Image by Gianni Crestani from Pixabay Every time there is a disaster, someone will say “there oughta be a law” to prevent such mayhem from ever happening again. Governments are happy to oblige, but is there any evidence the laws are helping? A poem that was often recited in the Christian school which my daughter attended was about … Continue reading We still need the ambulance down in the valley
Saskatchewan
Fast time follies
It is generally admitted that the theoretical benefits of setting clocks to an hour earlier during the summer months have never worked out in practice. But it's a habit that's hard to kick. Kind of like smoking; many governments say the want to quit, they are going to quit, but they can't quite get themselves … Continue reading Fast time follies
Fields of gold
Saskatchewan used to be known as “The Wheat Province” and when one talked about fields of golden grain they meant fields of wheat ripe for harvest. Wheat is still grown here, as well as other cereal grains, but a whole lot of new field crops are now grown. Crops such as lentils, chickpeas, canola and … Continue reading Fields of gold
Canada Day musings
When I was a boy there were hardly any indigenous people to be seen in most parts of Saskatchewan. We knew they were out there somewhere, safely confined to Indian Reservations. Times have changed, indigenous people are making a place for themselves in the economic, cultural and social life of our province. The current Lieutenant-Governor … Continue reading Canada Day musings
Bad choices, happy ending
We left home yesterday morning for a shopping trip to Saskatoon, fully aware of the forecast of an Alberta Clipper, a fast moving winter storm that would pass through this area in the afternoon. The forecast of the time and the area affected were still a little vague in the morning and we though we … Continue reading Bad choices, happy ending
Weather complaints
Image by Nobis from Pixabay Have you noticed how apocalyptic weather reports have become? "Unprecedented Siberian cold blankets the prairies!" "High risk of frostbite and hypothermia." Those of us who are native to the prairies love to complain about our weather extremes. I used to tell people that when I was a boy we had days every winter … Continue reading Weather complaints
COVID confusion
The people who are opposed to the COVID vaccines point to the fact that vaccinated people are getting COVID anyway. That's true, but it doesn't tell the whole story. The statistics here in Saskatchewan show that if you're not vaccinated you are five times as apt to get the disease and 20 times as apt … Continue reading COVID confusion
What’s going on here?
I'm a statistician, a numbers guy. Put a bunch of numbers in front of me and I'll start analyzing them. Here are the numbers I have been puzzling over today: Saskatchewan: number of new cases of COVID - 449 / number of people in hospital due to COVID - 311 / number in ICU - … Continue reading What’s going on here?
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
Flatlander Faith 