What’s On My Bookshelf – Blast From the Past Edition

On November 20, 2021November 19, 2021 By Widow BadassIn Adventures in Food, Hmmm?, Read Books, What's On Your Bookshelf80 Comments

You know, I really should have predicted this would happen. I’ve been going on almost-weekly adventures with this woman, and by now I should know by now not to open my mouth around her. Case in point: we were idly browsing a favourite thrift store prior to embarking on a soggy beach walk, and I happened to notice a cook book that I used to own, placed on a table right at the front of the store. This book DID NOT – I repeat – DID NOT make the cut when I was packing for my move to the island. Seeing it in the thrift store, I had a momentary ~~failing~~ ~~weakness~~ flood of nostalgia as I gazed upon its cover – recalling flipping through it during many a Christmas Past. I remember looking for inspiration or maybe it was just an escape from the chaos that was that season at my house what with 2 young children, no money, an insufferable monster-in-law, and an unsupportive spouse. Oh yeah, and let’s not forget rampant consumerism and commercialization spoiling the season too...

Is it any surprise that my formerly insane love of this holiday got permanently squashed like a creepy bug on the bathroom floor?

Anywho…there I go digressing AGAIN. The point of my story (and this post) is that I resisted re-buying this book even though the store clerk was helpfully pointing out that it was ONLY A DOLLAR and YET somehow, someway I ended up leaving the store with this book…thanks to Donna sneakily adding it to her purchase and immediately thrusting it into my hands! I pretended to be exasperated with her (how can anyone be pissed at Donna though, really?) but secretly I was looking forward to paging through the book once more…

The book was just as wonderful and aspirational/inspirational as I remembered it. Here is the only recipe that I recall actually trying.

The kids and I made these ornaments. I remember them smelling wonderful; even the following year when they were brought out again and rehung on the tree!

As I was flipping through the book, I kept finding pieces of paper stuck between the pages. Like these: not 1, but 2 printed copies of some woman’s fruitcake recipe.

Gosh! Two copies. Is this a sign that I should try this one?! I’m a bit *suspish*, as the pages are too clean. (A clear sign the recipe has not actually been attempted, in my view 😉 ).

One copy of the recipe was stuck between these 2 pages, see photo below. This recipe looks good too.

And then I found this piece of paper: a couple of recipes cut out from a newspaper.

No indication of date or what newspaper it came from.

But the most surprising find of all? Not a piece of paper but this recipe:

Can we take a moment to remember last Christmas’s Black Forest Trifle kerfuffle? Here is the link. Now I have the source recipe once again, it seems.

But I don’t want to attempt it again this year. The wounds are yet too fresh. However, I have been thinking about making a fruit cake (again). Those wounds have healed over, apparently. Remember this near-disaster, also from last year?

Readers, I need your help (and your votes). The poll will close on November 30th. Help a badass out, will ya?

Thank you, Donna! ~~I may curse your name later but for now~~ I am really happy you ignored my babblings about how I was not going to buy this ~~damn~~ book again, and instead bought it for me.

Rock on,

The WB

What’s On Your Bookshelf – When Books Make You Shop…er… Work Edition

On October 21, 2021October 21, 2021 By Widow BadassIn Artistic Endeavours, Read Books, What's On Your Bookshelf70 Comments

Usually reading is a very passive thing. That’s why we like to do it, amiright? One can escape into a book and leave the present world behind…at least for a little while. I love those kinds of books, especially for the past 18 months since we have pretty much all had to assume the role of armchair travellers if we wanted to get someplace different.

But for the past few weeks, I have been diving into a book that is making me sit down and paint. I bought Everyday Watercolor back when I was still working for a living…thinking I would find the time to do the exercises every day. Well, that never happened (quelle surprise!) yet somehow this book made the cut and got packed to come with me to my new home on Vancouver Island.

I have to hold the cover down as I’ve been weighting it down with objects to keep it laying flat while I work through the exercises.

I’ve been making s-l-o-w but steady progress through this book (hindered somewhat by a strained back that makes sitting forward to paint – or blog – quite fatiguing). I am enjoying it. So much so that I have been ~~tempted~~ ~~seduced~~ ~~forced~~ inspired to shop for more watercolour painting supplies (See Princeton brushes, above! Thanks to Karen, for telling me about these!).

For instance, this beautiful palette of Kuretake Gansai Tambi paints (Thanks again to Karen, for introducing me to these paints as well!):

Swatching the colours in the conveniently provided chart, inside the lid. You can buy this palette on Amazon.

And these gorgeous colours, “Northern Lights” by Indigenous-owned company Beam Paints (Thanks yet again to Karen, for making me aware of this company…uh, I think. Hmmmm. 😉 ):

I love their commitment to avoiding any and all plastics in their packaging.

I like that the paints are made from local (to them) and natural ingredients. But that doesn’t make them safe to consume. Be safe:

Kinda sad that this needs to be stated. Besides, these paints would make a pretty expensive snack!

Here’s what they look like, in my workbook:

Close-up:

Such a beautiful shimmer, created by the mica in their paint.

Have you ever used a book that helped you learn a skill, with daily exercises? Did it make you ~~shop~~ better? I can see some improvement already and am encouraged to keep up with this, as my back ~~(and credit card)~~ allows.

Thank you to Donna et al, for providing this interesting monthly blog challenge! And thanks to Karen, for helping me to drain my bank account and increase the art supplies hoard. 😉

Rock (and paint) on,

The WB

What’s On My Bookshelf – August 2021

On August 20, 2021 By Widow BadassIn Read Books, What's On Your Bookshelf34 Comments

So happy to join in on this new challenge, hosted by bloggers Sue Loncaric, Debbie Harris, Jo Tracey and my IRL buddy Donna! I’ve loved reading since I first learned how, and surprise, surprise: my favourite childhood gifts were books. And – just to confirm that you can teach this old dog new tricks – I’ve recently cultivated a love for audiobooks as well. Yeah, yeah…I know I am super late to the audiobook game…I remember my mom borrowing “books on tape” from the library decades ago…but it was something I couldn’t get into, until now. Thank you, retirement!

Anyhoodle…I have a goodreads account (see sidebar for widget), to keep track of my reading and you can find what I am currently reading right now right there! I do love goodreads, and recommend it to all my reading friends. Very handy for keeping track of what you have read and when, and for getting ideas of what to read next and what people thought of books you are considering to read/have read.

I usually read digital downloads from the library because your girl is kinda voracious when it comes to reading, and the book budget only stretches so far, ya know? I love the Libby app for this. It means I can always have a book with me – and at the ready – on my phone (and tablet). So handy for those times you are stuck waiting somewhere. And now that I have begun a love affair with audiobooks, it means I can listen from that same device either on my AirPods (when walking or hausfrau-ing) or through Edward’s speakers while driving.

But you can’t always find the books you want at the library…or in digital format. So lately my book journey has involved buying…gasp!…actual books. Here is the pile I have going at the moment:

The top 2 books are ones that were given to me by friends in Ontario, to take back with me and enjoy at my leisure. The next one is a purchase, the one after that a birthday gift from a dear friend, and the bottom 2 are also purchases.

Could I find room in my suitcase to bring back a few books? Always 😉

The rest of the books in my To Be Read pile.

If you can sense a theme in my purchases, you are 100% correctimundo!

I’m trying to get a more complete sense about the new land I call home, and how better to start than with stories from its original peoples?

That’s it for me, for this month. What are you reading or planning to read? Looking forward to seeing what’s on your bookshelf!

Rock (and read) on,

The WB

“On With The Butter!”: A Book Review

On September 12, 2020September 12, 2020 By Widow BadassIn Read Books, Retirement35 Comments

A wonderful resource for the retired person

Earlier this summer, Hekla Publishing reached out to me via ye olde blogge, to ask if I was interested in reviewing an about-to-be-released book : “On With The Butter! Spread More Living onto Everyday Life”, by Heidi Herman. And I absolutely was, being a recent retiree myself and a lover of all things dairy, especially butter. So I have been waiting ever since to receive my free copy (my only compensation for saying whatever I wanted to about it). Last week it finally arrived – yippee!

Imagine my disappointment that the only thing buttery in this book was a recipe for apple “butter”. JUST KIDDING! Actually, the apple butter recipe looks easy and intriguing – thanks for including it, Heidi!

The phrase “on with the butter” is an Icelandic saying that means, among other things, “carry on, keep moving”, and this book encourages retired people to do just that. In fact, this book would be a great resource for just about anybody worried about falling into a rut, retired or not.

I thought I had gathered a lot of ideas regarding adapting to and enjoying retirement (after all, I did a whole A-Z blogging challenge on just that topic), but this book has hundreds more!

Inspired by her mother’s zest for life, Heidi Herman has written the most comprehensive and handy dose of inspiration for anyone who has ever stared around their four walls and wondered what to do next.

The book contains 15 chapters full of ideas on how to “spread more living onto everyday life”. These ideas don’t demand a ton of money or Olympian fitness levels. Chapter titles remind us to “Enjoy the Simple Things”, “Taste Life”, “Explore Nature”, “Keep Learning”, and “Take the Scenic Route”…to name a few. Each chapter ends with “A Challenge Checklist” of activities to try, related to that chapter’s topic.

Probably most of all, I loved the stories of Heidi’s mother and her adventures. Heidi’s mother reminded so much of my own dear mother, whose motto was “the day I stop learning is the day I die”. These ladies could have been friends I think, egging each other on in their appetite for new and fun experiences.

At 239 pages from front to back, this book is a quick and easy read yet is jam-packed with ideas. You could just dive into whatever chapter strikes your fancy and start “spreading the butter” onto your life from there if you wanted to, without having to read the entire book first. But why would you want to do that? It’s such a fun book!

My only quibble with this book (as a Canadian reader…and it’s a minor one) is that it is written specifically for Americans. Most of the resources/locations listed in the book are American ones. However, I do feel it wouldn’t take too much imagination or effort to look for similar organizations or destinations in your own country, especially if you are familiar with internet searches.

I think this book would make a lovely gift for a just-about-to or newly-retired friend. Really though, this book is for anybody who would like a dose of inspiration and a handy reference of activities and challenges with which to keep the mind and body young and moving. On with the butter, everyone!

Rock on,

The WB

Sunday Update

On January 14, 2018 By Widow BadassIn Artistic Endeavours, Goals & Dreams, Health Transformation, Mindfulness, Read Books11 Comments

Things have calmed down a lot since last weekend’s unexpected appendectomy for my daughter. Mizz J is getting a bit better each day, and is ready to resume normal life again as an MSW student, after a solid week of recuperation. And I’ve been able to pay attention once again, to what I want to achieve for 2018.

Health

I am so excited to report that I’ve been able to resume working out again! Last spring, I had a bit of trouble with my thyroid, that kept me unable to exercise. The few times I did try left me feeling exhausted, dizzy and nauseous. (The last time I felt nauseous, I was about to have a TIA, so understandably I was nervous and wanted to stay away from anything that incurred this feeling.)

This week I got up the courage to try a few online workouts (with Mizz J only a couple of rooms away, in case I got into some sort of trouble…hehehe). Nothing too challenging – a 10 minute weights workout and a 16 minute walking workout. Having achieved these with no issues, I attempted AND completed a 36 minute cardio and strength workout last evening. Woo hoo!!!!

I really like Jessica Smith and her approach to exercise. I love her walk and talks…and I especially love Peanut, the French bulldog. That dog snoozing through her videos is what drew me in, in the first place! Peanut makes me laugh and want to keep going.

So that’s where I am at, at working on my Health goals for 2018. A very good start.

Financial Security

I made my first lump sum payment on my building’s demand loan this week. Unfortunately this is not something I can do online so I guess I’ll be heading to TD every payday to do this in person. It wasn’t a huge payment, but it goes directly on the principal and over the course of a year, it will certainly add up!

I also created a discretionary spending log, in Excel. With a tab for each month (and a line for each day) and spending targets for each category, to keep me on track. I LOVE data, and actually enjoy capturing it in this format. I especially love the days where I spend NOTHING. Not sure why I haven’t done this sooner….oh wait, maybe because I was too busy rebuilding my life for the past 4 years? Yeah, pretty sure that was it. 🙂

Art

Current Art Projects — What’s on my desk in the studio at the moment

I was inspired by a quote I received in a newsletter from Jessica Smith this week: Begin with the end in mind. Karen, from Profound Journey, a lovely blogger friend that I follow, says it’s from Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Which I do have a copy of, somewhere in Chez Badass. I shall put it on the Re-Read list!

So, to begin with the end in mind means to me it’s time to draft an idea for a painting to represent what I want to become by the end of 2018. Since the Queen of Wands filled that role in my Winter Solstice tarot spread, it seemed natural to me to work on a painting of that grand dame.

sketch of Queen of Wands — Close up of first shitty draft of sketch

You’ll see from the previous photo, that I took my inspiration from an Alphonse Mucha illustration I found on the internet. I have loved Mucha since I first discovered his works as a teenager. It took me a moment to realize his model was giving the viewer the finger (intentionally or not), which made me love it even more and need to incorporate into my hasty sketch.

My Queen of Wands is saying “Oh, do you not like what you are seeing? You can’t handle my self-assuredness, strength and vitality? I’m done with trying to appear small to coddle insecure fools and their egos. So, fuck you very much.”

Obviously I have a lot of work to do with this before I can transfer it to a canvas. Those 4 scrawly things surrounding the circle are supposed to be sunflowers, for instance. But it’s a good ~~therapy~~ shitty first draft. 😉

And, also because I have my upcoming (less than a month away!) vacation trip to Barbados on the back burner of my mind, sea turtles keep popping up:

Sea Turtle on Watercolour Paper – as yet incomplete

Mindfulness

I’ve been focusing on mindful yoga and stretching this week. And mini-meditations, and pausing to notice.

Reading

Borrowed 2 books from the library this past week and finished one: Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman. Now working on Lev Grossman’s The Magicians. Three books completed already towards my 2018 goal of 50 books read!

Intuitive Processes – Tarot

I’ve been pulling a card every day and interpreting its meaning for me, before I look it up in one of my Tarot books. An enjoyable part of my morning routine.

And, looking for inspiration for my Queen of Wands painting led me down the Alphonse Mucha Google rabbit hole. Which led me to the Mucha Tarot. Which is speeding it’s way towards me, as I type, via Amazon.ca.

Looking forward to receiving even more artistic and intuitive inspiration, from these cards!

How was your week? I’d love to hear all about it.

Rock on,

The WB

SaveSave

2017 in Review and 2018: My Intentions

On December 31, 2017December 31, 2017 By Widow BadassIn Artistic Endeavours, Badassery, Goals & Dreams, Good Times, Health Transformation, Mindfulness, Read Books, Tarot15 Comments

2017 Review

2017 was a calm and pleasant year in my personal life (as opposed to an exciting yet challenging year in my work life), for which I am so grateful. I wish every year could be 2017. I didn’t lose anyone this past year. (Not in 2016 either, although my mother’s death in late December 2015 was so close to that year that I felt its reverberations throughout those 12 months anyways.)

2017 was the year of REACH (my word). This applied mainly to my creating art. This was the first year that I applied a great deal of focus and effort in this area since I was a teenager. And reach I did! It was difficult to push past my insecurities and inner critic, and just start laying paint down on canvas. It was a reach to allow myself to fail over and over again. This painting in particular (which I can reveal now, as it has gone to its recipient) was very uncomfortable for me to create, and thus a definite REACH:

I went to Mark Grice’s studio in Alton Mills to create this painting. I chose it because I knew it was going to be difficult for me to paint a horse AND in non-horse colours. I’m not good (yet) at so many things artists need to know and excel at, but with Mark’s guidance this painting came together. And Mizzus J loves it. She said it looks like Gavin, one of her two horses. What more can I ask for?

I finished out 2017 with this painting, completed yesterday:

Painting of Sunset on Lake Okanagan — Kelowna Sunset, based on a photograph I took on my last night there.

2018 Intentions

My intention for 2018’s art is to continue on my artist’s journey. I met an artist whose work I admired, at her studio in Bayfield 2 summers ago. When I asked her how to become a better painter, she said something that has stuck with me every since: “Just paint. Everyday.” Simple, no?

I have signed up for another online Mandala art course, hosted by Julie Gibbons: Mandala Days. Unlike Mandala Magic (the course I participated in, in 2017), this course is for creating actual pieces, not art journalling. Which is just up my alley, as I discovered this past year.

Other intentions involve:

Blogging – posting at least once per week on Ye Olde Blogge; find other like-minded bloggers/readers (my tribe, as it were) to connect with
Reading – increase reading for pleasure – my goal is 50 books. (I’m WidowBadass on GoodReads, in case you want to connect there)
Mindfulness – increase mindfulness in my life through activities such as meditation
Financial Security – becoming intentional about rapidly paying down the debt I am carrying on Chez Badass – debt I incurred by investing in much-needed improvements over the past 4 years
Intuitive Processes – become proficient at Tarot, because:

I believe that it is a good tool to help one develop and strengthen intuition and lead to insights – and help get in touch with yearnings/feelings that are buried deep within one’s self. So I performed a Celtic Cross spread at the Winter Solstice this year, to help me in planning for 2018:

Winter Solstice Tarot Reading 2017 — Celtic Cross Spread, for guidance for the coming year

I was really surprised when the cards told me that:

I have to focus on my health or ignore at my peril (5 of Pentacles) Having failed at this many times in the past 4 years, I didn’t want to write it down or even think about it as an intention for the coming year!
I have the inner resources to do this. (Ace of Swords)
I can come up with solutions, and to believe in myself and focus on success. (Page of Wands)
My past is full of grief and regret and the belief I made wrong choices. No, duh. (5 of Cups)
Renewing health; creating harmony and balance is the goal. (Temperance)
Unresolved factor affecting my success – my inner “carb monster” (bondage); doubts that I can succeed. (Devil)
I need to delve into why I haven’t been able to get any traction towards improving my health. (6 of Pentacles)
Be the person others see you as: Adept, Reliable, Steady, Supporting. (King of Pentacles)
Guidance, Hopes and Fears, Beliefs, Values – I am afraid of attracting attention from men as I lose weight and become fitter. I don’t want to have to deal with this. There. I said it. Valid or not, it is a fear of mine. (The Lovers)
The outcome (when I am successful in achieving this goal) – Vibrancy, Energy, Cheerfulness, Self-assurance. (Queen of Wands)

So, an added intention for me for 2018 is to improve my health through self-caring activities including strength, flexibility and stamina-building activities, and nutritious food choices.

My word for 2018 is PERCEIVE. To understand, to become aware, to become conscious, to use intuitive judgement.

How about you? Care to share your thoughts?

Rock on,

The WB

SaveSave

2017 Blogging A-Z Challenge and Book Club Update

On March 8, 2017March 9, 2017 By Widow BadassIn A2Z Challenge Post, Goals & Dreams, Read Books4 Comments

This will be my 3rd year performing this blogging challenge. The premise is much like NaBloPoMo, but with a twist. The challenge is to work through the 26 letters of the alphabet while keeping up with the (almost) daily posting in April. Here’s the calendar of letter dates for April:

During A2Z, bloggers get all Sundays off, except for this year. The 30th falls on a Sunday so there’s no getting out of that Zed (Zee for my US blogger friends) post on that Sunday.

I’m going to try something a little different this year. Instead of my usual winging it and creating a post out of whatever is burbling up in my brain for that particular letter and date combo, I am going to organize my posts around a theme. It’s something that many participants in this challenge do very well so I am excited to try my hand at this too.

I’ll be revealing my theme on ye olde blogge on March 20th, like all of the other challenge participants going this route.

Book Club Update

I’m so excited I’ve had a couple of people interested in my online book club idea!!!! Now shit becomes real, as they say. I’ve been thinking about the best way to go about this and Goodreads seems to offer the cheapest (FREE!) and easiest platform to host this. So let’s start there. I will create a group sometime over the next few days and away we will go.

If you are interested, please do let me know in the comments some ideas for a name for our group and also for at least a first book for us to read, if not multiple suggestions!

If I don’t get any suggestions soon, I hope people are OK if I just make up a name as it’s the first part of the group creation process. I’m not sure if it can be changed later.

There’s also a Description and Rules section to be filled out. I hope this can be changed as the group develops and we become clearer on what kind of group we want to be.

I’d like to make the group private, meaning only the moderator(s) can invite others to join.

Once the group is created, multiple discussion threads can be started and things will hopefully sort themselves out better based on input from members.

I’m WidowBadass (natch) on Goodreads, by the way, in case you are looking for me!

Rock on,

The WB

Reading for (Guilty) Pleasure and Book Club Dreams

On March 5, 2017March 5, 2017 By Widow BadassIn Good Times, Read Books5 Comments

While I was on vacation what already seems like years ago, but was actually only 4 weeks ago, I happily devoured 4 fiction books. I got started on a detective series (the Hieronymous Bosch series, by Michael Connelly) and this became my beach (and nighttime) reading for the week. Oh yeah, and I finally got around to reading Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander, which I thought was kinda meh – seemed to me to be “yer typical bodice-ripper”, albeit with a time travel twist – a genre I have not dipped into since my early 20s.

I had almost completely given up reading for pleasure when I was pursuing my MBA studies (and everything else that was happening at the same time) and now a year later it still feels weird/guilt-inducing to be doing it. I try not to let this stop me but it’s something I struggle with yet. (The mandatory reading I do every night to shut down my brain and get into sleep mode is exempted from these feelings of guilt.)

Part of this is being cognizant that my pleasure reading could veer from being a harmless indulgence to an addictive escape from my reality.

I feel my reality is pretty great right now so this is not so much a worry as a niggle in the back of my brain. Like if drinking alcohol moved from being a social/relaxing thing to a required, nightly solo ritual (something else the back of my mind monitors for me). I wouldn’t be the first widow to become a secret or not-so secret lush. So I ask myself what my motivation is when I reach into the cupboard for a wine glass. So far, so good…not to worry, dear Blog!

Anywho, I do hear my inner ~~nag~~ voice nagging at me for reading for pleasure.

Especially when the book(s) are not…um…”heavy”, in my opinion. A heavy or weighty book to me is not meant literally, especially now that most of the books I read are digital editions. No, by that I mean it’s a book that stays with you. One that you are still thinking about days later. One with characters so fully fleshed that you feel you know them as friends. One that describes the human condition. One that resonates with you. One that changes you and how you see the world somehow, however subtly. One that finds you talking to yourself in the author’s “voice” afterwards (or is that just me?).

I don’t feel (as) guilty having consumed one of these books. Examples of those books for me would be: The Diviners, by Margaret Laurence and Winter’s Tale, (don’t discount it because of the terrible movie) by Mark Helprin. Books that I must reread every so many years.

During last year’s vacation in Barbados, I burned through 6 books in 7 days. Still reeling from my mother’s death only a few weeks before, I was definitely escaping from reality into fiction! But I gave myself a pass on that, due to the circumstances. I quickly read all of the books I had brought with me plus my daughter’s books. Then I was forced to peruse the hotel’s bookcase for my next read. Among the novels written in German (!?) and the thin drug-store paperbacks, I found I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. Not a genre I would have sought out normally (suspense/spy novel), but it was HUGE and I thought it looked interesting.

OMG, I loved it! I consumed it in a little over a day. This book reintroduced me to reading just for the sheer pleasure of the story – something I had forgotten about. Something I want to get back to and without guilt, if I could only shut down my inner ~~nag~~ voice…

In direct juxtaposition of these feelings, for a couple of years now I have had this vision rolling around in my head of starting a book club. WTF. I know, right? I guess I want to “legitimize” my reading in this way. Makes it seem important and mind-expanding vs. a “waste of time” (my inner ~~voice~~ nag’s words, not mine!).

In my fantasy book club dream, I see a diverse group of women….ok, and maybe a gay man or two…gathering once a month or every 6 weeks for fabulous, sparkling conversation and nibblies. We only disagree respectfully, politely and constructively; we always all show up; we have all read the book; we have the most concise, witty and illuminating comments about that month’s pick. Everyone goes home feeling great about themselves and what they learned from each other and we can’t wait until we meet again!

Yeah. About that…OK, OK! I get that it’s a total fantasy.

But what if I (we) started a virtual book club? Who’s with me on this one? Give it some thought. And let me know what books resonated with you please. I am always looking for a great next read, inner ~~voice~~ nag be damned!

Rock (and read) on,

The WB

The CEO of Everything – A Badass Review

On January 19, 2017 By Widow BadassIn Badassery, Goals & Dreams, Read Books2 Comments

The CEO of Everything, picked up at Costco

I have been CEO of Everything for a little over 3 years now and life has never been better for me.
When I heard about this book, co-written by Gail Vaz-Oxlade and Victoria Ryce, I knew I had to read it.

Ms. Ryce I was not acquainted with, but I have been a fan of Gail’s shows for years and still watch her whenever she pops up on the TV – ‘Til Debt Do Us Part, Princess, Money Moron. Her advice and delivery on money and life never gets old.

If I wanted to be a smart ass, I would just use 9 words to state my review of this book:

THEY NAILED IT. I LIVED IT. GO BUY IT.

Gail had been divorced more than once and Victoria lost her husband (like me, also to lung cancer). Each woman combines and brings their own perspectives to being unexpectedly or expectedly single and how to proceed from there.

Having not only been both divorced and widowed, I was completely engrossed by and resonated with everything these women had to say. They were describing my thoughts, my emotions, my experiences, my decisions. The advice they give is SPOT ON.

They even warn you how you will be perceived by others in your newly single state. Hint: some women will either drop you from their circle of couples or give you the fish eye if you so much as acknowledge their men are in the room. Brace yourself for killer-death rays if their men acknowledge you are in the room.

They didn’t cover how men will treat your newly single state in the book so let the WB tell you there may some surprises in store there as well. Some of your men friends will want to be genuinely helpful and others will want to help themselves, if you know what I mean. Just be on your guard with them all until they prove themselves to be honourable. You will spare yourself some nasty shocks that way.

Gail and Victoria urge newly minted CEOs of Everything to look for creative ways to replace missing employees i.e. stuff your SO used to handle. I would like to add to their sage advice that a good contractor is worth his weight in gold, if there are major projects to be completed at your C-Suite (home). Your contractor will organize and run herd on the trades needed to complete the job, freeing you to keep doing what you need to be doing to keep the lights on. A good contractor will fight for you to get the job done to your satisfaction and it is sad but true that some of the trades won’t listen to your complaints but will hop-to if your contractor so much as blinks. Yes. Even in 2017. Even though you are the client and ultimately paying the bills.

The ladies wrap up the book by urging the CEOs of Everything to pay it forward. Which I have tried to do in the past and will continue to do in the future. I had been told by friends I needed to write a book about what I’ve learned and now, well….thanks for nothing, Gail and Victoria!!! 😉

The book has been written and not by me.

Rock on,

The WB

Like Finding An Old Friend

On November 21, 2016 By Widow BadassIn Artistic Endeavours, Hmmm?, Read BooksLeave a comment

Dear Wild Woman Blog,

Saturday night, while I was searching for hamsa inspiration I came across a mention of this book – Women Who Run With the Wolves – while googling symbols. Funny where it takes you when you head down a search engine rabbit hole. I wonder if Google is the new Tarot deck – delivering answers that your subconscious is looking for. OK, OK Blog – I agree…that is a bit of a stretch.

I knew I had read it before – I just wasn’t altogether sure that I still had it in my possession. Quickly I went to the dining room and checked the bookcases there. YES! Somehow this book had managed to survive the several purges of my library since I first bought (and devoured) it many years ago.

I’m looking forward to revisiting my old, long-neglected friend. With white supremacist patriarchy gaining more and more strength and approval in the States (nay, the WORLD) again, I think this qualifies as required re-reading.

Just in case you thought the True North Strong and Free was spared this idiocy, I give you This Hour Has 22 Minutes’ take on Sam Oosterhoff. This new world needs more AGNES. That is all.

Rock on,

The WB