Watch This: Still Standing in Small Town Canada

3 people laughing in a barn loft with dried plants hanging above them
Rogersville, New Brunswick.

“When you grow up in a small town in Newfoundland, you see that people have a sense of humor about hard times. I turned that into a career and hit the road.”

standup comedian on stage

Minto, Manitoba, population 85.

That bit of narration begins, and perfectly encapsulates, the premise of the CBC TV series Still Standing. It’s kind of a mix of travel show, stand-up comedy special, and small town documentary.

Think Corner Gas meets Rick Steves, and you’ll be on the right track.

Brick storefronts in a small town.
Maple Creek, Saskatchewan.

“Now I’m on a mission to find the funny in the places you least expect it – Canada’s struggling small towns. Towns that are against the ropes, but still hanging in there, still laughing in the face of adversity.”

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Color Story: Gems + Jewel Tones (part 1)

watercolor paper gems

Beyond just decoration, color is elemental.

Think of mineral pigments. The way a body of water takes on shades of what it carries – a cloudy blue glacial stream, a teal bay concealing a forest of kelp, a river that turns mud-brown with sediment. The hue of flames shifting from fuel and temperature changes. Or the impact of heat and chemical makeup on the color of lava, of aurora, of stars.

telescope image of nebula and stars - Webb Telescope image of Pillars of Creation composite image produced by NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI).

The rich, saturated colors of rubies, emeralds, sapphires, amethysts, and other gemstones are actually from trace elements within them. It’s those so-called imperfections that create the gorgeous palette we call jewel tones.

With Tucson’s gem show season beginning today, it seemed like the perfect time to explore jewel-toned things to make, places to visit, handmade items to shop, and nature to marvel at.

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The sad one I’ve been meaning to write.

bouquet of white flowers in a vase

A year ago yesterday, I lost my dad.

my dad and I

Yes, he’d been battling cancer for two years. And, yes, he was in the ICU. But it was still a shock.

Ribbon-covered "Tree of Hope" at MD Andersen Cancer Center.

Thanksgiving picnic with family
Phillip, me, Dad, Mom on our Thanksgiving 2015 picnic.

It seems like a million years ago. But also like it was just last month. It seems impossible that he was ever here, living, breathing, just a phone call away. And it also seems impossible that now he’s not.
Continue reading “The sad one I’ve been meaning to write.”