Columns
The other day, I was reading an article about the organization called Your Old Barn Study and it brought back memories of the old barn on the farm I grew up on north of Lucknow...
As I write this column, we are caught in a confusing season that feels like high summer. But the calendar and the shortening day length tells us we are well into October. Most aspects of farming involve challenging weather conditions in one way...
It was 1940, a time of national emergency. At the start of the Second World War, Hitler's army ruthlessly swept across western Europe. Britain suffered devastating bombing raids and food shortages due to German blockades.
"Man, I'm already sick of getting up in the dark to feed the cattle and the short days of winter are barely beginning," moaned George MacKenzie when the gang assembled at Mabel's Grill recently...
When the alarm rang this morning, I had to decide whether to get up or turn it off and go back to sleep for another twenty minutes. That was my first decision of the day. How many more decisions would I make before the end of the day?...
Good grief, it was cold this morning when I came to work," grumbled Molly Whiteside when she delivered the menus the other morning as the guys sat down at Mabel's Grill...
Something nobody warns you about with aging is how fast bird watching creeps up on you. One day you are young and hip, and the next you're like... "Darn! Is that a yellow-rumped warbler?"..
Main street isn't what it once was. Locally-owned businesses have found it impossible to compete with international giants like Walmart. But one sector is still healthy: co-operatives...
Did you know that Bruce County, Bruce Township, Port Elgin and Kincardine are all named for the same person? That would be James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, who was Governor General of Canada when the county...
"I can't figure out these people who work at the post office," Dave Winston said the other morning as the guys sat down at Mabel's Grill. "It's got so I hate to waste energy walking down the lane to the mail box every day because, if there's anything...
It may have come as a surprise to those with a romantic idea of farming when research revealed the high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression experienced by farmers...
It was fascinating to read in The Citizen, our sister publication, that Howson and Howson Limited of Blyth celebrated its 150th anniversary in the milling business.
When I was a kid growing up on a farm on the second line we shopped once a week, usually Saturday night, at the Red Front Grocery in Wingham...
"So, are you going to stoke up the barbecue this weekend?" Dave Winston asked Molly Whiteside as she passed out the menus at Mabel's Grill on a sunny morning recently...
On the farm, summer living isn't always as easy as many songs suggest, however life is definitely easier without having to blow snow, thaw frozen water and equipment, and reschedule..
I was fascinated to read the column in the July issue by Bruce County historian Robin Hilborn about the lives of early settlers and about the book History of Bruce County by Norman Robertson...
After going through two elections within just a few months, I am sure we are all happy to put that aside and move on with our lives. But if you'll bear with me for just a few more words on the topic, I have some thoughts that have been rolling around...
It's early summer and across Canada I expect barbecues are being heated up --- except at our house. We kind of lost our hunger for barbecuing a few years ago when we had regular infestations of mice building nests in our barbecue....
"Thank goodness the school year is nearly over. My son will be through with school and ready to help out with haying," Cliff Murray said at Mabel's Grill as the guys settled in the other morning...
I was looking out my window recently, as the farmer who rents the rest of our 150-acre parcel was planting corn with a huge tractor pulling a monster corn planter...
Life milestones give us the opportunity to pause and reflect on both the passage of time and how things have changed. As the Rural Voice celebrates 50 amazing years of publication, I reflect on my time with the Rural Voice as well as the remarkable...
The other month, when I was golfing, we got about six drops of rain. Not enough to break out the umbrellas but a warning of what might follow...
"I'm surprised to see all you fellas in here this morning, what with planting season beginning," Molly Whiteside said when she brought menus to the guys at Mabel's Grill the other morning...
As we are getting this May edition out to press, there is still snow (albeit fresh snow) on the ground and there is a general impatience for spring...