The Electrician turned 29 recently, and to celebrate my (slightly younger) husband’s existence for another year on the planet, I decided to buy him a new pair of shoes. Finding shoes for size 13 feet is not always a simple task, and as a result of spending too many hours with his feet squeezed into…
Tag: observations
Teensy Foot
Yesterday, former student who is visiting the city from her new home in another province met me on campus for lunch. She also brought her three month-old daughter to introduce to me. I was very honoured that they made a special trip to see me while they’re in town, particularly since I imagine riding the…
Break on an August Afternoon
Let me take you for a moment to something I did this afternoon on my break. That’s right: I now have coffee breaks. Most people won’t think getting a paid break at work is a big deal, but coming from the world of public school teaching, where coffee breaks do not exist and lunches are…
Scruffy C. Scrufferton
Animal lovers tend to gravitate toward one another, and one of the biggest animal lovers I know has been up to good work again lately. My friend of many years has been feeding a feral cat in her neighbourhood for the better part of a year. During the Alberta winter, where temperatures often plummet below…
Mammal Mondays: Da Free, Da Proud
Today, we depart from the standard Mammal Monday stories for a little something from the islands and a critter that is more feathered than furred. I’m aware chickens are not actually mammals, and I’ve been aware since Miss Geary taught us about classes of animals in first grade. Since my own mammals have been behaving…
I Have No Use for Photoshop
I often mention here at Blue Speckled Pup my lack of a relationship with Photoshop. I have never used photoshop on any of the photographs I’ve taken and posted here, admittedly in part because I don’t have a clue how to operate the program, but mostly because I’m tired of living in a world where…
Responding to Tragedy
Like the rest of the world, I’m stunned and sickened by the recent violence in Connecticut. I don’t have any answers, although I know the internet and social media are zinging with suggestions for how to prevent similar incidents in the future. Debating gun control and the availability of competent mental health care is appropriate,…
Some Assembly Required?
Ladies, we need to talk. A plague is sweeping the nation, indeed, sweeping the planet: we are the only ones who can save our species from the downhill skid our women are leading. It’s a sad time for females. Luckily, I’m not afraid to speak up. Maybe I’m just overly sensitive, but I feel like…
The Olympic Shill
Watching television is driving me nuts right now. With the London Olympics looming on the horizon, there has been a near-hostile takeover of the ads on all the Canadian and American networks, and I’ve had about enough. Lately, the Olympic-themed advertising has covered pretty much every sport scheduled for the games. While I appreciate the need…
What Finally Sunk Snail Mail
I have come to the conclusion I don’t see things quite the way most folks do. This morning I wrote a “chin up” kind of card to a friend whose long-term relationship recently ended. The front of the card had a yellow sunshine and an orange flower, and both of them had beaming smiley faces….
Would You Trade?
This post stems from a conversation I had with my colleagues in the English department at my junior/senior high school earlier this month. After marking a common writing assessment where students were asked to describe a talent they wished they possessed if they could have any ability that appealed to them, we started talking about…
A Walk for the Soul
I realized today I haven’t written for my wee blog since Monday, which was rather pathetic considering I wrote every day for a year. It’s been a stupid week all around, and we might talk about that later, but please be advised it involved a field trip, two professional development days, a provincial writing exam,…
