I spent the Family Day holiday expanding my family as calves are coming. Alas, winter still is very much here with this blowing snow that we really do not need. I know we shouldn’t complain. It has warmed up—but it doesn’t need to snow every time it does. I think […]
Columnists
This past week was a very busy one in Ottawa, during which the Harper government presented another 400-plus page monster budget bill that does nothing to create jobs or make life affordable in Northwestern Ontario and that saw me take the issue of propane price gouging to the floor of […]
I’ve been flag-watching since the Sochi Olympics opened and though it is impossible to contain my bias, I love the clean, simple freshness of our Canadian flag and its uniqueness. The Maple Leaf conjures up any number of concepts for me: our vast natural wilderness, what I think of as […]
That new gigantic purse your spouse has just acquired looks like a real fashion statement. But is it really? The added capacity could be for anything from bringing along a supply of Depends for hubby to harvesting snacks at the buffet for tomorrow’s dinner or for the dog (or, in […]
After spending a few weeks in south Florida, it was back to reality (and winter) for me this past week. Other than the foot of snow that had piled up in my driveway, it was nice to be home. Although this winter has been long, with no end in sight, […]
There wasn’t a dry eye in our household when we watched the Dufour-Lapointe sisters receive their gold and silver medals as the Canadian flags rose above their heads. On Saturday, we watched how excited 19-year-old Justine was when she nudged out her sister, Chloe, to capture the gold. And when […]
“I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.” The late great Duke Ellington had the right idea. Sadly, I can pout with the best of them, but I cannot read, write, nor play a lick of music. When I pout, all my energy goes into […]
Last week, my time away from the riding was spent working on two very different issues: the proposed new undemocratic elections law that was hastily introduced by the Conservative government and the future development of the “Ring of Fire.” At the start of the week, the Conservative government of Stephen […]
I was a farm kid, content with my own company and the company of my siblings. But play often was solitary—building secret hideouts in the haymow, or finding the perfect tree for a fort and then lugging lumber to build something in the tree using more nails than I could […]
Here at “The Beach,” we are preparing for the invasion of the Spring Breakers. The first to arrive will be those hearty souls from Canada that get their “reading week” in mid-February. A mid-term break to allow the brain to expand and condition itself for the heavy load ahead on […]
The 2014 FLW Tour kicked off last weekend down at Lake Okeechobee in Florida. After spending the past few weeks in Florida, essentially preparing for this event, my results in the tournament ended up being quite disappointing. My three-day practice for this tournament went okay but not great. I did […]
Last Tuesday, my calendar saying was “Life is so good!” Yes! Life is good! Very good . . . and beautiful . . . and wonderful—and I love it! I also believe in the importance of positive affirmations, such as “Life is so good!” But then, a very important friend […]
