Playful Mice in Wichita Kansas

“True character is what you do when no-one’s watching,” they say.  They also say, “When the cat’s away, they mice will play.”  So what does an unwatched Ricky play when his wife runs away to a Florida work retreat and leaves him in glorious Wichita Kansas? 1. Overload on Community Events Day of the Dead…

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a Real drum

Moving from a house into a car requirs a lot of pruning.  But why am I giving this precious drum away?   Well, it turns out I’m not that young hippie traveller who ends up in random drum circles anymore.  And as beautiful and resonant and  “real” as it is, it just barely stands on…

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How Barbed Wire Won the West

Kansas Barbed Wire Museum

“It is not difficult or expensive to start a basic barbed wire collection…” – encouraging words from the Kansas Barbed Wire Museum website. We almost missed this Kansas treasure (most travellers do).  The first 120 snow-laden miles out of Boulder took 3.5 hours, following snowploughs and cars skidding into the meridian and the occasional passing…

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So long, Snug

It was harder than I’d somehow convinced myself, ending the life of a beloved family member. We’d spent the last year agonizing over the decision. Snug’s cancer had clearly spread.  She was clearly in some pain  But she still also clearly had a good life, loving our walks, loving belly rubs and neighbours and snow…

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Three Saturdays

Frisco Sunrise

Just 2 Saturdays ago, we were frantically finalizing a house sale… Our plan to rent it out fully-furnished was usurped by a neighbour casually asking to buy it instead.  Suddenly we had 10 (ten!) days to sort literally everything we own into 3 piles – bring with us, store in the basement, or sell/give away. …

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On the road to find out

Loaded EV car leaving Saint Paul

What do you get when you combine empty-nesting, retirement (mine), a wife who works remotely, and a new EV with a 320-mile range? Well, you get Colorado, Kansas, Philadelphia, Nova Scotia, and Vancouver for the first four months.  Then the world awaits… St. Paul house sold.  Possessions winnowed down to 6 tupperware containers and a…

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