by kathykastner | Mar 2, 2026 | Blog: Dispatches, explorations, Mood
Growing up, I was known for killing houseplants. However, we were blessed with a housekeeper, Anna, who knew – and loved her Plants and prettied up the house-hugging beds with petunias and pansies. They couldn’t have made less of an impression on...
by kathykastner | Mar 22, 2025 | Blog: Dispatches, explorations, Mood
It seems mere months ago, I could leap tall buildings at a single bound. Dance anyone under the table. I’ve been exercising for decades, starting as a pre-teen, my mother dragged to me kicking and screaming to what was then called a “calisthenics” class at the...
by kathykastner | Mar 21, 2025 | Blog: Dispatches, explorations, Mood
The mortgage was paid off, and we intended to live in the house forever. Then, Victoria Day Weekend, everything changed. 2 a.m. I awoke to our 3rd floor bedroom being bright as day. Through the glass sliding doors to the slightly rotting deck, I saw huge...
by kathykastner | Mar 17, 2025 | Blog: Dispatches, explorations, Mood
My parents found a kindred spirit in German playwright Bertolt Brecht. With German as their mother tongue, my ‘rents – Rose and Martin Kastner – experienced Brecht in his original language and, in the fullness of time, they became the Canadian...