Claudette Sandecki

Die-hard gardeners insist they find gardening relaxing. Whether they’re digging a hole to transplant a four foot shrub, spending hours stooped like a worker in a rice paddy pulling weeds, or suffering scratches pruning raspberry canes, they revel in their labour. Gardening fails to relax me. If green caterpillars aren’t clinging to the underside of […] Read more

Sandecki is a columnist in Terrace, B.C. This item originally appeared in the Terrace Standard. If you’ve put off writing a will for fear it might shorten your life, quit worrying and consult a lawyer. Don’t procrastinate. No matter what age or how healthy you are, you should always have a will that is up […] Read more

Sandecki is a columnist in Terrace, B.C. This column was originally published in the Terrace Standard. For those who missed news about the 38-year-old Tees, Alta., farmer Brian Dennis Knight, who pursued and arrested a brazen night-time thief, the story began when his wife heard voices in their farmyard about 1:40 a.m. and woke Knight. […] Read more

Sandecki writes from Terrace, B.C. This column originally appeared in the Terrace Standard. Try telling grandchildren who have been raised with indoor plumbing that one winter a prairie blizzard piled snow to the top of Mrs. Jones. Watch them search Grandpa’s face for signs he’s pulling their leg.If they decide he’s serious, younger ones will […] Read more

Sandecki is a writer and columnist from Terrace, B.C. This column was previously published in the Terrace Standard. An obituary printed in the Nov. 9 issue of the Province sent me to my copy of Their Hopes; Our Heritage, the community history of Vawn, Sask., published in 1992. I was checking for a family named […] Read more

Sandecki writes from Terrace, B.C. This column previously ran in the Terrace Standard. Owning land has always been a thrill and an accomplishment for most people. From the earliest settlers of the American West who – if Western movies can be believed – raced to file for a homestead in covered wagons or on horseback, […] Read more

Sandecki writes from Terrace, B.C. This item was originally published in the Terrace Standard. In British Columbia, high school students’ education is being corrupted to satisfy business. It demands that schools turn out grads ready for the workplace, like fryers processed for chicken takeouts. Never mind if grads can’t read fluently, comprehend written instructions, correctly […] Read more

Sandecki is a freelance writer in Terrace, B.C. This column originally ran in the Terrace Standard. Courage and confidence are emotional muscles. Like biceps or gluteals, it takes exercise to build and tone them. Hovering over our kids to keep them safe robs them of opportunities to develop independence. Recently a New York Sun columnist […] Read more

Sandecki writes from Terrace, B.C. This column originally appeared in the Terrace Standard. In winter, any foolish decision – snowmobiling in avalanche areas, skiing out of bounds or walking two miles in subzero wind inadequately clothed – can result in death by hypothermia. One January night when I was 21, hypothermia nearly got me. Fortunately, […] Read more