I am waiting on my last two cows to calve, and I would be lying if I told you that I am not looking forward to a full night of sleep. It has all caught up to me and I am in need of some quality shuteye. Today was a […]
Columnists
“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity”—Simone Weil Last month we opened up the topic of paying attention. Our plan was to practice paying more attention to what is going on in the present. One huge step toward being able to do this better is in noticing the […]
For almost 47 years, a Canadian flag has flown from the front of our home. The only time it disappears is in the time of Christmas lights. I returned it to its position this past Sunday, and as it began waving in the breeze, I realized again how proud I […]
In Winnipeg, we have a 32-year-old nephew with Special Olympics credentials in curling and snowshoeing. Austin doesn’t play hockey, but he knows about Billy Mosienko, the only National Hockey League player ever to score three goals in 21 seconds. Every week, Austin is a five-pin bowler at Billy Mosienko Bowling. […]
When I was 19, I returned home for summer break from university. Mom (who worked in education and had summer breaks off too) and I were watching a movie based on the work of Indigenous American author Sherman Alexie. In one scene, the main character recalls a childhood Christmas. His […]
Did you know? It’s National Poison Prevention Week! In Canada, medications continue to be the leading cause of calls to “poison centres” for people of all ages. While these medications are designed to help us, they are only safe when used exactly as directed. This week, take a few minutes […]
The book Braiding Sweetgrass sits on my shelf, always at the ready. I often pull it down and open it to randomly read any passage that appears on the page. It is that kind of book. I also have the audiobook version, on which Robin Wall Kimmerer’s voice calms any […]
Is the daylily the perfect perennial? They can grow in a wide range of soil and light conditions, have few insect problems, can tolerate drier conditions, and come in hundreds of varieties. Daylilies can be planted in a variety of landscape settings – positioned to make wonderful background plantings, naturalized […]
The oldest living National Hockey League player (as I write this) is 103. He was born on Christmas Day in Fort William, Ont., as Steve Wojciechowski, which he shortened to Wochy (making life linguistically easier for hockey broadcasters, starting with the legendary Foster Hewitt). He has lived 71 years of […]
It is the day after International Women’s Day, and I am still celebrating all the amazing, strong women that I am surrounded with. Personally, I would owe my strength and determination (and maybe some of my stubbornness) all to Nanny. I have learned kindness and to never give up from […]
This war against Iran has demonstrated to Canadians that even though we produce more oil and gas than we can use, we are not immune to far-off conflicts and the international price fluctuations of those commodities. In fewer than 10 days, we have seen the price of a barrel of […]
Book Review
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
What does it mean to be human? This question has both puzzled and inspired writers, musicians, artists, philosophers, and thinkers throughout history. In Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, the first of a series of influential works, historian and public intellectual Yuval Noah Harari shines a bright light into humanity’s […]







