread, an LARGE unsliced loaf. Then have them put it through the mechanical slicer sideways. Then she cut off all... Continue Reading →
Veteran Canadian actress/singer Deanna Durbin died last week at the age of 91. By age 21 she was the most highly paid female star in the world. She was a few years older than my mother. Why is this important to me, you ask? She was born in Winnipeg which means we had a few... Continue Reading →
Waiting for me today is this beautiful frog. On the edge of my pond. In the soft green moss. How lovely a sight. How lovely a site.
This year, International Women's Day focuses on ending violence against women — a gross human rights violation that affects up to 7 in 10 women and a top priority for UN Women. As commemorations are underway in all corners of the globe, "One Woman" reminds us that together, we can overcome violence and discrimination: "We... Continue Reading →
I spent the afternoon with four Etsy shop owners (and one wanna-be) all eager to learn how to have our work found more easily online. Go forth and be awesome! Some awesome women:
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. Adrienne Gusoff
Today I am reminiscing about my dear Aunt Sylva mostly because it’s Christmastime and her name sounded like it. She loved to entertain at Christmas. She was born Sylva Belle Carter in Winnipeg in 1926. (Belle was after her grandmother, Belle Stewart). She was my mother’s only sibling. She trained as a nurse. She chose... Continue Reading →
When I became a “grandPAWrent” for the first time last year it was amazing. Our daughter and her husband adopted a Brittany from a rescue society in Michigan.
I felt like a squirrel today. With my old pail and rubber gloves I went foraging for hazelnuts. Within less than 10 feet of my back door I was able to harvest an entire pail. Rubber gloves because the hulls protect themselves with prickles. As a kid I hated getting those little prickles stuck in... Continue Reading →
The history of the cloth of the domestic goddess is fascinating. I received this anonymous prose in an email. I don’t think our kids know what an apron is. The principal use of Grandma’s apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses... Continue Reading →
Renovating our beloved 111 yr old house, again. This time, the dining room. Room by room we have made this house our home. For 22 years we have lived with no insulation in this room. So out comes the old painted-over panelling, the 50‘s wallpaper, the lathe and plaster underneath, the 1960’s ceiling tiles... Continue Reading →
A tree teaches me mindfulness, who’da thunk? Twenty-one years ago we planted a 6 inch spruce seedling which we got free at the fair. We carefully tended it for years, making sure we didn’t run over it with the lawn mower. Last winter I was decorating its sparse branches with Christmas lights and realized that... Continue Reading →
As I was about to empty the pail of veggie cuttings this morning I was reminded of when I was a child and was asked to ‘empty the slops’. I hadn’t thought of that word for a long time. Slops. I don’t use that word anymore. I carry out my compost now. It’s the same... Continue Reading →
I love old dressers. I have one in my dining room for storing my table linen and placemat collection (a collection I actually use). One in the basement for storing painting and drywall tools. One in the garage for gardening stuff. One in my studio for hand made paper. One in the family room for... Continue Reading →
I recently heard an old Jerry Seinfeld sketch about stuff. His main point was that all the stuff you bring into your house is, in reality, varying stages of garbage. Ain’t it the truth! You bring something shiny and new into your house and something else seems less shiny as a result. It gets relegated... Continue Reading →
Evelyn Ward de Roo 