The title comes from a line in an art book published 25 years ago, titled If you’re not from the prairie . . . The art is by Henry Ripplinger and the poetic text by David Bouchard. Together they evoke childhood in rural Saskatchewan just as I remember it. Another line in the book says … Continue reading You don’t know the wind
Saskatchewan
The Legend of the Qu’Appelle Valley
by Emily Pauline Johnson I am the one who loved her as my life, Had watched her grow to sweet young womanhood; Won the dear privilege to call her wife, And found the world, because of her, was good. I am the one who heard the spirit voice, Of which the paleface settlers love to tell; … Continue reading The Legend of the Qu’Appelle Valley
The dinosaur question
In 1991 an archaeological research team discovered dinosaur bones in the Frenchman River Valley of south-western Saskatchewan. Over 20 years of painstaking work by hand uncovered the almost complete fossilized skeleton of a T. Rex and then removed it from the rock in which it was embedded. Named Scotty, the massive reconstructed skeleton is now … Continue reading The dinosaur question
Breakdown on the information highway
I had planned to write something else yesterday evening, but found myself in a position much like the young man in the photo above: the vehicle with which I cruise the information highway had broken down. We live on an acreage in a sparsely populated part of the Saskatchewan prairies where there are not enough … Continue reading Breakdown on the information highway
Midsummer rambles and rumbles
I spent the past few days visiting the brothers and sisters of the congregation at Roxton Falls, Quebec and worshipped with them last Sunday. The purpose of the trip was to wok on the editorial revision of a church history book recently translated into French. The other three members of the French editorial committee are … Continue reading Midsummer rambles and rumbles
Prairie fire!
Just before supper time today my wife smelled smoke. We went outside and saw the fire behind the buildings of our neighbour. Our son-in-law was the first to see it while going home for supper. He turned around to get the fire engine from the village six miles away, sending out the alert to other … Continue reading Prairie fire!
Feeling a bit groggy this morning?
Maybe you should move to Saskatchewan. We ditched Daylight Saving Time more than 50 years ago. More and more studies are demonstrating just how useless is this business of turning the clocks ahead one hour. It does nothing to reduce energy costs, which has been its stated purpose from the beginning. What it does do … Continue reading Feeling a bit groggy this morning?
How Old Wives Lake Got its Name
When one travels south from Moose Jaw one soon enters a vast upland area rising from the flat prairie. This is the Missouri Coteau. The water in the streams and rivers east of the Coteau flow into the Assiniboine River and eventually into Hudson’s Bay. Streams and rivers of the Coteau flow to the Missouri … Continue reading How Old Wives Lake Got its Name
Who am I?
It was in a little church near St Marys, Ontario, that my wife and I were baptized and became members of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. After the service, the minister who had baptized us advised us to “Just be yourselves.” That was a very kind and generous welcome, but I didn’t know … Continue reading Who am I?
Stony ground
Matthew 13:5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the … Continue reading Stony ground
Flatlander Faith 