Cathedral Art Festival on 13th Avenue

As I walked through the throngs filling 13th Avenue from Albert Street to Elphinstone Street, a distance of …….well, a long way…. from my vantage of my barely 5 feet tall, I could hardly see the kiosks we passed. It was stop and start, weaving through the crowd at my measured pace, stopping long enough to watch the Salsa Colada troupe of young girls in bright costumes perform for the crowd that blocked the path of those that kept walking. From babies in slings or strollers, teenagers and young families, to those of us several decades past; dogs on leashes, rainbow coloured hair, local musicians established several blocks apart - each one a different genre, garish dress to perfectly acceptable dress, the occasional individual in wheelchair a caregiver in tow, kiosks selling artwork, food, clothes, jewelry, books, wood carving, pottery, ceramics, tarot card reading, massage, quilting, crocheting and food trucks. The food trucks! Ethiopian, Mexican, Indian curry, First Nations, poutine, hot dogs and popcorn. The soaring churches and buildings lining 13th Ave were dwarfed by this strolling, happy crowd. 

The late spring sun was wonderful, thankfully cooled by a light wind. I did sit down several times on my journey, but, in all, I walked from one end to the other. My goal: to visit Pause, an air-conditioned coffee shop, opened just 7 weeks ago, to sit down, have a coffee and just ‘pause’ before my long walk back. On that long walk back, I hoped to get a loaf of sour dough bread that I’d seen at the beginning - but not only was it sold out, but the space where the kiosk had been, was empty - not a crumb left!

This, and other community events are all volunteer driven. In that, I saw my community with amazing potential, participation and great diversity. My photo of the clear sky barely marred by cloud and a beautiful pink quilt draped on the kiosk wall, is only a tiny sliver of it all. 

“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.”

~ Stephen Covey

On an Afternoon Walk ~ What Matters

I don’t remember flowers on that tree last spring 

but then I may not have walked that way 

when they were in bloom

or it could be one of those mind dwindles 

that lets me see things with new eyes

or I may not have been paying attention.

answering all those questions doesn’t matter 

when the sky is blue, the clouds are not threatening rain 

and the sun has warmed the air

what matters is that today my eye caught

the beautiful pink of a young tree in flower.

“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.”

~ Will Rogers

A Short History of the Prairies

The prairies are known for wheat fields and industry ~ no foolish flowers 

or graceful stands of trees 

especially for my grandparents and pioneers arriving on a flat, open plain, 

only wanting land, but somehow 

trees, flowers, and vegetables 

sprouted and grew 

with the patience of farming families and 

the longing for green growing things and bright colourful flowers

While the fields were quilted 

in green wheat, blue flax and yellow canola

it was not like the abundant gardens of home 

so gardens with potatoes, onions and carrots were planted

even if precious water had to be sacrificed to keep them alive

there was only waving grasslands and sky burning bright blue 

or gray with clouds if luck brought rain with a crack of thunder

the only relief, the night fall that erased the vast emptiness of the prairie

Now the descendants of my grandparents and pioneers

keep planting - not just fields of waving grains - but

graceful trees, foolish flowers and vegetables of many kinds.

“After the sunset on the prairie, there are only the stars.”

~ Carl Sandburg

Ode to Our Pets

Dogs and cats ~ 

lapping at our faces or

curling around our legs

walking by our side

or hiding under the bed

greeting us with a 

grinning yip or whine or 

a meow that speaks volumes

personalities that only a

pet parent can love, and

only hope to understand

(especially a cat)

with their leashes and

blankets, dishes and toys

they settle into our hearts

and there they stay ~

as any other family member.

“You cannot share your life with a dog…or a cat, and not know 

perfectly well that animals have personalities and minds and feelings.”

~ Jane Goodall

On an Afternoon Walk ~ After the Rain

To wake in the morning 

the pour of rain makes me 

pull covers over my head

but bravely I do a slow roll 

into a murky day, grateful

for spring rain after a dry winter

and on my afternoon walk, 

flowers draped tenderly after the rain.

“You have to get through the rain if you’re ever going to see a rainbow.”

~ Karen White, After the Rain

On an Afternoon Walk ~ Even the Rabbits

Should I wear a coat?

a question that hangs in the air

like the coats in my closet

or maybe the sweaters ~

if I leave them behind

and the wind is cold

I should be prepared but

if the sun is telling the truth

I’ll just get uncomfortably warm,

slinging it over my shoulder 

while spring makes up its mind

even the rabbits hesitate before

changing from white to brown

when we all know ~ it should be a picture perfect spring.

“What’s up Doc?”

~ Bugs Bunny

Dampening the Wind

It rained this afternoon

and into the evening

dampening unruly wind to stillness

and the scent of tree blossoms

unless I could put my nose

right against their pink loveliness

only passing geese are louder 

than the drip drip of the lazy clouds

until a car passes

ruffling the water on the street

and still it rains

patiently, steadily 

cooling the air and dampening the wind.

“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.”

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow