Go to the Water

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...