My Life

High School Confidential

Nov 14, 2020

Students with backpacks heading into a high school

I started high school at Woburn Collegiate Institute in Scarborough in 1974. Woburn is a huge school. It has separate tech, art, and athletic wings...

You Gotta Have Friends

Nov 7, 2020

Three girls smiling and looking out from flap of a white tent

When I was a young girl I had two best friends. Coincidentally they were both called Andrea, although they pronounced their names differently. Andrea Romanuk said her name...

Everyday I Write the Book

Oct 31, 2020

A person reads a book of poetry on a table with white flowers and a cup of tea

Books have been a constant in my life. My earliest memory of discovering a book on my own happened when I was 5 or 6. We were visiting my cousins in Raynham, Massachusetts and I...

What's New Pussycat?

Oct 24, 2020

We never had pets when I was a girl. My eldest brother is afraid of animals, and I think my mom felt that having five kids along with all of their friends in the house was...

I Got the Music in Me

Oct 10, 2020

Music has been a huge and integral part of my life. My father was a professional musician and his whole family was very musical. My mother, though unable to play herself...

What's in a Name?

Sep 9, 2020

Grandmother reading to her granddaughter at a coffee table

My maternal grandmother was born on August 29, 1911 and christened Margaret Jean Fargey (pronounced far-gee) - I always assumed her schoolmates...

Flyboy

May 23, 2020

In December of 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour, crippling the American Pacific Fleet and drawing them into the war. My then 19-year-old father enlisted eleven months later...

Mother

May 12, 2020

My mother has been on my mind a lot since the lockdown began; how I’d love to hear her phone greeting of, “Tis I, your pesky mother” or feel the comfort of her...

Sisters and Brothers

May 2, 2020

Sister holding fists up to older brother while younger watches

Sibling rivalry has existed since the time of Cain and Abel, takes many forms, and can spring up for a number of reasons. A child might bully their sibling...

Thanks for the Memory: Part 2

Apr 28, 2020

Old man with groovy glasses drinking a glass of red wine

My Uncle Bill’s mother, known as Aunt Emma to the kids in my family, was a lovely lady. She was very gentle and kind, and was extremely loving to her grandchildren. Aunt Emma fell victim to...

Thanks for the Memory: Part 1

Apr 25, 2020

Man smiling at child through playhouse window

Both my mother and her only sister Carolyn married Americans. My father was from Fall River, Massachusetts, and my Uncle Bill was born and raised in New York City. Both men enlisted...

Prison Life

Apr 14, 2020

Guard standing in front of prison cell with inmate sitting on the floor

I began working at the Millbrook Correctional Centre almost a year after my daughter was born. In my capacity as librarian I maintained the small prison library collection...