By Sue Tiffin I love hearing stories about what summer was like in those days that feel like yesterday, for some of you. While fathers stayed home to work in the city and lived to…
The beaver ate my dock
By Jim Poling Sr.From Shaman's Rock I try to be Mr. Nice with my critter neighbours at the lake. It is becoming more difficult, however. Much more difficult, especially this spring. I feed and comfort…
Letters to the Editor: May 18
The following are letters to the editor published in the May 18 edition of the Minden Times. Ford: anti-people, anti-planet To the Editor, The Glasgow Climate Pact resulting from the Conference of the Parties 26…
Make life easier for women
By Jim Poling Sr.From Shaman's RockThe abortion debate has flared into rage again in the United States, spilling of course, into Canada and elsewhere. Much time, energy and money is spent arguing whether governments should…
Letter to the Editor: May 11
The following is a Letter to the Editor published in the May 11 edition of the Minden Times. Keeping the planet on the ballot To the Editor, “Political campaigns are designedly made into emotional orgies…
Hats in the ring
By Sue Tiffin Finally, the time is here, you’ll soon know whether or not your neighbour was right about so-and-so running for mayor. The nomination period for October’s municipal elections opened on Monday, and some…
Here come the little guys
By Jim Poling Sr.From Shaman's Rock They are on their way! You should be spotting them any day now. The last time I checked they were crossing Lake Erie and some areas of southern Ontario…
Letters to the Editor: April 27
The following are letters to the editor published in the April 27 edition of the Minden Times. A vision for the cultural centre comes to council To the Editor, In the last few weeks over…
Saying yes
By Sue Tiffin After my brother-in-law’s passing a few years ago, my response to the overwhelming grief and loss I felt was that I decided I was going to say yes to everything, because I…
Welcome to the bug world
By Jim Poling Sr.From Shaman's Rock As we brace for a new bug season, I find myself hoping for a banner bug year. Not for blackflies, mosquitoes, midges or wasps, but for dragonflies and their…
Letters to the Editor: April 20
The following are letters to the editor published in the April 20 edition of the Minden Times. AJG a 'proud institution' To the Editor, I was recently informed that Laurie Carmount is no longer working…
A time for a change
By Jim Poling Sr.From Shaman's Rock The changes that show we have moved from winter into spring are almost complete. Most ice has gone from lakes and ponds. The woods are brown and bleak without…
Making it work
By Sue Tiffin Staff shortages and high turnover rates have been rippling throughout the county – and elsewhere, of course – in nearly every sector. Some of these challenges are caused as a direct result…
A community loss
By Sue Tiffin Last week, after hearing of the collision that occurred near Kinmount, my heart – like the heart of so many others in our community – sank. When I received the press release…
A criminal above the law
By Jim Poling Sr.From Shaman's Rock It has been more than 150 years since Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote Crime and Punishment, but the main character of his famous novel could well have been today’s Russian president,…
Making history
By Sue Tiffin A “rabbit hole” is a phrase used online to describe an extremely engrossing and time-consuming topic, and it is a phrase I use often with Adele Espina. Whether she’s delighting me with the…
Waiting for the robins
By Jim Poling Sr.From Shaman’s Rock Robins are harbingers of spring, which officially arrived almost three weeks ago. So where is the spring weather, and where are the robins? It’s April, the daffodil month, and…
Letter to the Editor: March 30
Public boat launch has benefits To the Editor, Re: Minden Hills says no to Bob Lake boat launch (The Times, March 16) I encourage the Minden Hills council and Bob Lake Association to pursue options…
Scams and fraud
By Sue Tiffin Every once in awhile, my life is interrupted with a scam of some form in the shape of a phone call, an email or a text – or a series of them,…
Hope in an angry world
By Jim Poling Sr.From Shaman's Rock The absolutely last place I ever expected to learn anything important was sitting in front of the television watching the Academy Awards. I gave up watching the annual awards…
Cowboys in bow ties
By Jim Poling Sr.From Shaman's Rock There are a couple dozen versions of Psalm 22:20, depending on what Bible you read. After watching the Oscar-nominated movie The Power of the Dog, I have a version…