Columns

Fifty years ago, on a moonless night in the Fraser Canyon, B.C., I was trudging back to camp. Cautiously crossing a railroad bridge, I heard the wail of a train whistle ricocheting through canyons behind me. I couldn't judge the distance between ...

I see they're talking about expanding the Bruce Power nuclear station near Tiverton.
In February the federal government announced it will provide $50 million for preliminary work for an expansion of the Bruce Power nuclear plant...

As you drive around the countryside, you may notice blue and red signs posted in fields. Small and humble, they are easy to miss. But they are an indication of the long-term dedication of many farmers, agriculture supply companies, individual ...

Attached to many of our garden plants are memories of people and places.
We will have already been harvesting rhubarb by the time this column is published, which brings to mind former neighbours, Charlie and Mariel. The original root they gave us came...

"So what have you guys been up to lately," asked Molly Whiteside one Monday morning recently as she passed out menus at Mabel's Grill.
"I watched a hockey game yesterday," Dave Winston said, "but...

While it's somewhat incongruous that the majestic Bald Eagle is a dedicated carrion eater, I am thankful for it and the chicken farmers that make viewing of these stunning birds so accessible in Huron County....

The other night, in the midst of a startlingly beautiful sunset, my wife called me to see a couple of dozen wild turkeys in the corn field to the west of our house, as seen through the large windows of the rear addition of our country home....

"We limit the possibilities whenever we think we know the answer." I can't tell you how much I love this quote from Peter Johnson, also known as Wheat Pete. I have had the opportunity to hear him speak at a couple of meetings this winter...

Over the years, I've covered many stories about the response of communities to unwanted developments. Now the proverbial shoe is on the other foot.
York1, a company with millions upon millions in assets, has come to Dresden in the Municipality of ...

Molly Whiteside stopped as she delivered the menus at Mabel's Grill the other morning and sniffed as she passed behind George Mackenzie's and Cliff Murray's chairs.
"What's that for," wondered Dave Winston, as he opened his menu.
"We've had so many...

Many consider bread to be the "staff of life." Bread certainly has been a staple in many households worldwide for millennia. The Food History timeline tells us that unleavened breads date back to the earliest of civilizations, but risen bread..

When I walked into the new dairy barn at Gordon's Roxburgh Farms near Thedford the first thing I detected was the sweet smell of corn silage.
Growing up a dairy farm it's one of the smells you never forget. It's rivalled by fresh hay...

I'm going to show my old geezerdom again when I recall how much I enjoyed reading a column in Huron County Focus, a free newspaper distributed in Huron, about the glory days of Circle 8 Ranch on CKNX TV...

There are certain words and phrases that just bring out an almost visceral reaction: root canal, filing income tax and cyber security. While we may realize these things are necessary, and avoidance can lead to bad outcomes,...

The onset of winter came late this season in Southwestern Ontario, well into January. I remember the day, observing from the back porch that overlooks our garden the first few flakes of the first substantial snowfall in the air, glimpses ...

"I forgot to pick up the mail yesterday so I stopped before I came in for coffee this morning," George Mackenzie said as he sat down at the table at Mabel's Grill.
"Anything interesting?" asked Dave Winston idly as he opened his menu.
"Six letters...

There's a meme that's algorithmically bouncing about my Facebook news feed these days: "We have to talk about Gaza."
I'm not a fan of "have tos," "musts," and "shoulds." But I'll gladly make an exception when ....

It was a Dutch voice I heard yelling "are we still the boss on our own farms" after Steve Runnalls presented highlights from the new Dairy Code of Practice at Grey Bruce Farmers Week.

I talked to my neighbour this morning as we were both dropping off our Blue Boxes for pickup and he was preparing to go on to the barn to feed his cattle. I must admit it was the first time in a couple of months that we'd chatted.

For me, 2023 will go down as the year we lost my Uncle Charlie, about six weeks shy of his 100th birthday. He was doing his daily walking exercises in his residence when he fell, fracturing bones in his spine and hip.

A few years back, a mom and her three children moved into the house next door. The youngest, a little girl who in a few months would be attending pre-kindergarten classes, embraced the idea of having become our neighbour from the start.

Over the last few years, my February columns have been the hardest to write, both because I've written about mental health and because I'm writing from the middle of my own winter slump. But let's just continue the tradition, shall we?

"In case anybody's interested," Molly Whiteside told the guys at Mabel's Grill as she delivered the menus to their table the other morning, "Mabel's made up some cupcakes decorated for Valentine's Day for customers to take home."