If you've followed me this far you have no doubt gathered that I wasn't a romantic kind of guy. I had strong emotional feelings, but I woud have been horribly embarrassed if anyone got a glimpse of them. Circumstances told to me that now I needed to do something to let my bride-to-be know how … Continue reading A new course in life
Life takes some unexpected turns
Alcohol had once enabled me to admit my interest in some day becoming a Mennonite, but the three other people who heard that statement didn’t take it seriously and never again mentioned it. My two trips into Regina to attend a Mennonite church had gone completely unnoticed by those who knew me. I was quite … Continue reading Life takes some unexpected turns
Black Threads in Our Tapestry
This is Black History Month, so I decided to tell about some little-known aspects of Saskatchewan's history. The first people in Saskatchewan were those we now refer to as Indigenous: The Dené, Cree, Saulteaux (pronounced So-toe), Dakota, Lakota and Nakota. Then came the French and Scottish fur traders and explorers. Some of them stayed, took … Continue reading Black Threads in Our Tapestry
The Malwarebytes fiasco
I started using the free version of Malwarebytes some years ago when my anti-virus program didn't seem to be catching everything. I would run a scan with MWB every now and then and often it would pick up a couple of problems and delete them. They kept telling me how much more the premium version … Continue reading The Malwarebytes fiasco
Books I didn’t like
Among the thousands of books that I've read in my lifetime there have been books that were useful and informative, books that conveyed truths that have inspired me, books that were merely interesting, books that were so uninteresting that I never finished reading them and books that were well written but quite deceptive. Here are … Continue reading Books I didn’t like
Now in paperback
It seems a lot of people want a book they can hold in their hands rather than an e-book. If you are one of those, we are happy to announce that my wife's latest book is now available in paperback on Amazon.com for $10.99 US. It is also available on amazon.co.uk and amazon.fr, but for … Continue reading Now in paperback
Belle Plaine, continued
My prescription for the heart pills ran out about as soon as I got settled in Belle Plaine. The doctor who had originally prescribed them had retired in the meantime so I saw Doctor Gass. He flatly refused to renew the prescription. I thought I needed it and tried to argue with him. "You don't … Continue reading Belle Plaine, continued
Belle Plaine years
In 1966 Belle Plaine had all of 16 houses, two grain elevators, three other small businesses and a school that was no longer used. UGG rented one of the houses for their elevator manager. I had learned the basics of weighing and unloading grain by now, how to grade it and determine dockage and how … Continue reading Belle Plaine years
Learning the grain business
This temporary job with United Grain Growers lasted about seven years. The Moose Jaw elevator was only a few years old, still one of the old style wooden elevators, but with a scale and hoist that would accommodate a semi. Albert Simmie was the manager, nearing retirement and needing a helper. My job was pretty … Continue reading Learning the grain business
Migrations
The Dene (pronounced Denay) people speak a language which has 39 consonants and 116 vowel sounds. That is a total of 155 phonemes. For the sake of comparison, English and French run from 40-45 phonemes (total consonant and vowel sounds). These people are indigenous to the northern regions of the four western provinces of Canada, … Continue reading Migrations
Flatlander Faith 