Everything around me is growing and I have a hard time remembering it was ever winter, though to be honest, I don’t try that hard. The dandelion and forsythia, the blossoms and pussy willows have all vanished. This happens every year and I get summer amnesia. The spruce trees have […]

By JoAnne Formanek Gustafson

Over the past few weeks tension has built across the district following Emo’s refusal to acknowledge Pride month in the same manner as the surrounding communities. Without rehashing all the events, it seems like a good time to consider how do we move forward in ways that unite us rather […]

You may have noticed that many farmers are busy trying to make hay now. If the weather would stay stable, it sure would make things nice. We finished taking the plot yields on all our forage trials last week but didn’t get it all cut with the bigger equipment because […]

We will celebrate Canada Day tomorrow. It will be different than any previous July 1st day in the history of Canada. In Fort Frances there will be no Canada Day Parade. There will be no big celebration at the Point Park. There will be no gathering along the river to […]

It’s a retread, but true, and comes as a warning to grandparents expecting sneaky grandkids over the summer. Sunday, July 25, 2010 The gene pool has been visiting in force these past weeks. The questions and methods of weaseling desires out of the grandparents are sophisticated enough to put most […]

While we have big water here in northwestern Ontario, we’re lucky that we can usually always still find a place to fish, regardless of the wind direction or how hard it’s blowing. On most of our larger lakes like Lake of the Woods, Rainy Lake and Wabigoon, there are some […]

By Jack Elliott China Day 9 It’s our last day on The Yangtze. This morning we visit a Pagoda that sits atop a magnificent rock. The Shibaozhai Pagoda at Zhong was built 300 years ago during the Qing Dynasty. It is now surrounded by a small dyke that protects it […]

Part two of this column of unusual plants for the shade garden, includes descriptions on how to grow Jack-in-the-pulpit and lady slipper. Although a little less common and available in nurseries than trilliums, I strongly encourage you to try either of these plants in your garden, if you can find […]

I’ve got your number – several of them, in fact. In recognition of the provincial government rolling out a brand-new math curriculum yesterday, this occasional teacher and current daily walker decided to sift through the numbers of this mission I am on with Step Forward and pass along the most […]