As we emerge from the (now unfortunately familiar) February deep freeze/polar vortex, it turns the mind towards spring and the growing season. It seems a bit more possible and a bit more real. However, with the almost imminent shift into spring, there is a need to...

It is fascinating to look at how people function in their unique social and cultural environments. If you look at different parts of history, particularly any time before the 20th Century, you’ll make some interesting observations. This is, of course, prior to when we...

I was thinking a bit about crop rotations the past couple of days. Actually, I was thinking about rest and taking a break, but the similarities are there, if you care to look for them. Most of Canada has some form of Family Day on this week in February. Across social...

I have always liked to learn. Finding answers to questions brings me great satisfaction, whether for myself or for those I work for. There is something incredibly cool about the process of digging deeper into a topic or conundrum. As you peel back layer after layer of...

Setting the stage Ever since I was a teenager, I have liked to play videogames. All of my kids like to play videogames, mostly because it was something that we did together as a family since they were little. It was a stress-reliever for me and a chance for them to...

Maybe it is my personality, or years of habit, or something else, but I have always liked belonging. There is something powerful (and maybe a bit reassuring) that comes from being a part of something larger than yourself. Maybe it is knowing that there is a shared...

We’ve now officially entered into winter a month ago, although in my mind, typically winter starts around Canadian Thanksgiving or Halloween (in a good year). Regardless, we’re still at least a couple of months or more from the end of winter. In my opinion, this is...

When I was a pre-teen and early teenager, I remember reading a lot of “Choose Your Own Adventure” type novels. I’m not sure if they were particularly popular at that time, or if I just lived somewhere that time had temporarily forgotten, but that is one of the types...

Every year, the United Nations identifies specific areas or topics that will become focal points for the world for that year. Most years have several topics, at least one of which has some natural science element to it. The purpose of the designation is to promote the...