Living the Dream

Tuesday Tales: From the Word Sunshine

Welcome to the month of May and Tuesday Tales. Around here, spring is still struggling to find her footing. Each week, a select group of author friends share a snippet from their current works in process with you, creating a scene designed around a specific word prompt. This week, our word prompt is SUNSHINE. Each scene is approxinmately 400 words long. I’m working on a cozy mystery called The Case of the Missing Prince. It’s a cold case filled with secrets and political intrigue which will require every ounce of my sleuth’s abilities to solve.

This week’s scene introduces you to Banff National Park’s denizen living legend. For the record, had I known about this guy, there is no way on Earth that my sister-in-law would’ve gotten me to go on a hike on the other side of the bear gates! Lucky for us, the Boss, was occupied elsewhere that day. Enjoy!

“This place is new and privately owned,” Hank stated. “They’re the top rehab center but mighty pricey. Got family in there?”

“No,” I shook my head at him since I could see his eyes in the rearview mirror. “When Leo disappeared, he was climbing with four other men, including Viktor here who broke his leg.” No need to go into details about crush injuries. “While two of the others are back home recuperating, one was more severely injured and required additional care.” I was careful not to mention where home was.

He nodded. “A couple of people were killed, too. My nephew—he’s in the last year of his forestry management degree—does a lot of hiking out that way. He and the other people in his class assisted in the perimeter search.” He chuckled. “Ned and a couple of his friends worked the ten to fifteen kilometer section. Didn’t find anything, not that they expected to. Lots of rough terrain there. Their last day, they spotted the Boss out fishing. They stayed a safe distance away, believe me.”

Viktor turned in his seat. “The Boss?”

“Yeah. He’s what you might call Banff National Park’s living legend and dominant grizzly bear. Officially, he’s Bear 122. He’s close to 30 years old, big, even for a grizzly, weighing about seven hundred pounds, and a horny bugger since they figure he’s sired 70 percent of the cubs in the park. He’s usually the first bear to come out of hibernation each year, lured by the early rays of sunshine in his cave. Folks in the area set spring by him not some damn rodent back east. A few years back, he got hit by a train and walked away from the collision. He’s learned to stay away from the rails when he hears the whistles. My nephew often hikes in that section of the park, but it was the first time he saw him. It seems the Boss, like Big Foot, is a mite shy when it comes to humans, but he won’t walk away from a fight with another Bear. The park rangers claim there was quite a dust-up this past summer between him and old Split Lip who occasionally wanders into his territory. While he’s been known to eat black bears, as a rule, he sticks to berries, roots, smaller mammals, and whatever he can steal from the wolf pack in the area, especially at this time of year when he’s fattening up for winter. Not sure how your man would’ve fared if he’d come across him.”

Don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.

Reflections for the 2026 A to Z Challenge Blog

I’m back! Miss me? Just kidding. Welcome to my reflection on this year’s blogging experience. This year’s theme was: A is for Aspirations: Blogging hopes, dreams, and goals, and I believe I did a good job of at least coming close to its intentions.

I’ve participated in this blogging adventure almost every year since its inception. It isn’t always easy to get the blogs done and for the last couple of years, I’ve had surgery pop into the mix, but on the whole, it has been a wonderful and valuable experience for me.

Thanks to the organisers for providing the jpg banners and daily letter images which I’ve used every year although I’ve noticed that not all bloggers that I visited did.

Using memes to support my journaling throughout the blogging helped since it allowed me to focus on more than one word in my ramblings. Hunting for the appropritae memes was fun, too, but there were days and letters that were harder than others–looking at you here X and Z!

Since my surgery involved my eyes, it wasn’t always easy to be able to stay on top my reading of other blogs, but I’m pretty well caught up now.

My goal for this year was to engage three new followers, and I exceeded that goal by two. I followed them in return and hope to be able to keep doing so throughout the coming year. I enjoyed not only their posts but their comments on mine. A couple of times, we had a few back and forth discussions. too. I loved that aspect of things.

So where do we go from here? Well, I intend to continue the challenge next year, God willing, and without any surgical issues. I will make it a point to visit the A to Z blog site http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/ at least once a month to see what’s new. It can’t hurt to stay abreast of things. I do participate in the Insecure Writers Support Group monthly post on the first Wednesday of the month and I often learn new things there, too. https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html I was gratified to see that they reviewed one of my books last year, which made me feel as if someone out there cared about my work.

Through this blog challenge, I’ve met people I now consider friends, people living half a world or more away from me who’ve become part of my life. In that repect alone, I consider myself a winner.

To everyone out there who managed to complete this year’s challenge, congratulations. maybe I’ll see three more of you next year.

Day 26 of the 2026 A to Z Challenge Blog for the Letter Z

Good morning. Well, we made it. All twenty-six letters of the alphabet accounted for. It’s been an exciting month, a busy one, and if the weather wasn’t what I’d hoped for, it really wasn’t that much of a surprise. This is Canada and Climate Change is real.

I’ve so enjoyed reading your posts, following along with your personal journeys, some heartbreaking and yet filled with hope, some giving me pause and reminding me how differently was all see the world and yet how similar we can be. Because I’m only human and I have only so much time at my disposal, I didn’t get to visit all of the bloggers, but I did make some new friends and enjoyed hearing from friends I met in previous years, a few of which I follow all year long. I’m hoping that the new ones I’ve made will continue to follow me, too.

To quote Juliet, parting is such sweet sorrow, but all good things have to end. But this isn’t an ending. It’s simply a rest stop, a pause. God willing, we’ll all be back next year come April 1 to do it all over again. How will the world have changed? Unknown, but we can hope it’s better, with peace and understanding.

Today’s letter, the last one in the alphabet, is Z, pronouced zed in Canada. Z starts many words like zoo, zealot, zeal, but today, for me, it stands for Zen.

Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism (originating as Chan in China) that emphasizes direct experience of reality, meditation (zazen), and mindfulness over scripture study to achieve enlightenment. It focuses on living in the present moment, calming the mind, and finding wisdom in daily life by removing unnecessary mental embellishments. (Thank you AI Google.)

To me, having a Zen moment, means just stopping everything I’m doing and focusing on how far I’ve come in life. Did everything go my way? No, but then few people, if any, can say that. I’ve been luckier than many. I had a good childhood, devoid of social media. I played outside, I read, I went dancing, I went to university, I fell in love, I got married, I had children, I had grandchildren, I had a job I enjoyed, always enough money for food, treats, clothes, the rent–not a fortune, but enough. Today, I’m still above the grass, living my dream of being an author, even if it’s not a famous one. What more could I possibly want?

So, I’m saying goodbye by sharing a few other memes from across the alphabet. Enjoy.

Day 25 of the 2026 A to Z Challenge Blog for the Letter Y

Good morning! I hope you’re having a wonderful day. The sun is hiding from us for the next couple of days, but it’s still warm today. That won’t last. We’ll be seeing negative numbers by the end of the week, and that will be in MAY! Not funny Mother Nature. We do need the rain to green things up now that all of last falls leaves have been raked and bagged thanks to my enterprising granddaughter who is saving to buy a car. She works six days a week at her new job as a barrista/short order cook, and is using her day off to help us. We are very fortunate.

Among the things on my to-do list today is tracking down my Costco order. This is the first time it’s ever been late, but I figure they are experiencing the same issues with food and delivery as the rest of the world, but I’m running low on coffee!

Today’s letter is Y. There are many y words out there, like yogurt, my preferred breakfast choice with fresh fruit, and yoga, the art of trying to bend your body in ways like a pretzel–standing on one foot is impossible. There’s also Yoda, who has a unique way of phrasing advice, as in “try not, do”, and Baby Yoda who is wise, cute, and funny. He did feature in a few images that I’ve shared with you this month. I could write a book on how youth is wasted on the young–if I’d thought I would get this old, I would’ve taken better care of myself, but I’ve decided just to share advice memes aimed at YOU, which includes me, of and one from Winnie that i forgot yesterday–another Y word and the song I chose for today, but that comes later.

I’ll see you tomorrow for the last day of the challenge!

Day 24 of the A to Z Challenge Blog for the Letter X

I’m back! That was short. So, hello again. The sun is shining, it’s warm, and I had my one week check-up with the eye surgeon this morning. Everything looks good. He says my vision will keep improving, especially the lazy eye, once the brain comprehends that it’s getting messages from two eyes instead of one.

After yesterday’s writing marathon, I plan to take things easy today. Tomorrow, I have a book to edit for another author, and once that’s done, I will jump back into The Case of the Missing Prince, due in four weeks. We’re over the hump with that one and the characters and I are on the same page. AFter that, it’ll be time to work on Book Three of the Listen to the Stones Series, The Bonding.

To be quite honest, X is one of the hardest letters in this challenge. In the past, I’ve written about Xerxes, the Persian King, Xena, the warrior princess, Xenophobia, the fear of starngers, and xylophones, an instrument that is harder to play than you think. I’ve mentioned X-rays and XXX books and movies, and XL in clothing, so today I thought I would simply mention X, the social media site.

I’ll be honest with you. I must preferred it when it was Twitter and we tweeted. Posting on X just doesn’t have the same fun feel to it.

My use of social media is limited to this blog, FaceBook, and the occassional book ad on X. Tic Toc and YouTube are far beyond my techno-savvy. Unfortunately, AI seems to have taken over both of the sites I use. I get all kinds of newsfeeds that are FAKE and a waste of time. I see hundreds of ads for Ozempic, face cream, you name it. I don’t care to read about miracle cures that make people feel poorly about themselves, or articles whose only purpose is to enflame and create more hatred. Like many other writers, social media has created an even greater problem, a case of slander of the worst kind–the accusation that my words are AI generated. Do I use AI? Yes, for reseach, spell check, synonyms, and grammar, but not for my stories. How ridiculous is it to accuse Mary Shelley of using AL when she published Frankenstein on January 1, 1818! It doesn’t get dumber than that.

Today, I leave you with this great version of Xanadu by Rush, a fantastic Cnadian band. If you enjoy great instrumentals, this is for you.

Day 23 of the 2026 A to Z Challenge Blog for the Letter W

Good day. My father used to say he was born a day late and a dollar short. That seems apt today, since this should’ve been yesterday’s post. Unfortunately, my charaters went on strike, refused to cooperate, and the ending I had envisioned fell flat on its face. Nothing seemed to work, and the deadline was looming large. I wrote, rewrote, edited, until it hit me. There was a plot hole that needed to be fixed, and until I did that, nothing would come together as it should.

It took three long days to go back, find the issue, and fix the problem. Once I did, things slowly fell into place. Yesterday, I finally got the ending I wanted. I wrote and edited the final chapter, the one that tied the story together. By ten last night, Cold Heart was offically done. I sent it off to be formatted and went to bed. Of course, I tossed and turned and questioned whether I had gotten it right, but like every other book that I’ve written, that decision is in the hands of the readesr. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Yesterday’s letter was W. I had a whole lot to say about words that started with W. Among the words was WORD, not just the noun but the computer program I use to write. Not everyone is a fan of Microsoft Word, but I’m used to it. I’ve considered getting an Apple computer, but honestly, it’s a case of this old dog is too old to learn too many new tricks.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are in the US on a state visit. One of the things they will be doing is visiting New York City. While they are there, among other things, the queen will read some Winnie the Pooh stories. Pooh was a favorite with my children. His take on life was quite a propos.

Never did he speak more truthfully than in this meme. That new strain of idiocy seems to have gripped the world. We don’t need it. What we need is compassion, understanding, and tolerance.

So, there you have the world and Winnie the Pooh. Below are a few more memes about words that start with W

Finally, I’ll leave you with WITCH!

Day 22 of the 2026 A to Z Challenge Blog for the Letter V

Good morning. Another day of sunshine is upon us. Not much in the way of heat, but I’ll take it. Eyes continue to improve, although I’m thinking the arms won’t get any longer, so I will probably need dollar store reading glasses in the end.

Today’s letter is the letter V. I contemplated what I would do for this letter. There were many choices, everything from vision quests, to vendettas and vindictive people, but I chose to make fun of vision tests.

I’ve had eye problems essentially from birth, diagnosed at the age of three with a lazy eye, so lazy in fact that it preferred to stay in the corner of my eye. With bottle-coke bottom thick glasses, exercises, and patching, they fixed that aspect, but they never fixed the ability to focus–not until now. So. suddenly at age 75, I can see out of both eyes, and as soon as the brain fully comprehends that, it will be a marvellous thing. One eye has a lens for distance, the lazy eye for up close. When I close my good eye as I always called it, I used to see just a blur, now I actually see things. For example, I’m typing this sentence with my good eye closed. Only made one typo–which I fixed. Let’s hear it for othomologists and optometrists who help us see the beauty and wonder around us.

Day 21 of the A to Z Challenge Blog for the Letter U

Good morning! Eyes are better, still could use longer arms for fine print, but it gets better each day.

Woke up this morning, feeling just fine. More sunshine, and while it isn’t much warmer, the day promises that spring is near. I noticed something odd this week, something I can’t lay at the feet of my new lenses. There are no dandelions so far this year. Typically, in Ontario, the peak time for dandelion blooms is in April and early May, but here it is, April 24, and not a single dandelion in sight. That just goes to show how screwed up the weather is. Since dandelions are the first food bees get when they leave the hives, there isn’t much of anything for them to eat. That is not a good sign.

Today’s letter is one of the uncomfortable ones from the end of the alphabet. There aren’t a lot of unique or particularly interesting nouns that start with U, but the one the best is universe.

The universe is vast and wonderful, filled with stars, planets, comets, asteroids, satellites–both natural and man-made–and a space station. A few weeks ago, there was also a spaceship up there orbiting first this planet and then the moon. Sadly, there’s something else up there–garbage, or rubbish as Suzy Turner would say. Bits and pieces of broken things just floating around, waiting for orbits to decay so that they can plummet to earth in a blaze of glory. Isn’t that what humans did when they first sailed the oceans? Dumped their garbage in it? Since my surgery, I’ve been amazed to see the stars and the moon, so much brighter than before. The mystery and wonder of it all. No wonder our ancestors created such wonderful myths and legends about it.

Day 20 of the 2026 A to Z Challenge Blog for the Letter T

Hello! How are things today? It’s sunny and 8 degrees here. No real heat coming our way anytime soon, but sun is better than rain.

The eyes are coming along nicely. I can read most things without difficulty, and the computer letters aren’t dancing which is good since I have a book deadline this weekend and haven’t finished the edits. Interesting sidebar. There are way more stars visible to me in the sky the last couple of nights. I can see some of the familiar constellations, which is an unexpected bonus. I’m anxious to see how well I’ll see when we go whale-watching in June.

Today’s letter is T. There are many words that start with T. Someone’s already posted on tattoos, a practice I will never understand. Three of my five grandchildren have them, not that I had any say in the matter. To me it’s quite simple.

Other T words include trust and truth, although it seems hard to find much of either of those. I try to have faith that everything with work out as it should in the end, but the painful truth of it is that I’m not as confident about that as I once was. I trust our Prime-Minister, who is level-headed and doesn’t act like a spoiled brat, but I don’t trust the toddler with the nuclear codes and his entourage of sycophants who, like him, do not understand that you can’t discount something by more than 100 percent.

With no other option, I have to believe and trust the timing.

Timing is everything, and lately I feel as if my own timing is out of sync, not by choice, but by everything happening around me. Some things happen when you least expect them–like my cataract surgery. I certainly didn’t expect to have the surgery within two weeks of having my exam with the surgeon, although I’m thrilled with my progress so far.

But other things have happened that seem to steal time from me–or maybe, it’s just that I’m moving slower than I used to, thinking slower than I used to, and responding to change slower than I used to. I need to remember to take care of myself.

Finally, because laughter is as important as music, let me share the most terrifying moment of all.

Day 19 of the 2026 A to Z Challenge Blog for the Letter S

Forgive the typos today! Good morning! I’m back. Well, sort of. The eyes aren’t 100 percent yet, but they are amazingly close. The experience was incredible. It was unlike any thing that I expected. Will I have to wear glasses again? I won’t know for sure for another six weeks–that’s when I’m to see my optician, but I go back to the surgeon on Monday to make sure all is good.

Today’s letter is S and it stands for a lot of things but I’ll focus on surgery and surprise.

The surgery was a surprise and the things I saw before and after it were even more so. Getting a little help from GoogleAI this morning.

The inside of the eyelid is lined with a thin, clear membrane called the conjunctiva, which helps lubricate the eye. When you close your eyes, especially in the sun, you don’t see darkness, you see colors. The first step in the procedure was giving me drops, a kind of jelly-like substance. Then I had to close my eyes and keep them closed for two hours. That was my first surprise.

The second was all the colors. Seeing colors, swirls, or flashes of light when your eyes are closed is a normal phenomenon called phosphenes or “closed-eye visualizations”. It happens because the eyes and brain do not fully shut off in the dark; the retina continues to generate faint “internal light” or visual noise, which the brain interprets as color and light patterns.

Retinal Activity: Your retina, the layer of light-sensitive cells at the back of the eyeball, continues to work even when no external light enters. It produces low-level “noise” (known as self-generated light or biophotons).

Visual System “Idle”: Similar to a camera, your eye is constantly recording data even with the “lens cap” (eyelid) on. The neural activity in the eye and visual cortex generates colors as a default state, often called “visual noise,” which is why you never see true black.

What You’re Actually Seeing

Colors/Patterns: These often look like swirling blobs of green, purple, or blue, which are linked to the activation of different color-sensitive cells (cones) in the retina.
Darkness Level: You generally see a dark, hazy grey instead of pure black. This is sometimes called “Eigengrau” or “brain noise”.

About an hour and a half into that, the nurse came back with a pill for me to place under my tongue to relax me and added another layer of jelly. Then, it was time to go. I climbed into a purplechair–eyes are open now– and then the surgery began. First, the surgeon put something into my eyes to freeze them. It pinched a little. Then the nurse wiped down my outer eyelid with a cleansing solution–I was afraid I would go home with a wierdly colored face . After that, he had me open one eye wide abd stuck something over my face thatleft only the eye on which he was working visible. It felt a lot like what a dentist does to work on only one tooth. He told me to look into the bright light. There are no words to describe the colors I saw, the closest I imagine is psychodelic shade of blue, turquoise, orange, mauve, you name them, I saw them all. Then. that eye was done. Just like that. No pain, another surprise. They removed whatever it was stuck on my face, exfoliating my skin in the process I have a red spot on one cheek, and repeated the process on the second eye.

And just like that, I had two new lens in my eyes. And it was over. I did a quick eyetest, surprised that I could see anything, and he put a couple more drops in my eyes, presented me with sunglasses to wear home, told me no TV, cell phone, or computer for 24 hours, and to lkeep my eyes closed as much as I could. He gave me a pair of sunglasses even though it was night, and my hubby came to get me. Sounds easy right?

But the next surprise came when I stepped outside. It was spectaular, like walking out into another world with magical lights surrounded by halos and gossamer strings of light emanating from them. It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen, and yet I could never take a picture of it. It was as if all the lights had turned into dandelion puffs, but other than the lights, my world was a blur.

It was a blur most of yesterday, too, although it’s gradually getting better since I can read the computer screen this morning, and it will continue to improve–or so I’m told. Here are my memes for the day as well as a little silliness. I was much more athletic in 1969 and participated in a stand on my head and look at the world upside down contest. Now, the grandson is gdoing it too–only he does it much better.