We have a habit on Sunday evenings. We call our sons shortly after they should have finished supper in Calgary. It’s been ongoing since they left home for university more than a decade ago. One might think that with Twitter, Facebook, Facetime, and Skype, the old-fashioned phone call no longer […]
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
When I was growing up, one of the carrots my mother would use to get us to help when she was baking was the opportunity to lick the beaters or spatulas. Or sometimes when she was baking cookies, my mom would roll some dough into a small ball and offer […]
This Friday begins the great countdown to the 150th anniversary of Canada. On the 149th anniversary of Confederation, we will begin making preparations for the grand celebration one year from now. This past month, my wife and I were fortunate to visit Newfoundland—the last province on our list of places […]
Facebook and Twitter were alive with photos and memories of dads on Sunday. I didn’t post anything, but the number of memories of fathers got me to thinking about the impact my father had on my life. I remember a saying he often used: “If everyone is thinking and saying […]
Aretha Franklin, in her lyrics for “Respect,” demands the respect of her man. It is a strong, provocative message which gained prominence during the civil rights and women’s rights movements in the United States in the late 1960s. The secondary teachers of the Rainy River District also are asking for […]
Marnie and I believed it was important for our sons to see and experience all the provinces in Canada, and we travelled to all of them except for Newfoundland. Well, last week Marnie and I travelled across Newfoundland—from Corner Brook to St. John’s and part of the Avalon Peninsula. We […]
Premier Kathleen Wynne and Environment minister Glen Murray are going to save the planet with their new “Climate Action Plan.” After the Ontario legislature begins its summer vacation, the “action plan” will be released. They really don’t want any embarrassing questions asked in the House. Well, Ontario residents had better […]
What a difference a week makes on the lake. Rainy Lake was magnificent all weekend. The freezing temperatures had disappeared and the stillness of the lake allowed the sun to raise the lake’s temperature by 10 degrees C. Cottagers were arriving and opening their camps. Our neighbour, Larry Greif, arrived […]
The day was chilly. The air filled often with freezing rain bits almost feeling like hail as it pitted your face this past weekend. My wife and I headed to the cabin last Wednesday afternoon to get a jump on finishing off several projects. It was a cool 10 C […]
With television, messaging, and “YouTube” available to all of us, we immediately can feel the force and wonderment of Mother Nature. On Rainy Lake, we have watched winds blow ice from one shore to another—often sliding up shores and toppling tall red and white pines. We have witnessed the ice […]
Rainy Lake’s ice finished sinking to the bottom over the weekend and the first boats started filling marinas. Everyone seems to be rushing to get their boats on the water. I wasn’t the first to put my boat in this year. The blue water beckoned and Badiuk’s had my boat […]
The world and research constantly is changing its opinions on what foods are safe to eat. The most recent change has come with the rehabilitation of butter. Back in the 1950s, very few people were fat. Most households in Fort Frances had very rich milk, where the cream would separate […]
