Restaurante Gazcilda

By Lynda Shadbolt We all love times when we feel looked after. That we matter and belong. When we are welcomed with open arms. I often contemplate how I can go into my day with…

The ones who made it home

By Vivian Collings Remembrance Day is a time for us to honour those who served in the armed forces and lost their lives in the line of duty. Physically, we wear a poppy and attend…

A farewell to Haliburton County

By Chris Stephenson At the recent September library Board meeting, I announced my resignation from Haliburton County Public Library (HCPL.) This was a tough day for me, and I had spent the weekend before calling…

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

By Steve Galea I think most people know that Thanksgiving isn’t for everyone. It is very unlikely that turkeys, for instance, are big fans of the holiday. In truth, I have never put a lot of…

Colour the world

By Sharon Lynch The world had turned grey. Monika and Jim were in the city for Jim’s medical appointment and Monika, good friend and neighbour that she was, had offered to drive him to the…

Every Child Matters

By Vivian Collings National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was on Saturday. It’s also known as Orange Shirt Day, a time to wear the vibrant colour to honour Indigenous children who never came home safe…

Monkeys in the middle

By Vivian Collings Timing is really incredible sometimes. Or should I say ironic? If Head Lake Park actually had a head with a thinking brain, I wonder if it would be reeling like mine after…

Henry

By Lynda Shadbolt Jim and I were in Orillia on the weekend for his brother’s wedding. It was such a happy occasion. Rob has had a lot of tragedy in his life, and we were…

Oh yes, we have no bananas

By Steve Galea I’m not entirely certain we have entered the end times yet, but I do know almost all the signs are there. For instance, I went to the grocery store the other day…

Let’s hear it for the boys in blue

I was never a hockey fan. I started the CanSkate program at age 4 or 5 in Minden. Efforts to convince me to play hockey bounced right off my pink helmet. I had my heart…

The paper bag gift

By Lynda Shadbolt Jim and I have been married for 33 years, and for 33 years we’ve been visiting our local LCBO. We do love a delicious glass of wine with our friends on a…

Finding my way

By Steve Galea I am reading a book that describes the way Indigenous people all over the world navigated without the assistance of map, compass, and their wives. And frankly, it has been a real…

‘August slipped away into a moment in time’

By Vivian Collings Taylor Swift’s lyrics capture the season all too well. Just like a favourite movie over too soon, the summer madness has reached its finale. Much faster than it came, it’s gone. Big…

Best friends

By Sharon Lynch All that was missing was an elbow hanging out the open window. It was a warm fall day, and the truck was parked in the grocery store’s lot, windows down. A pleasant…

Man’s inhumanity to man

By Steve Galea A lot has been written about man’s inhumanity to man, but frankly I think all those writers and philosophers have missed out on the one cruelty that makes all others pale in comparison.…

Pink-coloured glasses

By Vivian Collings Last Tuesday, after work, I threw on a bright pink sweater and made my way to Highlands Cinemas with a friend. To see Oppenheimer, of course. When we got there, we were…

Water shoes

By Steve Galea Last week, I went on a magazine assignment that required me to fly fish for a day on the Ottawa River from a drift boat – yes, I live a tough life. …

Wise society

By Lynda Shadbolt I have always believed that change comes from the bottom up. That every single person that shares this planet has a responsibility to take care of it. To make choices that benefit all…

Boater up

By Steve Galea This week, I put money down on a new boat and trailer, which I’m told should arrive before the end of summer. I’m excited, but the problem with buying a new boat…

An apple a day…

By Vivian Collings I went for a motorcycle ride with my dad on Father’s Day.We drove through the Highlands, enjoying the hazy skies, a rocky landscape, and bright green trees, attempting to disconnect from reality…

Our human attention span is what?

By Jerelyn Craden As it so happens, ol’ Maybelle was talking to Renda Ploops, a great gal, full of vim and vinegar, with a mind that flits around the earth and back in the course…