Miscellaneous

Just one of a dozen beauties. A birthday gift from my youngest daughter & my grandson. This one perched on my desktop begging for my attention.

Roses this spectacular I haven’t seen in a long, long time. Stunning color. Petals cool to the touch. The softest of scents.

No wonder I’m having trouble getting any work done this morning – sublimely distracted as I am!

As much as I love the outburst of the crocus on the prairie, my favorite spring blossom is the Buffalo Bean. And, I’m delighted to announce, from my rocky perch on the South Saskatchewan riverbank that they’re baaack! Bright and sunny in appearance – with a sweet, earthy scent – BB’s (or Thermopsis rhombifolia as they are officially known in circles Latin) are tough as all get out. When you see a Buffalo Bean peeking from riverbanks and roadsides, you know that summer is not far behind!

REFLECTION: About five years ago, we redesigned the pond in our backyard garden. Moved it further out into the yard. Increased the size. Changed the shape. Added a creek and waterfall. We, and the birds, have enjoyed it greatly.

However (and don’t you love the sense of foreboding in that word?), for the last couple of years, the water level kept dropping. We’d top it off, and a few hours or days later it would be several inches lower. The pond never went completely dry. It just dropped 8 or 10 inches and sat there – thumbing its nose at us (or at least that’s how it felt!). 

And so the problem solving and experimenting began. Check for evaporation. Not at that rate. Check for leaks in liner. Nope. Check for wet, swampy areas around the hose connections. Nope. Shore up creek walls. Problem continued.

This spring, with the problem not having resolved itself over the winter (so much for wishful thinking), it was apparent the time had come for a major deconstruction. And, so that’s what I did on the weekend. 

I ripped the creek bed apart from waterfall to pond basin. And what did I find? (more…)

Allow me toot my own horn ever so slightly by letting you know that on May 7, at the recent Saskatchewan Women Entrepreneurs’ Annual Provincial Conference, I was honored by being named Business Of The Year for 2009 in the Existing Business category.

The award is presented annually to a woman entrepreneur who has been in business for more than three years and who has exhibited the following criteria:

-expanded her business and contributed to the economy

-changed, grown and refocused in response to emerging trends

-shown long term financial viability and profitability

-contributed to entrepreneurship in the community

It was a delight to be recognized in the company of my family and business peers- a very validating and encouraging experience. The Lou Chrones painting that I received will hold a place of honor in my office.

My congratulations to other award winners honored the same evening: Kim Weimer of Fastener Warehouse and Rachel Mielke of Hillberg and Berk.

If you are interested in the comments I made on receiving the award, read on. (more…)

REFLECTION: Many of you are smack dab in the busiest years of your lives – with work, family and community obligations filling your hours and days. In mid-life when you find yourself trapped in the midst of the busyness, it can be a challenge to reach out for help.

A couple of years ago, I dropped in for a visit with my dear Aunt Eileen. At over 80 years (or at any age for that matter) Eileen was one of the most loving, supportive and accepting individuals I’ve ever known. By that time in her life, she had lost her husband, faced several health challenges, and after a lifetime away, relocated to her home province. Here she was surrounded by family, but short on friends. In a word, she was lonely. (more…)

It may be slow – but it certainly is sure!

Spring is slowly crawling its way into existence on the prairies.

I did spot pussy willows along the ditches last week. But here, now, my very own backyard garden is showing signs of life.

The beauties just needed me to get the rake out, dust off last fall’s leaves, trim back last summer’s growth, and show a little faith.

Maybe that’s the way with more things than just the garden.

Could be that to see more of life’s everyday potential, we need to spring into action, dust off the remains of the day, and be ready and willing to look more closely to discover what’s already growing right under our feet.

In the world of curiosities, this definitely qualifies. A strawberry so eager to reproduce itself, that it gives the next generation a head start. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it. That’s for sure. A strawberry plant growing out of the top of a still juicy berry, with another small berry on the plant itself. Maybe it got tired of waiting for spring and warm weather.

Thanks to eagle eyed Mom, for spotting this little multi generation critter.

These snow men and women sprang to life many miles from each other. Still, they share the same DNA and an indefatigable spirit of playfulness.

We encountered this Snow Siren in Vancouver in January. She was just barely hanging on to her dignity in the face of the rising west coast temperatures.

This couple proudly greets passersby here on Saskatoon’s Seventh Avenue.

Clearly a couple of characters out for a good time!

This will be the fourth year that I’ve contributed a painting to the Women’s Mid-Life Health Centre fund raising art auction. Dr. Vicki Holmes and her colleagues do a wonderful job of delivering mid-life women’s health services all year round; and the art auction committee delivers a lively annual event and an incredible selection of art.

This year’s auction is scheduled for Saturday, April 4th. If you’re in the Saskatoon area, be sure to check it out.

What you see here is a preview of my 2009 contribution: The Sun Seekers. It’s a bit of a departure from my usual style. Read on for the backstory to the painting…. (more…)

As someone prairie born and prairie raised, there is a certain set of sounds I associate with the middle of winter. The squeak of the snow under your feet at minus forty degrees. The sound of the wind howling around the corners of the eaves in the midst of a blizzard. The electrical whoosh of the Northern Lights in the still of the night.

Today I find myself on the west coast, enjoying Vancouver, in the deep of winter – learning a whole new set of sounds. As I walk the sea wall around Stanley Park, I am intrigued by a cracking and clacking.

It takes me a while to realize it’s the sound of the crows picking clams off the beach at low tide and dropping them on the sidewalk. The shells crack as they roll, opening up to provide a tasty lunch for the inventive birds.

Now that’s a sound I’ll never hear in wintry Saskatoon.