Marion Agnew

My sister and I recently finished a long-term family project: we published my mother's memoir , the compilation of family stories our mother wrote for the five of "us kids" in the early days of her retirement. We gave it a new name, CRADLE OF THE DEEP: MEMOIR OF A FAMILY COTTAGE . We took advantage of technology available today to publish it. And now we can be sure that our brothers' grandchildren can know their great-grandmother, just a little. It's been a joy to spend time with my mother again, to hear her voice in my head. I write quite a bit about my mother, mostly about times that weren't so happy for either of us. I have had to work to be sure that's that impaired woman isn't the mother I think of all the time--because that wouldn't be fair. That's not who she was for most of her life. Family business can sometimes like feel like a burden. Settling estates, meetings with lawyers, transferring assets or accepting the lack thereof. Ma

Available now: my mother's memoir, CRADLE OF THE DEEP: MEMOIR OF A LAKE SUPERIOR COTTAGE . My sister, Sue Agnew, and I have been working for months to make make her family stories available for the next generation, and for her extended "family." This project has been a real labour of love: first for my mother and now for my sister and me. Mom would be saying, "They're just family stories!" But if you're interested in life in northwestern Ontario in the 1920s and 30s, early cottage life (my mother had to train herself not to call it "the camp"), mathematicians, history and memoir in general, or (eventually) juggling kids and a beloved summer spot 1200 miles from home, you might enjoy reading it. Hooray for publication day!

Recently a friend was posting a black-and-white photography challenge, and added my name to her challenge list. I don't always do challenges, but this one was fun and came at a good time. I'm moving a lot of projects ahead but in teeny tiny increments, and it can get frustrating. Looking for a good black-and-white photo on my near-daily walk forced me to take a moment. And here they are. Ahhhhhh.

My work has found a few new readers in the past six months, and I'm grateful for that. I enjoy sharing my thoughts and hearing others respond. Recently I've switched focus from sending work out. I'm spending more time at the page, scribbling, creating and revising and editing, and finishing commitments to others. It's so easy to focus on the product--the publication. "Where have you been published?" "My work has appeared in x, y, and z." It's how you connect with the outside world. But I'm ready to be back at the page. So I'm telling myself, "Enjoy the process." Recently, my husband and I were driving home from town at the time of the evening when a large, near-full moon was rising. Even though I knew better, I couldn't resist trying to get a picture of it. Here's what I got. Yup, not only TRYING TO TAKE A PHOTO FROM A MOVING CAR, but impeccable timing: behind the road sign. More impeccable timing: be