It’s been a busy stretch and I’m tired. But I’m very grateful because it’s the best kind of tired. The kind of tired you choose.
The kind where your face still has a warm glow on a cool summer’s evening after spending most of the day in the fresh air and sunshine. The kind where your eyes burn in the back of their sockets from too many late nights catching up with family and friends and listening to music under the stars. The kind where you feel physically tired from leading an active life.
When I was working, I was tired all the time but it was the worst kind of tired.
The kind where your mind was frantic and stressed, thinking of a million things at once. The kind from running non-stop from the moment you woke up until the moment you flopped onto the couch at night in an exhausted heap.
The kind where your back and shoulders ached from sitting in a chair for eight hours a day, five days a week. The kind where you became cross-eyed and glassy-eyed from staring at a screen until your eyes start seeing double from the eye strain. The kind of tired no one chooses.
This week’s #HappyAct is to choose the best kind of tired. Or just screw it, and go for a nap.
Ed. note: the picture above is of me and my friend Cathy Christmas at the Mackinnon Brothers Back to the Farm musical festival. Cathy was at two of the same music events as I was this past week so I’m sure she’s the best kind of tired right now too.
This is a big week in Kingston. It’s the tenth anniversary of The Tragically Hip’s final concert and the limestone city has been buzzing with Forever Hip tributes and events all summer long.
I remember the first time I saw the Hip. It was at Ontario Place in 1991, the days when acts were free with admission to the grounds, and you’d spread out on the grass under the stars. There was an elderly Chinese women in front of us, and as soon as The Hip started playing, she started gyrating and dancing, her arms and legs flailing from her tiny body like she was possessed. That was the power of The Hip.
Fast forward to August 20, 2016. The Hip’s emotional final concert. Armed with will and determination and grace, too, frontman Gord Downie captivated a nation and gave the performance of his cancer-ending life, his poise, strength and spirit emanating from the stage. Courage, my word.
The Hip will forever be our hometown boys. VisitKingston has a list of all the Forever Hip events happening this week. Must sees are Choir, Choir, Choir featuring the songs of the Hip in market square this Thursday at 7 with special guests Miss Emily, The Abrams and Abby Stewart. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the lads shows up to join the singalong. And you won’t want to miss the showing of their final concert on Saturday night. It will be a night to remember and to honour our hometown boys.
If you’re from out of town and planning to come to Kingston this week for Hip celebrations, here are some Hip spots to check out:
The Hip sign at Slush Puppy Place
The new mural of the band opposite Hotel Dieu hospital on Brock Street
Music from miles around, a free exhibit in City Hall sponsored by Empire Life chronicling the musical roots of the limestone city, with Hip artifacts including Gord’s hat from their final performance
Gord Edgar Downie pier
The commemorative stone in market square with the lyrics, “Everybody was in it for miles around”
If patience is a virtue, then we are at risk of transforming into a generation of sinners.
If you live with teenagers or twentysomethings, you’ll know what I mean. Put the lid back on the toothpaste tube? They ain’t got no time for that. Zip up a bag of Pretzel chips? That’s takes a nanosecond too long, time that could be spent watching endless reels or snap chatting their friends. So what if the $8 bag of chips go stale. The bank of Mom and Dad will pay for it.
And don’t get me started on tech. Since I’m pretty good with software every now and then, one of my kids will ask for my help with something on their computer. I take my time working the problem, navigating through menus, and usually figure it out, but after thirty seconds, they complain that I’m taking too long and rip the computer out of my hands. They’ve learned it’s better to leave the room and do something else while I figure it out.
I can’t blame them really. They are the “instant generation”. They’ve grown up being able to download music or movies on demand, order an item and have it show up on their doorstep the next day, and talk to someone 24-7 when they need help.
And as much as I like to blame my kids for everything, I have to admit it’s not just them. Everyone seems less patient these days. On the roads. Waiting in line at fast food outlets. Even in conversations.
This is a problem. When an entire society or culture becomes less patient, it tends to be less kind. Less empathetic. Less caring. In our rush to move on to the next best thing, we forget to see and appreciate what’s in front of us.
Impatience can also lead to errors in judgement. We don’t take the time to get all the facts, understand the implications of decisions and consider alternatives.
This week’s #HappyAct is to take a deep breath, and find a little patience.
And for you Ted Lasso fans out there, here’s Jason Sudeikis playing the water bottle and singing Guns N’ Roses’ Patience at Thundergong 2020. Season 4 of Ted Lasso is now streaming on AppleTV.
If a nation is shaped by its history, its symbols and traditions reflect its current values and beliefs.
Last Thursday, we witnessed one of the most iconic of Canadian symbols, the RCMP Musical Ride in Napanee. It was a wonderful performance that made me proud to be Canadian.
It was a glorious summer night. The smoke from wildfires raging in the far north had miraculously cleared earlier in the day, giving full view to the warm sun setting gently to the west.
We secured our seats in the packed grandstands, then I wandered over to watch the performers warm up in a grassy open area behind the horse barns. The 16 riders, dressed in blue t-shirts and pants practiced their drills riding in formation in circle eights, transitioning from a walk, to a canter to a gallop.
You could tell the crowd who had gathered behind the barns to watch were in awe of the horses. They are magnificent black Hanoverian horses bred specifically for their dark colour, calm temperament and athletic ability from a special breeding farm in Pakenham, Ontario.
The troop entered the fairgrounds in a formation of 16 carrying lances and wearing the red full dress uniform complete with the famous Mountie hat. All of the riders are police officers with the RCMP and I was surprised to learn that many had never ridden a horse before joining the Musical Ride team.
The performance was about 45-minutes long and we watched in awe as the riders made the horses go through their paces, performing intricate drills and manoeuvres to music. As the 16 riders and horses circled the ring, clouds of dust filled the air, creating a beautiful effect and making for great photos, as if they were emerging from fog or mist. (One of the officers later told me this was the dustiest performance they ever had!)
Several times, some of the horses reared. The announcer explained that half of the horses were new to the ride, making the performance more “spicy”.
There is always a meet and greet after the ride where the officers approach the fences so members of the audience can pet the horses and talk to the riders. I learned the horses undergo three years of training before they even make it to the Ride and then perform with the troop for about ten years.
I met Gendarme (pictured below), a handsome, 17-year old veteran of the Ride with sweet eyes and the softest fur who will retire in a few years. He’ll become a “schoolmaster”, helping train future riders and performing ceremonial duties. I asked the officer riding him who was more tired after the performance, and he said definitely Gendarme.
Steel was equally handsome, but had some knee pads around his forehocks for protection. I asked the officer if the horses knew their name, and he said yes, the horses will often respond when the riders speak to them by name.
The RCMP Musical Ride is a Canadian tradition that raises thousands of dollars for local charities. The history of the ride dates back to 1873, when the RCMP was founded and the force relied on skilled riders on horses to police the vast territory of the Prairies. To break the monotony of endless riding drills, members of the Force commonly competed amongst themselves and performed tricks on horseback. In 1886, the RCMP established a riding school in Regina and the following year, the first public performances were held.
This year, the Ride is touring in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia—it goes to different provinces every year so every Canadian gets a chance to experience its tradition. You can see their full 2026 tour schedule here.
This week’s #HappyAct is to take in a Canadian tradition and catch a performance of the RCMP Musical Ride in a community near you.
Did you know? The RCMP hosts an annual “name the foal” contest in the spring when a new horse is born into the musical ride family? Children under the age of 14 and school classes are invited to submit names for new foals born.
Some days I feel like Snow White, sweeping and swirling the dust and dander away in my tiny rustic cottage tucked in the woods as the chipmunks, squirrels and birds flit and fly around me, waiting for my three dwarves, Dopey, Grumpy, and Sleepy to come home (guess who is which).
I usually listen to music when I clean the house–Great Big Sea is my go-to playlist, but the other day my sleeping beauty Grace was still asleep, so I had to work quietly.
I found myself whistling while I worked.
It’s almost impossible to feel sad when you whistle. As the song Whistle While You Work from Snow White goes, “When hearts are high, the time will fly, so whistle while you work”.
Grumpy Dave is a master whistler. He could whistle The Flight of the Bumblebee or Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony while drinking water and dancing a jig.
I, on the other hand, am a terrible whistler. I can never decide whether I should suck or blow (tsk, tsk, people, keep it clean) and when sound does manage to escape my mouth, it is breathy, pitchy and comes in spurts like water spewing from a fountain.
Whistling is a great way to pass the time, especially when you’re working. Of course, if you work in an open office environment, you may want to refrain and save your rhapsodic warbling for home, unless you want to invite heavy office supplies being hurled at you.
This week’s #HappyAct is to whistle while you work, or whistle any old tune.
Editor’s note: The song “Whistle While You Work” was written by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey for the 1937 Disney animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It became emblematic as a song of hope for people during the Great Depression. Watch the full clip above to experience the Disney magic and bring a smile to your face. And if you were keeping track, Grace is Sleepy, Dave is Grumpy, which by the process of elimination makes Clare Dopey.
It was my first rodeo, and it was a buckin’ good time.
On Saturday night, we went to the Lansdowne Rodeo. I’ve never been to a rodeo and I thought it might be a shticky, gimmicky event like WWE wrestling, but I was wrong. It was a ropin, stompin, buckin’ hell of a ride and good time right out of the gate.
We arrived at the Lansdowne Agricultural grounds and parked in a big field. Spectators were already tailgating as the moon and stars started to rise in the sky above the water tower. We staked out our seats in the grandstand, then checked out the food trucks, and vendors while sipping on ice cold beers. I liked being able to pet the heifers and the sheep in the pens.
At 7 pm sharp, the action started with the bull riders. These were no tame bulls. These were massive 1,800 pound bulls who kicked their hind legs, flailing and thrashing the minute they left the pen. They can actually leap up to four feet in the air and have been known to vault over a fence. A few of the competitors were able to stay on past 8 seconds for the highest scores. One guy got hurt when the bull stepped on his leg.
One thing I’ve learned: bull riding is the craziest, most dangerous sport I’ve ever witnessed. Why anyone on God’s earth would willingly get up on a buckin’ bull is beyond me, but man, it was exciting.
Next was steer wrestling where riders wrestle a calf to the ground and breakaway roping where female riders rope a calf. It was incredible to see the athleticism of the competitors riding at breakneck speed while whirling the rope around their head, waiting for the perfect moment to lasso the cow. A third event, tie-down roping involves the rider roping the calf, then dismounting and tying three of its legs together as quickly as possible.
If you really want to appreciate the speed and skill of the riders, then barrel racing is your event. A rider on a horse bursts out of the pen and rides hellbent around three barrels strategically placed in the ring. The speed of the riders as they streaked across the ring was incredible.
They even had an event for kids six and under, mutton busting. Picture a five-year old wearing a helmet clinging onto the back of a sheep for dear life. I muttered under my breath, what parent would allow their child to try to do this, then laughed when the little boy two seats down from us took top prize for staying on the longest.
Between events, the music was pumping and Gildo the rodeo clown entertained the crowd.
At the end of the night, we hit the after party and danced to our favourite country songs in the big historic barn.
The Black Creek Rodeo Company is a family run business based in Edwards Ontario. You can find a list of their upcoming rodeos in Ontario on their website, including a special Broncs and Tonks Rodeo and Concert in Ottawa at the end of August featuring Dean Brody and the Reklaws. Or you can listen to their La Grange Rodeomax podcast to hear the history of rodeo in Ontario, their bucking bull breeding program and the skinny on all the events.
This week’s #HappyAct is to break out your chaps and cowboy hats and get yourself to a rodeo this summer.
I have now lived more than half of my life in this beautiful corner of eastern Ontario, calling the area north of Kingston home. Dave and I often say it was the smartest decision we ever made (including having kids!)
And yet, I’m often astonished how many people I meet from southern Ontario or Quebec who have never been to downtown Kingston. They’ve stopped here travelling between Toronto and Montreal. But their only impression of our fair city is a plethora of gas stations and fast food restaurants off the 401.
Kingston is, in a word, simply…wonderful. From its vibrant patios and waterfront, to its historic buildings and world-class tourist attractions, thriving arts and music scene, and festivals all summer long, it delights all ages. So in the spirit of Destination Canada and travelling local this year*, I invite you to explore Kingston this summer. Here is my top ten list for things to do in the limestone city.
Watch the Queen’s Golden Gaels football team, hot off their amazing 2025 season take on their rivals at Richardson Stadium in August or September. Our newly rebuilt stadium (in 2016) is a true gem. Catch some rays, have a beer and cheer on the Gaels to victory.
Do a haunted walk. Kingston has many haunted buildings (I worked in one—the Empire Life historic building). Hear the grisly and ghostly tales and admire the architecture as you ramble through some of our wonderful old neighbourhoods.
Tour the SS Kewatin, the beautiful steam passenger vessel older than the titanic at the Great Lakes Museum. Kingston was lucky enough to secure this grand old dame in 2023. I haven’t toured her yet—it’s on my list for this summer.
Movies in the Square: Still one of my favourite things to do on a Thursday night in the summer. Downtown Kingston will be announcing their line-up soon.
Stroll or bike along the waterfront. Most people stick to Confederation Basin near city hall. Venture further west to Battery Park, City Park, the walkways behind the Tett Centre (stop at the Juniper Café for a coffee or cold beer) towards Lake Ontario Park.
The downtown is a hub of free music, festivals and events in the summer months. My recommendations: HomeGrown Live featuring all local performers this Saturday, May 2 (get there early—all the venues get packed as the day goes on!), Art after Dark later this month and Buskers Rendezvous in July. Hot off the presses: Kingston has replaced its popular BluesFest with a new festival called The RoadTrip Music Festival on September 12, 2026.
Take the free ferry from Kingston to Wolfe Island and listen to some live music and have a drink at the Wolfe Island Hotel or spend the day at Big Sandy Bay Beach ($20 per person and a kilometre hike in)
Fort Henry is always fun to visit, but elevate your experience by taking in one of their special events or sunset ceremonies. Plan to have a beer at the battery bar overlooking Lake Ontario and Kingston—one of the best views around. Admission to the fort is free for kids 17 and under with the Canada Strong Pass.
Number ten is a toss up between hiking at Lemoine’s Point, and exploring the streets of Barriefield, a heritage village. If you choose Barriefield, be sure to stop into the Frontenac County Schools Museum, a quaint one-room school house.
BONUS Number eleven! Admission is free to Bellevue House, the home of Sir John A. Macdonald from June 19 to September 7 as part of the Canada Strong pass again this year.
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t urge you to spend at least one day hiking, fishing, or biking on one of our beautiful trails or lakes in South Frontenac where I live.
This week’s #HappyAct is to come to Kingston and spend a few days this summer. For all my friends from out of town, consider this your invite to come visit us. I’d be happy to play tour guide for you!
Queen’s Golden Gaels playing at Richardson Stadium
Watching Wicked last summer in Market Square
When Dave’s cousins Alison and David visited last summer from BC, we had to take their picture in the Kingston sign!
Here’s a philosophical question for our omniprescient digital world: should you believe what you see online if it makes you happy?
The online world is now a dangerous minefield of falsehoods, fiction and fakes thanks to artificial intelligence, disreputable news sites, content creators and citizen journalism. AI has amplified this trend, creating a wild wild west frontier of fake news. What do you believe any more?
Maybe it’s not as important to know what to believe, as it is to know how the content you consume makes you feel. If it makes you happy, maybe we allow ourselves the grace and the joy to believe in it. If it makes you sad, angry or anxious, don’t believe it and stop reading it.
A simplistic theory fraught with perils, perhaps. But there are precedents. H.G. Wells 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds, where listeners believed aliens were invading the earth. JibJab videos of your co-workers dressed as elves dancing to Jingle Bells. Cheap Rolex watches and Gucci purses you can buy for $15. A child’s belief in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. If it brings you joy, go ahead and believe.
Of course, it’s better if you know what you are watching is fake. One of my favourite fake AI video series on Instagram are the absurd_ai_videos of two toddlers, Kai and Bella who travel the world, rating the places they visit and their experiences out of 10. The videos are obviously fake (it helps when ai is in the handle name) and the posts obviously sponsored by brands, but I don’t care, I believe them. You can even ask the toddlers to craft a custom message for your Aunt Charlotte’s 80th birthday for a price. Witty. Creative. Brilliant marketing. I give them a 10 out of 10.
Who hasn’t seen and loved animali.tr’s hilarious chimpanzee playing the cheese grater and pots and pans in the kitchen? Or cats cooking spaghetti in the kitchen? Guaranteed to make you smile every time. I think the monkey’s real and they trained him to play percussion.
And I’m constantly amazed and amused by the plethora of videos starring the Toddler in Chief. Maybe fiction is more real than fact.
A massive caveat. You must apply the happiness measuring stick with caution. If a beautiful woman by the name of Cameron Diaz connects with you online and agrees to be your girlfriend making you feel happy, but needs money for her grandmother’s surgery, let your common sense override your desire for happiness.
And as long as we live in a world where wars rage, there will always be content we see and consume that is very, very real that makes us angry, sad and anxious. We need to believe it to learn from our mistakes and our past.
This week’s #HappyAct is to apply a healthy dose of skepticism to what you read and see online, and believe it if it makes you happy. Just beware of the dangers.
Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Ottawa airport… It seems to me that love is everywhere.
This week, I picked up a very special package from the Ottawa airport. Kid #2 arrived on a Porter Airlines flight on Wednesday morning after being down east at school for the past four months.
So maybe love wasn’t everywhere when I went to pick Clare and maybe I ripped off that line from the opening scene of Love Actually, but the feelings of love and anticipation of seeing Clare after her being away for so long has made me a romantic at heart.
I love that opening scene from the movie, parents reuniting with children, old friends slapping each other on the back, and husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends kissing and hugging each other with misty tearful eyes.
The reality of course was slightly different. I didn’t actually go into the Ottawa terminal. I missed the turn for the arrivals lane after seeing a sign that said Car Rental Return and had to make a U-turn and circle around the endless airport loop, Grace remonstrating with me and calling me a loser the entire way.
If we had entered the terminal, instead of seeing happy smiling faces reuniting, we probably would have seen half a dozen people making a frantic 100-yard dash to the bathroom after their seven-hour flight, another half a dozen cursing at their phones because the person picking them up was late, and at least one exhausted mother with two snotty-nosed kids trying to find her Uber.
I mean, c’mon. It’s not like we were going to see a young buxom brunette hopping into the arms of the Prime Minister. Wait, hold the ministerial phone. Did I just see Katy Perry launch herself at Justin at the gate, his strong arms encircling her while she wears a jaunty beret? Maybe the movie is true to real life after all.
The point is, maybe love actually can be found in an airport terminal. One thing is for certain. You have a better shot at finding love than your luggage if you fly Air Canada.
This week’s #HappyAct is my Christmas wish for you: to have a sweet reunion with someone you love. Happy holidays, and be sure to check back next week for my top ten happy acts of 2025.
Over the years, I’ve shared many of my favourite things about the holidays. To me, Christmas has never been about one day, or the presents under the tree. It’s about all the small moments and simple joys that make this time of year special and bring me happiness and peace.
Frosty cold mornings and snow laden trees And favourites like Elf, Home Alone and White Christmas on TV
Pretty green garlands of fresh spruce and pine Glasses of egg nog, hot cocoa and wine
Local church concerts and carols sung on high Finding the perfect gift then waiting for the Amazon guy
Filling the gaps in our old Christmas tree With shiny bright lights, homemade ornaments and memories
White chocolate-dipped Oreos and Mrs. Garrett’s butter tarts Nanaimo bars and haystacks and shortbreads cut in hearts
Candles glowing softly and red cardinals in the air Reminders of those we’ve lost but still with us everywhere
Bowie and Crosby, The Pogues and Buble Handel’s Messiah king of kings on Christmas Day
Gatherings with neighbours and laughter with friends A time to reflect and to make amends
Fighting over the chocolate in the advent calendar And constantly refilling the Scotch mint candy jar
The anticipation Christmas Day brings These are a few of my favourite things
This week’s #HappyAct is to enjoy your favourite things in the lead up to the holidays. What are your favourites?
Happy Act 