Hobbies

As a serious outdoors enthusiast, I’m always cheered when I hear of an increase in the number of people getting their kicks from walking. It seems that participation in hiking in the US has nearly doubled since 2012 while in the UK, over 20 million adults are choosing to walk for leisure. In case you haven’t noticed, hiking is booming…

My cousin posted an old photograph on Facebook a few weeks ago. It was of my father, in his early 20s, sitting there in a sweater, a white shirt, a skinny tie, and a tweed jacket. The picture was taken in the late 1950s. I had never seen it before in my life. He was so handsome it stopped me. I had been experimenting with a new kind…

Every reader has experience with debut novels. In my journey, I’ve learned to be aware when I’m reading a debut novel. The six following range from okay to excellent. Some foreshadow the greatness of the writer; others are debuts that surmounted the challenge of publication but left me feeling my time could be better spent…

When the formalities of a divorce are over, property is divided and papers are signed, it’s time to move on. At least, that’s what everyone expects you to do. For me, the first few weeks and months felt liberating and calm. The emotional weight of another person was lifted, leaving me feeling lighter and hopeful. […]

I first discovered Little Free Libraries while traveling through Bellevue, WA. I was driving through a beautiful neighbourhood when I noticed what looked like an oversized birdhouse or a miniature garden shed standing at the front of a home. It was mounted on a post and featured a small glass door, but it was not a birdfeeder. Inside were books…

(Read this silly poem out loud to most fully enjoy it!) Mary McDermott McMaxwell McDuff Was asked by her teacher to spell the word tough. Because of her name, she replied “Tee-you-eff-eff,” which earned her Z-minus below treble clef. So here are some hints to help you if someone may
ask for help in spelling these troublesome words one fine day…

After returning from a trip to Colombia, I found myself looking at my old scrapbooking supplies in a new way. What had once sat in bins and drawers, waiting for the “right” project, suddenly seemed full of possibility. Discovering junk journaling gave me the perfect reason to start using those materials again, and the process […]

Television is the most popular form of entertainment as we age. It has probably been our most popular form of entertainment through the years also. We were bombarded with warnings of turning our brains to mush if we engaged with the boob tube, idiot box, squawk box…

As I listened to Becky Ann Baker’s wonderful narration of Laurie Frankel’s book Enormous Wings, I couldn’t help but think, What would I do in this situation? The protagonist, Pepper Mills, is 77, newly and unwillingly relocated to the Vista View Retirement Community in Austin, Texas. Her grown children strongly suggest (insist)…

As we know, even preschoolers can be introduced to squeegee painting. However, what we’ll be discussing here is a more challenging version of this technique. This means that squeegee painting is incorporated into an activity that cannot be done by young children, as it requires the ability to create a basic drawing…