I realize, in my offering up brief descriptions and gushings over the gold nuggets of prairie prose and poetry, I could easily be outlining a year’s worth of columns.

Among the challenges our world faces, there is very real threat of a further Russian invasion in Ukraine has rapidly increased in previous weeks.

Scientists around the world are working hard to get one step ahead of the various COVID-19 viruses. Is victory in sight?

Among the challenges our world faces, there is very real threat of a further Russian invasion in Ukraine has rapidly increased in previous weeks.

Last week, I promised to offer a list of some of the Prairie Gold I’ve mined over my life as a reader. I realize the impossibility of listing all the inspiring books I’ve read just since moving to Val Marie…

This week’s humour: “I told the procurement department a joke and they didn’t get it for 4-6 weeks”.

These days it seems there are three certainties in life: death, taxes and bigger government paycheques.

Prairie gold is not always wheat. It is also the wealth of writers sprung from this land. So much of the character of this place, its very soul, is in its stories, many of them not written but told over years, decades and generations…

Some things just don’t make sense. For instance, why do cartoon characters wear the same things every single episode? Why do we press harder on the remote when the batteries are dead?

Did you hear about the super hero - X-ray man? When a concerned citizen shouted, “Quick! The thief is getting away!”, X-ray man calmly responded, “Yes, I can see that.”

“The bankruptcy of a city is of no interest to the citizens of a city who are themselves bankrupt.” Fran Lebowitz said that.

When I was creating our holiday cards, I came across a slogan on a template that I couldn’t get out of my head: “What a year.”

Over thirty years ago, my friend Helen shared her new year’s ritual with me. The ritual has become a tradition in our family, so a few of us practiced it last week.

A couple was in court fighting over the custody of their daughter. When the judge asked the man to present his argument, he said, “Your Honour, if you slide a coin into a vending machine and a snack comes out, is the snack yours, or the machine’s?”

We faced many challenges in 2021: the continuation of COVID-19, economic uncertainty, extreme weather that included local droughts, growing divisions amongst Canadians, and an election that few wanted.

Albertans may be facing a little more than a hangover come on Jan. 1 – they will also see higher taxes…

Former governor general Julie Payette tops the Naughty List compiled by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation this year.

In 2022, it will be year three of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we continue to fight Delta variant, we are now facing Omicron virus.

The sun shines through my window this morning. I hope it’s shining all the way to Val Marie and keeps shining until Friday, as I am about to head home.

As Christmas approached, a mom constantly reminded her 4-year-old that Santa was watching her.