My Life
Stories my Father Told Me
Jan 15, 2024
My dad, Hank Monis, made his living as a journeyman musician. He played weddings, parties, and clubs in the evening, and taught private lessons and did studio work during the day. He began...
Storm Before the Calm
May 25, 2022
This past Saturday an unusual and intense storm passed through Ontario, leaving a path of destruction, shattered trees, and downed power lines in its wake. My city was badly affected...
Won't You Be My Neighbour?
Apr 10, 2021
My husband Douglas and I moved into a lovely red brick Victorian home in the hamlet of Millbrook when our firstborn was 10 months old. The house was in excellent shape and featured a wraparound...
The Song Remains the Same
Mar 27, 2021
I’ve always felt sorry for people who do not regularly listen to music. Very rarely does one encounter situations which wouldn’t be improved if accompanied by a song. I find music...
To All the Ladies I've Loved Before
Mar 20, 2021
Last Monday was International Women’s Day, and two days after that marked the twentieth anniversary of my mother’s death. She becomes harder to conjure up in my mind’s eye as time goes on, but...
Good Fences Make Good Neighbours
Feb 27, 2021
I was born at the tail end of the baby boom, and there were scads of children on my street. We played massive games of British bulldog, red rover, tag, and hide and seek. Our neighbourhood was...
My Old School: The Continuing Saga
Dec 26, 2020
I taught at Dr. Ross Tilley Public School in Bowmanville for the first five years of my career, and last week I touched on how difficult and confrontational the school...
My Old School: In the Beginning
Dec 19, 2020
In July of 1997 I moved out of my husband’s house. He had been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia about three weeks prior to this, and while I had offered to stay...
Work to Do
Dec 12, 2020
I am in my second year of retirement and have lately been looking back over my 40 years of work with a curious eye. Library positions made up...
Having my Baby
Dec 5, 2020
I recently watched a 3-part HBO documentary called Expecting Amy. The series chronicles the comedian Amy Schumer’s pregnancy and delivery. Schumer experienced a condition known as...
You're my Best Friend
Nov 28, 2020
Senior public schools came into vogue in the early 70s, landing me in the inaugural class of the newly opened Henry Hudson Senior Public School. The first floor...
Children Say
Nov 21, 2020
I was born on August 10, 1961, at the tail end of the population tsunami that was the baby boom. Women were popping out an average of 3.7 kids every year during this period...