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
Saskatchewan
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
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?
Springtime in Saskatchewan
Image by GeorgiaLens from Pixabay Spring comes with a rush here. In a few weeks we go from brown grass and lifeless trees to an explosion of green, populated by a profusion of songbirds. Last to arrive are the swallows, wrens and hummingbirds. The little guy in the picture is a Carolina Wren. They don't come here, but … Continue reading Springtime in Saskatchewan
Recovery
Chris had been on a waiting list for surgery since last October. The last time she enquired it sounded like she would have to wait a few more months since the medical system has been occupied caring for COVID patients. Then out of the blue came a phone call saying the surgeon has an open … Continue reading Recovery
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
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
