If you’ve ventured out of the basement at all lately, you’ll have noticed that summer is upon us.  Always a long time coming, it’s nothing short of super-appreciated.  Now that it’s here, I find myself almost frantically trying to make the most of it, before it’s gone again!  The  summer’s short around here, and so […]

I think Mark Twain said it best: “’It’s Spring Fever. That’s what the name of it is.  And when you’ve got it, you want—oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want – but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” April is upon us, and we definitely ‘want it so’ […]

It’s possible to love February. Often a cold month here in Canada, February can seem endless and uneventful. Valentine’s Day, however, pops up in the middle, and we Canadians seem to use it mercilessly to bring some excitement to the month. The question is: what’s the best way to generate some excitement? To me, nothing […]

I don’t know about you, but once January hits, I like to hibernate. After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, with all its preparations, fancy foods and accompanying hype, I like to think simple. Simple preparation, simple food, simple drinks.  Apparently this is a common practice among Canadians in January. It’s the time we return to our […]

It’s officially December, and the holiday season is really here!  Don’t you just love it? For regardless of what came before it, Christmas is still a season of spreading good cheer, of spending time with some family and friends, of sharing, caring and giving. It’s no secret that many of us celebrate the holidays with […]

The signs of fall are somewhat different at a fruit winery. All around us, our grain-farming neighbours are bringing in the harvest in big ways, with big machines and lots of dust.  Canadian vineyards are picking and pressing fresh grapes.  Vegetable farmers are frantically digging root vegetables.  Berry harvest, however, is in wind-down mode. Saskatoon […]

The great thing about August is that the weather is usually wonderful. There may be only a few weeks left in the official 2023 summer, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t lots of warm weather to yet be enjoyed!  So instead of bemoaning the date, perhaps we should be putting some effort into celebrating it.  […]

Have you looked?  It’s the end of July! At the risk of dating myself, I’m remembering the 1969 TV Special, “It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown.” There’s a memorable scene where the boys are sitting around the campfire, bemoaning their sad summer.  It has not gone how they expected it to. Perhaps this is […]

As our forefathers used to say, “A calm June puts the farmer in tune.” They may well have been referring to the weather, but if they were referring to activity, then my, how things have changed!  Here at our farm, June is anything but calm.  In fact, it’s closer to crazy.  But the craziness has […]

Don’t let the white stuff from this past week fool you.  It really is Spring! If you need more proof, check the calendar.  It’s April.  We are ready for change, and we are optimistic.  As someone once said, “Spring is when you feel like whistling, even with a shoe full of slush.” First up?  The […]