and your sinuses, and your throat. The forest fires in British Columbia are still burning. The smoke has wafted in other directions for the past several weeks, but yesterday and today it is back in our country. There is a blue haze in the air, accompanied by a faint aroma of burning evergreens. Elderly people … Continue reading Smoke gets in your eyes . . .
Whimsy
Sympathy to our Friends
a tragic loss
A parable about a parable
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. The words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 13:45-46 Renowned investigative reporter Ernest Digger has just returned from a trip to the Middle … Continue reading A parable about a parable
Missionary hymns
I think the old missionary hymns leave many of us feeling a little uneasy. Those references to carrying the gospel to every dark land – was there a deliberate inference that lands where white people dwell are more enlightened and the lands where darker skinned people dwell are in spiritual darkness? I fear that idea … Continue reading Missionary hymns
The significance of Canada Day
July 1 is Canada Day. This year we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Canadian history goes back much further than July 1, 1867. Why has this date been chosen as the birth of Canada as a nation? A quaint notion has arisen today that before the coming of white people the aboriginal … Continue reading The significance of Canada Day
The problem with Christians
The whole world is going to wrack and to ruin. You can't trust anybody anymore – politicians, police officers, politicians – they are all incompetent and corrupt. Nobody wants to work any more, immorality is everywhere, doctors are just pill pushers, schools don't teach anything useful. . . We could go on and on with our … Continue reading The problem with Christians
Cat or dog: which is smarter?
I will confess my prejudice right off the bat – I think cats are smarter. I have met some well-trained dogs that gave every evidence of having a keen intelligence. Most dogs, though, if left to themselves, don't seem to have a lot of smarts. They chase cars, defecate on the lawn and have really … Continue reading Cat or dog: which is smarter?
Cloud based writing
One morning almost 60 years ago I entered a classroom to write my Grade 11 Composition final exam. I breezed through the first few pages, confident that I understood English grammar. The last page stopped me cold. It called for an essay on one of the topics in a long list. None of those topics … Continue reading Cloud based writing
Reflections on my bread machine saga
I thought I had this bread machine almost figured out, I had managed to produce two loaves that were completely edible. Friday's trial number six proved that I still have a ways to go - the loaf rose too high and then fell. I cut off the top part and the rest is quite edible, … Continue reading Reflections on my bread machine saga
We shall have music
These plain looking birds are brown thrashers, an adult and a juvenile. They are long-tailed birds, a little bigger than a robin. Brown thrashers are rather shy about letting themselves be seen in public, but they fill the air with beautiful song, especially in the mornings and evenings. My wife saw one this evening, the … Continue reading We shall have music
Flatlander Faith 