Wandering Wakefield

In my garden, the poppies compete for attention with the peonies as spring turns to summer.

For Kaya By Kimberly-Anne Ford On my daughter’s first day of grade seven at Hadley Junior High School, I found a yogurt container, cut a slit in the top and … Continue reading More than a Dress, More than a Day

by Pearl Pirie People I talk with have been around Wakefield for generations, or decades, and I’m just coming up on a decade of stomping these hills, although technically my … Continue reading Community of Choice

I invite you to  close your eyes for a moment and to imagine a young naïve woman sitting in a derelict shed, looking out of a glass deprived  window frame. She is facing a huge ancient  typewriter that sits on a wobbly old school desk….

The 1980s were a turbulent decade for Poles living under the yoke of General Wojciech Jaruzelski and the communist Polish People’s Republic (PRL).  By 1987, the regime was struggling with a severe … Continue reading An Illegal Immigrant

When people complain about the length of the winter, I tell them that, personally, as an immigrant to Canada in my late thirties, I simply haven’t had enough winter in my life.

Approaching a new year often invites reflection. Today, my thoughts turn to a trail I walked a lot this past year—the steady wander and short climb to Lac Brown lookout. … Continue reading View from the Bench