Nocturnal visitor

My wife sets dishes of water on the lawn for the birds. We think birdbaths can be a deathtrap for the little guys - a cat can sneak up beneath an unsuspecting bird and remain hidden by the lip of the dish. With the dishes at ground level, the birds can see any approaching danger. … Continue reading Nocturnal visitor

Songs of summer

Image by GeorgiaLens from Pixabay  At 3:30 in the morning the melodious song of a brown thrasher is heard through our open bedroom window. He is up at the very first glimmer of day, but it's much too early for us to get up yet. He is the size of robin, with a much longer tail, shy about … Continue reading Songs of summer

Prairie Spring

A few days ago we still needed to run the furnace in the morning to make the house comfortable. Today we have to try to cool it down. The temperature at 11:00 am is 30° (86°F). We had a long winter and a slow spring. But now we hear birds singing at 4:00 am and … Continue reading Prairie Spring

The art is in knowing what to remove

Michelangelo, when asked how he managed to create such a lifelike sculpture of David out of a block of marble, replied “I just removed everything that was not David.” Chaim Potok, who wrote novels such as The Chosen and My Name is Asher Lev, said something much the same: “I think the hardest part of … Continue reading The art is in knowing what to remove

Yearning for more red rhubarb

Image by Di Reynolds from Pixabay  What is a yard in Saskatchewan without a couple of rhubarb plants? But this yard did not have any when we moved in 13 years ago. Ten years ago I bought one plant from a garden centre and planted it in a back corner of the garden. It grew, but never produced … Continue reading Yearning for more red rhubarb

Half-baked writing

If I remember correctly, this happened 40 years ago when we moved into our house in Fullarton, Ontario. This was before the days of 220 volt plugs, I had to hard-wire the kitchen stove. Then wed put a couple of frozen pizzas into the oven to feed those who helped us move. Pretty soon we … Continue reading Half-baked writing

Why reverends should refrain from making public policy pronouncements

Image by torstensimon from Pixabay The Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, in a recent speech to the British parliament, was highly critical of Canada for over-ordering Covid-19 vaccines. He said that we have five times what we need in the pipeline. The view from this end of the pipeline is quite different. The pipeline ran dry … Continue reading Why reverends should refrain from making public policy pronouncements

Planet Earth: Future Haze

I think my wife has a kindly way of cutting through the swirling fog of prophetic teachings.

Pookie the Policeman

There are five residents in this house, two humans and three cats. The humans are seniors and two of the cats are getting close to that stage of life. The third is a kitten, a bright-eyed, affectionate, fearless and hyperactive bundle of fluff. Experts say that cats are capable of more than 100 vocal sounds. … Continue reading Pookie the Policeman

14 things you (probably) didn’t know about Christianity, but really should – Premier Christianity

Nobody gets to heaven by being good, faith is not a blind leap and there's much more evidence than you think. Andrew Haslam clears up these and other common misconceptions about Christianity Source: 14 things you (probably) didn't know about Christianity, but really should - Premier Christianity