I have always admired these working giants, and I am glad they are making a comeback on the farm. I suppose my feelings are, at least in part, nostalgia. I quite easily can recall, as can many of you, when the really heavy work was done by a horse, or […]
Columnists
Our most familiar harbinger of spring is most likely the robin. But its close relative, the Bluebird, is another. In Northern Ontario, there are only two other birds which are blue. But the bluebird can be easily identified by its red-brown breast, its deep blue head, back wings, and tail, […]
With April just around the corner, safety educators believe anyone can be an April Fool at any giving time. You are an April Fool if: Motor vehicle accidents are still the number-one cause of accidental deaths in Canada. But many people still do not heed the wise advice police officers […]
Quetico Centre
The Thunder Bay Regional Hospital is required to have a plan for providing French language service. It does, and the board recently expressed its support. But is that what we need to serve our future population best? In Canada, according to the 1996 census, 59.2 percent of the population cited […]
There’s nothing like a Raggedy Ann or Andy doll to bring a smile to my face. And just for today, I have three of them visiting my office. A big Raggedy Ann–more than two feet tall–smiles from her perch by my copy machine. And a pair, sitting close and snuggling […]
Spring has arrived and it is time to spring into action. Start thinking about doing a clean-up and inspection of your home and yard. It also is time to look for any fire hazards. The Office of the Fire Marshal and Ministry of Natural Resources has an excellent pamphlet on […]
The sparrow family is the largest in the world. It includes grosbeaks, buntings, finches, and crossbills, as well as a host of real sparrows. There are 56 species of these birds in Canada. I suppose most people think of sparrows as those little brown birds which hang around the yard, […]
Lists have always been my weakness. For as long as I can remember, I’ve made lists in every conceivable manner. With pen and ink. On the typewriter. On the computer. On 3 x 5 cards. And 5 x 7 cards. On yellow paper. And pink paper. In my Day-Timer. And […]
Each year in Canada, people are injured and others are killed by accidents that could have been prevented. In fact, 90 percent of all accidents are predictable and, with proper education, largely preventable. Falling into an open manhole or sewer, being crushed by some heavy item, or injured because you […]
When we think of the birds of spring, we usually think of the robin or some other nice one. But actually, the bird which comes back to us really early is the crow. You usually can hear him long before the snow has gone. In almost any other situation, the […]
There are not too many people who are really fond of spiders. Spiders have a bad rap, for several reasons. For one thing, they walk funny, with a gait which we–and the movies–have associated with evil. We hear about poisonous spiders, and there are a few, but not really very […]
Quetico Centre
The Trends Research Institute in Rhinebeck, N.Y., regularly examines over 300 trend categories. Each year, it picks the 10 biggest changes in social, economic, and political structures. This year’s group is: Several of these have moved up in rank from previous years; others are new. Personally, I would like to […]






