Heat

By Sharon Lynch The smoke started billowing into the living room. Clouds and clouds of thick grey was rapidly filling the corner of Mark’s living room where the wood stove sat. He tried not to…

Going mobile

By Steve Galea I bought a cell phone later than most. If the truth were to be told, I thought they were going to be just a passing trend.  I was certain the old phone…

A troubled bridge over water

By Vivian Collings I’m sure many people living on the east side of Koshlong Lake Road past the bridge have been “weary and feeling small” for the past couple of months.The sentiment is there in…

Haliburton Framing and Photo

By Lynda Shadbolt “Every moment is made glorious by the light of love,” said  Rumi. I really do love living in Haliburton County. It is a special place on this wondrous and precious planet that…

Little black book

By Steve Galea One of the occupational hazards of being a humour columnist is that you come up with great ideas for columns – and then end up writing ones like this instead. This is…

‘Blah’ remedy

By Sharon Lynch “Sometimes at night, I just sniff the air.” Hearing this, Monika knew she needed to know more. She and Carol were making their way along the road that wound past their houses…

Great moments in grocery shopping

By Steve Galea Last Friday, I had a free afternoon, so I went grocery shopping. Normally, Jenn and I go to the grocery store together, but I think she thought it would be healthy for…

Where’s our empathy

T he temporary closure of Robinson’s General Store came as a pretty shocking blow to Haliburton County last week. If you live here or cottage here, you likely know about the iconic store; the heart…

Belonging

By Lynda Shadbolt I think we all feel better when we have a sense of belonging and a feeling of connection. We live in relationship with ourself, our family, friends, community members and ultimately with…

Mountain man

By Steve Galea The other day, I shaved my excess facial hair. When I say excess, I mean all the hair except the ones that hide the fact that I do not possess an identifiable…

It’s the little things

By Vivian Collings What a year that was; for me, for you, for the world. While going through the Echo archives to put together the Year in Review for 2022, it felt a little like…

The new neighbours

By Sharon Lynch The house had stood empty for several months. Every time Jonathan walked past it, he looked at the SOLD sign and wondered. Who had bought the place, and where were they now?…

Smoke and mirrors

By Steve Galea Last fall, I bought a Ghost Blind. This is an ingenious hunting blind that consists of six hinge-connected, outward facing, mirrored panels that unfold to make a semi-circle of mirrors that angle…

Rallying together

By Vivian Collings A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about “the elephant in the county” in an editorial. The elephant is poverty, homelessness.I was very discouraged at the time.My coworker, James Matthews, also wrote…

When the spirit moves

By Sharon Lynch He really didn’t want to be there. After a full day of trying to find gifts for folks who already had everything, the last place George wanted to be was around more…

Hackers

By Steve Galea Last week, my buddy Tom called and said he had a free day and was looking for something to do.So, I looked at my day timer – or what Jenn refers to…

Of difficult choices

By James Matthews Life is rife with tough choices. None of them should be weighing whether or not to put a meal on the table for your family or keeping the heat on during a…

Light

By Lynda Shadbolt I have a lovely group of women who do qigong with me on Wednesday mornings, and at this time of year we start our class dancing and singing to Bruce Springsteen’s version…

Cake boss

By Steve Galea I am 60 years old, and I baked my first cake on Saturday.  Don’t be sad. I had a good run. Some people would argue that I did not actually bake a…

Giving the gift of opportunity

By Vivian Collings We are really good at giving the gift of experiences here in the Highlands; especially to our kids and youth. That makes my heart full. It makes me really proud to live…

Closets

By Sharon Lynch He knew they were in there. The bad things, the monsters. Even after his mother checked his bedroom closet and declared it empty of anything but clothes, Jeffrey remained skeptical. Eventually, he…