Saskatchewan used to be known as “The Wheat Province” and when one talked about fields of golden grain they meant fields of wheat ripe for harvest. Wheat is still grown here, as well as other cereal grains, but a whole lot of new field crops are now grown. Crops such as lentils, chickpeas, canola and … Continue reading Fields of gold
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Confused churches
Louis Riel, the 19th century Métis leader, was troubled by the things he experienced from the churches of his day. He read in the Bible about a Church of Jesus Christ that was characterized by love and peace. What he saw in both the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches was oppression and pride. The churches … Continue reading Confused churches
So Send I You
After the resurrection and before Jesus departed from this world, He told His disciples "As the Father hath sent me, so send I you" (John 20:21). Just a few simple words, so clear and plain that we are apt to miss their implication. The Father sent Jesus into the Jewish nation to teach and portray … Continue reading So Send I You
Weather complaints
Image by Nobis from Pixabay Have you noticed how apocalyptic weather reports have become? "Unprecedented Siberian cold blankets the prairies!" "High risk of frostbite and hypothermia." Those of us who are native to the prairies love to complain about our weather extremes. I used to tell people that when I was a boy we had days every winter … Continue reading Weather complaints
Smoked sinus syndrome
British Columbia is having a very bad year for forest fires. People have lost homes and property, a whole town is gone, several lives have been lost. Thousands more have had to flee their homes and businesses as the flames advance, not knowing if anything will be left when the fires are out. Image by WikiImages from Pixabay … Continue reading Smoked sinus syndrome
Springtime in Saskatchewan
Image by GeorgiaLens from Pixabay Spring comes with a rush here. In a few weeks we go from brown grass and lifeless trees to an explosion of green, populated by a profusion of songbirds. Last to arrive are the swallows, wrens and hummingbirds. The little guy in the picture is a Carolina Wren. They don't come here, but … Continue reading Springtime in Saskatchewan
WASP to Woke
In my school days, over 60 years ago, I learned that anyone who wasn't a WASP was less than the ideal Canadian. WASP stood for White, Anglo-Saxon Protestant. I could check all the boxes, and felt good about it. What I received in school was an indoctrination into the Orange Order perception of Canada and … Continue reading WASP to Woke
The most popular snack food of Canadians
By Bondolo - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18761126 These are Cheezies, the favourite snack food flavour of Canadians. Other snack foods come in a variety of flavours, but W. T, Hawkins Ltd. has never seen a need for ranch flavoured, barbecue flavoured or salsa falvoured Cheezies. This is the only product made by the … Continue reading The most popular snack food of Canadians
Gentle Mary laid her Child
In 1919 a weekly Methodist paper announced a contest for the best new Christmas Carol. The winning entry was the following poem from Joseph Simpson Cook, a Methodist minister in south-western Ontario. The tune is Tempus Adest Floridum, composed in 1582 for a Latin hymn, adapted by John Mason Neale for an English hymn in … Continue reading Gentle Mary laid her Child
The first car my mother saw
My mother, who was born in January of 1908, told me that the first automobile that she ever saw was a Gray-Dort. Her uncle bought it when Mom was still a little girl and it was a sensation in their little community in south-western Saskatchewan.. I don't know what colour or model her uncle's car … Continue reading The first car my mother saw
Flatlander Faith 