“I have heard that during his 26 years as mayor, Henry Paffard advocated for the planting of over 1,000 trees. By any measure, that’s a lot of limbs and leaves and shade and oxygen. And with trees come squirrels,” writes Ross Robinson.

“Rick Hansen had been paralyzed in a car crash when he was only 15 years old. The years have gone by, and if he had been bilingual English/French, he just might have been the Governor General of Canada. What a life to reflect upon.”

“Not that long ago, refillable water bottles became standard and accepted,” writes Ross Robinson. “Usually cheap, usually plastic and colourful, and clutched by millions and millions of humanoids.”

“Yellow school buses? Not even a factor back then in Canadian school districts where we lived. Now, a logistical miracle that inconceivably transpires every school day morning,” writes Ross Robinson.

“The Undercovers entertained us with their rich harmonies and signature style, but the value added was the education. So many facts provided in their soulful storytelling,” writes Ross Robinson.

For many NOTLers, for many years, “the Legion” has been a social constant. Of course, for some of us, more of a constant than for others. The weekly Fish Fry, Scrabble, Karaoke, Euchre,

“We can rest assured town council and our town staff led by chief administrator Nick Ruller are working overtime and proactively to mitigate the effects of our next major precipitation event. Big bucks. But with climate change guaranteed, ‘it’s a matter of when, not if,'” writes Ross Robinson.

“Hats off to our first responders. These brave people go toward the fires to save lives and limit damage. Most people flee fires,” writes Ross Robinson.

“As a pretentious British boss of mine said many years ago … ‘I have found that around the world, one can get on with two languages: English, and loud English,'” writes Ross Robinson.

“The choir took the expression sartorial splendour to another level,” writes Ross Robinson. “Every one of them were ‘into it,’ providing the vibe. Pure, unfiltered voices, and such an unbelievable value.”

“After about 15 minutes, we were in the swirling mist. Those of us who chose to stay outside suddenly experienced the full force of nature. Water, water everywhere,” writes Ross Robinson.

“Due to its geography and a rather low population count, we don’t tend to think of New Brunswick too often. For many Canadians, it’s a necessary part of the road trip between Ontario and Quebec and the other three Atlantic provinces,” writes Ross Robinson.

“The relatively sudden demise of a once-accepted part of our lives, almost instantly replaced by handheld devices that mostly pass the time in our pockets,” writes Ross Robinson.

From the upcoming FIFA World Cup and the recent disheartening outcome for the Montreal Canadiens, to cherishing Niagara’s homegrown corner store chain and an overlooked park in NOTL, Ross Robinson’s Ramblings run the gamut this week.

“Life was tough and a never-ending challenge. Travelling on foot or on horseback or in wagons. Am I the only one who never thinks about this stuff? It was a long way to the West Coast, wasn’t it?” writes Ross Robinson.

“I don’t think any sport has changed as much as hockey during the past 60 or 70 years. Back in the day, most of the players came from Canada, so we could say with straight faces, ‘Hockey: it’s our game,'” writes Ross Robinson.

“Polar bears, dolphins, lions, red vested bunny rabbits, caterpillars. And more,” writes Ross Robinson. “The sky seems to be the limit as we bloom into the future.”

“It was only a few decades ago that most parenting decisions were made by parents. Today, we seem to involve several levels of government, Moms and Dads, and people in between,” writes Ross Robinson.

“This is such a great town. Take some time and visit our community centre. Read the plaques, and absorb the ambience of this happening place,” writes Ross Robinson.

“Let us accept that change is coming to Niagara-on-the-Lake. So be it. But let us work in good faith, together and respectfully, to get the best possible results for the most people possible,” writes Ross Robinson.

“Whoever came up with the design for the hospital gown? Or did it evolve naturally over the years? Seriously, it must have been the brainchild of a highly unqualified committee,” writes Ross Robinson.

“A subtle aspect of planning a trivia night is selecting questions that are challenging, but not too challenging. We paying participants don’t need to be reminded how dumb we are,” writes Ross Robinson.

“Henry Paffard accomplished so much, and helped to create our town fire department. This was a busy citizen, and remember, all without modern means of communication,” writes Ross Robinson.

“I have lived here for some 40 years, and have driven or run past Mennonite churches hundreds of times, with little thought about their history,” writes Ross Robinson.