It’s getting to the end of winter, and most of the orchard pruning will mostly be wrapped up. In case you ever wondered “Why bother?”, I dusted off and reworked something I put together years ago, outlining some of the “Why?” behind pruning. Why (generally)? Pruning...

I spent a fair bit of time thinking about what to write about this week and my mind kept circling back to the following saying or adage or whatever it is. “The only two certainties in life are death and taxes.” Although it has been used and adapted many times, by many...

For the past week or so, I’ve been floating in a surreal sort of déjà vu state, not all of it happy and upbeat. This time of year (late February/early March) has been structured almost the same for almost 20 years, so it has a bit of a Groundhog Day feel to it...

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...