Walking the dog yesterday afternoon, I happened upon some Canadian geese just recently returned from their southern hiatus. They had found the open waters of what was Airdrie's beginning: Nose Creek.

There was a period of many years when my life was filled with a lot of fluff and nonsense, surface relationships and allowing people to see only what I wanted them to see. The tragedy in that, of course, is that the people I had those relationships with were pretty much the same.

I had no idea what I was missing.

A single strand of clear lights adorns the fig tree standing sentry in my living room. Aside from the lights, nothing about this tree warrants a second glance, but as is most often the case, the simplest things hold the greatest treasures.

It gives me great pleasure to surprise people with something unexpected. A card, a book, a packet of cookies, a gift for no reason.