Hello, anyone out there? Today I will blithely chat away about myself, and I hope to hear what you’ve been doing too!
World Events
So, my last post was January 2023. The world seemed to be returning to “normal” after Covid. I never would have predicted the horrific rise of fascism in the USA (Trump), Russia (Putin), Hungary (Orban), Brazil (Bolsonaro) and elsewhere; the return of active warfare – and genocide – in many places (Ukraine, Palestine, Strait of Hormuz) and elsewhere; the rise of health misinformation; the reduction in clean energy initiatives and the return of Big Oil; and sustained increases to the cost of living.
Although citizens of the US are free to elect whom they wish, I hope that the Nov 2026 midterm results will support the return of the rule of law (and new laws as required!), kindness, compassion, and government-funded programs and services.
My World
My own little world is small indeed. I have always felt conflicted about that. We make our own decisions (or they’re made for us) about what we can influence. Things I think about: should I attach myself to a cause that can make a big impact? Focus on local issues? Help family and friends? Or safeguard my boundaries by just taking care of myself? If you’ve read my posts over the years, you know my answer: some of all the above. But “some” means I never make a huge impact in any one area. I am OK with that. There has to be a certain level of “good enough-ness.”
What I’ve Been Doing
I work for the local public library system. Three years ago, I finished up a big multi-year project at work, leaving lots of time for new work activities. I was offered a temporary promotion, that eventually became permanent. As part of the new role, I was assigned two new portfolios, and I started supervising the managers of those areas. I was really pleased because I consider myself in “late career mode” and there’s always the risk of getting stuck in a rut. I have enjoyed learning all about the new functions and supporting the managers to make strategic decisions, and to reduce their time on unnecessary or repetitive tasks. Not with AI 😊 Although I’ll end my career without ever becoming a Director, I know I have the trust of the higher-ups, and that my work is valued. Plus, there was a significant pay increase. And, my “assistant’s” hours were increased from part-time to full-time!
Related to my earlier comments, one of the ways I hope to do good in the world, is to actively make work life better for my employees. Over the past three years, I have worked with some fabulous staff.
In 2024, the employees of the library voted to strike. It was a terrible experience for both sides, and the effects are long-lasting. Good intentions are no longer assumed, and there’s greater mistrust all around. It has not changed my opinion that public libraries are good places to work (especially if they have consistent funding like mine) – and that every workplace has to pay more attention to good labour relations.
Because I have many years on the job, my vacation allotment is good, plus Rom and I don’t choose to travel a lot. So I’ve had an excellent work-life balance, using vacation time to take a day off every week during the summer, and still making our annual trip to see Rom’s family in the UK. My Fabulous Staff kept up on everything during my vacations, giving me stress-free returns to work. How rare is that!
Rom retired from work in 2021 and was never seriously tempted to go back. Link finished their Web Development diploma in 2024, just in time for the bottom to fall out of the job market, due to AI. There are no jobs for beginner coders any more, only for senior coders to lead teams, or to review AI-written code. After almost two years of part-time and contract work, and a stint in retail, they got a solid tech support job, working from home, but with just 70% of full-time hours. So Link is still living with us, but paying all their own expenses. On one hand, it’s a concern because you don’t want an adult child fully dependent on you for housing. On the other hand, we get along extremely well and there is sufficient space. Link has been back in their home province long enough that they’ve rebuilt a life here and they lost their desire to return to Toronto. All in all, the three of us are well-situated and we have a comfortable life.
Here are some highlights and low-lights of the past few years:
In 2023, both of our cats (16 year-old litter-mates) developed serious health conditions which they did not survive. RIP Gigi and Luna. We decided not to get another cat and just wait-and-see if anyone we knew would need to re-home a cat. Sure enough, new kitty 3-year-old Mav came to us in August 2024. Since Rom is home all day, Mav is definitely his cat. Rom always had corgis when he was growing up, and I have always said he is welcome to get one, but he has turned into an avowed cat person!
In 2024, our family attended a lovely family reunion in BC, and before returning home, I spent a week with a friend at her cabin in Montana (near Kalispell). What a beautiful part of the world, and I was so lucky to visit before our two countries developed their current trade-and-tariffs animosity!
I have been making short trips around the province for the past few years to see rare wildflowers and birds with the Nova Scotia Bird Society and Nova Scotia Flora Society. I still don’t consider myself a real birder, but my knowledge of native plants is much improved. I got to see a puffin colony on an offshore island, and I found a patch of one of our rarest flowers in full bloom: the Showy Lady Slipper. Its location is an open secret among plant enthusiasts.
The same summer I saw the Showy Lady Slippers, I travelled to see Coldplay in Toronto (a bucket list experience) and I got to see one of the Yayoi Kusama Infinity Rooms at the AGO. What a year!!
I managed to get through life without tasting truffles until 2024 when I enjoyed a truffle pizza at Circolo Popolare in London, a beautiful spot. Similarly, I had never tried the local Acadian dish Rappie Pie until this year. Obviously I’ll always have a food wish list – why have I not yet tried burrata?
In 2025 and 2026, Rom and I made 5 trips to the UK to see his parents. Sadly, both had dementias, and they ended up living separately because of their differing needs. Rom’s dad stayed in hospitals for over 6 months because he couldn’t return home after a surgery; he was briefly admitted to a seniors’ residence far from home, then transferred to one in his own village. Throughout, he was uncooperative and irritable. Few people would be pleasant in his situation, but he did make life more difficult for his family and carers.
Rom’s mom was “clued out” but ever cheerful, and always enjoyed having visitors. She remained at home and had carers come in twice a day, plus a weekly house cleaning visit. Rom’s parents had wisely moved to a bungalow about 15 years ago, but his mom recently had multiple falls at home, and required many paramedic visits.
Both of Rom’s parents died within 6 months of each other. Since Rom was too far away to handle the logistics, his brother from Ireland had to step up and arrange power of attorney, bill payments, social services assessments, nursing home placements, funeral arrangements and probate. It will still be some time before probate wraps up and their house can be sold. The parents had let everything go for the past couple of years and it was a financial mess to clean up.
It’s safe to say that Rom is still recovering from these events – from what happened, and what he couldn’t do along the way, in terms of helping them.
I currently assist my parents with bank appointments, decisions, and tax returns. Some time ago, I agreed to take on Power of Attorney for my uncle who was moving into nursing care. I handle his bank and investment accounts, bills, taxes and decision making because his adult children don’t feel able to deal with it (no judgment). My uncle was a chronic underspender who never communicated with his family about money, and now he is unable to. I’m not the named executor for his estate, and I feel sorry for whoever has to do it (maybe they will hire a professional, when the time comes). But at least I can ensure his books are in order and he has good record-keeping.
Nevertheless! Much of life is very good. On our recent trips to the UK, I discovered the London Wetlands Centre and the Kew Wakehurst Botanical Gardens. We have visited them several times and we love spending more time outdoors in the UK. Of course I am fond of the great indoors too, and I love UK shopping at my favourite stores: Waterstones, Uniqlo, Muji, Swatch and Flying Tiger – I suppose most of which are in any big city. My other favourites are any museum, art gallery or garden centre gift shop.
We continue all of our celebrations and rituals around birthdays and anniversaries, holidays and seasonal days like Canada Day, the annual Pride parade, apple picking, giving out treats for Halloween, and so on. I participate in the occasional craft class (most recently, needle felting and mosaic lamp decorating) and I still maintain my aesthetic bullet journal.
Enough about me, though – please tell me what’s happening in your life!
Hi, good to hear from you. All well here but different.
I very recently rejoined blogland too, unexpected timing.
Yay!!! Welcome back. I feel that blogging may be on the return. I thought about starting a YouTube blog but I probably will stick with written words.
Thank you for the update. Some big changes there. It must have been very hard on so many levels for Rom.
I told my American cousin that I may visit now, with the recent election. Who would have thought that some Senators would openly use the word socialism in the US!!!