As I write this week’s column, I can’t help but think of how fortunate we are to be on Rainy Lake. We hosted a party for all of the residents within an island of our cabin this past weekend marking two national holidays. Over time, we have lost track of […]
Jim Cumming – From the Publisher Emeritus’ Pen
Jim is the former publisher of the Fort Frances Times Ltd. He writes a weekly column and can be contacted at jcumming@fortfrances.com
I am looking out through the windows of our cabin sunroom. It is overcast and warm. The rain that was called for overnight didn’t occur. I can hear birds in the background. The Canadian flag that has flown from our flagpole for decades hangs limp. I realize that my family […]
TREES I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast; A tree that looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray; A tree that may in summer wear A […]
I sometimes think that as a resident of the Rainy River district that I have not taken enough time to be a home tourist. I suspect that many of us are that way. As a family, we travelled to Winnipeg to take in the various museums and art galleries. We […]
Sometimes “things happen” as my good friend Phil Bangert would say. This past weekend was like that and it became a bit of a trial. We were heading to the lake. We were even leaving early to try and avoid the lineup moving over the overpass. We were on schedule. […]
As I travelled the highway to Rainy River delivering papers last Wednesday, I could not help but notice the flocks of sea gulls in the field feasting on what I suppose are earthworms. Gardeners love those earth animals as they break up leaves and other vegetation and leave behind rich […]
Every two weeks we put two blue boxes on the boulevard. At our home, the blue boxes contain a mixture of empty cereal boxes, clear plastic containers that once held strawberries or some other fruit, salad dressing bottles and empty gallon jugs that once held milk. Asselin Transportation collects all […]
We finally made it to the cabin. Earlier this year, the International Joint Commission had expressed concern that flooding on Rainy Lake might occur with the record snow fall through the winter and heavy rains last October, but we were able to pull right up to our dock. The lake […]
In the spring of 1980, my wife and I were on our hands and knees with shovels, bare root stock digging holes for shrubbery and trees. Today those same trees and shrubs are coming to the end of their lifetime. We have watched and enjoyed them from the time that […]
It is lake time again. Commissioner’s Bay has already lost its ice. Creeks are brimming with fast flowing water. I have booked my boat to be ready for pickup this weekend and hope that I will be able to travel to the cabin for the first trip of the year. […]
Sometimes we think that we are younger and stronger than we really are, and all too often when we take on jobs, our bodies remind us of our ages. Marnie and I have been remodeling at our home for three years. Last year, we expanded the work to include an […]
We have begun a new era at the Fort Frances Times with a trusted new editor. My first writing adventure was an assignment by Mr. Steve Bond, my English teacher. At the time I didn’t think of him as a good teacher but over time I have come to realize […]
