However, our golden retriever should be big enough by the spring to pose a threat to any hungry coyotes
Fergus the golden retriever and I went for a walk in the back 40 on a sunny autumn day. Halfway through the second field, I realized I’d chosen the best possible conditions for the dog to get as muddy as possible. The pasture, which appeared to be lush and green, was deceptively wet. Fergus was…
Cattle will wander but they can also be lured back – as long as you know what you're actually dealing with
Last week, we had an example of hyper-local news headlines: Missing cow. It came to all regional news outlets from the Ontario Provincial Police Portal. My first thought was: that cow probably isn’t even missing and she’s getting all of this attention. She’s probably just snuggling up to her sister in this damp weather and…
A true hunter gives the animal a fighting chance. It’s as though the universe has to offer the animal up to the hunter or it just isn’t fair
You don’t venture into our neck of the woods without an orange vest at this time of year. The regular deer hunting season is wrapping up but muzzle-loader week is about to start. We aren’t exactly hunter’s paradise like the Muskoka region, for example. But we do have our fair share of hereditary hunters. They’ve…
Holiday gift-giving isn’t supposed to induce panic. Let's all scale back, reconnect, celebrate memories and build new traditions
There was a moment, one Christmas morning not too long ago, when we realized we had overdone it. After opening our dozens of gifts, we couldn’t move from our seats around my sister’s living room. It had finally happened. We had too many gifts. It was an embarrassment of riches. As our children mature, they…
On the Pacific coast, the fascinating fall movements of whales, salmon and sea ducks have begun
One evening recently at about 6 p.m., I heard a familiar sound from the sheltered bay just in front of our house at Skelhp. If you’ve never heard it, it can be bewildering, even frightening. It’s very loud blasts of air – sometimes two or three in succession, sometimes with about a minute’s silence before…
You can tell me they’re simple animals and they aren’t thinking anything, but I know better. I’ve seen cows express frustration, sorrow, contentment, delight
The drover was due at the gate right around the time I had to head out to pick up our homestay student. I was walking to the car when I noticed the Farmer circling on his ATV, trying frantically to get the cattle out of the pasture and into the barn. Sighing, I pulled on…
The barn cats prove their value when fire breaks out on the farm, just as they did when the basement flooded
We were busy setting up for our weekly family dinner when the Farmer grumbled, “Tell me again why we have three cats in the basement?!” “Lots of people have indoor cats.” “Yes but they never even come upstairs!” Actually, they do, but it’s usually when the house is quiet and they can be assured that…
To the end, she still enjoyed a love story, the occasional chocolate bar and an alcoholic drink (for medicinal purposes!) each day
I had the chance to hold a newborn baby girl the other day. I looked down at her squishy little face and thought, “Imagine if she lives to 102 like my grandmother did. That would bring us to the year 2119. What will life be like then? How far will we advance – and in…
I’ve tried giving up wheat to lose a few pounds but I miss it too much when it disappears from my diet
We have a Norwegian international student staying with us for the year. Her English is quite advanced but occasionally she has to look things up on her phone to get the direct translation. The other day she had a question for me. “What do you call this kind of bun?” she asked, holding her phone…
The federal government’s proposed changes to capital gains rules make it more difficult for a farm to stay in the family
Two things have always been certain: death and taxes. We can now add a third: botching the promotion of a tax reform for political gains. Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s tax reform has been a communications disaster, on both sides of the debate. Various claims made about Ottawa’s intentions to revamp our tax system for…