Anita Odessa is a popular columnist at the Millbrook Times, where her humorous takes on life in the village illustrate her growing affection for life in the not-so-fast lane. This spring, Anita took advantage of the lockdown to organize her 70+ columns into a memoire which has just been published… Continue reading
A few summers ago, we took a trip to Niagara Falls. As we admired those magnificent waterfalls and had our fill of bustling amusement park rides, there was nonetheless a part of me that yearned petulantly for more faraway places – a remote jungle frontier or an ancient culture –… Continue reading
A few years back, my world, as I knew it, fell apart. Systems I had believed supported me suddenly let me down and things I had once thought defined me had to be let go. The chaos was unrelenting. I could barely check my phone or sit at my laptop… Continue reading
Several years ago, I found myself in a state of financial hardship. Desperate times called for desperate measures and I resorted to an unexpected coping mechanism to endure the situation. I didn’t turn to substance abuse, crime or reality television. I became a serial baker. A good friend gave me… Continue reading
Winter can be a lonely time of year for people, and a couple of years into single life, I was no exception. I hadn’t had any meaningful interaction with men since the end of my marriage. Then, to my surprise, after many cold nights and a long time flying solo,… Continue reading
When I was a little girl, every time we passed a LOST CAT poster on a lamp post or bulletin board, my dad, who was a veterinarian, would have the same reaction. He would stop in his tracks, stare at the poster and crouch down so that he was speaking… Continue reading
I was volunteering at the school one day when I noticed a little boy looking dejected on the playground. I asked how he was doing and he gave a sullen shrug, confiding that he had spent most of his recess “running away.” “Running away,” I repeated, horrified. The boy went… Continue reading
When we moved to Millbrook, it was to live in the former St. Andrew’s United Church. On our last of many inspections of the place before the sale went firm, the seller – unable to call his solicitor to waive our final conditions because of the spotty telecommunications in the… Continue reading
The oldest house in the Village is very hard to find. You could live here your whole life and not even notice it, unless you paid attention. I first spotted it on a walk with my boys several years ago. It was set back from the road and seemed to… Continue reading
