Category Archives: Farming

Metaphors for life: instead of Oprah’s running, let’s try farming!

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Jane Fritz

“Life is just a bowl of cherries” proclaims one song. And that’s just one example of a metaphor for life. You can find plenty of other suggestions, from a box of chocolates to running (especially that it’s a marathon, not … Continue reading →

Posted in Farming, Just wondering | Tagged acceptance, challenges, farming, inspiration, metaphor for life, running | 28 Comments

Looking at what the world eats using world maps

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Jane Fritz

I had hoped to share maps exploring fun topics related to what people eat around the world, but that was tougher than I had expected. It turns out there’s not much serious research around important questions like favourite desserts around … Continue reading →

Posted in Farming, Map Monday | Tagged alcohol consumption, drinks of choice, fish of choice, food security, fruit juice consumption, grain consumption, maps, meat of choice, milk consumption, protein consumption, salt consumption, sugar consumption, world food consumption, world maps | 27 Comments

What the Bushmen of the Kalahari can teach us

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Jane Fritz

Who would have thought that the longest “serving” hunter-gatherers on our planet, the San people of southern Africa, more commonly referred to as Bushmen, would have some important reminders for the rest of us. But a Christmas book I just … Continue reading →

Posted in Farming, History and Politics, Just wondering | Tagged Affluence without Abundance, botswana, Bushmen, Climate change, egalitarian, hunter-gatherers, hunting, inequality, James Suzman, Kalahari, Namibia, patriarchy, people, resilience, San, social conventions, southern Africa, stress, wants versus needs, work versus leisure | 9 Comments

Lessons learned from watching our bird families

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Jane Fritz

We have been blessed the past few summers. Bird parents of nearly every persuasion have selected our backyard for their nurseries and our feeders as their restaurant of choice. The result has been a “bird’s eye” view of bird parenting … Continue reading →

Posted in Farming, Life stories, Robby Robin | Tagged bird feeders, bird personality, bird watching, birds, cardinals, goldfinch, hummingbirds, nuthatch, photography, Robby Robin, woodpecker, young birds | 6 Comments

Lessons learned from farming in winter: snow fences work, eventually

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Jane Fritz

After a pleasantly mild fall and then a lovely warm week on a beach over Christmas, reality has set in. There is no longer any doubt about what season this is; the instant piles of snow and very cold temps and wind (-20C/-4F) … Continue reading →

Posted in Farming, Life stories | Tagged farming, hobby farming, learning, maps, photography, snow, snow fences, winter | 11 Comments

How do we know what we’re eating?

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Jane Fritz

I do understand that we are better off being able to buy food that comes from farther away than 100 miles. A 100-mile diet in my neck of the woods could get pretty monotonous in the winter, depending on how … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship & Business, Farming | Tagged beef, business, cattle, chickens, cows, e coli, factory farming, factory farms, farming, food safety, growth hormones in cattle, mechanized tenderizing, poultry, public discussion, public policy | 2 Comments

The fable of the porcupine and the cows

Posted on September 30, 2012 by Jane Fritz

Communication is important; nobody disputes that. Miscommunication can be as a result of differences in use of language, imprecise use of language, contextual or cultural misunderstandings, interpretation based on false information, hearing impairments, or simply not listening. Interpretation based on … Continue reading →

Posted in Fables, Farming | Tagged animal communication, children, communication, cows, Creativity, drawing, fables, farming, gender, hobby farming, inspiration, interpretation, language, listening, miscommunication, philosophy of language, porcupines, understanding | 6 Comments

Rats and Alberta: a haiku

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Jane Fritz

Be warned: the subject of this post is not suitable for all audiences. I don’t know about you, but I have an instinctive aversion to rats. Not the cute little white rats you find in labs and pet stores, but … Continue reading →