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Poppy Gricken
Poppy Gricken was my maternal grandfather. His parents immigrated to Canada from Germany in the late 1800s, and Poppy was born here. His name was Robert, but everyone called him Bob. He was born in _______ and died in 1972.…
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My grandmother was one of my greatest role models
My grandmother Gricken was one of my greatest role models. Her name was Mary Walters (we called her Nanny), and she was born in upstate New York. Her mom died when she was 14, and she was left to care…
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Angie gets married!
Angie got married for the first time on November 20, 2021, at the age of 54. It simply took that long for the right man to come along. For her husband, Scott, it was also a first marriage. We had…
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Backgammon: the world’s greatest game!
Peter and I have been playing Backgammon for 21 years. We play at every meal, even when we eat in a restaurant. In fact, the servers at all of the restaurants we go to know us because we are “the…
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Angie takes me on a trip down Memory Lane
When I was a kid, living with my parents, we moved to a new house 28 times between when I was born and when I turned 18. One year, I went to three different schools. I think my dad was…
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I hate gardening, but I love having gardened.
I got that line from the great Dorothy Parker, an American poet, writer, critic, wit, and satirist based in New York. She always said: “I hate writing, but I love having written.” She also said: “I like to have a…
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Neil takes me on a drive through the beautiful Ottawa Valley
My good-looking son, Neil, took me on a drive through the Ottawa Valley. He knows it like the back of his hand. I can’t remember all the places we went, but we had a wonderful time. It was a beautiful…
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Neil takes me on a beautiful drive to St. Raphael’s Catholic Church ruins.
Both Angie and Neil are wonderful, sweet, caring and loving kids. They plan special activities they know I will love. I am writing about them because I want them both to know that I love them and appreciate our time…
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Oh, how I love the ballet
One winter’s day, I went out to run some errands and do a bit of shopping. By sheer good luck, I ended up outside the Cineplex Odeon South Keys theatre. The Bolshoi Ballet was dancing — on film, of course,…
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Vintage Car Show
It was in Barrhaven on a Sunday afternoon that Peter and I went to the Vintage Car Show. Wow, those old cars are beautiful, and BIG! The photo to the right shows a tray with A&W burgers and fries on…