Category Archives: Uncategorized

That’s my kind of farmer! Kurt Wanner was seeding phacelia, a green manure that blooms lavender purple, and asked his wife Monika for some sunflower seed. Now the field, about one hectare, is a purple haze dotted with golden flowers. … Continue reading →

“Is this for real, or am I in a calendar page?”   “Pinch yourself,” my aunt Olgi tells me.   It’s a picture perfect day in a picture perfect landscape. Clear blue skies, the low shrubbery turning an autumn red, … Continue reading →

     Something irritates me about this picture – I’m sure now it’s the colour. Everything is so green! The corn fields are dark green, the sugar beets a lush green, the regrowth on the pastures and hay fields – it’s … Continue reading →

   “They finally have some business again,” my father-in-law notes as we drive past a gas station just over the border in Germany. For years Germans have crossed the border to purchase their gas in Switzerland, where it was cheaper. … Continue reading →

    August 30, 2011: “Who’s going to start the show this year?” Every year farmers in the Schleitheim valley could count on Hans Jürg Meier to be the first to seed canola. The village is still reeling from the … Continue reading →

August 22, 2011:  It’s hot in Switzerland. So hot that even this water shy girl joined her friends at the outdoor pool in Schleitheim yesterday. “Finally it’s summer!” everyone here is saying. It feels just like Zambia to me. So … Continue reading →

August 16, 2011: Stone rain, they call it in Africa. The damage it did here in Schleitheim, Switzerland does the name justice. The old folks say they’ve never seen such a hail storm in their life. It was the timing … Continue reading →

     It’s an idyllic picture: a large boisterous family gathers around the big wooden kitchen table of this organic farm. The food is from the family garden – fresh carrots, a big bowl of salad, potatoes and meat. There’s always … Continue reading →

     We talk about tribalism in Africa. “What tribe are you from?” can be a good, or a dangerous question. During the riots after the election in Kenya in 2007 tribal affiliation decided your life. In Zambia, it reminds me … Continue reading →

    The place we know the least about is often the place we live. The hidden gems are as much the people as the places. At the end of this year’s Westlock County tour, July 20, Dennis Mueller said to … Continue reading →