Women, Wine, and Words

08/21/2026

Lara Blair is our guest contributor to the August 15th newsletter. She creates her world in miniature!

Where do you find wonder these days?

08/20/2026

Grocery shopping in Ireland continues to teach me so much about Ireland and its people.

The transparency on food products here is next level.

Case in point, I bought a bag of Shamrock and sour cream chips and noticed something on the back of the package that caught my attention. I followed the QR code, which took me to the company’s website and on a much deeper dive.

It asked me to enter the field, variety, and cook name listed on the package. I entered the details and was introduced to the cook who made my chips, the variety of potatoes used, and even the field they came from.

I mean, seriously. I just wanted a bag of chips, and suddenly I’m practically meeting the potato farmer. 😂

The same can be said for so much of the milk, produce, meats, and other foods here. I don’t know how many products contain this level of information, but it is overwhelmingly a lot.

When talking with my daughter, I mentioned that perhaps with universal healthcare, keeping people healthy is important so there isn’t as much of a drain on the medical system.

She said maybe, but she believes there is also a different set of values here, something deeper than finances or greed. A shared responsibility for one another.

She described it something like this:

“How uncomfortable am I willing to become so that others can be comfortable as well?”

I’ve been thinking about that ever since.

There is something different about looking at society through that lens. Not just, *What is best for me?* But, *What am I willing to give up, change, or contribute so someone else can have enough too?*

Maybe that is part of what I’m discovering here. Travel isn’t only about seeing different places. Sometimes it lets us see a different way of living and a different set of priorities, and then quietly ask ourselves which pieces we might want to carry home.

All that from a bag of Shamrock and sour cream chips.

Who knew grocery shopping could make me think this much?

08/20/2026

Yesterday was another great day.

I started my morning at Insomnia Coffee while doing laundry next door. I grabbed a protein latte and settled into a comfy chair while I waited.

Within minutes, a group of adults with disabilities came rambling through the door. Soon another group arrived, and suddenly there were a dozen or so people ordering drinks and settling in around me.

I looked up and had four people saying hello, telling me their names, asking mine, and smiling at me for no reason at all.

I chatted with them, and the more I chatted, the more they engaged. In that moment, we were simply fellow patrons at a coffee shop enjoying our morning.

Then my laundry timer chimed.

I asked three of them if they would watch my coffee and table while I moved my laundry to the dryer.

They enthusiastically agreed.

One woman actually turned herself 90 degrees so her eyes were completely focused on my table.

When I returned a few minutes later, all three were still watching it, making absolutely certain my coffee was safe and no one had taken my chair.

I had asked them to do me a favor, but somehow I walked away feeling as though the gift had been given to me.

They had been trusted with something. They had been asked to contribute, and they were not going to let me down.

When it was time to leave, I received so many goodbyes I felt a little like a celebrity.

I walked away smiling and thinking about something so simple.

All we really want in life is to be seen. To feel like we matter. To know we have something to contribute.

Sometimes we think kindness means doing something *for* someone. Yesterday reminded me that kindness can also mean asking something *of* someone. Trusting them. Including them. Giving them the opportunity to show up for us.

For those few minutes, there was no “us” and “them.” Just people drinking coffee, sharing conversation, and watching out for one another.

To the caregivers helping these adults be part of their community...

Well done, people.

Well done.

08/18/2026

Today was one of those days where nothing extraordinary happened, and yet I found myself really appreciating the ordinary.

I started the morning walking across the street to Insomnia Coffee, grabbing a coffee for myself and bringing one back for Cassy, who had a Zoom meeting. It’s such a little thing, but those are the moments I’m enjoying most about being here. Helping where I can and getting to be part of their everyday lives.

Even laundry is different. Cassy did a load and then hung everything on a drying rack on the back balcony. In winter, the rack comes indoors or they use the laundromat dryers across the road. Air conditioning and clothes dryers aren’t nearly as common here. The kids moved into their apartment 4½ years ago when the building was brand new, and even then there weren’t many amenities that consumed a lot of electricity.

After Cassy’s Zoom meeting, she headed out for an in-person meeting. With both kids gone, Nova and I had the place to ourselves.

We took full advantage of it.

I stretched out on the couch. Nova stretched out in her dog bed. I watched TV, worked on my computer, started prepping dinner, and generally recovered from our very fun weekend. Nova was equally productive.

Later I wandered over to the nearby Omni Shopping Centre to pick up a few things for Electric Picnic. Apparently, packing mostly summer clothes for Ireland was a little optimistic.

The forecast is currently showing rain for four of the five days we’ll be camping at the festival. FOUR DAYS.

So I bought thick sweatpants, a fleece jacket, waterproof shoes, and a few other things to help keep me warm and somewhat dry. While I was there, I also picked up what I needed for dinner.

And somewhere between coffee, groceries, rain gear, and walking back to the apartment, I realized how much I’m enjoying this way of living.

At home in the country, it’s about a 10-minute drive to the store, 20 minutes to Fred Meyer if I need clothes, and 12 minutes to Starbucks if I want coffee. Here, I can walk out the apartment door and get coffee, groceries, shop for clothes, or catch a bus right outside the building and head downtown.

There’s a freedom in simply putting on my shoes and walking where I want to go.

I love my country life at home. I love the space, the quiet, and being surrounded by nature. But I’m discovering I really like this too.

When the kids got home, we sat on the porch while they talked about their day. Colin played his banjo for a bit, and we just hung out together.

Nothing extraordinary. And maybe that’s exactly why I loved it.

Later we headed to our 6 p.m. yoga class, and I could already see improvement in my movement and stamina. Apparently this boot camp they’ve enrolled me in is actually working.

We came home, watched a movie, and headed to bed, where my body once again decided it had absolutely no interest in sleeping. I finally drifted off around 2 a.m. Jet lag? A wandering sleep schedule? A brain that refuses to shut down? Who knows. Anyone else struggle to find a consistent sleep rhythm? Ugh.

I think one of the gifts of staying somewhere for more than a week or two is that you stop simply visiting and begin living. Coffee runs. Laundry drying on the balcony. Walking to the shops. A lazy afternoon with Nova. Making dinner. Banjo music on the porch. Yoga with my daughter.

The little things.

Maybe those are the things I came all this way for.

08/13/2026

08/13/2026

My First 24 Hours in Ireland

The next six weeks are going to be an adventure!

The journey over was long, 12 hours of flying plus a five-hour layover due to a delayed incoming flight-but I had the sweetest five-month-old seatmate from Vancouver B.C. to Dublin, which made it much more enjoyable.

My daughter picked me up at the airport and had a much needed, and appreciated, latte in hand for me. We stopped at a grocery store on the way to the apartment and I was immediately impressed. Irish grocery stores have an amazing selection of fresh, ready-to-cook meals, including build-your-own pasta and pizza options that make dinner feel easy, affordable, and almost like having a personal chef.

Once we arrived at the apartment, I unpacked and enjoyed a long-awaited hot shower after travel.

We then had lunch, played a quick game of Skyjo, and settled in. My daughter recorded a university lecture while I took her online chapter test I was happy to do well on. I’ll be sitting in on more of her lectures over the next few days, today’s topic was physical changes in aging.

When my son-in-law got home, we picked up their collection of instruments and had a relaxed jam session, mostly strumming and laughing as we bounced between banjo, mandolin, and bass.

We made dinner together and tried to catch the eclipse, but a construction crane blocked most of the view. After a full day, I was in bed by 8:00 p.m. and woke refreshed at 6:30 the next morning.

Today, I joined my daughter for an appointment in downtown Dublin. We took the bus partway and walked the rest in beautiful weather. While she’s busy, I’m enjoying a café with a scone and cappuccino, soaking in the morning.

Tonight’s plan is grocery shopping and a yoga class.

So far, this trip has been exactly what I hoped for, a slower pace, time with my kids, and a chance to explore. I already know these next six weeks will be something special.