In just a few weeks Janet and I will mark 50 years of marriage. We celebrate many things - births and birthdays, graduations, marriages and lives lived by those who have passed - but anniversaries are the fainter stars in the constellation of celebrations. The years accumulate slowly, without much fanfare, until
A few random thoughts that must be set free so that I can think about the things I'm supposed to be thinking about (spousal hint noted): When is a Referendum Not a Referendum? Politics has become the art of making everyone equally disgruntled, unhappy or just mad as
While driving from Victoria to Tofino, we decided a refreshment stop was in order. Google told us that on our route, Duncan B.C. had an excellent bakery/cafe about 2 blocks off the Trans Canada Highway. So we made a stop. Not only was it an excellent bakery, full
I have resisted writing this post for months, hoping that the subject would die a natural and boring death. But ignoring the drumbeat of Alberta separatists is getting harder. There may be relatively few people beating on those drums, but they're big, noisy drums being beaten by energetic
That best of days: you've just finished a book and now you get to choose a new one to read. How do you decide which book? For a few months now I have been thinking about how, exactly, I come to read the books I choose - how did
An unusual day today. It started with a reminder of a memorable dinner hosted perhaps 10 or 12 years ago by our friends Doug and Peggy (in the above photo blissfully unaware of risk of rising sea levels in the Irish Sea). When we got to their house they had
Many months ago Janet proposed a pre-Christmas trip to one of our favourite places, London, to experience the British Christmas season: lights, decorations, markets, food, entertainment, all infused with English traditions. As a bonus we would escape a bit of Alberta winter weather and recover from the the frenetic
Four very different events have caught my attention in the last few days: 1. AXE THE AUDITOR. Alberta's Auditor General has been told that his contract, which expires next April will not be renewed. Coincidentally (maybe), he has just released his report into the losses taxpayers suffered as
When I started this writing project in May, my first post was an explanation of our decision to sell our vacation home in southern California. That didn't happen quite as quickly as we had hoped - this place has a very short selling season, and now Canadians are almost
In 2005 a British author named Lynn Truss wrote a book titled "Talk To The Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today." Though arguably somewhat whiney and thin (an essay stretched to book length) and tending towards the obvious, the book made the point that it
I mentioned in Post No. 9 that we converted half our vehicle inventory to electric this spring. If you live anywhere other than Alberta, the chances are that you've wondered if the switch to an electric vehicle makes sense, or is starting to make some sense. If you
Prepare for an examination of a public health policy by someone hardly qualified to add insight to such a complex discussion. At best I am a member of the "public" to whom health policies apply. I am not an immunologist, an epidemiologist and certainly not a doctor. But
After 3 weeks and 3,400 km we are home again. This is why we travel, said my wife: for the pleasure of coming home. We mostly went to places we'd been before and it hasn't been that long since we were last in B.C.
One of the unintended consequences of retirement is that you are no longer able to take vacations. Your whole life is a vacation! Stay up late, sleep late, lose track of the day and date, go from one exciting leisure activity to the next! That is your life. Well, it
In William Shakespeare's 1591 play Henry VI, Part 2, a minor character named "Dick the Butcher" spoke words that, like so many of Shakespeare's words, continue to be part of our popular culture today. Dick said "The first thing we do, let'
Last week the government of Alberta floated the idea that Alberta will consider establishing its own system of immigration "permits" to control who gets to come here. The reasoning behind this is that although immigration is the responsibility of the federal government, the costs of social programs used
I think I'm pretty good at retiring. Tried it twice, nailed it both times. Being retired, that was harder. Much harder. In 2015 I retired from the practice of law after 34 years. Gave up my license and desk and walked away. 10 months later I was banging
Many years ago (40 or more) a Charlie Daniels song came on the radio as I was driving. Blair was strapped into his car seat in the back, 2 or 3 years old. I heard Blair singing the words describing a fiddling contest between Johnny and the Devil taking place
Our young friend Ella and her sister Penny scored scholarships to play NCAA Division 1 Water Polo at a university in Northern California. They are they only people from Stony Plain playing on one of the 34 Div 1 teams in the US, and so far as I can tell
Good health, resources and friends are 3 essentials you need to enjoy some of the best public golf in the world. A patient (or at least tolerant) spouse is another. I will offer some opinions if you’re wondering where to take your game. Opinions about a golf course are
In 2007 we became “snowbirds” – Canadians who come to the southern United States periodically to avoid the harsh Canadian winters. Over the past 18 years we have come to appreciate much that California offers: friendly winter weather, convenient access, stable communities and surroundings that are interesting and beautiful. We have
News
This is One Story At a Time, a blog by Mike Birdsell that's just getting started. Things will be up and running here shortly, but you can subscribe in the meantime if you'd like to stay up to date and receive emails when new content is