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Pat is a Métis writer and author of several books for children. Her new picture book, Lights Along the River, will be published in early 2024. Her memoir will also be released next year. You can find many of Pat's short stories at www.oakvillenews.org. She can be reached through her blog at www.boomerrantz.com.

Latest Posts By Pat Skene

7 months ago

10 Ways to Stop Feeling Sorry for Yourself After 60

Sometimes it’s very hard to think nice thoughts when your hip is in constant pain. Your hair is getting thinner and your waist is getting thicker. To top it all off, you woke up this morning with a spikey black whisker on your chin!

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11 months ago

10 Ways to Collect Memories and Share Your Stories After 60

Do you wish you could preserve your footprints on this planet by saving your stories? Do you often wish you knew more about a relative who has passed away? How many times have you heard someone say, “There are so many questions I should have asked”?

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2 years ago

The Trauma of Losing My Independence – and How I Overcame It

My husband passed away three years ago and learning to live alone at 74, for the first time in my life, was a daunting task. Besides dealing with the deafening silence and loneliness, my biggest fears were getting sick or losing my mobility. How would I cope?

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2 years ago

A New Word for Retirement – “Arrivement”

How do we really know when it’s time to retire? What images do you have of the term “retirement?” There’s a lot riding on making that big leap into the next stage of our lives. Big life changes are scary things to think about…

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2 years ago

What I Learned About Downsizing and Condo Living – The Inside Scoop

I realized early in the process that downsizing from my big-ass house and moving to a condo wasn’t going to be easy. Although it was the right decision at the time, I was overwhelmed by the jaw-clenching enormity of the job. So I did the only sensible…

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2 years ago

10 Things Every Mature Woman Should Know to Protect Herself from On-Line Scrabble Scammers

I admit it – I’m an online scrabble junkie. I’ve been playing Words with Friends (WWF) developed by Zynga, for over eight years. I have many games going with people from around the world…

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3 years ago

Boomer Ranting and the Joys of Blogging After 60

Okay, let’s not sugar coat this – getting old is a bitch! There’s no instruction manual to read or special training we can take along the way. The scary world of aging is filled with shocks and surprises around every wrinkled corner. And you know what shock…

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3 years ago

Surviving Breast Cancer – Learning to Be Flat and Fabulous

Several years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of sixty-nine. In a matter of hours, I was thrust headlong into a whirlwind of doctor appointments, consultations, biopsies, scans and x-rays. Through waves of gut-wrenching vulnerability…

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7 years ago

7 Ways to Stay in the Driver’s Seat in Your Sixties

For the past few years, my husband has suffered from a few illnesses affecting his ability to drive a car for various periods of time. This is a gut-wrenching fate for any man to accept. But the impact isn’t just one-sided. Read More

7 years ago

Forget the Wine and the Attitude! Here’s What Starting a Book Club Really Requires

I have never wanted to join a book club. Oh, I know there are many excellent groups out there, whose members cherish their time together, but there are just as many dysfunctional book clubs that could turn any warm book-lover’s heart stone cold. Read More