This is the story of my last days in Sherbrooke this summer.

MondayToday I did a ton of puttering around - cleaning, checking for and getting stuff, making bird food, doing my laundry... Tonight we're having hamburgers and hot dogs in a sort of echo celebration: Today is my grandfather's birthday, though we observed it a few nights ago. My ( Read more... )

Again, this is a story of yesterday. After doing a little post-breakfast cleanup, I went up to the neighbours' where the cousins and uncles were discussing the potential for going golfing. Alas, a tournament was being played; I'm going to guess it was the "St. Mary's River Backyard Open." I did my e-thing and Alex and Matt went to Antigonish ( Read more... )

Here's the story of yesterday (Saturday). Uncle C. went kayaking in the morning and reported still conditions, seeing a family of loons, and an eagle being vocally harassed by crows while it was in flight (they quieted again when it perched). He brought in a few water lilies and put them in bowls of water - they were wide open and beautiful but ( Read more... )

Written Tuesday night.The bad news is that my grandmother is in the hospital. The good news is that my grandmother is in the hospital. My grandfather says she looks and sounds better being there. But every bed is in use, so they're sending her back home on Thursday morning. Her sister will come back down that day, and there'll be people here over ( Read more... )

The wasps, I doth hate them. Once last week I was taking out the refilled hummingbird feeder and one was on top of me as soon as I stepped outside. I only had time to set the feeder on the railing (instead of hanging it up) before retreating. It drives me nuts how they bully the hummingbirds, too. If I had protective gear, I'd go out and try to ( Read more... )

Written Sunday night.My grandmother has come home from the hospital, at least for the time being. A nurse comes by from time to time to maintain her apparatus, and a trusted housekeeper with home care experience gives her her baths. She'd been nervous about coming home, but here she gets poked and prodded less (and generally not at, say, 6am). My ( Read more... )

Written Monday evening.

I just got back from my evening walk. It is probably the latest I've been through Stonewall Park - I left at 8. (My stick is starting to rot and I need a new one.) On the way out the driveway, I met my grandfather driving back from the hospital with my grandmother's sister. She'd rode to Halifax and back in the ambulance ( Read more... )

Scene: My bed.

"Get up! We've got to go shovel!"

Ugh. I looked around, blinked, and pulled myself up. The scene outside the window looked strangely dim, as if the sun had yet to rise. Disbelieving, I glanced at the clock on my mobile phone.

6:30?!"It's 6:30!" I cried ( Read more... )

- I just wanted to say, for the record, that I miss my host family in Ostroh and I'm thankful for all they did for me. Sure, we had our disagreements. Sure, there were times when I was just counting down the days - but really, they let me stay with them for six months. Six! I've been not so nice to them in writing a few times, and I feel bad about ( Read more... )

(Written January 8th on an AeroSvit Boeing 767)

Wow. I haven’t had time to write lately, given the transits between various places. The last time we spoke [not counting the voice post; those concerned about getting things in compositional order should read/listen to it now], I was still on the overnight train between Warsaw and Rivne. Getting ( Read more... )