By Jim Poling Sr. There is no greater power on earth than stories. Stories help us to understand the world around us; understanding makes it easier to cope.There is much to cope with this spring.…
Good jab
By Sue Tiffin Last week, I donned a mask, and then another one, and then a face shield, and I walked into another building in this county for the first time in 407 days.I told…
Why COVID-19 is winning
By Jim Poling Sr. Canada is a much lesser country than it used to be.COVID-19 has done that. We Canadians have allowed COVID-19 to reduce our country to a third-world type player barely able to…
Kudos for clinic
To the Editor, My hubby and I just got back from receiving our vaccines at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena in Minden. I have to tell you, I haven’t ever seen such organization and such…
Vaccinations well-organized
To the Editor I was privileged to receive the Pfizer vaccine in Minden last Friday morning.My experience was amazing, the volunteers were wonderful. They were organized, knowledgeable and mostly friendly.The whole process was organized and…
Here’s to you, Robinsons
By Chad Ingram For generations of people, Robinson's General Store has been synonymous with the hamlet of Dorset. That was certainly the case in my family. Summers at Halls Lake meant at least one trip…
Thinking about what ails me
By Jim Poling Sr. Oh dear, my ophi has returned. I tried to hold it back, but it walloped me into a dizzy spell.A picture taker on Kushog Lake is to blame for my relapse.I…
Dock debacle
By Chad Ingram Lazing on the dock on a sunny afternoon, the kids bounding from it into the lake, the sound of splashing, and the whir of boats in the background. This is a central…
The fine line
By Laurie Sweig I love moving my body. That may not be a surprise to anyone. I have always maintained some level of fitness. My fitness has ebbed and flowed over the years but it…
Finding ancient treasure
By Jim Poling Sr. I love when spring cleaning uncovers a treasure of the past.There it was among the rubble of a long-forgotten junk box: a once valuable tool and an important piece of history.…
A bad joke
By Chad Ingram On April Fool's Day, just a day before the Easter weekend and two days after hinting Ontarians shouldn't make Easter plans, Premier Doug Ford announced another “shutdown” in the province amid the…
The time of awakening
By Jim Poling Sr. The spring forest is deceiving.This is supposed to be a wonderful time of awakening. The sounds and movement of new life should be exploding all around me.Yet it is sleepy and…
Snap, crackle, pop
By Laurie Sweig It doesn’t take much effort for my body to make sounds during certain movements. During a squat it seems to be my right knee that crackles but the left knee is silent.…
Mountains on matchsticks
By Chad Ingram Municipal treasurers, other staff members, councillors and, well, I'm just going to go ahead and say everybody, probably, must be relieved that another budget season has come to pass. And while the…
Creating happiness
By Jim Poling Sr. Feeling unhappy?Many Canadians are. We just placed 15th on the latest United Nations’ World Happiness Index. That’s down from eighth three years ago.Well, cheer up. You can take a course to…
Iodine
By Laurie Sweig I can’t say that I give a lot of thought to the amount of iodine I’m consuming. I’m only thinking (and writing) about it now because it came up during a workout…
Third wave
By Chad Ingram At this point it's almost a familiar feeling, a sense of “here we go again,” watching new daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario approach 2,000. Spring is here and so is…
Racist or just plain stupid?
By Jim Poling Sr. There are clues, but the sensational British royalty whodunnit remains unsolved.Would-be detectives are poring over statements, reading between lines, sifting the clues but no one has found any solid evidence of…
Please protect wetlands
To the Editor, Wetlands enrich our lives. They are places where we can observe and learn about a diversity of plants and animals while enjoying a quiet, natural environment. But wetlands accomplish much, much more.They…
Make take out/ordering in healthy
By Laurie Sweig Going out to a restaurant was always a treat. Sometimes it was to try something I would never cook, and sometimes it was to avoid cooking altogether. This pandemic situation that we’ve…
Happy trails, Mike
By Chad Ingram That voice. That unmistakable, instantly identifiable voice. For nearly 18 years, Mike Jaycock has been a foundational personality and ubiquitous presence at Canoe FM, the county's volunteer community radio station. In short…