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…
My blind spot
By Steve Galea This weekend Jenn and I were having a conversation about how the mind works (I think she was, once again, trying to figure out how mine does). Somewhere in the conversation, she…
A COVID silver lining
By Vivian Collings It’s been a couple of months since I sat down with Jenn Mills in the principal’s office at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School to chat about her new position, but I still think…
The nose knows
By Sharon Lynch Lucy had just picked up the soap with her wet hands when it hit her. That smell. She was using Sunlight bar soap to clean some brushes in the basement. Suddenly she…