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

“Finders keepers” would have been the wrong choice

[First posted November 14, 2013] Noah Muroff, an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, and his wife Esther went shopping online for a desk for the study in their home and found a cherry wood executive desk that they were able to buy for $150.  When they got it home, they found it would not fit through the door … Continue reading “Finders keepers” would have been the wrong choice

The importance of French

One of our ministers visited in Côte d’Ivoire and was invited to preach the sermon in a Sunday worship service. He spoke in English, the missionary translated to French and a local brother translated to the local language. Someone might ask, “Why didn’t the missionary learn the local language?” The answer to that is another … Continue reading The importance of French

Back home again

We arrived home at midnight Monday from our trip to Quebec. The next morning I went to pick up our cats from the place where they were boarded. They were both sleeping peacefully when I first saw them, but as soon as they heard my voice they began a loud chorus of "Get me out … Continue reading Back home again

Making our escape

Image by Bee Iyata from Pixabay  Can't stand the smoke, can't stand the heat, we've got to get out of this place. We are in the middle of the hottest driest summer in years. Farmers are giving up on getting a grain harvest on some of their fields and cutting the grain for green feed for cattle. Hay … Continue reading Making our escape

Out with the new, in with the old

Effective Sunday, July 11 (yesterday), all COVID-19 restrictions required by the government of Saskatchewan have come to an end. When I sat down in church yesterday morning, the brother beside me said: "This is something new!" "No it isn't," I replied, "This is something old. We are done with the new." Image by ivabalk from Pixabay 

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

Have you ever seen it this hot?

The high today was 40°. That is 104° on the Fahrenheit scale. Someone asked me the question above. Well yes I have, I remember a family picnic 70 years ago when the temperature hit 105° F. I was shirtless much of the day and got quite a sunburn, but I survived that and other weather … Continue reading Have you ever seen it this hot?

Old money and new money

During my teen years, I used to pick up the latest copy of Look magazine at the drugstore and read it end to end. I can only remember one article. I don’t remember the title, but it was about people from families that had been wealthy for several generations and the new rich. The point … Continue reading Old money and new money

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