Happy to be Canadian
Each week I share a short original story about life in rural Canada. There are moments of nostalgia and other times when you will be wondering what will happen next. Some episodes are poignant, some are funny, others are insightful. All are short. With episodes under 10 minutes, you have just enough time to finish your coffee or tea while you enjoy a memorable story.
Episodes
57 episodes
Chipmunk Bites are Hard to Shake Off - Episode 57
No, this isn't another crazy wildlife episode, well, wait a second ... it may be consider a wild life aviation episode. Find out what happens when Susanne's Dad buys a Canadian military primary training aircraft and sparks a love affair t...
Saving a Turtle Takes Team Work - Episode 56
There's a networks of people in Ontario working to save injured turtles and return them to their native habitats. Susanne and Manfred found out how it works when they came into close proximity of a snapping turtle.Join them on the ...
1887 Celebration Fit for a Queen
When Susanne is researching details for a story she is writing about a man in 1800's Ontario, she goes down a rabbit hole of history to find some gritty details about Queen Victoria's birthday celebrations in the backwoods in 1887.
Wishing for Blue Skies and Tailwinds
You might wish for blue skies and tailwinds but Susanne is trying to capture the beauty of the headwind this bicycling season. Join her on this breezing tale to find out just how much we are blown about by something we cannot see.
From Monterey to Salvage - Episode 1 & 52
To celebrate one year of podcasting, Susanne is rebroadcasting her first podcast episode that was lost in a shuffle from podcasting hosts.While out campaigning in the federal election, Susanne comes across a vivid reminder of the days wh...
Emigrating with Dreams and Bulbs
When Susanne meets a barn quilt painting workshop participant whose father hybridized Amaryllis in Holland over 75 years ago, she embarks on a discovery of the flower that leads her to her own back yard.
Not My Cat in a Springtime Garden - Episode 50
A kitten was left in our garden many years ago. Since then, he has a comfortable forever home but he spends many days wandering through the flowers and along the paths just like Susanne on a Spring day. Find out how that turns out o...
Mercurial Spring in Southwestern Ontario - Episode 49
Snow storms that blow enormous flakes onto the grassy ground where they soon melt and welcome sunshine that brings cyclists onto the roads in March are all part of early Spring in southwestern Ontario.This week Susanne notices nature's d...
Memento Mori and other Gravestone Warnings - Episode 48
Susanne loves walking (and cycling) through local cemeteries, finding forgotten stories and wondering what certain inscriptions might mean. Join Manfred and her as they discover a swashbuckling tale told be the early settlers.
Cycling the Ports of Elgin County - Episode 47
Susanne faces the challenge of bicycling over 100 km from her home along the north shore of Lake Erie to visit all four ports in Elgin County. It's a test of will and a little tailwind wouldn't hurt. Find out where Manfred will be waiting for h...
The Porch Chair Quandary
When some porch chairs with creative innovations are separated in the spring weather, Susanne and Manfred have to figure out where like sitting best, or do they.
How an Ugly Barn Changed Everything - Episode 45
When Donna Sue Grove's mother bought a farm with a run down barn in Ohio at the turn of the 21st century neither she or her daughter had any idea how they were about to changed to rural landscape across North America. In this week's episo...
Revelling in Irish Movies
The week before St. Patrick's Day has Susanne yearning to know about Ireland. Join her as she captures the mythology and heart-breaking realities and stereotypes of Ireland through sunshine and in shadow.
Learning Gaelic - Episode 43
Susanne's Scottish ancestors may or may not have spoken Gaelic when they landed in the colony of Canada in 1854. Somehow she's drawn to the language either by blood memory or wishful thinking. Join her as she attends an introductory Gaeli...
A Surprise Trip to the Bottom - Episode 42
From snow storms to once in a lifetime opportunities, travel with Susanne and her daughter Kate as they take on one of the seven wonders of the world.
A Maple Syrup Day in the 1970's - Episode 41
Maple Syrup making has changed significantly over the centuries, but a day in the forest in the 1970's is vivid for Susanne. Join her this week as she recounts this truly Canadian experience.
Going to the Moon, Again
More than 50 years after the first efforts to orbit and land on the moon, there is another NASA-led enterprise to circle the moon. And this time, a Canadian is scheduled to be on board. Susanne remembers the success of the Apo...
Bad News comes in an Old Letter
When Susanne finds a letter from 1965 address to her Grandfather she is taken back to a terrifying afternoon when the grandkids were terrified of an attack but one of them was brave enought to make a run for it.Join her as she remembers ...
Family Traditions Start Simple
A photographic family tradition has stretched over 130 years and across the North American continent. Susanne shares a family tradition that still gives their family joy.
Oat Cakes Remembered
Episode 37. This is something different. It is a short excerpt from a longer historical fiction piece that I am writing. It is based on the true exhumation of the largest skeleton of mastodon that happened near my home ...
Cross Border Cousin Connections
When all of Susanne's great Aunts moved to the United States looking for work in the 1930's in made a big shift in her family's history. Today, with the uncertainty between the United States administration and Canada, those relationships ...
Cooking in the Danger Zone
Knowing a little bit about food handling safety procedures can make you uneasy when you are making sausages at home. Join Susanne and she and her family try to make venison summer sausage with a meat grinder and a thermometer. Oh, and sca...