Fresh Ideas for Container Gardens
With less and less time to maintain gardens, containers are becoming more and more popular as an alternative to mass gardening. Not everyone has time […]
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Relay for Life celebrates, remembers and fights back
“It’s one day, one night; one community, one fight,” says Donna Hogan, co-chair of the Relay for Life steering committee. “It’s the largest cancer fundraiser
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Lights down and stars up
Every amateur astronomer’s dream is to have totally dark skies, right in their own backyard. No time spent loading all your telescopes, binoculars, tables and
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Yukon Supergroup, Dandelion Wreath, Says Goodbye
“The Last Potluck. Catchy isn’t it?” The man behind the cluttered desk utters this phrase while framing an invisible marquee with his hands. “I wish
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Buys for Guys
You have a problem. Through no fault of your own you have acquired a “Guy.” This is to say a human male and not a
Oyster Sauce and Tin Foil
A roll of aluminum foil can be a time and energy saver when cooking over an open fire – or even at home with the
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Hot Dogs
We know what competitive sled dogs like to do in the winter, but what happens to them in the summer? Brian Wilmshurst of B-Line Racing
A Father’s Day Guide to Whisky
Whisk(e)y is an acquired taste. As a child I would sneak small sips out of my grandfather’s glass of Crown Royal when but it wasn’t
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Taking a Look Your Soil’s Fertility
I’m a transplant.I recently moved to Dawson City from Whitehorse, and I recently moved to Whitehorse from my birthplace in Ontario. In Ontario, I worked
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Poland: More than just beautiful women.
My neck still hurts from visiting Poland, but it’s my stomach that really aches to go back… I visited Poland in 2011 to attend the
Poland: More than just beautiful women. Read More »
Potlucks: The art and science of the communal buffet
I’ve been lucky in pot and unlucky in pot. There was the memorable Women’s Day potluck of 1995 where all 12 dishes contained chickpeas with
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Veggies Like a Warm Bed
If you haven’t planted your garden, now is definitely the time to get growing. Remember to plant your seeds — such as carrots, beets and
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Dreams Achieved: The Fireweed Market is back
When we first moved to the Yukon 16 years ago I told my family that if I would like to have a market garden. The
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We Always Get the Community We Deserve
It’s been a little while and, I have to admit, I’ve had my first ever writer’s block. It wasn’t so much WHAT to say, because
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Beer From a Wide-Open Space
Marketing beer is fun. When you have a product that so many people enjoy and you are told to “Go sell this!” you can have
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These Comedians are Ready for the Big Time
Deep down in the cockles of my President’s Choice Deluxe White Cheddar macaroni and cheese clogged heart, there’s a yearning for some recognition. But not
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Sleeping Babies
The babies sat in the driveway, tarped over, covered in snow half-melted in the April sun. I brushed them off, to let the sun begin
Ready to host the world
George Arcand is known to many Yukoners around the ball diamond as the guy always on the go whether it is flipping burgers, cutting grass
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Rumble in the Greenhouse: Ladybug Vs. Aphid
With warmer weather, your greenhouse could be growing more than just your vegetable plants. Insects thrive in the warm humid environment and it usually takes
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No folly to come up to the Yukon
Five guys are sitting, standing or dressing in this small makeshift room. I’m on the floor, my legs on steps leading back down to my
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Mayo Campground Has the One Thing Kids Look For
MAYO 5 Mile Lake in Mayo doesn’t have a campground playground. Not right in the campground, mind you, but there is one down the short
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Comedy from a Sleep-Depraved Mind
I’m finally getting some good sleep these days. Recently, I was stage-managing the incredible Varietease show at the Guild: a cavalcade of comedy, song and,
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Start with a Rainbow Stocked Lake
I know there are many in the Yukon who have an interest in fishing but don’t know where to start. Fishing can be intimidating and
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Cotton Candy Flesh Fly (Cone head)
Salmon flesh flies are great flies for rainbow trout, Dolly Varden and char. Even salmon will hit a flesh fly. There should be a variety
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Farewell Dark Skies
For the last week I have been heading out to my rooftop to see the constellation Hercules and the bright globular cluster that resides there.
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For Those Who Love Horses and Helping
A flood of teenagers are about to finish school for the year and descend upon couches across Whitehorse, or wherever teens go. If you’re a
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Kefir
Kefir is a thick, tart, fermented drink, often made from milk, which I started drinking when we had our own dairy cow. I liked it,
Navigating Through Forests, Art Pieces, and Sibling Rivalries
A couple of weeks ago my sister Hannah flew up from Vancouver, where she teaches at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and
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Venturing into the Unknown
All good things must come to an end and two days ago this was true for our piglets. It’s been eight weeks since they were
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Tudo Bem: It’s All Good
There is this Portuguese pastry I would kill or die for, whichever comes first: pastel de nata. The sound of it alone makes me want
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Getting Your Greenhouse In Order
At this point in the season, maintenance is the goal for keeping your greenhouse productive now and in the coming month. Despite the snow at
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Strawberry Fields Forthcoming
With visions of Strawberry Shortcake, Strawberry Milkshakes — in fact, with strawberries of any shape and size — I got bamboozled into our strawberry escapade
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Beer By Committee (this will end badly)
How would you like to start a business with 50,000 of your closest friends, pals, friends of friends, acquaintances and complete strangers? What if it
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Casper, The Friendly Colt
There’s a new baby on the farm. Well, I am far too excited to write anything serious today. We have a brand new addition to
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Bringing Up the Rear
Riding has a tendency to push your personal limits. Whether it is the distance you cover in a day … or your speed … or
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Tatchun Lake is for Us Paddlers
Tatchun Lake Campground has 20 campsites and none of them are a pull through site; there is a boat launch and a cook shelter. That’s
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Ich Bin Ein Yukoner
Happy Birthday, Canada! You have come into your own these past 141 years, warmly regarded as a place of strong values, freedom and a sense
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Giving the Dream Maker a Tune Up
I had a dream last night that I was at a Yakov Smirnoff show with my mother. I sure hope this wasn’t forecasting any kind
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A Single Child’s Story
“So have you seen any progress?” This is the question I’m most often asked when people learn I live in Haiti. Vague as it is,
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Droppin’ By
A few days after I arrived back in Whitehorse in November 2008, I ran into Janine Aberson while grocery shopping with my mom. She invited
Spring Means New Life
There are pussy willows, crocuses and chives growing in the garden. Migrating birds are returning to Swan Haven and mallards are swimming in the ditch
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Take It In Stride: Running in Fear
People have trained their entire lives to run the Boston Marathon and making it there is a tremendous accomplishment. The recent bombings at the 2013
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Aboriginal Sports Promote Healthy Living for Youth
Elders’ teachings are about life skills and many of them translate well to sports: how to take care of yourself, how to eat right and
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From Community TV to National TV
When you hear the name Maximum Limit Fishing, you might expect the same old fishing show. But this is not the case for the Northwest
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The Adrenaline-Rush Potential of Mountains
At the end of a refreshing ski or a meandering hike through alpine meadows, Haines Junctioners like to kick back and enjoy life in this
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Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas
I have only included a hand full of recipes in What’s Up so far. Here are some suggestions for you that are quick, nutritious and wholesome.
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Food to Fly For
Ah the pretzel. I am a strong German piece of “bread” in the eyes of some, yet I am so much more. To many of
Chef Karina Lapointe: Treat Your Buds
If your taste buds long for something new and your eyes are looking for something as pretty as it is tasty, you need to find
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Gearing up to Hammer the Trails
If you ride a mountain bike from the 1990s with your kick-around shoes on and some jeans, have no fear, you are welcome at the
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Meditative Awareness at the Art of Data Entry
Last night I spent a few hours organizing the entries for What’s Up Yukon’s Food to Fly For contest, in which a lucky winner will
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The boulder you get
The sport of bouldering does not end with “conquering” a boulder but, rather, “understanding” it. The sport’s founder is a mathematician and accomplished gymnast, while
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Plants Helping Plants
One of the more interesting characteristics of plants is that plants are affected chemically by the aroma from leaves, roots and by soil micro-organisms. Knowing
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Federal Campground is Nice, Too
HAINES JUNCTION There are numerous campgrounds in and around Haines Junction. Your YTG Campground permit will let you camp at most of them … but
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The haunting Post-it Note
It is the one thing in my otherwise stress-free life that is causing me anxiety. It is a Post-it Note with today’s date on it
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Bigger is Not Always Better
Students at McGill University in Montréal will notice a big change come fall semester this year, and frosh looking to swill back Export, Canadian and
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Riding for Pleasure / Riding for Survival
Do you ride for pleasure? … or survival? For most of us, it’s not one or the other. It depends on the day. I have
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Walks into her life, tips hat, sweeps her off to the Yukon
Vanessa takes me to the Millennium Trail on a sunny afternoon. We smell the heavy aroma of flowers, somewhere, and find the top of a
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Coming In From the Outside
I find the term “Outside” very strange. At first, when I had arrived in the territory, people would use the term, almost as if they
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Looking for a Kinder, Gentler Beer Drinker
With binge drinking and bar violence on the rise, the Province of Alberta has made some policy changes that it is hoping will curb public
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New Canadians desire a better country
Canada Day means you can see Canadian citzenship happening in front of you. Outside the Shipyards Park pavilion, bordered by black speakers and rows of
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Burrito Business is Booming
Ray Mazurak was studying at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver when the idea of owning and operating his own portable food stand first
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Fly Brooch Pin
To create a brooch pin, I have chosen a fly that has worked very well for me on Pacific salmon in Alaska. This Black Laced
Yukoners Are Different
“There are strange things done in the land of the midnight sun…” -Robert Service Truer words may have never been written by that famous Bard
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Brewmasters Get Hugs Once a Year
On July 18, while Yukoners were probably enjoying Dustball and the Dawson City Music Festival, there was one other thing to celebrate: International Brewers Day.
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Charles Messier and the Four Planets in the Evening Sky
With May here it is a good reminder that we only have, at best, five weeks of celestial observation left. Recently, I have dedicated much
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Keep the Wildlife on the Wild Side
There be coyotes in them thar woods! We are very lucky in the Yukon to have so much wilderness right outside our doors. But sometimes
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Ground Control to Commander Chris
For 10 minutes on Saturday, April 18, Commander Chris Hadfield, the Canadian astronaut currently onboard the International Space Station, addressed a packed gymnasium at Grey
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Farewell, We Hardly Knew Ye … Heck, He Hardly Knew Ye-self
Perspective, use it or lose it. I pulled that one from my dog-eared copy of Illusions, by Richard Bach. It’s a fun read that takes
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Simple Mouse Fly
Mouse flies are often used for pike, inconnue, muskie, bass and large trout with many different patterns available. A lot of these patterns come with
Raising an Olympian
Standing in front of the large crowd of Yukoners that had gathered earlier this month at Sport Yukon for an Olympic pep rally, Greig Bell
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Ticked Off that I Can’t Tee-Off
As I write this, the final days of April are whittling away to nothing. Yet when I awoke this morning and surveyed my kingdom from
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Our Egg Situation
My husband Allan got a goose egg last night. He wasn’t hurt as some may suspect, rather he found an actual egg out in the
Yukon’s Big Bike Race
Ok, so we share it with Alaska, but it starts in the Yukon. And I hope you’ve already submitted your registration for this year’s June
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Making an Interpretive Hike on Sima
The skiing at Mount Sima was fantastic on the last weekend it was open this winter, but besides the excellent snow conditions and weather, the
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Curb Your Enthusiasm
We have all seen spectacular homes and gardens that catch our eye and cause us to pause during our busy lives. Gardens that are so
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Occasionally Awkward, Always Available
We all pay just a little more attention to coverage of events we attended just in case we are On TV. But On TV usually
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Tomatoes: The Needs of the Many Outweigh the Needs of the Few
One sunny August afternoon, I walked into our “Tomato” greenhouse only to find my husband, Frank, yielding a machete (OK, a large knife) chopping off
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Biker Chicks: The Next Generation
It’s great to see more women on motorcycles these days. About a year ago, I read that women are a new target demographic for the
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Fill the Parks
There are two things that really frustrate me — and they are related. First, the couches in my house have permanent dents from the backsides
Keeping it Simple on Long Trips
I think I have seven versions of “Motorcycle Trip Gear List” on my computer. Every time we go on a trip there are three more
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What I did on my summer vacation
To get away from the rain here in Whitehorse, Daisy and I went to Vancouver for our vacation. I have used this line many times
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Bigger muscles are not always better
Bodybuilders, to state the obvious, have big muscles. Freakishly big muscles … with veins and tendons sticking out in such ways that remind you that
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Artful stories of the Children of Gaia
Of the thousands of photos from the devastation of Sept. 11, photo editors around the world chose one photo that would tell the story of
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Salvaging a Short Growing Season
It’s been obvious to gardeners for some time that this summer has not been favourable for vegetable gardening. The lack of sunny days combined with
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A Good Wine to Serve with Moose
As Yukoners, one of the real treats we have is access to a broad selection of game meats. While I don’t hunt, I am lucky
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A Cure for Those Camping Time Blues
Whether it’s the weather or the yard work, some commitment on the weekend or the fact that you have family coming to visit in a
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You Just Can’t Put Canada in a Bottle
If you are going to play on patriotism, perhaps it is best to stay at home. Recently, brewing giant Molson Coors Brewing Company announced that
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Emirate of the North
Part 1 of 6 Where is Whitehorse? Why are you going there? What’s it like? Three great questions and at first I struggled to answer
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Breathing 101
“You cannot do it,” explained the master,” because you do not breathe right.” ~ E Herrigel, Zen in the Art of Archery Have you ever
They chose Whitehorse first
I’m sitting on a rock where Lil’s Place will be in about 14,000 years. I’m thinking about a chocolate shake, but chocolate hasn’t really been
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Game of Go
The old man entered the shop quietly. His feet took him to the back table which he had been going to for over 30 years.
Government-imposed one-on-one time
Did you know that new drivers in the Yukon need 50 hours of instruction before they can take their road test? I didn’t know that.
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Your Intermediate Workout 1/2
(Part 1 of 2) Hello, fitness enthusiasts! Now that you have had a month or so to complete your beginner workout it’s time to pick
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Growing squash
Talk to Yukon Squash Pro Marie Desmarais and you quickly get the sense that a perfect world for her would be one that has every
The Yukon is Not Just a Place
Naturally, I miss the Yukon. To be specific, it certainly wouldn’t be the weather (heh … sorry), but far more importantly, the people.
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Boot Camp: If It Is Good Enough For Soldiers …
Boot camp is an extremely popular group fitness program and has stayed consistently popular over many years. I know by experience that boot camp style
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Confessions of a political junkie
It is not as if I am addicted to it, rather it is just that it is sooo available. That computer, with its vast assortment
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Martial Arts Offer Power To Women
What was predominately a male activity has slowly been changing over the last few decades. You now can go into any training hall where martial
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My Canada Includes art
I am loving this controversy over arts funding cuts because it is one of the few times that smart, eloquent, passionate people stand up and
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Skiing: Just You and Your Dog
Skijouring is a fabulous winter activity for you and your dog. You both benefit from great exercise, fresh air and spending time together.
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