This type of truck has become the standard form of grain transportation here in Saskatchewan and across most of Canada. It is called a Super-B train and can haul 46 tonnes, or 1,686 bushels at a time. The two trailers are connected by a fifth wheel hitch, making the unit very stable on the road, … Continue reading Angels in the night
Whimsy
Disconnected
We don't have a furnace in our mobile home. Where it once was, there is now a heat exchanger that takes heat from a hot water line that comes from our neighbour's coal-fired boiler. A furnace fan mounted above the heat exchanger sends warm air through the duct work to heat the house. A few … Continue reading Disconnected
Does the U.S. Postal Service know where Canada is?
Years ago, when I worked for Canada Post in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, I was instructed that the regulations of the Universal Postal Union required that mail to another country had to be sent to that country by the most direct route possible. Thus, if we received mail addressed to Boston we were not to send … Continue reading Does the U.S. Postal Service know where Canada is?
Leadhead and the Golden Rule
I first took note of Norman when the camp leaders took us all on a hike to Lebret. He was a quiet boy, walking with us, yet alone. He seemed like the rest of us, except that he could not hold his head up straight. It tilted towards his right shoulder, almost resting on the … Continue reading Leadhead and the Golden Rule
In My Hot Little Hands
Congratulations to my wife!
Is it really that bad?
This world is a horrible place. There are environmental catastrophes, threats of international terrorism, dangers in the streets. The danger of religious persecution threatens us even here in North America. There is sexual exploitation of women and children. There is abuse of power by those in positions of trust: police officers, preachers, teachers and parents. … Continue reading Is it really that bad?
A refuge from the storm
Abner slipped out of his bedroom and into the spare bedroom. Even there the angry voice of Papa Zedner disturbed his attempts to read. Abner knew that his father wasn’t angry with him, but he knew from experience it was best to avoid giving opportunity for it to be directed at him. Papa Zedner’s anger … Continue reading A refuge from the storm
Our cats missed us
When we came home Sunday night Panda and Pookie, two of our three cats, were in the house. Angus, the third, streaked through the yard a few minutes later as we were cleaning the last of our stuff out of the car. He stopped, saw that it was us and dashed in the door. Michelle … Continue reading Our cats missed us
The education of a pioneer bride
The first settlers on the Saskatchewan plains were faced with a quandary – there were no large trees that could be cut to build log houses, and lumber yards were usually far away. So they set to work to build their first homes out of the material under their feet – the sod. This was … Continue reading The education of a pioneer bride
Sing Out!
Alf Soper was janitor of the school I attended as a boy. Once he had been a travelling repairman for a farm implement company, then the boss of some large construction projects. New he was old and content to tend the coal fired boiler that heated the two storey brick school, sweep the floors, carry … Continue reading Sing Out!
Flatlander Faith 