Gift giving played no part in Christmas in our home when I was growing up in the 1940s. My parents had immigrated to Canada from Ukraine and for them, it was a time for celebrating the birth of Jesus. We loved the food that Mother prepared for the traditional Holy Eve supper and the visiting […] Read more
Farm Living
Rocking horse treasured by several generations
Simple Christmas meal leaves time for family
“Mom, please come and play a game with us.” The pleading had been going on all afternoon. It was Christmas and I was diligently preparing the traditional turkey dinner for my young family. I had promised to spend time with them and their new games but there was so much to do. I prayed silently, […] Read more
Mouth watering memories of Christmas Day treat
The prairie winter wind in the early 1930s was biting cold as I struggled uphill with two pails of well water. The water was needed to make baklawa. Every Christmas and Easter, my mother, Shams, would make baklawa. My parents were Eastern Orthodox Christians originally from Syria. In those days on our family homestead near […] Read more
Special delivery on Christmas Day still warms heart
The winter of 1945 was much like the winters that preceded it at our homestead in Alberta’s Peace River, with an abundance of snow accompanied by freezing temperatures making any type of travel difficult. Although my parents must have been hard pressed to provide us with gifts at Christmas, they always managed to get me […] Read more
Living Sky winery set to fly after first award
PERDUE, Sask. – Sue Echlin and Vance Lester are passionate about wine. The co-proprietors of Living Sky Winery spend hours sampling the wines of other producers to further their own skills. The work is paying off for the husband and wife team, who recently won bronze at the Canadian Wine Awards for their Juliett Cherry […] Read more
Mechanization in India
Western Producer reporter Mary MacArthur continues her travels across India, exploring the land many say could become the next big market for Canadian farmers. JABALPUR, INDIA It’s not lack of new varieties or lack of money for seed and fertilizer that plagues Indian farmers. It’s a labour shortage. It may be surprising that a country […] Read more
U.K. youth educated on Canadian cattle breeds
REGINA – A trip to Canadian ranches has convinced an English Angus breeder about the merits of black cattle within all breeds. Jess Denning has been working with six Canadian Angus breeders as part of an exchange program in her role as Aberdeen Angus youth ambassador for the United Kingdom. Her five month work study […] Read more
New farm safety standards not realistic, warns expert
Farmers need to force politicians and regulators to set standards based on what is possible on family farms, not based on ideals determined in city offices, said an expert in on-farm safety. “If we don’t get talking about it now, with the full-blown implementation of these industrial regulations to agriculture, and with offshore competitors (who […] Read more
Expect more ads
Q:I am from Saskatchewan and wonder if lawyers can advertise. I go to other places and see all kinds of ads on TV, billboards and buses. What are the rules? A:For many years, the rule was that lawyers could not advertise because it was considered unseemly or undignified. This posed a problem for anyone wishing […] Read more
Criticism and complaints: what’s the difference?
Q:My wife says that she is tired of my criticism. She thinks that I get after her too much. I am trying to set a standard of living I expect both from her and me. I am much harder on myself than I am on her. If she would try harder when I ask her […] Read more
