SO. Exciting day yesterday. My first book sales and signing in 2020. The setting : Ottawa’s Byward Market. Perfect sunny day. Light breeze. Large crowds throughout the day, surprisingly busy. Masks in abundance, despite the outdoor venue, beautiful personalized masks, colourful summer clothes, many high-end shoppers (by the bags). 5 of us local authors wonderfully … More Book Selling in a Pandemic
July went by fast. Sometimes I hope the whole year, this year of the pandemic, would just be over with already. Then I remember, and tell myself, “You’re not getting any younger! Don’t wish your life away. Live and Adapt.” So I try, as well as possible, what with all the “new normal” ways to … More July 2020. Normal, Outside.
Where are you from? Where is “home”? Is home where you grew up as a child? Is it where you graduated high school? Where you got married? Is home where you live now? Well, for me and many military brats, yes, to all of the above. We’ve had many homes and even a few hometowns. … More Home. Again and Again.
I’m lucky to still have my Dad around. His health isn’t the best anymore, and I live far enough away that I only get one, maybe two visits a year. But yes, lucky, and even luckier that he’s started to share more of his military stories with me now, more than I ever knew growing … More Father’s Day 2020. My Military Dad
For a month that started with Winter in Canada still sending snow flurries – (bizarre sight to awaken to – condo landscaping efforts begun; overnight sprinklers in freezing temps turning leafless shrubs into gorgeous morning sunlit icicle clumps) – May is ending with a heat wave and signs of life for this author. Yes, I’m … More May 2020: Back to Living
May 24. My birthday. I needn’t count them anymore; I don’t anticipate presents or cake or a party, but I still like my day. Something about feeling like a kid again. Such a beautiful time of year – I may be biased, but the weather always feels perfect on this day. The smell of … More Birthday Post, “First We Eat” Excerpt
For a month where nothing was possible to do outside the home, I find I’m struggling to summarize April 2020 in my preferred manner of short and concise. How can I have so many words to describe so few actions? Let’s start with the obvious : In April, Lockdown against the COVID-19 virus got serious. … More April 2020. Lockdown Gets Real.
April 1 today, a new month. How to describe March 2020? It started as expected, as planned for – an exciting month! Daughter-in-law Janna was in town from out west for a short visit. My new book was edited in January, and in February it was getting illustrations and cover art finished and finally it … More My First Covid19 Month
I remember learning about basic human needs in a Sociology class in, was it high school? University maybe? Not College, that was for my job training as a Computer programmer. Wherever I first learned this concept of needs, today, with the state of the world and myself in virus lockdown, I’ve been giving it thought … More Retired During COVID 19
I’m in my 60s now, in retirement, and the older I get, the riskier life appears to be. I need not mention the higher risk of diseases, of injuries from failing bodies not as adept to navigate our busy world. Driving a car is one of the riskiest functions I perform and I’m more aware … More For this Retired Author, Life is Risky
Stevie Szabad, Author 