Category Archives: From NAKINA…

For more than 15 years, this curmudgeon has been writing a regular column for a provincial paper, Ontario News North. Never read it? Too bad. It circulates in the provincial regions north of Geralton, north of Terrace Bay….ok ok….way up above Lake Superior. Its claim to be a daily is as much an exaggeration as its claim to bringing people the news of the north. But one thing it did have up until about just a few years ago was a local resident writer who wrote its most popular column. “From Nakina” by Rotzy. This senior was and is amazingly young in mind and in thinking. Sports? He’ll keep ya laughing. Political world? He’ll split your sides. Social faux pas in the news by bigwigs? You’re very likely to enjoy Rotzy’s columns.

He and partner, Miz Jo, abandoned Nakina years back, Rotzy continues to make people laugh not only in the ONN but also on our website, BOOKz, COOKz, NOOKz at www.szpin.ca

  • OBIT
  • OBIT: Bob Rotz (Rotzy) April 6, 1945 – February 25, 2023
  • Feb 20 – Rotzy’s asking, “Ever hear of the signaling stalk on the steering wheel?”
  • Feb 6 – He’s not cantankerous. He’s dead on right !
  • Jan 30 – Judicial system GUILTY of inadequacies!
  • Jan 23 – He’s on a rollin’ rant again…penal, judicial, gamble(?)
  • JAN 16 – Cdn/ON penal systems, the pits pissing Rotzy off
  • Jan 9 – Rotzy pours cold water over a lot things this week!
  • Jan 2 – issuing in a new year, 2023, following a very questionable one, 2022
  • Dec 19 – From bury to merry…it Christmas time in Ontario again
  • Dec 12 – The Christmas gift of myrrh raises questions in Rotzy’s mind
  • Dec 6 – Car probs, convalescence probs, counting probs…
  • Nov 28 – Rotzy sings the praises of Junior T….first and only time!
  • Nov 23 – Gripin’ about the snow which ain’t here yet
  • Nov 14 – remembering on Nov. 11
  • Nov 7 – Classic Rotzy – a must read, for sure !
  • Oct 31 – He’s rantin’ and ravin’ all over the place….but then it’s Halloween, so whatever spirit moves ya!
  • Oct 24 – Voted yet? Ya gotta. Ya shoulda. Ya otta.
  • Oct 17 – Technology ain’t what it used to be.
  • Oct 10 – Miz Jo near death experience…but is totally back with us.
  • Oct 3 – A Chinese dinner of topics from health to car part thieves in his condo area to Putin and Canadian sanctions…and a food review to boot.
  • Sept 26 – really ranting about Russkies, and more….
  • Sept 19 – no vacation time for Rotzy
  • Sept 12 – Buckingham Palace…the new doghouse for Brit royalty?
  • Sept 1 – More memories of the CNE
  • Aug 22 – summer is coming to a close
  • Aug 15 – Miz. Jo health report: chaos and confusion
  • Aug 8 – Disregard the incomprehensible parts of Rotzy missive…its a new computer problem.
  • Aug 1 – Rotzy’s back
  • July 11 – Groundhogs, hares and other garden varmints
  • July 4 – Canada Day, time to celebrate
  • June 21 – Battle, Brazeau and Bingo
  • June 13 – Healthy, healthier and healthiest……yay summertime !!!
  • June 6 – I DIDN’T VOTE…let me explain why
  • May 24 – hoe, hoe, hoe….the merry season of seeding and planting
  • May 16 – Mingling and sippin’ with Olympic greats
  • May 9 – Scalp ’em !
  • May 2 – Lamentations that come with age
  • Apr 25 – Earth Day, Brant Ford Stuff and then some….
  • Apr 11 – Moonlighting as a Real Estate agent…hmmmm!
  • Apr 4 – Rotzy’s slap happy about Will and Chris
  • Mar 28 –
  • Mar 21 –
  • Mar 14
  • Mar 7 – No blossoms but lots of buds replacing the Smirnoffs
  • Feb 28 – Sunday #2 Re-write….OK?….Bob A Quick Apology….
  • Feb 21 – Rotzy’s goes truckin each mornin’….but not to Ottawa
  • Feb 14 – To be truckin’ on or not to be….
  • Feb 7 –
  • JAN 31 – It’s Saturday 5:12AM….
  • Jan 21 – COVID and cranky curmudgeons, all of us
  • Jan 10 – Old people prefer the old ways, even the not so old
  • Jan 3, 2022 –
  • Dec 27 – Rotzy writes about winter pains
  • Dec 13 – Sufferin’ the “before Christmas blues “
  • Dec 6 –
  • Nov 29 – Rotzy opens offensive on many fronts
  • Nov 22 – Welcome to Scrooge 2021
  • Nov 15 – Don the dink and other remembrances
  • NOV 8 – Ford, fones, and tying a student to her desk
  • Oct 25 – lookin for a clean bill of health
  • Oct 18 – Rotzy is beginning to sound like a HORNy old toad !
  • Oct 11 – We’re surrounded by turkeys, everywhere!
  • Oct 4 – Gardening, harvesting, and political weeding/whining
  • Sept 20-27 – Heart problems slow us all down…particularly medical ones
  • Sept 13 – No one’s happy with the campaign…wait till the election !
  • Sept 6 – The election might be frazzling him
  • Aug 23 – Rotzy back to his best form ever…the election does it for him !
  • Aug 16 – Rockers, Vaccine cojones, Garden updates, GG and Hajdu
  • Aug 2 –
  • July 19 – He’s back on the rails, Aboveground railroad
  • July 12 – Turning up the ‘crank’
  • July 5 – health check, tech challenge and Canada shame?
  • June 28 – censored “rant-age”
  • June 22 – dang computer probs
  • June 7 – COVID, CARP and Indian Residential Schools
  • May 31 – Rotzy took a Victoria break!
  • May 10 – medical examinations demand deeper considerations
  • May 3 – the cremation of Rotzy McGee
  • Apr 26 – Rotzy’s kind of still feeling the effects of last weeks fuddled up column
  • Apr 19 – CARPing about more than just fish, COVID and ZOOMER 740am
  • Apr 12 – Health issues become increasingly confusing in later years…welcome to the world of COVID chaos.
  • Apr 6 – A column with less bite in it than usual
  • Mar 29 –
  • Mar 22 – COVID and Vaccination updates
  • Mar 15 – Gets “aged servicing” at BGH
  • Mar 1 – new career consideration?
  • Feb 22 – Snowfalls fuzzify brain matter
  • Feb 15 – more thoughts about Trump and his GOP cohort
  • Feb 8 – Third wave coming regardless
  • Feb 1 – Mellowing a bit
  • Jan 24 – Recipe, ‘rona vaccine testing, Washington wipeout
  • Jan 19 – Rotzy vs COVID…grrr
  • Jan 11 – rant moderation to avoid rant fatigue
  • Jan 4 – lots of complaints being heard
  • Dec 28 – Bad day at Blackrock…
  • Dec 21 – On the treadmill of stress and anxiety….huff huff huff
  • Dec 14 – Lookin’ back a lot…ranting maybe?
  • Dec 7 – Rotzy suffering: cabin fever, quarantine stress and pre-winter anxiety
  • Nov 30 – Covid, covid, covid
  • Nov 23 – Frosty the snowman in disguise
  • Nov 16 – They are remembered…
  • Nov 9 – Trump, Trump, Trump
  • Nov 2 – An election is going on? Huh? Where? When?
  • Oct 26 – Summer’s last gasp sets record one day temperature
  • Oct 19 – Mooses, masks and an orange monster
  • Oct 12 – Lockdown can go only 4 ways…
  • Oct 5 – “Nuts” all over the place
  • Sitting on the dark of the balcony…
  • Sept 21 – Brrr…snow?
  • Sept 14 – better weather means better mood
  • Sept 7 – Some ‘easy-to-agree-with’ rants and grumbles
  • Aug 31 – COVID’S getting to me
  • Aug 24 – COVID, maskin’ and gripin’
  • Aug 17 – Lots of gripin’
  • Aug 10 – RAGES: Road, pc, Leafs
  • Aug 3 – Lillies, Harry Caray and toilet brushes
  • July 27 – Some like it hot but not ROT’
  • July 20 – Vietnam, Portland, Oregon…it’s a wonderful world?
  • July 13 – Healthy, wealthy and corn!
  • July 6 – Some like it hot!
  • June 29 – back, healthy and with a vengeance
  • June 23 – Corona, colonoscopies and chaos
  • June 15 – Confirmed…Rotzy’s a lightweight !
  • June 8 – Rantin’, reamin’ and rubbin’