Opinion

Dear Editor:This is an open letter to the residents of Yorkton and Springside and surrounding communities thanking them for their participation in the 2010Heart&StrokeJump Rope for Heart(TM) andHeart&StrokeHoops for Heart(TM) programs.

Gardeners, it's been quite a week! The rain just didn't seem to want to stop, and it's hard to say how our plants fared in that weather.

In our slice of the prairies, we`ve seen the sun so seldom this spring I've decided not to waste it. So I'm writing outside this sunny morning, perched on an old willow chair in my favourite part of our backyard.

As you read this, there's a good chance that it's raining or that it has just rained or that it's about to rain. That's just the kind of spring it's been in Saskatchewan. Most years, this would good news.

Dear Bill: As a marketing representative, I make presentations to both co-workers and clients. Initially, I was nervous even presenting to peers, but now have a level of comfort.

Before he left home, son Anthony spent a peck of time at the home of one of his friends. I didn't know that friend's family, and I wondered when a bill for his room and board would arrive.A decade later, I've finally met that mother.

The explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon platform in the Gulf of Mexico and subsequent uncontrolled release of millions of litres of oil a day is a monumental disaster.

Last week we had a bit of a scare. I brushed up against our spruce tree, and suddenly seemed to be covered by a fine, yellow dust. What was it? We hadn't seen that before, and studied our tree carefully.

The most important thing I was taught about stories is that they must have three things - a beginning, a middle and an ending. If my weekly column was a story, this one would be the ending. The dénouement, if you will.

Whether you are buying a home or setting up a business, location matters. But does location matter to our health? Yes, research has shown that people who live in disadvantaged communities have poorer health.