Dealing with a global pandemic has been a significant strain on the mental health of many  Canadians. So much change in such a short time has left us reeling, but a new study suggests  that time in nature may help. The study took a look at the effect of daily walks in nature on the mental health of the  participants. What they found was that they experienced a sense of wonder about the world  around them. Experiencing awe and wonder might sound nice, but scientists are discovering  just how powerful this is. Awe "is an interesting emotion, because it promotes what we call a 'small self,'" said lead  author Virginia Sturm, an associate professor in the departments of neurology as well as  psychiatry and behavioural sciences at the University of California.  "What that means is that when you feel awe, you feel smaller in relation to the larger world and  the universe around us … yet more connected," she said. All of the problems we perce...

  These days it seems there is no shortage of topics to disagree on. Trump? Trudeau? COVID19?  Climate Change? Conspiracy theories? How do you react when faced with a point of view that  is different from your own?  Recently I read a book entitled “I’m Right and You’re an Idiot” by James Hoggan. Isn’t that  exactly what we’re muttering under our breath so often these days? I have to admit it is often  my first reaction when I hear the latest opinions on the street or when scrolling through social  media. The book challenged me to listen to those whose opinions and beliefs differ from mine. Like   really listen. Not the kind of listening where we are actually just waiting for the chance to say  our piece, but listening with the kind of curiosity that helps us learn where someone is coming  from. To hear their story. To uncover the background for their beliefs.     A high school history teacher had us do an exercise where we all...

Many homeowners, whether urban or rural, enjoy the sights and sounds of birds on their yards through all  the seasons.  Spring and fall migration are the busiest times for bird sightings.  Bird feeders and bird baths  are very productive in attracting many species to stop over for shelter and food to strengthen them for  the next leg of their migration.  Bird feeders should include black oil seed, millet, nuts, currants or raisins,  diced apple, suet, and niger seed for finches.  Putting up nectar feeders and orange halves for the last  half of May and as soon as the first hummingbirds are spotted in fall, will help these tiny hummers during  their migration and provide opportunities for close up views and photography.  Orioles, both Baltimore and  Orchard varieties, will also frequent these feeders.  A cold snap in mid May can also bring certain  warbler species to your orange feeder because insects are not active....

  On the news and in conversations I hear a lot of “Woe is me” complaints. It is true that these are hard times and  some will suffer more than others, and some won’t suffer at all. Especially vulnerable are small business owners  who have put a lot of effort and their life savings into their business. We can also view what is happening to us in this COVID 19 pandemic as “someone” closing the door for us. We  should not blame ourselves for this loss. It is someone else’s fault, in this case a virus. Let me illustrate from my own past. In 1996 the Manitoba sugar beet industry closed. I was a sugar beet farmer at  that time, and this was devastating for me and my small farm. I could make an income of $700 per acre with sugar  beets and only $100 per acre with wheat. I would either have to find more land (almost impossible locally) or shut  down the farm and do something else. I took the winter to think about it. On a piece of paper I wrote down all the...