After a two-week absence from Restoration Farm, the raspberries seem to be in scarce supply. It is a bit like a treasure hunt. I’m entitled to one quart over a fourteen-day period, but I must dip under thick clusters of leaves and weave my way through thorny bramble with the hope of finding a hidden gem. As is often said, “
reade more...
Into Each Life Some Garlic Must Grow
No doubt about it, garlic is pungent. Some might even say, “It stinks.” I don’t think I truly understood the power of garlic until the first time I cooked up a batch of garlic soup. It was a recipe out of Bon Appetit and probably included 40 cloves of garlic. The soup was creamy, sharp, savory and slightly dangerous, and I’m not exaggerating when I say the memory of
reade more...
The Charming Mr. Wotherspoon
I have a lovely neighbour. He is probably about 90 years old. He always notices the little things I do to improve my home. For example...
It was the middle of winter and I was in the midst of a full renovation of my house. The dumpster was full. I had no window coverings. They gutted walls, replaced plumbing, rebuilt. One night I receive a phone call. "I see a big paint job coming up....." in a waivering voice. Out of the blue I receive a phone call from a neighbour whom I barely know, whilst I am living amid all my furniture in the basement. What? Oh yes, yes, the interior of my home!
"I will be painting it myself," I said. "Well," he said, "you did a great job on the exterior of your house. I am sure it will be wonderful."
Then another day I received another phone call, "You know that tree in your front yard? It didn't look so healthy last fall, but it is lovely now."
And then my doorbell rang a few days ago. I am always hesitant to answer an unexpected doorbell. But I am so glad I did. It was Mr. Wotherspoon with some fresh cut roses from his garden.
"Not the best," he said. "They are so lovely," I replied.
Am I not the luckiest gal to have a neighbour like this!
Murraydale Ranch Rodeo...103 years old
This is a great little video introducing you to the Park.
It is literally in the middle of nowhere! I had crude instructions on finding it. I turned off the Trans Canada Highway at Tompkins and headed south into the Cypress Hills and up on the bench. The most beautiful parts of the road trip were also the places I could not stop and pull off the road.
The Cypress Hills, which were never glaciated, have a rich and exciting history. They are known as an erosional plateau having been formed by millions of years of sedimentary deposition followed by millions of years of erosion. An archaeology project started in the 1970’s has revealed human inhabitation of the hills for more than 8,500 years. (from the Cypress Hills Provincial Park, Alberta website) But I have to say that I didn't take any pictures in some of the most scenic spots!
 | ||
| Driving south up into the Cypress Hills and onto the bench. |
 | |||||||||||||||||
| The Cypress Hills bench in the background. |
 | ||
| The children work in teams of 4 and have to catch a calf and ride it for a specified amount of time. The girls are just as tough as the boys! You have to be in shape for this. They ran back and forth around that arena for about 20 minutes. |
 |
| Yes, collecting recyclables in a beer box! |
 |
| This little guy loved being on his horse! He was strapped in so he wouldn't fall and looked as comfortable as can be. His Mom held the reins. |
