I delayed this week's Saturday Synopsis by a day because I wanted to share my adventures in cemetery searching yesterday. I spent most of today in the kitchen, so tonight calls for a simple post that looks back on my writings this week over the past fo...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on November 17th, 2024
Today was all about forebears, food and family.
Forebears
This morning, Mel and I returned to Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa's Vanier neighbourhood to find the gravesites of several Hollington ancestors. Armed with detailed maps provided by Beechwood s...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on November 17th, 2024
Today, my young neighbour and I made Christmas sugar cookies—the kind you roll out, cut into Christmas-themed shapes, bake, then decorate with icing and sprinkles. My Brazilian neighbour wanted to give her son the experience of a Canadian Christmas tra...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on November 16th, 2024
Today, a dear and wise friend sent me the link to an episode of the podcast Everything Happens with Kate Bowler. Kate Bowler is a Canadian academic and writer, an associate professor at Duke University, and the author of several books, including her 20...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on November 15th, 2024
On Monday, I received a call from a receptionist at the Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa in response to a request I had made during the weekend for help with finding the graves of two Hollington ancestors. Armaghan provided the most thoughtful and kind ser...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on November 13th, 2024
According to an African proverb, "A child does not grow up only in a single home."
Though a child's parents can have a strong influence on them, as can their siblings, strangers who become the child's friend and even family can have an equally positi...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on November 13th, 2024
Today, I rediscovered Wartime Canada, which provides "a window into the Canadian experience during the world wars." Its aim is "to make the visual heritage of the nation at war freely available in digital form." The site collates greeting cards, poetry...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on November 12th, 2024
Today, Mel and I visited the Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa's east end—our first visit to this beautiful site. We went in search of the grave markers of my great-great-great-grandfather James Hollington (1805-1891) and my great-great-grandfather (William...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on November 11th, 2024
Three years ago today, I wrote a post called Spontaneity in which I recommended allowing time for unplanned activities. That's exactly what Mel and I did this afternoon. We headed out with a loose plan: a walk at a dog park together followed by traipsi...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on November 9th, 2024
I spent the afternoon in the kitchen with Mel, turning a surprise bag of vegetables that she had purchased yesterday into several delicious dishes. A bagged salad became a crunchy lunch, aided by some homemade Caesar salad dressing in lieu of the sweet...
Jennifer Hollington
Posted on November 9th, 2024
