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…
On the airport
By Chad Ingram The history of the Stanhope Airport is long and complicated and the question of what to do, or not do, with the property has been an ongoing one for a series…
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…
Adventures in berry-picking
To the Editor,I would like to comment on the article by Steve Galea writing about his experience picking blackberries. I enjoyed the article as it brought back many memories about picking those delicious berries many…
Jim Mifflin – A Man’s Barber
To the Editor,Jim died unexpectedly on Aug. 11 at the Peterborough Hospital where he had gone for surgery. In his 87th year, he had been barbering since being trained in his father’s shop in Whitby…
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…
Back-to-school scramble
By Chad Ingram Next week will mark the much-anticipated, stress-inducing, anxiety-ridden return of students, or at least some students, to classrooms in Ontario. I don't think those terms are hyperbolic. For most of the parents…
Act of kindness
To the Editor,Last week I was running on Twelve Mile Lake Road. It was hot and humid and I had forgotten my water bottle. A car pulled up and the woman driving handed me a…
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,…
Politics in a pandemic
By Chad Ingram It's been a busy week or so on the federal political stage, with a series of events that bring to question whether federal politicians might send Canadians to the polls in the…
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…
Coffee awaits helpful stranger
To the Editor The week of July 25 to Aug. 1 we were up northrenting a cottage at Burks Falls. It was important that I got mybloodwork done on Wednesday July 29 at a Life…
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…
Some good news
By Chad Ingram <!-- /* Font Definitions */@font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:0 2…
Back-to-school choices
Back-to-school choices By Sue Tiffin Five months into an unprecedented global pandemic, you have likely learned how to give a physically distanced hug – wrapping your arms around your own body, or putting…
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…
Hormones and happiness
By Laurie Sweig There’s a meme on social media that caught my attention. The title is “Happiness chemicals and how to hack them.” It lists dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphin as the four happiness…
Evangeline's beans
By Chad Ingram <!-- /* Font Definitions */@font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:0 2…