Grateful doesn't begin to describe how Erin and I feel about going on a river cruise next year with a gaggle of Queenagers. (Kings are also welcome!)

Amazingly, astonishingly, it's been six years since my mom died. (The actual anniversary was Monday.) Next April will mark a decade since we lost dad. I've learned a lot about grief in that time.

Derek and I weren't new to the concept of gathering a bunch of different vendors and putting them in one showcase. After all, he managed the World of Motorcycles Expo in London for a decade. There were spin-off shows in Kitchener and Hamilton as well. I was alongside him for many of them. Most people were wonderful. Oh, the stories I could tell about some of the sleazy, manipulative, and hostile folks we dealt with.

As a new college professor, I'm lucky to have control of my material. So, in addition to teaching them everything they've been promised, I can add things like my journalism and broadcasting pet peeves.

When I say it's feast or famine as a freelancer, I'm not just pulling a cliche out of my tickle trunk.

Before we moved to Port Stanley, our realtor told us that the village was, "its own ecosystem when it comes to real estate." Having lived her for five years, I'd say there's more about this village that's particular to its atmosphere. Or perhaps it's a lot like other villages that endure quiet winters and rely heavily on tourism.

No, I'm not going to be one of those sixty-something students who finally pursues a degree! Kudos to them. I'm not the student, I'm the teacher.

For now, Goodreads is still the granddaddy (grandmommy?) of book readers' websites. And so, it makes sense to try to reach avid readers there with Little Voices.

You know someone is really hated when you don't even have to say his name. He wants to control everyone and really thinks he can. Not only is Canada not for sale, it's not interested in an out-of-country tyrant's attempt to run us.

I'll admit I was overjoyed over the arrival of GLP-1 medications. Ozempic, Monjauro, no matter the brand, just the knowledge that a silver bullet had finally arrived was exciting.

It made headlines around the world last week when Brad Pitt said he had started drinking again.

There are things in this world that I will never understand, no matter how many times they're explained to me. Excuse me while I climb up onto this soapbox to explain them.

After the next few weeks, there will be no more whales in captivity in Canada. It's a long, slow process to safely transfer the remining belugas from Marineland in the Niagara Falls to aquariums in the U.S..

The other day, an acquaintance told me he was leaving his corporate job and launching a freelance career. I felt the bottom of my stomach do a little flip. I ignored it and said, "Hey, good for you." He needs cheerleaders right now, not doomsdayers.

We did it when we were young. But we didn't know any better. Humans know more now and I, for one, wouldn't dream of doing it today. I'm talking about tanning.

With co-host Lisa Brandt | Podcast alert: Gracefully & Frankly | What's in the News: Ark Aid is waiting on federal funding / House explosion | Construction| The week ahead | Buckle up - London |

It's a challenge to lure people away from their habits. If you're in the habit of logging what you read and writing reviews on Goodreads, for example, it's not going to be easy to get you to leave.

We often want to put ourselves out there and do something kind for a stranger. Sometimes, our minds jump to the worst possible reaction to it. And I'm here to tell you that sometimes that worst case can come true. Not in the big moments, but with little ones. We can't possibly know how evolved or emotionally intelligent a stranger is.

Late last year I had a close encounter with Homer's The Odyssey. Since it's now been made into a blockbuster movie, I thought it was appropriate to revisit this post.

Take two radio pals who've lived long enough to know better (but sometimes don't), have gained wisdom, dropped some filters and just want to talk with you about...e…

It always surprises me when someone else is surprised by how seriously I take my voice. My whole life, I've made my living with it. Don't accountants take numbers seriously? Doesn't the artist learn all about paints?

Maybe by this time next year, we'll be in so many markets that I'll put up a schedule. This life has a lot of charm. On Sunday, we're in our second one at Elgin Harvest Wood-Fired Pizza on Sunset in St. Thomas.

Cuddles is in his 18th year. We've had him for more than five years. His original owner was forced to give him up to move in with her daughter. She didn't want to part with him. We read the notes from when she surrendered him and it broke our hearts. But her daughter is allergic and that left her no choice.

There are no paid ads on this website. But let me be perfectly clear that if someone whose product or service I truly believed in came along and offered me a sack of cash, there'd be a banner up top you wouldn't be able to miss! I don't actively sell this space for profit.

If you're a woman of a certain age, you probably remember the first time someone called you "ma'am." And if you don't remember the exact moment, you recall how it felt. There you were, vital, energetic, young and hip. Moments earlier you might have been singing along to a new hit on your favourite music radio station. Wait, maybe that was just me.

Do you ever think that maybe we know too much? Besides the information we choose to consume, just the availability of it all is so much more than we'll ever need. In my Canadian news feed do I really need a story about a Florida man who picked up a gator?

Everything costs more. Political viewpoints are divisive. A few idiots are still vocal about denying others' human rights. BUT WE GET TO LIVE IN CANADA!

My new novel is officially out! Little Voices is available in paperback and ebook formats. Today, I'm going to tell you the story behind this story, and how it came to be.