Go to the Water

I recently joined a friend on the "Brandon Garden Tour". I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the little adventure; it was a little like the Amazing Race for us. It is incredible to see the work and dedication people have put into their yards and gardens. I noticed at many of the places that vegetables were planted among the flowers. It seemed any little spot was used to grow a vegetable. One young couple had a very eclectic front yard with nothing but raised vegetable gardens in it. They lived in a very old historic home and clearly, they lived off of their garden. It was evident that planting a garden in a perfectly straight row is a thing of the past. It is now replaced with raised garden beds, a zucchini plant in the flower bed and all sorts of creativity.   The first place that we went was to a home at Lake Clemente. I visit that lake often and I have admired the home and the beauty in this one particular yard for a very long time. I was excited to have the opportunity ...

In the middle of June, Swan River and surrounding communities received an unbelievable amount of rain which led to severe overland and river flooding. Two weeks later an even wider spread area received another large amount of rain. Swan River was hit once again, along with many other surrounding communities. This led to the City of Brandon along with fifty municipalities and six First Nations declaring a local state of emergency. The damages are inconceivable as 30,000 vehicles, hundreds of homes, businesses and agricultural fields were destroyed sending insurance claims soaring to $925 million. For Manitoba this was just on the heels of the 2025 summer wildfires which killed two people, displaced 33,000 others, burned 4% of the province's land mass and cost the province hundreds of millions of dollars.    The cause of flooding is usually a result of heavy snow fall and the spring runoff from the thaw. The heavy rainfall came without warning; the people didn't stand a chance. ...

I just spent last weekend surrounded by 28 Breast Cancer survivors and a small but mighty group of supporters. A high-performance coach from Vancouver joined the team for a training session like none other. What an impressive resume she has as a World Champion Coach and paddler and a two-time Kayak Olympian. Clearly, she was in the business to improve our performance. Some team members had already attended one of her clinics, and we all anticipated what we were about to learn.  This weekend was a year in the making, and a s the time got closer so did the flood waters in Minnedosa. The town was working very hard to be prepared for the high level of water that was anticipated. Those in charge of the clinic were well aware of what was  happening in Minnedosa and started to make a Plan B for an alternate lake. It could not have been an easy task as the  water in Manitoba was out of control. Minnedosa  won the water battle and the water crested on the Tuesday just before ...

I believe that every woman should have a little black dress and every man should have a white shirt. You must have something to wear for a dress up event, and you must have something to wear to a funeral. A black dress and white shirt cover both of those events.  In June, Facebook was filled with grad pictures. The young men looked dashing in their suits. No tuxedos anymore nor should there be. The color profile was massive; my great nephew wore salmon. What a great gift for a young man to start his adult life with a new suit. Especially, if they are on a sports team, looking for a job or just to have. I don't know who tied their ties, hopefully they did, because they looked great. No doubt, for some a google search was involved or Chat gpt. There is nothing that looks better than a well-tied tie. I used to watch my dad tie his tie in awe. He wanted it to be perfect, and he did it many times before it was just right. Nothing less than perfection was accepted. Because of my dad, I f...

The phrase "a moment in time" is used to describe a particular point or short period that holds importance or is specific, often brief period that is significant, unique or noteworthy. Often it cannot be exactly repeated.    I faithfully go to the gym; I plod around doing my thing. The group working out when I get to the gym is impressive, as they push through a very hard workout. When they are done, many of them get the mop to clean up their workout area. Sweat was just flying off of them. I think to myself, if that were me it would be the ultimate sign of accomplishment. I lived with the hope that someday it would happen. Well, someday came. I found it a tough workout, mainly because I had spent the entire weekend on the couch recovering from a cold. So, as I reached down to pick up my water bottle, a drop of sweat hit the ground. I realize this is a stretch, and perhaps the humidity of 1000 played a part, but nonetheless, my sweat was on the floor. In my little workout wor...

What prompted this post was when I heard a breast cancer survivor tell her story on the news. She was preparing to run a 44km marathon. She felt by sharing her story it may inspire others. She ended her interview by saying, "beautiful things woven into ugly things".   Just recently, my Dragonboat team had a practice day, as opposed to our regular Wednesday night practice. Pink Ladies were everywhere. As I watched them get ready to paddle, I was curious as to how many accumulated survival years this team would have. They all have their own unique story, not one journey is the same as another paddler. There is one exception, their stories all end the same, they are all breast cancer s urvivors. Being on a Dragonboat with other breast cancer survivors is a perfect example of a beautiful thing woven into the ugly things.  When I first joined the team, as a supporter, I assumed it be like a support group; there would be lots of talk about breast cancer. Dragonboat paddling is ...

Since I got my Ford Escape in 2019, I have only had the oil changed at the dealership. Clearly, I had missed something because the "Change Oil Soon" notification was showing up every time I started my vehicle. Never ever in my lifetime of owning a vehicle has this happened. I made the decision that an independent oil changing place would be my new practice. I decided it would be the "Great Canadian Oil Change". I have to say, during the last 7 years there have been many changes in the oil change world. Although, I have had my oil changed this way, the young man that had to maneuver my questioning must have wondered. He was very nice and patient as he had to keep asking the same questions until I managed to come up with the answer he required. Once the Q&A was over, the mechanic then presented the oil options and price list on a big computer screen. I made a huge decision to go with the middle of the pack oil choice. He punched in my decision, and I handed over m...

I was leaving Mark's Work Wearhouse when I nearly collided with another woman. We were the only two in the entire parking lot, but somehow, we ended up doing the two step to avoid a collision with each other. I believe the reason this was happening was because she was looking at the dress I was wearing. I know that because she said, "I was just noticing what a nice spring dress you have on". Of course, a simple "thank you" is not adequate for Faye. Oh no, no, I have to launch into a long explanation. I informed the total stranger, that I love to wear dresses, and I just said to myself, "you have to wear the dresses you have in order to buy more". I am sure that information she will carry to her grave. I did spare her my usual reply which consists of, where I bought it and how much I paid for it.  I love wearing dresses, except in the wind. For some reason it brings out the little girl in me. My dress collection consists of at home dresses, spring dress...