From Shaman's Rock By Jim Poling Sr. We now have new reasons to distrust the politicians we elected to protect us and our democracy. A troubling report from our intelligence watchdogs says that some of…
The dangerous buffoon
From Shaman's Rock By Jim Poling Sr. Canadians have watched the U.S. happenings involving former president Donald Trump with an amused sense of entertainment. It’s been like looking over the fence and seeing neighbours struggle…
Bad books and good books
From Shaman's Rock By Jim Poling Sr. I thought it was just me complaining that more and more mediocre – or just plain bad - books are being published. A search of the Internet tells…
Co-existing with Beaver
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. Those critters with the sharp buck teeth and hard flat tails are back and making their presence known. Beaver numbers were reported down in parts of the province…
A walk in the woods
From Shaman's Rock By Jim Poling, Sr. It’s been a year since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to the global COVID-19 emergency. Our world, however, still has far to go before celebrating…
A deer in the headlights
From Shaman's Rock By Jim Poling Sr. There are times when the political tribalism consuming us seems like a cancer that cannot be cured. Today, thankfully, is not one of them. I say this after…
Life without bugs
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. This won’t come as a surprise: After a mild winter and wet spring it’s going to be a banner year for bugs. Experts say the mild winter allowed…
Hints that fishing season is here
By Steve Galea If you live with an angler, you probably have a sense that the fishing season is drawing near. This is very likely fueled by the clues that you might see in and…
My foxy friend
From Shaman's Rock By Jim Poling Sr. I’m opposed to feeding wild animals. They get to like human food, depend on it and stop foraging for their natural foods. However, I have a confession to…
Carbon tax and tribalism
From Shaman's Rock By Jim Poling Sr. Our federal government is running out of lipstick to put on the pig it calls its carbon pricing policy. But as the famous proverb notes – when you…
Ins and outs of ice
From Shaman's Rock By Jim Poling Sr. Many of us got fooled with ice out predictions this year. The mild, almost non-existent winter, had many predicting ice off the lakes in March. There just wasn’t…
Politics and evangelicals
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. What used to be a source of pride for me has become a source of shame. My father’s family had evangelical roots since coming to North America almost…
Whither goes the Frost Centre?
From Shaman's Rock By Jim Poling Sr. It was roughly one year ago that I wrote about the dark, worried feelings I had about the Frost Centre on St. Nora Lake just south of Dorset.…
See you soon
By Emily Stonehouse I’ve been keeping a secret.Well, as much of a secret as you can when you have a very public-facing job and are active on social media. So really, not much of a…
Will rainbows replace the snow?
From Shaman's Rock By Jim Poling Sr. If you think this winter and last were strange, you “ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”Our winters are going to get warmer and wetter, the wet becoming more rain as…
Buffalo story offers hope
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. We live in an increasingly crazy world that some believe is on a fast track to extinction. Perhaps, but despite humanity’s destructive tendencies you have to believe the…
The importance of snow
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. Many folks are cheering the recent arrival of snow that has been missing for most of this unusual winter. Lack of snow in October, November and December has…
Our roadside shame
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. The exceptionally late arrival of winter’s snow has covered up Canada’s dirty little secret: We are not holier than other countries when it comes to garbage. Especially the…
O Night Divine!
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. (I have written and told this story many times. Christmas would not be Christmas without telling it again.) --- Fresh fallen snow protested beneath my gumboots breaking trail…
Mysteries with a bonus
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. We tend to think of global warming and climate change as some new development, It’s not. There have been warnings about it going back many decades. You find…
Goodbye Self-checkouts!
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. Some people are unhappy with the growing number of retailers getting rid of self-checkouts. I am not. Self-checkouts don’t pay income tax. They don’t contribute to social insurance…