I used to have to drive two hours to Toronto to feel like I wasn’t making enough money. Now I just have to drive into town. Something has happened over the last three years to transform this place. In … [Read more...]

In the days of early settlement, towns like mine tried to deal with household waste by passing a bylaw demanding people remove garbage from their properties at least twice a year. The law was … [Read more...]

For the past two years, everybody has been talking about the invasion of small-town Ontario by refugees from the city. The traffic in town is now just like Toronto; in fact, it is a little bit worse. … [Read more...]

As a writer I rely heavily on the neighbours for inspiration. They have always been a reliable source of suspect information. When I bought the place nearly 50 years ago, Kenny Jardine, the old … [Read more...]

I was in a little arts and craft shop last week when I heard an earnest young woman with two children in tow grilling the saleswoman about a basket of “densely felted organic dryer balls” sitting … [Read more...]

A few weeks ago, two old friends of mine turned up at the farm unannounced for a visit. Without thinking, I invited them into the house and they sat on the couch in the living room – the first … [Read more...]

About five years ago my eldest son developed a keen interest in mushrooms, and suddenly our front yard and garden were littered with stacks of logs he had inoculated with various strains of edible … [Read more...]

Last time I picked up a prescription, the poor pharmacist put his hands to his forehead and wailed, “This used to be a quiet little town!” But progress has come to my little rural community since the … [Read more...]