A cautionary tale amid spring's rush

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:30:20 EST

Spring is the time of year when we get out in our gardens to prune, plant and tend to all the chores that accumulate over the winter. We want our home to look beautiful, and one of the jobs we do is to remove any dead or...

Deep problems need more than a Band Aid solution

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:20:18 EST

In my last column discussing the dim and disappointing results of the Fraser Institute’s school report card, I indicated that North Bay schools were doing just fine, thank you very much. Which was true... sort of.

A Newfoundland poet and words of love

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:48:25 EST

Under the Keel
By Michael Crummey

Last year about this time Michael Crummey appeared at the Charles W. Stockey Centre to read from his novel Galore, a rich...

The babies are back at Aspen

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:12:09 EST

You can tell that spring has finally arrived because the phone is ringing more than usual – and the calls are mainly about baby wildlife that needs help. Usually we start the season with baby squirrels, but for...

A place we can call home

Thu, 09 May 2013 14:14:33 EST

It’s hard to say just what makes home feel like home. It’s not like you can just pull out a spray bottle and throw some scent in the air and the feeling will begin to wash over you automatically.

But on...

Enthralled with Above All Things, from start to finish

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:50:32 EST

Above All Things
by Tanis Rideout

The 2013 Reading Series presented by Parry Sound Books and The Charles W. Stockey Centre continues on Wednesday, May 15, with a...

Yet another beaver at Aspen Valley

Fri, 03 May 2013 10:09:02 EST

Aspen Valley has certainly seen its share of beavers this year, including the two-year-olds and yearlings that we hand raised. We reported previously about The Beav, who was found wandering around a street in a city in...

Play prepares children for life

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:53:22 EST

A young family was taking a break from their long road trip to wherever. Mom was in line waiting to buy a coffee and whatever else a mid-morning break might have dictated.
The place wasn’t too crowded, so Dad...

Maple syrup, super tasty, yet green & organic

Wed, 01 May 2013 11:33:22 EST

Last year, the sugar bush that I know best (having grown up in and around it) produced virtually no maple syrup, thanks to the abrupt onset of spring at the beginning of March. In marked contrast, the season just ended...

Book aims to give parents the tools to help children become well-balanced adults

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:31:43 EST

The Secrets of Happy Families
by Bruce Feiler

A few weeks ago I read a review of The Secrets of Happy Families by Bruce Feiler in the New York Times, and...

Banshee has a new home

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:28:39 EST

The Eurasian lynx is a beautiful animal (a close relative to our Canadian lynx, but larger) and, as its name implies, it is a native of Europe and Asia. It lives in the boreal forests of Russia and down into central Asia and...

A new home for banshee

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:44:24 EST

The silence is disturbing

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:04:42 EST

The recent tragic shooting deaths of two young adults in Bracebridge rocked the town’s residents; in fact most residents of Muskoka were shocked by the violent loss of life. Or were they? I am stunned and disturbed by...

Guns, guns, and more guns

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:12:20 EST

Part: 1 of 2
As Canadians we look to our good friends to the south and we wonder why they have such an ongoing love for guns. And then we’re shocked as they are to with the utter carnage that these same...

Selvadurai's powerful characters in The Hungry Ghosts

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:04:56 EST

The Hungry Ghosts
by Shyam Selvadurai

This past week I attended a book launch in Toronto to celebrate the publication of The Hungry Ghosts...

Beating the winter; welcoming the sweet sounds of spring

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:55:40 EST
To some, the sound of spring is the chirping of birds being busy building their nests. To others, perhaps those of more cynical nature, the sound of spring is the insidious buzzing of biting insects common to the boreal...

Farewell to Gandalf the great

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:56:16 EST
Gandalf, the great gray owl, has long been a favourite animal at Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary with both visitors and staff. Great gray owls are one of the largest owls in the world, and Manitoba’s provincial bird.

Worrying signs in our nation's economy

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:45:46 EST
There are worrying signs that all is not well with the Canadian economy, despite the constant chirping of the so-called Canadian Action Plan ads.
Welfare case loads are at record levels and those Canadians who find...

I can happen in the 'twinkling of an eye'

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:43:56 EST
The Sunday School lesson in the junior section was about the end times. Something that even children are familiar with, apparently, because of movies and those ubiquitous electronic games. They know words like “oblivion...

Left with 'mixed feelings' from All That Is

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:01:55 EST

All That Is
by James Salter

James Salter was born in 1925 – which makes him the age of my father. After serving time in the Air Force during the Second...

Rotary Club's Junior Achievement program

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:46:29 EST
Two members of the Rotary Club of Huntsville, Barb and Cameron White, were our guests at the last Rotary meeting. They came to speak about the Junior Achievement program.
Barb acts as a volunteer with the organization...

Safe solutions to make homes less apealing to raccoon moms

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:46:12 EST
Spring is finally promising to arrive, and with it of course some wildlife are giving birth. In particular, raccoon mothers have sought out a nice, snug place to raise their babies, often in places that are undesirable...

Halleluja for the sunshine

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:28:27 EST
When asked what her good word for the day was, she simply said, “Hallelujah!” Then she smiled and added, “There’s the sunshine.”
Sure, why not? The warmth and brilliance of the April sun is...

Raccoon babies: do not disturb

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 21:43:25 EST
Spring is finally promising to arrive, and with it of course some wildlife are giving birth. In particular, raccoon mothers have sought out a nice, snug place to raise their babies, often in places that are...

Cheesemaking was doomed from the start

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:17:08 EST
This column continues my previous offering, based on a newly found cache of documents relating to a cheese factory that operated in Dunchurch at the turn of the 20th century.
Operating costs for 1898 included...

CottageCountryNow - Columns

A cautionary tale amid spring's rush

Deep problems need more than a Band Aid solution

A Newfoundland poet and words of love

The babies are back at Aspen

A place we can call home

Enthralled with Above All Things, from start to finish

Yet another beaver at Aspen Valley

Play prepares children for life

Maple syrup, super tasty, yet green & organic

Book aims to give parents the tools to help children become well-balanced adults

Banshee has a new home

A new home for banshee

The silence is disturbing

Guns, guns, and more guns

Selvadurai's powerful characters in The Hungry Ghosts

Beating the winter; welcoming the sweet sounds of spring

Farewell to Gandalf the great

Worrying signs in our nation's economy

I can happen in the 'twinkling of an eye'

Left with 'mixed feelings' from All That Is

Rotary Club's Junior Achievement program

Safe solutions to make homes less apealing to raccoon moms

Halleluja for the sunshine

Raccoon babies: do not disturb

Cheesemaking was doomed from the start