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Hiking the Alicante mountains
“Quien eres?” an elderly woman asked me in the small village of Sella. “Who am I?” It was a fair question in a tiny village where everyone knows each other. For most of the day I had been asking myself “Where am I?” as I struggled with my GPS so this question was a breeze. I happily told her I was from Canada. When I arrived in Sella, my legs were shaking from my trek through the rugged Alicante mountains. I had left Finestrat almost 7 hours earlier. I was ecstatic to see Sella, even if the first street I encountered was a massive staircase. I had climbed over a…
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Choose to help
March 20 is International Day of Happiness. Each year I have written a post to celebrate this UN designated day to spread kindness and happiness – such as stopping to appreciate nature or the kindness of a friend. This year feels different. How do you celebrate happiness in the context of so much violence? In search of advice, I consulted the website for the International Day of Happiness and was pleased to see this year’s theme: Choose to Help. It’s a struggle to know what to do. Giving a donation to those on the front lines is one way to feel less powerless. The website lists charities where donations can…
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Snowfall… or nevada
I have been studying Spanish since I returned from my trip. Among the tools I use, a Spanish Dictionary app helps expand my vocabulary with a new word each day. I have recently learned some wintery words: la nevada (snowfall), invernar (to winter), friolento (sensitive to cold), el copo de nieve (snowflake) A winter wonderland is not the typical image of Spain that comes to mind (though a huge snowfall hit Madrid last winter and skiers zip down the slopes of the Sierra de Nevada north of Granada). I don’t imagine I will use these words in Spain unless I am talking about snowy winters in Canada. Right now we…
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A year of solar energy
As I write this post, there’s a thick layer of snow covering everything. Trees and shrubs, roads and cars, houses and roofs, and, our solar panels. There will be no solar production today. Or for the next few days as the winter temperatures persist. Bummer. Yet expected. Fortunately we have banked credits that will cover this snowy patch. To be certain, I took this opportunity to wade through the past year’s hydro bills. Electrifying fun. Our solar panels have been operational for a full year. It’s a good time for a review. I have also received a few questions about how the system is working so I thought I would…
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Words of a father to a daughter
January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. During the month, the Alzheimer’s Society encourages people to learn about dementia and the experiences of people living with dementia. Over half a million Canadians live with dementia. This is expected to almost double by 2030. 1 in 5 Canadians have experience caring for someone with dementia. Yet there is still stigma and misunderstanding. My father has Alzheimer’s. For the past two or three years I have been jotting down words and phrases he has said. It’s a long and varied list. Sad, humorous, jumbled, clear, wise, heartbreaking. I decided to turn some of these notes into an essay about our visits focusing on some…
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Trying new things
It’s a new year. I am not one to make New Years resolutions but I do like to try new things. In fact that was one motivation for setting up this blog. Trying something new can break the monotony of routine, stimulate creativity, or get me looking at things from a new perspective. Sometimes simply cooking a new dish or listening to new music can reinvigorate me. One of the new things I am so glad I tried in 2021 was forest bathing. Distinct from walking or hiking in nature, forest bathing encourages you to slow down, even sit down, and connect with the forest (see Forest bathing invitations for…
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The Optimist
It’s that time of year. The squirrels are fat. Slower. One of these days I will catch one. The white fluffy stuff comes and goes. I can curl up in front of the fireplace. It’s toasty. Other than some salt on my paws, it’s been another tail wagging year. My family was home a lot again though there were more comings and goings than last year. Oh let me tell you about one new coming and going! One of my family (the one who lets me sleep in her bed) goes somewhere new. Somewhere magical. When she comes home her shoes are all meaty smelling. A most delightful aroma. I…
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A very special night for Málaga
The joy in the unexpected is so often about the little things. A fun interaction. A quiet plaza. A new taste. Málaga held a wonderfully unexpected experience but I cannot classify it as small. It was on a grand scale. It started as I checked in to my hotel. The greeting from the hostess was unusual: “Let me explain what’s happening tonight.” By the excited tone in her voice it was clear this had nothing to do with the wi-fi password. “It’s like a mini Semana Santa.” A week earlier I was in Sevilla so I had heard a little about Semana Santa or Holy Week. Sevillanos spend the entire…
