Columns
One of the benefits about being old like me is that you won't have to deal with the effects of climate-altering activities of my generation and my children and grandchildren.
Recently U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres unveiled a report....
The first ever Coldest Night of the Year event held in Wingham was a heartwarming success. In the middle of so much upheaval, negativity, and struggle in our world, it was wonderful to see our community in northern Huron County come together ...
My friends of Orkney, in my last correspondence, I left Clifton and Estelle Isbister bouncing along country roads upon their mechanical steed -- a Model T Ford. The Great War had run its appalling course a few years earlier and the future seemed ...
"I always like it when I can turn the cattle out on pasture every spring," said George Mackenzie as he settled in at Mabel's Grill the other morning.
"The cattle get their own feed, and spread their own manure," he continued.
"Yeah, same with my sheep..
It is often said that if you want to go faster, go alone, but if you want to go further, go together. And while teamwork sounds nice on paper, it is painfully messy in reality. As I'm writing this, I'm mourning (and scratching my head) over ...
Maureen Kelly-Barclay says of her Centralia classmates, "The last time we were all together we rocked shoulder pads and mullets and now we have bifocals and orthotics. But you know what? Mullets are coming back in and so are shoulder pads...
Visit any food store in Canada (or at least southern Canada) and it's almost impossible not to take food for granted.
Stores get bigger and bigger to meet shopper's expectations. Shelves are overflowing. They throw out food that's still perfectly ...
March 8 has been recognized since 1911 as International Women's Day (IWD). The very first gathering was supported by over one million people. It has been gaining momentum ever since as a day to celebrate social, economic, cultural...
My dear friends of Orkney. There was a writer here in Canada, both famous and infamous, who when confronted with proofs contrary to what his stories imagined, maintained that truth not necessarily lays with mere fact...
"So the wife's got me tuning up the lawnmower while I wait for corn-planting season," said Dave Winston as he settled in at Mabel's Grill the other morning.
"That's what you get for getting the tractor ready so soon," said George Mackenzie...
The more things change, the more they stay the same. While that old saying may not seem very appropriate during a pandemic when everything seems different, human nature does appear to be very much the same.
As I write this, everyone is very tired...
When I was in Haiti a few years back, I rode from the airport to our compound on top of the luggage in the back of an open, lumbering truck. It was madness, really. No one seemed to follow any road rules there and I later learned when it ...
It was while reading fellow columnist Jeff Carter's column in last month's issue of The Rural Voice that the subject for this column arose.
Jeff was writing about an on-line conference held by Oxford University about the demonstrations ...
Some months ago, well before civil disobedience had sprung up across the nation, we were short of gas on our way home to Dresden along Highway 401. We might have continued on but that yellow warning light suggested a stop at ...
"I think I'll work on the tractor this afternoon -- make sure it's ready for planting season," Dave Winston mentioned to the others when they settled in at Mabel's Grill for the morning coffee session the other day.
"You're gung ho, aren't ...
There was a little drawer beside the fridge at the farmhouse that always held four things --- a box of wax paper, parchment paper, tin foil and a box of Saran Wrap.
For years and years, I would wrap up leftovers with Saran Wrap and tuck...
"We are so lucky to live where we do," is a phrase I have heard many times, and especially through the past two years. While many people are still itching to travel, especially to warmer climates to escape the Huron County winter, most people realize....
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a farmer-led coalition in India has set an example for the world: small voices, combined together, can make a difference.
In summer of 2020, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led an effort to "modernize" his ...
"Well, here we are again!" sighed Dave Winston when Cliff Murray carried takeout food from Mabel's Grill into Dave's heated garage the other morning. "Back having coffee in my garage again, a year after we were sure the pandemic would be over in just...
I apologize in advance. I usually try to write something thought-provoking or inspiring for this column, but I don't think I have it in me right now. Instead of leaving this space blank (can I do that, Lisa?!)... could I just be honest with you?
