Dan Needles Author and Playwright

Author and Playwright

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A One-Horse Open Sleigh

November 22, 2019 by Dan Needles

My great-uncle Bob was the first member of our family to leave the rat race and seek the simple life on a hundred-acre hill farm north of the city. In the 1930s, he found a secluded property that … [Read more...]

Keeping the Mind Free of Reptiles

September 16, 2019 by Dan Needles

I’ve always felt like a bit of a rebel, living as I have for nearly 40 years as a back-to-the-lander and filling the freezer every fall with food I produce myself. But to the bearded hobbits in my … [Read more...]

Retirement Advice for the Self-employed Landowner

July 1, 2019 by Dan Needles

As a country person ages, there is a temptation to imagine the approach of a quiet and graceful retirement – long, dreamy summer afternoons napping on the porch swing while grandchildren romp in the … [Read more...]

Champlain Slept Here

April 1, 2019 by Dan Needles

There is a legend among historians that Samuel de Champlain, the great mapmaker, explorer and arguably the first “Canadian,” spent the winter of 1615 on my farm in Huronia, the land of the … [Read more...]

Finding Traction on the Backroads

November 30, 2018 by Dan Needles

When my mother came to the country in the 1950s, she brought a Ford station wagon that would carry five children and a lot of dogs. The starter had a flat spot and a mechanic made the mistake of … [Read more...]

The View From the Top

September 30, 2018 by Dan Needles

Last year in this space I wrote about painting my barn. That was a totally unnecessary project and a shameless vanity because barns do not require paint. You only have to drive a mile into the … [Read more...]

Read all of Dan’s Fenceposts columns

September 30, 2014 by Dan Needles

Fenceposts Column In The Hills Magazine

Click to read all of Dan's Fenceposts columns: In The Hills Magazine. … [Read more...]

Great Escapes

September 25, 2014 by Dan Needles

Pig on the lam

I should be used to it by now. It happens every August when the pasture dries up and the lambs start working holes in the fence. I arrive home and find two of them grazing the “long pasture,” which is … [Read more...]

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News, Fence Posts & Events

OPINION: Today, everyone is an expert but I see red flags unless expert talk includes humility that inspires confidence and trust

Last month my cardiologist put me on a … [More...]

Like Manna From Heaven illustration

Like Manna From Heaven

About five years ago my eldest son … [More...]

OPINION: Got the supply chain blues that only a guy from Georgia with a garbage can bacon smoker can cure

This whole past year has given us a … [More...]

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Public Speaker

Dan Needles Guest Speaker

Dan is frequently asked to speak at conferences and banquets across the country, making us laugh about the old rural community and the way it meets the modern world.....read more

Contact Info

​Dan Needles

dan@danneedles.ca

Tel 705-445-8790
Fax 705-445-9074

Dan needles author speaker

Latest Posts

  • OPINION: Today, everyone is an expert but I see red flags unless expert talk includes humility that inspires confidence and trust December 17, 2021
  • Like Manna From Heaven November 29, 2021
  • OPINION: Got the supply chain blues that only a guy from Georgia with a garbage can bacon smoker can cure November 23, 2021
  • OPINION: What is it about rural living? Moments of clarity for the exhausted October 25, 2021

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