After a long hard day getting the garden and lawn in shape, there’s nothing like a long soak in the tub. Sure a shower will get the grime off, but what about the aches and pains? If you come from my generation, out on the farm without indoor plumbing or […]
Columnists
How will we know that it is safe to ease restriction of social distancing and community lockdowns? Will we be responsible enough to protect one another? Each province, city and town will be faced with their own decisions. Each regional health authority will offer guidance. We have learned during this […]
Five months ago, if you had told me I would commit to walking a million steps this summer, I would have had you committed – period. On January 2, this former Times sports reporter was the shape of the main object in many of the sports he used to cover […]
Last week’s column provided an introduction to lilacs. Now that you have decided to plant some lilacs here are some tips to follow to help you get the best results. Lilacs need three things to grow and bloom well: sun, soil that’s not soggy and space. Step 1 – Good […]
It took longer than most of us expected for the ice to leave area lakes this spring but we have pretty well caught back up with how much the water has warmed over the past week and a half. A stretch of warm days and nights raised the water temperatures […]
What a beautiful weekend! I hope you all had a chance to enjoy some of it. Though we had many projects on the go, they were outside, so we still enjoyed this great weather. It must be a record to have such great weather for an entire long weekend! One […]
Its spring and the roadsides and lawns are turning a beautiful yellow. Time for a rededication. It’s that time of year again when the lawn warrior girds himself for battle. Weapons belt bristling with digger, snippers, three varieties of weed killer, and other assorted instruments of war, the grim combatant […]
I was having a pity-party this morning. No one was invited but me, although bringing along my internal whining was a must. There were no streamers at this party, no balloons or cake and certainly no parade, but action was required. I sat myself down at the kitchen table, rather […]
It is Victoria Day and I am writing my column from the sunroom of our cabin. My wife and I arrived Thursday afternoon with a full load of supplies to restock the shelves and replace everything that we brought home when the cabin was closed last fall. I suppose everyone […]
After everything that we have all been through over the last couple of months, the weather across Northwest Ontario over the May long weekend was about as good as it gets, certainly the best I can remember. For the anglers out there, we were greeted with warm weather, lots of […]
By Melanie Mathieson The Gardening Guru The blooming and scent of the lilac trees is like an official mark of spring and the kick-off to gardening season. You can drive almost anywhere in the District, the older homestead farms, newer rural or lake properties and of course the settled areas, […]
Most gardeners do not have a greenhouse or cold-frame, but they can use some great plant protection kits and devices and small portable and affordable greenhouses to get a jump on the gardening season. Here are a few ideas for you to try. Many traditional gardeners will place black plastic […]
