Here we are at the end of another week – the first full work week of January and 2018 – and I am reflecting on these days with you.
 
What did I learn? That, just as I suspected, lots of people in different occupations have work nightmares. I heard from two teachers: one of whom approached the end of the year with nightmares that she still hadn’t completed all kinds of assignments; the other who would dream in the nights leading up to the first day of school of being stuck in endless traffic and not making it to school on time or, when she got there, she was dressed only in a full slip and couldn’t find anything to wear to cover up! So there you go. We all have them, it seems.
 

 
I haven’t weighed in on the Tim Hortons protests in Ontario; it just gets too political even to say that everyone deserves a living wage. Those who detest the Liberals in general and Kathleen Wynne in particular are not going to budge. It’s where we are in 2018.
 
That’s the same reason I’ve not commented on Oprah running for president after that astounding, stirring and momentous speech on Sunday night at the Golden Globes. Until Oprah’s plans become more than just a rumour, I’ll sit back, wait and wonder what would make her give up a seemingly perfect life for four or eight years of strife and hatred directed towards her – more than she’s already had to endure during her entire career (and in this past week). Do I think she’d do an incredible job? Absolutely. Admittedly the bar is awfully low right now, but again, why would she put herself through the down, dirty and corrupt political wringer?
 
Pleasingly, I learned that there’s a great shared sisterhood when it comes to cooking and recipes. Just as I never feel more connected to my grandmother than when I’m hanging out laundry, I am somehow more connected with my mother – and my own feminine side – when I’m putting together a warm and comforting meal. I’ve loved the exchanges we’ve had on Facebook about it this week. And yes, I’ll be trying a recipe I was sent last week and if it’s good, it’s yours too!
 
Next week, I’ve an article to share with you here that opens the dialogue on the prescription drug that the coroner couldn’t rule out as the cause of our daughter’s death at 24. I didn’t want to hit you with it today as this is Friday and, just as I’d do on a radio show, I think it’s good to wrap up the week on a higher, lighter note. So that’s what we’ll do.
 
Molly’s adjusted quite nicely to life here on the west coast. We took advantage of a sunny 10°C day to walk along the beach on Tuesday and, although her stamina isn’t what it used to be, she enjoyed the change of pace, as did we. (And I only mention the temperature Tuesday as I heard Toronto set a record with 12°C yesterday. Well done!) But sometimes we come home from our shorter, wetter walks and she finds it hard to warm up. Sure she can curl up in front of the fire…
 

 
…but if we haven’t lit one yet, we’ve come up with something almost as good: a heating pad on the couch. She’s really come to like that. In fact, now she moves from seat to seat looking for that pad, that special warm spot.
 

 
Do we spoil our little 13-year-old? Sure we do. We love her and she loves us. We cuddle endlessly in the mornings and she sleeps scooched up to Rob or me at night to stay warm when I leave the door to the outside ajar.
 
We also spoil her with her treats, giving her SierraSil pet chews to fend off the arthritis that seems to accompany these wet weather conditions out here. And, of course, we feed her Caru foods, including their new, lower-priced Daily Dish. I shot a video of me serving her DD for the first time. It was a gamble: she loves their stews so much that switching up her food didn’t make sense. But you’ll see her reaction here.
 

 
Now we mix her two kinds of food, adding a bit of kibble to give her teeth a cleaning. And we’re grateful to Caru for sponsoring the audio journal. Give it a listen sometime – and have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for coming by, as always.