Category Family
Side Benefits
The past few days may wife and I have been visiting a few members of her extended family. Great fun for her, somewhat of a challenge for me. They are all nice people and I have enjoyed renewing acquaintances or, in some cases meeting them for the first time, but it is hard work. German […]
Mother’s Day 2020
I’m not sure how I am feeling this morning. It is Mother’s Day, both in Canada and Germany. Much as I appreciate mothers, I’ve always thought of it as a semi-artificial holiday, designed mostly to sell flowers and cards. Not to mention boosting the restaurant industry. Not sure how many mothers are going to be […]
Inflation!
I was chatting with my cousin last night, which naturally had me thinking about my mother and hers, sisters who died weeks apart in 2019. So it seems appropriate to share this post again, reflections on an outing my mum and I took in 2015. We pulled over to the side of the road so […]
Time Passages
I glanced at the calendar yesterday and realized today is my paternal Grandmother’s 127th birthday. Or would be if she hadn’t died just a couple months short of her century mark. My father’s birthday is this Friday, which is also the anniversary of his death. He went out on his 85th, and I think he […]
What A Party!
Actually this isn’t intended (today anyway) as political or social commentary. It just seemed appropriate given that yesterday was my wife’s birthday, and I threw a surprise party for her. Given that gatherings of more than two people are not allowed in Germany in these days of pandemic and social distancing, it was a bit […]
Growing a BackBone
I wanted to scream. Or shake some sense into them. I did neither. That’s because the people who were driving me nuts weren’t in the room, or in this case the plane. They were featured in a Wall Street Journal article I was reading on how teenagers are increasingly turning to food delivery options rather […]
Feeling Sheepish?
I meant to ask a couple of days ago and forgot. How was your Christmas? Get any unusual presents? Mine felt a little strange in a way. Maybe I’m not used to celebrating in Canada, though that seems strange after just two years in Germany. Maybe it was feeling my mother’s absence, this being the […]
Santa Claus is Not Coming
When I was looking for something Advent themed for Sunday’s post, I came across this piece written by my son in 2016. I thought it would be nice to share it with you and give another perspective on Sunday’s post. You can find his original here. Santa Claus won’t be visiting our house this […]
The Santa Effect
I have posted this before, the first time more than five years ago. I wasn’t planning on revisiting it this year, but yesterday I was reminded that my son wrote a sequel. I thought it would be nice to share that, and will do so tomorrow, but it helps if you read the original post […]
The Countdown Begins
Across the world today Christians are observing the first Sunday of Advent. It is a time of celebration leading to the biggest birthday party of the year. When I was a child we didn’t really observe Advent, it wasn’t part of our church tradition. The exception was the advent calendar we children received on December […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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