How do you spend your spare time?
After retiring from teaching high school, I now have the freedom to plan my day just the way I like it. I spend my leisure time doing two things I enjoy the most - painting in my art studio and exploring the outdoors. Living in Northern Ontario at the edge of Algonquin Park, I indulge in walking, hiking, kayaking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. I always carry my camera, hoping to capture wildlife references I can use later to create my artwork.
What has most impacted your life?
I left Toronto at 16, with my baby boy in my arms, no money, and a dreamer partner who believed that we could escape the world's problems by living off the land in remote areas of Canada.
After following him to British Columbia, the Yukon, and the wild interior of Nova Scotia for seventeen years, we returned to Ontario. We lived off the land during our journey, had many adventures, and had two more children.
This impoverished, gypsy lifestyle was hard and wholesome, but there was a fatal flaw in this Little House on the Prairie story. My husband, the dreamer, became increasingly mentally ill in a subtle yet destructive way.
Surviving all of this, protecting myself mainly but my children as well from their father's psychological daggers, and making the journey back into civilization has made me the strong and determined woman I am today.
What is your dream ramble?
I want to go back to the Yukon. My present, wonderful husband and I are avid campers who take our fifth-wheel home-away-from-home everywhere our rig will go.
I want to revisit the Alaskan Highway, a 900-mile trek along one of the world's most beautiful and rugged landscapes that joins southern British Columbia to Alaska. In 1974, in a beat-up old car with an infant son, this dirt road just about did me in. We dream of doing it with reliable wheels and a modern truck camper.
What is the bravest thing you've ever done?
I decided to return to school at 32 despite only having a grade nine education. I had been homeschooling my three children for years due to our remote living situation. After realizing that people are well-paid for this, I decided to become a teacher.
When I became single, I took a mature student test and applied to the University. The bravest thing I ever did was to show up on my first day, take my seat among the high school graduates in my class, and try not to let anyone see my trembling hands. The look on the boy's face next to me in computer class when I asked him how to turn on the computer was priceless!
What do you love about growing older?
I love being retired and spending quality time with my kids and grandkids. Having the time to explore the world and exercise my artistic soul is a true pleasure.
As I age, my perspective on many topics has changed. Watching the news and thinking about the state of our world, I realize more than ever the vital role that women play in our planet's survival. They possess the voice of reason amidst the chaos.
It's not a gender thing but rather an attitude that many males share - the concept of Mother Earth, the nurturing and bringing forth of life, as opposed to its destruction.
What do you love about Sole Sister Ramblers?
I love the Sole Sisters Ramblers group for its positivity, camaraderie, and sharing. It's a healing experience, and I think that is why the group is growing so fast. It's more than just a forum to share our walks and travel stories; it's become a place of empowerment for women. I hope more groups like this form will redesign our world, making it a safer place for our children.
READ MORE > Rambler Profiles, Rambler Cafe Blog
Leave a comment