By Jim Poling Sr. "All the rainbows in the skyStart to weep, then say goodbyeYou won’t be seeing rainbows any more ...”I was listening to those lyrics when I opened a newspaper to a shocking…
Ample opportunity
By Chad Ingram I've covered Haliburton County council for a long time – a dozen years next month – and in that time, I've never seen a council so concerned about providing ample opportunity for…
Cottage country facing change?
By Jim Poling Sr. The annual lull after the storm of summer visitors to cottage country doesn’t seem to have materialized as fully as in past years. Lake access parking lots still hold plenty of…
Misinformation: The cancer among us
By Jim Poling Sr. It was a pleasant late summer day. A perfect day for some relaxing recreation, so a buddy and I hopped on ATVs and headed off to Sherborne Lake, one of the…
Blood pressure
By Laurie Sweig I have to admit I knew very little about blood pressure until writing this article. I did know that having a blood pressure reading that is too high or too low…
Killing the cormorants
By Jim Poling Sr. The big black bird controversy that got its modern start almost 400 years ago is raging again.It was back in the 1660s that the English poet John Milton stoked the controversy…
Cortisone shots
By Laurie Sweig Up until almost two months ago I had never had a cortisone shot in my life. Given my level of activity over the years I am both grateful and proud of that…
An autumn for getting serious
By Jim Poling Sr. Autumn is a time for action. The animals of the forest know that, and supposedly so do we humans. But the animals are much smarter. They see signs – fading leaves,…
Avoid poor circulation or fix it
Avoid poor circulation or fix it By Laurie Sweig There are so many benefits to moving every single part of our bodies that it’s hard to keep track of them all. Here’s another to…
The voice in the grapevine
By Jim Poling Sr. I was having a genuinely down moment saying goodbye at the end of a physical distancing visit to my son’s home in Hamilton. We don’t get to see our…
Keto concerns
By Laurie Sweig So many people are trying the keto diet. I have not been part of the cheering section for this diet or any diet that restricts the consumption of any real types…
Mushrooms and dirty diapers
By Jim Poling Sr. When I walk the woods these days I realize that I am seeing only a fraction what is here. The trees, the low-growing bushes and the animals all are…
Cool air and a warm blanket
By Jim Poling Sr. If I stand on tiptoes this week I can see August. That makes me happy because I’ve never been a fan of July. Too much heat. Too many people.…
Hot hot hot
By Laurie Sweig It’s been hot this summer. I can’t remember the last time I saw so many heat warnings on my weather app. In February we dream of this kind of weather but…
Centre of gravity
By Laurie Sweig The centre of gravity is the point at which the body’s mass is equallybalanced. That’s nice but what does that mean to you? Well it haseverything to do with stability. If falling…
The riddle and the madness
By Jim Poling Sr. Why is a raven like a writing desk? That’s the question the Mad Hatter asks Alice in Lewis Carroll’s fantasy Alice in Wonderland. Alice ponders the question but does…
The water lily's lesson
By Jim Poling Sr. The pleasures of summer are numerous but one of the best is passing a pond or lake edge where water lilies have made their home. These plantswith their large flat floating…
The other dangerous epidemics
By Jim Poling Sr. L ook deep inside the pandemic and you’ll see other sicknesses. Not simply sicknesses but full-blown epidemics. An epidemic of selfishness plus an epidemic of misinformation. Both are making it more…
Lessons from Grandma’s Room
By Jim Poling Sr. When I was growing up, any conflicts from inside or outside the home usually got resolved in Grandma’s Room. For the 17 years that I knew her, Grandma was…
Working out with friends
By Laurie Sweig Thanks to COVID-19 many of us have improved our video chatting skills. I often have coffee dates with friends. I know of many people who havegame nights cocktail calls and even cooking/wine…
Looking to nature for safer roads
By Jim Poling Sr. The dragonfly is seen in many parts of the world as a symbol of adaptability and transformation. I see the dragonfly differently as I sit on my waterfront deck and watch…