Lise's Ramblings

As if being in my library  isn't reason enough to smile, my shamrock from Lise T. adds a dash of purple and fun to the room. When I moved to Atlantic Canada, I traveled with precious plants packed with care. For a few weeks, unexpected delays prevented me from getting the keys to my home, so I carted pots of all sizes in and out of hotels and B&Bs.  Why go to such lengths? I cherish my plants' lineage. For these plants came from friends, colleagues and family, and form a living bridge between my past and the present. Some are indoor plants grown from cuttings. Others are perennials unearthed from gardens. Whatever their origins, memories sprout whenever I tend to my kinship plants, which include my: Goldfish plant ( Nematanthus nervosus ) from Laura P. Yucca from Burgi Forget-me-nots ( Myosotis ) from Alex Assorted tropical plants from my hubby  Bee balm ( Monarda ) and Malva from Louise and Dad Purple Shamrock ( Oxalis r...

Regular readers of my ramblings know how much I adore handwritten letters and postcards . Now, I feel it's time for handmade cards to have a own shout-out of their own.  As much as I laugh when someone sends a greeting card with a witty or perfectly appropriate message, it's another level of joy to receive cards and notes prepared with crayons, markers, glitter glue, stickers, origami, pictures, pencil crayons and loads of love.  Sometimes, those handmade cards are elevated to the status of fridge art .       AWESOME! Thank you, Sarah Jane, Shannon, Makayla, Mackenzie, Rachelle, Allie, Melanie and Beverly.

The stars came out in droves for Sunday night’s Academy Awards ceremony in California . Meanwhile, here in Canada , a select group marked the occasion in style. When I arrived at my friend Shirley’s house, the red carpet extended from the driveway, up her front steps and right to her front entrance. Indoors, I marveled at the food, drinks, ice candles and floating candles, shimmery tablecloths, swag bags and coveted prizes. The hostess hadn't overlooked a detail. I was on the scene to serve as paparazzo to the stars (a.k.a. the Calendar Girls). These women have a long-standing tradition of gathering to celebrate the Oscars. Throughout the year, these ladies have many other reasons to get together, and the good times roll on those occasions too, but Oscar night is extra special. Why? Well, for the Calendar Girls it’s an excuse to seek out and wear outfits they’d never dream of putting on for a regular evening out. This year was no exception. There were g...

As children, we had any number of reasons for getting together: sleepovers, pool parties, sports, campouts, etc.  Then we grew up and most of us slipped into busy routines of work, family, chores, commutes and all sorts of responsibilities. Yesterday, people across North America celebrated the Super Bowl―an annual reason to kick back with friends, who they may only see once or twice per year.  Let’s face it, the game is about more than football, because far more people partake in Super Bowl festivities than actually follow football throughout the regular season.  For some of us, the only reason to tune in for the Super Bowl is the creative ads and the music performances mid-way through the game. I fall into that group of non-Super Bowl fans. Even if I enjoyed football, I’d be ousted for not liking chicken wings. Lucky for me, I had a separate excuse for an evening of friends, drinks, food and fun. This weekend marked the second annual gatherin...

Dr. William Glasser, a famous psychiatrist, asserts that people are “driven by genetics to satisfy five basic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom and fun.” His math adds up to five, because he counts love and belonging as a single need. Jean Vanier, founder of L’Arche and son of a former Governor General of Canada, disagrees. He contends that that need to belong runs far “deeper than the need to be loved.” As children, one of the worst threats a classmate could fling at you ran something along these lines: “Oh yeah, well you’re not invited to my birthday party.” The danger wasn’t that you’d miss out on cake. No, it was that you’d be excluded. Inclusion was important then and the same holds true for us as adults. Grown ups may not lose sleep about birthday parties, but we go to great lengths to feel accepted by members of social clubs, families, professional associations, sports teams, churches, unions, classes, sororities/fraternities, volunteer groups, guil...