By Jim Poling Sr. I ’ve been thinking about getting a tattoo. Thinking hard. Getting a tattoo is no lightweight decision. What statement do I want to make? What design? On which body part? These…
A little help
By Chad Ingram O ntario’s municipalities are in trouble. They are camels whose backs can’t handle much more baggage. Years of the province downloading costs from infrastructure to social services to security has left many…
Letters to the EditorLetters to the EditorTo the…
To the Editor As some people may know Feb. 29 is the OSPCA National Cupcake day! The staff here at Minden Animal Hospital will be selling cupcakes that day in support of this! All proceeds…
Beggars
By Chad Ingram Think of critical infrastructure and one may picture roads bridges and culverts. Think of essential services and ambulances and fire trucks may come to mind. In 2016 the Internet also belongs on…
Little flu for now
By Jim Poling It has not only been an unusually mild winter (except for last weekend) but an unusually mild influenza season. Everyone hopes it will stay that way. Up to Feb. 1 there had…
JuniorBook of the Month
Herecomes Valentine Cat byDeborah Underwood Catdoes not like Valentine’s Day. It’s too mushy and he’s notinterested in giving anyone a Valentine… especially not his newneighbour Dog. Dog has been howling and throwing his bones over thefence.…
Bathing suits on midnight swims?
By Jim Poling Maybe it’s the fine winter weather. Little snow to shovel. Some ice but I’ve spread salt and sand on the driveway only once. Never any thought of having to shovel the roof.…
Cutting culture
By Chad Ingram Just what to do about the Minden Hills Cultural Centre – how to make it more economically viable and how to bring more people through its doors which are of course linked…
Courage in the cold
By Jim Poling It was just before 1 a.m. on Feb. 3 1943 when the torpedo struck beginning one of the most inspirational stories of the Second World War. Most of the 904 men aboard…
Metamorphosis
By Chad Ingram Haliburton County council has decided the county will close its tourist information centre along Highway 35 in Minden at the end of the year and that’s OK. Actually it’s a good progressive…
Hooked on Downton Abbey
By Jim Poling After six seasons I’m still wondering why a guy like me became a fan of the British TV series Downton Abbey. Not just a run-of-the-mill fan – a rabid fan. I would…
Those left behind
By Chad Ingram I lost a friend to suicide last year. I didn’t find out until months after it happened. My friend was also a co-worker of mine when I lived and worked in the…
Better late than never
By Jim Poling St. Nora Lake has frozen over finally. The ice was five inches thick at the start of this week. Great news for the snowmobile crowd and winter anglers. That’s the latest freeze-up…
The other foot
By Chad Ingram Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MP Jamie Schmale and members of his Conservative caucus are promoting a petition from one of their colleagues. That petition sponsored by Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston MP Scott Reid addresses the Liberal government’s…
Bold beautiful and foxy
By Jim Poling I saw him from the corner of my eye. He was standing statue still no more than 15 feet away staring into a pile of snow-covered rocks. He lunged forward nose into…
Let it snow (please)
By Chad Ingram As I write this it's minus 11 degrees outside but it wasn't so a couple of days ago. A couple of days ago it was plus eight. This winter if you can…
Letters to the EditorLetters to the Editor
To the Editor Does it make sense that the newly appointed warden of Haliburton has stated that her focus is going to be on tourism yet when it comes to participating in an Ontario program…
2016: The year of living differently?
By Jim Poling That was nice. The last two months of the year filled with optimism generated mostly by a new federal government. Lots of cooing and gushing about positive change. And a cheery -…
Reformatting the fair
By Chad Ingram 2016 will be a year of changes for the Haliburton County Fair as organizers alter its format. The fair will be held earlier than usual this year on a single day in…
What’s the point?
To the editor: (re: Bridge requires major work - Minden Times Dec. 23 2015) It comes as no surprise to us that people aren’t reporting incidents of misuse of the rail trail. It doesn’t mean…
OpinionOpinion
By Jim Poling This is my favourite Christmas memory which I have written about many times in many places. Repeating it has become a Christmas tradition. *** Fresh-fallen snow protested beneath the crush of my…