War is hell. The First World War, from 1914 to 1918, resulted in the death of 10 million soldiers and 7 million civilians. At least 20 million more were wounded. As horrible as that sounds, the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 to 1919 caused at least 50 million deaths, some say 100 million. Beginning in … Continue reading Are you in the grip of, or under the influence of, a virus?
Saskatchewan
Harvest Home
Here in Saskatchewan the trees are bare, the flowers have died, geese are migrating and most of the combines are parked. Garden produce has been gathered in and the long, plump, white grain bags lying in many fields are silent evidence of a bountiful harvest. Monday will be Thanksgiving. The custom of giving thanks for … Continue reading Harvest Home
How adaptable can a flatlander be?
I am a flatlander, a native of Saskatchewan. The nickname refers to the flatness of our landscape, but there are other aspects of our character where the term applies too. I like people to just say what they have to say, with no long descriptive or flowery preambles. Sir or Ma'am sound artificial and phony … Continue reading How adaptable can a flatlander be?
Dreams and happiness
Let me ask you a question — if you achieve the thing you are dreaming of, will you be happy?Tom Sukanen was one of the pioneers of this part of Saskatchewan. He came from Finland as a young man with immense strength and talent — and a dream of one day going back to Finland as a … Continue reading Dreams and happiness
Paradise
This is Crescent Park in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Not really paradise, just a pretty nice spot to find smack dab in the downtown of a city on the arid prairies. The first home of mankind was in a true earthly paradise, the Garden of Eden. As a consequence of their sin, Adam and Eve were … Continue reading Paradise
The bugs of summer are here
We congratulate ourselves sometimes that we live in a country where winter protects us from the kind of bug problems they have in some other places, say the southern USA for instance. Nevertheless, short though our summers may be, there are bugs that thrive in that season. Mosquitoes, grasshoppers and ticks, for instance. The vet … Continue reading The bugs of summer are here
Unexpected beauty
These are the flowers of scarlet mallow, a low growing plant that shows up in unexpected places here on the prairies, almost hidden among the grass. The plant is only about six inches high, the flowers about a half inch in diameter. When I was a boy I would ask my Dad what those little … Continue reading Unexpected beauty
Stagnant water
There are many pools of water near where we live, filled by the spring runoff and then refreshed by the heavy spring rains. I went for a bike ride this evening and noticed that the warm weather we are now experiencing has produced heavy algae growth in those waters. They are turning green and they … Continue reading Stagnant water
How fast can you run?
In my last post, I spoke of living where the deer and the antelope roam. The antelope part was referring to the animal below, which I have always called a pronghorn antelope. Now it is reported that it is not a true antelope at all and should simply be called a pronghorn. Small herds of … Continue reading How fast can you run?
Cloven hooved rodents and Irish Spring soap
I was hauling a load of garbage to the dump this morning; a pickup truck was coming my way, returning from the same errand. Shortly before we met, a mule deer went bounding across the road between us. Yes, we live in the country where the deer and the antelope roam. Way too many of … Continue reading Cloven hooved rodents and Irish Spring soap
