The war hits home

The war in Afghanistan hit close to home when a 21-year-old soldier from Chute-à-Blondeau, east of Hawkesbury, was killed near Kandahar September 13.

The death of Private Patrick Lormand touched our community. Many citizens attended his military funeral last week.

At Remembrance Day ceremonies, veterans speak of their fallen comrades in philosophical terms, saying the departed never had the opportunity to grow old.

Sadly, too many of the casualties of this conflict will also remain forever young.

Lucky driver

You know you are going to have a bad day when....

The driver of this school bus escaped unscathed after it flipped into a ditch on a country road north of Cornwall last week. Fortunately, the bus was carrying no passengers when it collided with a tractor trailer.

Tree gum

A gum-covered tree in a New York State park is proof that some people heed the sage advice about not daring to swallow chewing gum, because it will stick in your innards for 17 years and will contribute to climate change, or something like that.

Spectrum

One of the joys of shopping at a farmers' market, such as the fantastic one in Ithaca, New York, is the ability to buy directly from the source. As you can see, although all products on sale must have been grown within a 30-mile radius of the city, the variety is extensive.

September morn

Summer is on the wane.

And you can drive them, too

The age-old love affair with the automobile has not petered out. One of the most popular events in Hawkesbury is the annual car show, where all sorts of shiny vehicles are on display. And, of course, there is the obligatory fuzzy dice.

Garden fixture

It seems that one of the signs that the weather is shifting is the apparent proliferation of spider webs, which are more prominent in the early morning mist.