The grandpa has a chestnut gelding named Cody with whom he competes on the rodeo circuit. Today he has fitted Cody's saddle with a set of mini-stirrups so his preschool-aged grandson can climb aboard. They are headed to the arena to do some barrel racing. The preschool kind, anyway. Grandpa has the reins, on the … Continue reading Barrel Racing, Family Style
Horse Tails
It's lunchtime at the ranch and I am taking a break. In the barn. The rest of the staff are elsewhere, but not I. I just can't stay away from these animals. I am starved for their company. This is therapy. Two rows of standing stalls are occupied by twenty horses having lunch. The barn … Continue reading Horse Tails
Perspective
This evening I attended the Manitoba Editors' Association workshop entitled "Get to the Point", where the organizer Adrianne W. led us through a fun and informative series of exercises in concise writing. The first exercise took me into familiar territory: writing concise business communication. Adrianne shared the Top 10 Tips for editing business writing, and … Continue reading Perspective
The Plurality of Pluralization
I found out today that Editors Canada members now receive an online subscription to the Chicago Manual of Style. Bonus! ... even if I just bought my own copy of the 17th edition, um, last week. Ah well. It's good to have options, and I am indeed grateful for the benefits of membership I am … Continue reading The Plurality of Pluralization
We Are Not Alone
We humans are at a critical place in our journey as a species with respect to our relationship with the world around us. In my life I have seen numerous examples where human existence is reduced to just that - human existence, with the underlying belief that our survival is the most important thing at … Continue reading We Are Not Alone
Pet Therapy
A dear friend and mentor provided me with this quote just today, noting that it dates back to 1949, well before blogging was a thing: Red Smith was asked if turning out a daily column wasn’t quite a chore. …"Why, no," dead-panned Red. “You simply sit down at the typewriter, open your veins, and bleed.” The … Continue reading Pet Therapy