23 Nov
Featured

Knitting; a most enjoyable pasttime

Barbara EllisNovember 23, 2020

A neighbour and fellow knitter asked me to help her out by knitting some premie-baby caps and mittens. I accepted with enthusiasm because I have always loved to knit. Unfortunately, as I began the first cap, I found that my fingers were not as agile as they once were. Not long ago, it would have taken me less than an hour to knit such a tiny garment. When I was finished, I fingered the soft bonnet and tried to remember how many years I have actually been knitting.

I am a World War Two baby and my homeland, along with most...

5 Nov
Featured

A delightful day in Carburn park

Barbara EllisNovember 5, 2020

Most of our world will not look back on this year with undiluted pleasure. I recall the Queen saying that the year 1992 was her “Annus Horribillis,” and well, that phrase certainly describes 2020. Having said that, are we not having a most remarkable autumn?

Not long ago I had the pleasure of strolling through Carburn Park. This magnificent park stretches itself out along the eastern shores of the Bow River and is one of Calgary’s largest parks. The day I was there the park was filled with people walking, running, bicycling, picnicking and just plain enjoying themselves. Not only is...

13 Oct
Featured

A great day on the Camino

Lesli Christianson-KellowOctober 13, 2020

The first time 70-year-old Ariana Rose Brackenbury walked the Camino de Santiago, there were times when she thought she wouldn’t be able to complete the 780 km trek. But in the end, the excruciating pain of black and blue toes,...

9 Sep
Featured

The town that changed Alberta

Wendy PortforsSeptember 9, 2020

The small town of Turner Valley, just 63 kilometres southwest of Calgary, has a history steeped in the petroleum industry, with the development of Canada’s first commercial oilfield that triggered Alberta’s first oil boom in 1914. This is a historical look...

26 Aug
Featured

The longest journey

Jerry CvachAugust 26, 2020

Just like many others before us, one day we left home to improve our lives. The reasons vary. It is usually either for religious, political, wars or penury reasons, but the result is the same. We didn’t know that by...

7 Aug
Featured

86-year-old YouTuber teaches Italian cuisine

Andrew McCutcheonAugust 7, 2020

It’s very easy to get the feeling that Mariano Trivelin doesn’t measure to the milliliter, in some calculated fashion like other chefs you could watch at home. In the 86-year-old’s video on how to make homemade gnocchi pasta, he takes a...

14 Jul
Featured

Sunny weather, at last!

Barbara EllisJuly 14, 2020

Finally, a warm and sunny morning. It won’t be long before the trees will be in bloom. The bushes are already happily showing off their baby leaves which burst their buds overnight. The trees have a shade of green about...

8 Jul
Featured

The Purveyors of Possibilities

Andrew McCutcheonJuly 8, 2020

It’s a Saturday morning with crisp June air, just cold enough that you can see the steam coming off of paper cups of coffee, held in hands by folks sitting in hard plastic chairs on a cold concrete driveway. They are...

7 Jul
Featured

It’s not the size of the trailer

Lesli Christianson-KellowJuly 7, 2020

The rain was coming down hard. My family and I were warm and dry in our 1973 Scamper trailer. We were enjoying our annual camping/gold panning trip to the Cariboo region in B.C. My daughters, six and nine-years-old, were stretched...

26 Jun
Featured

The ironing board

Barbara EllisJune 26, 2020

Today’s the day, I can’t put it off any longer. I have to get that ironing done. With all the determination I could muster, I wrestled my ironing board out of the cupboard and dragged it into the living room. The...

14 Jun
Featured

Tiny homes for Canada’s larger-than-life heroes

Sheila AddiscottJune 14, 2020

In November, on Remembrance Day, we remember those who have given their lives in service for Canada. Nevertheless, there are thousands of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) veterans who return after their service who struggle to find their way home. Calgary-based Homes...

9 Jun
Featured

Seeing Europe by boat

Jerry CvachJune 9, 2020

Seeing the European continent from a cruise ship is a very different experience. We booked our first cruise in 1988, and how the times have changed since then. When we were packing back then, we needed an extra suitcase just for...