Posted Apr 13 2018 in About Jen, Back Home at Firefly Lake, Books, Canada, Community, Family, Firefly Lake, Home, Prayers for Humboldt, Small town life
A week ago, on a remote Saskatchewan highway, sixteen people were killed and thirteen others injured in a crash between a semi-trailer truck and a bus carrying players, coaches, a trainer, a local radio announcer and others associated with a Canadian junior (ice) hockey team, the Humboldt Broncos. Before then, Humboldt was a small […]
Read More...Posted Feb 16 2018 in About Jen, Family, Friendship, Gratitude, Home, Reading, Small town life, Writing
Since February is the month of love, it’s a chance to celebrate a few of my favourite things and remind myself to be grateful for blessings big and small. 1. My family Tech Guy buys me chocolate “just because.” And when I’m on deadline, English Rose makes sure I remember to eat. In these and so […]
Read More...Posted Oct 20 2017 in About Jen, Canada, Family, History, Home, Small town life
My mom grew up in a picturesque Canadian village in rural eastern Ontario—twelve miles from where I now live. Dotted with stone buildings and tucked into a rolling landscape of century farms and historic waterways, it’s a place that shaped me as a person, as well as the writer I’ve become. Several weeks ago, […]
Read More...Posted Jun 2 2017 in About Jen, Family, Floppy Ears, Small town life
When I was living a life that didn’t fit me, I thought about the one that would. The life I then imagined was bracketed by what I called “the three p’s” – porch, pooch and pickup truck. All three represented a more authentic way of living that was better aligned with the values I hold […]
Read More...Posted May 19 2017 in About Jen, Firefly Lake, Home, Small town life, Summer on Firefly Lake, The Cottage at Firefly Lake
As you may know, I like ice cream. Although I’ve indulged even when wearing my parka, it’s summer when ice cream comes into its own as my treat of choice. Ice cream features in my two “summer” books. Strawberry Sensation has special memories for the hero and heroine in The Cottage at Firefly Lake, and […]
Read More...Posted Feb 24 2017 in About Jen, Friendship, Music, New beginnings, Small town life
As some of you know, I joined a choir last year. Every Thursday night, I gather with friends and neighbours at my church to sing together and prepare to lead the congregation in the musical part of the Sunday worship service. During that practice time, I’m not connected to social media. I’m not thinking about […]
Read More...Posted Nov 18 2016 in About Jen, Family, Firefly Lake, Small town life, The Cottage at Firefly Lake, Vermont, Writing
Sunday, November 20th is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. It’s a day I’ve marked since my mother was killed crossing a street while returning home from an ordinary, afternoon shopping trip. Road death is sudden, shocking, and it forever changes the lives of loved ones left behind. Although the loss of my […]
Read More...Posted Oct 7 2016 in About Jen, Canada, Community, Family, Gratitude, Home, New beginnings, Small town life
My small town has recently welcomed a Syrian refugee family. Soon after their arrival, the newspaper ran a picture of the mom, dad and their three young children playing in the local park. It was an ordinary, yet also extraordinary scene. Our new neighbours have spent the last three years in a refugee camp not […]
Read More...Posted Jul 15 2016 in About Jen, Canada, England, Family, History, New beginnings, Small town life
On 18 July 2015 English Rose and I landed in Toronto on an Aer Lingus flight from London via Dublin. I was on my way home, but English Rose had left the only home she’d ever known. Missing England One year later, I still miss the gentle English mist, fish and chips and the “have […]
Read More...Posted Mar 25 2016 in About Jen, England, Family, New beginnings, Small town life
I’ve never owned a pair of Jimmy Choo sneakers. At prices topping US$500.00 I’m not likely to either. I’m also not likely to own an exquisite Chanel handbag of the kind I saw a white-gloved sales assistant sell in bulk to a trio of Chinese businessmen at Hong Kong’s international airport. As an author, though, […]
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