Happy Anniversary... Four Days Early!

This coming Sunday marks the two-year anniversary of the end of my radiation treatment. As an early present, today the good folks at Princess Margaret Hospital gave me the all-clear on my latest CT scan and chest X-rays. Two years cancer-free, baby!

I'll be celebrating tonight by preparing for my student-teacher group's Health & Physical Education presentation tomorrow. Seems fitting.

Picture (Book) Perfect!

I don’t often write on this blog about my work in publishing, but last night’s TD Canadian Children’s Book Awards ceremony was such a big occasion for Annick Press that I can’t resist gushing. Of the four categories, Annick had nominations in three and won in two! And of the five nominees for the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award (a cash prize of $20,000), two were Annick picture books… both of which I was involved as editor.

The first was Chicken, Pig, Cow written and illustrated by the wonderful Ruth Ohi.

I’ve worked with Ruth now on more than half-a-dozen books, all of which have been well-received critically. But it’s especially gratifying to see her getting so much attention for this one which is the first of a series about the adventures of three toy animals. From the very first draft of the manuscript, Ruth captured the quirky personalities of these characters and it has been a delight to watch them, and the series, develop. We’re already developing the fifth book. Here is Ruth and I at the ceremony:

The second Annick nominee in the category was also the winner: Mattland written by Hazel Hutchins and Gail Herbert, illustrated by Dušan Petričić.

This was another one that practically glowed with life when it was still only words on a page. I’m so proud to see these marvelously talented storytellers receive such an impressive accolade (after all, my gushing is only worth so much).

Congratulation to all the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award winners, including The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland, and nominees, including The Apprentice’s Masterpiece by Melanie Little.

The Fall Guy

Yikes! Has it really been two months since my last post? A busy autumn it has been. Below are the highlights, but first a health update:

This past week was my tri-monthly checkup with Dr. O’Sullivan at Princess Margaret Hospital. After a quick physical examination he announced there were no signs of anything that concerned him, but it was nevertheless time for my annual CT scan with a chest x-ray thrown in at no extra cost. Both were also done this week and I’m scheduled to return on November 25 to discuss the results.

This will hopefully bring me peace of mind if not peace of neck. Schlepping a heavy backpack around and endless hours of hunching over a laptop have not been kind to the ol’ neck muscles. It’s been a season of spasms. As such, I’m looking forward to getting back to the comforting embrace of scarves and turtle necks.

Not today, though—it’s a warm and beautiful November afternoon and, in fact, it has been a rather mild fall. Here is what I’ve been doing with it:

It’s (Not) All Academic

There remains just over a month left of the academic term in my master’s program. Although my full-time student teaching doesn’t begin until January, I’ve nevertheless been enjoying my weekly visits to the grade 5/6 classroom. Better still, I was invited to join the class camping trip to Sandbanks Provincial Park back in September. There was a misty rain when we arrived, but we lucked out with mild temperatures and sunshine for the two days following. Our tents stayed dry and our spirits high as we enjoyed campfire songs, marsh exploration, and playing on the sand dunes.

The whole trip was an excellent way to engage the students in their biodiversity unit and build a sense of community. Given my part-time presence in the classroom until January, I was especially grateful for this chance to get to know the kids outside of the school.


Niece to See Ya!

Late September also involved a trip to Harriston where good things came in threes: Jeanette’s birthday, our niece MacKenzie’s birthday, and the Harriston Fall Fair. Jeanette preferred to keep the first item a low key affair, but Mackenzie was more than happy to hog the spotlight. Here’s a self-portrait of the two-year-old princess in her birthday boa:

Andy Warhol couldn’t have made her more iconic.

Meanwhile, I got to shine as well when I joined Jeanette’s Dad as he drove the Harriston Motors tow truck in the town parade.

I tell you, if you ever need a self-esteem boost, you can do worse than being in a parade as crowds of people smile and wave at you. You can’t even hear them say to each other “who the heck is that?” It was a memorable ride for me, but Jeanette and Mackenzie likely preferred their spins on the midway rides later that evening. Who else gets a parade and tilt-a-whirls on their birthday weekend?

A Gran Day Out

And speaking of birthday girls, this fall was also marked by another memorable milestone: my grandmother’s 90th birthday! Mom decided to mark the occasion by throwing a family bash in Georgetown. Although the party wasn’t a surprise, much of the family in attendance was: my sister flew in from Halifax (unbeknownst to even me) and Mom’s brother Bruce and family (sans Cousin Lisa, who, like Jeanette was stuck working) traveled up from Tennessee. It was especially good to see Uncle Bruce looking (and sounding) so healthy as he recently underwent surgery on his tongue for… oral cancer! We commiserated about the misery of such procedures but agreed to be thankful for how quickly the mouth heals. We’re both lucky to be able to wish Gran a happy birthday verbally! Not to be outdone, Mom’s verbal birthday greeting stole the show: her playful poem offered insightful highlights into the life of Gran.

The birthday girl was all smiles and it’s safe to say a good time was had by all. I’m assuming plans are already underway for her 100th birthday bash.


That’s it for now and likely all I’ll have time to post until late December. Things at school promise to ramp up steadily until my final assignment deadline in the middle of next month and then there’s the usual holiday madness. I hope everyone is enjoying a fabulous fall and I look forward to catching up with each of you… eventually!