A hearty ‘Howdy’ and a firm handshake is a familiar greeting in our area.. it’s cowboy country! But it is not limited to the rural area, but in the city as well. The western flavor of the city of Calgary is beginning to fade, being replaced by huge skyscrapers and big business. That is, until the annual first week in July. For 10 days, the world famous Calgary Exhibition and Stampede has a grip on the city.

The kick-off to the event is the Stampede Parade through downtown. The streets are line with locals and visitors from many parts of the world. Marching bands, commercial and ethnic floats, and dignitaries do not disappoint the visitors. This year, there were 700 horses in the parade. The riders are members of riding clubs, competitors in the rodeo, members of several First Nations in Alberta, and even some recognizable people in the entertainment world. People everywhere are dressed in western wear; jeans, kerchiefs, cowboy boots and Stetson hats. Those who can’t afford a Stetson, can purchase replica hats at any department store.

After the parade, the Stampede grounds are open and the rodeo begins. Competitors from many parts of the U.S. and Canada compete in events involving horses, topped off each day with the Chuckwagon Races and an evening stage show. This year, it was reported that 1.2 million people went through the turnstiles to attend the myriad of events.

If you are interested is seeing more about this event, including photos, visit the Calgary Stampede website.

Tags: Horses Hats Howdy

1 comments View Entry

I’ve been mulling over words for my ‘G’ blog, and these three words, Grace, God, and Gift kept coming back to mind, even during several sleepless nights. What can I write about something that is very dear to me, but may not be the same for others here on The Hill.

I am not a gospel preacher, I don’t call myself a Christian (that word has been spoiled by and for too many people), but I am an avid follower of Jesus, God’s Son. I know that God loves me even more than I will ever understand, and that love was shown by God's grace... the undeserved gift of His Son who willing gave his life as a payment for our sins (we are ALL guilty).

If you have read the “About Me” on my page, you will have already learned that about me. The following quote is from the modern translation of the Holy Bible, called ‘The Voice”. If you are not familiar with that, come to my page and follow the link to more more about it.

 ^8-9 For it’s by God’s grace that you have been saved. You receive it through faith. It was not our plan or our effort. It is God’s gift, pure and simple. You didn’t earn it, not one of us did, so don’t go around bragging that you must have done something amazing. Ephesians 2:8, 9 (from “The Voice”)

Tags: Gospel Personal

1 comments View Entry

When we purchased our first computer in 1983, it was considered a business tool. If I learned how to use it, I would be able to help my husband in his business by creating ad files and financial records. I read the tutorials, learned the meaning of a bunch of new words, and have never lost my fascination with the technology.

Now, in my retirement, I still use my computer every day to communicate with friends (all over the world), create new friendships with people I probably will never meet in person (NOTH and FB), read books (the print is bigger), listen to music (YouTube), and do some shopping (Ebay and Varage). I still enjoy and prefer emails from many friends who tell me about their family and the ups and downs in their life, as well as interesting sites that they have found on the Internet. Funny animal videos (we no longer have pets), happy and funny videos of weddings and other family events (some are also very sad) from people around the world, household tricks to save me time and money (some don’t work), and recipes (they look good, but I’m sticking to my favorite recipe collection) are all fun and entertaining.

I’m fascinated by the convenience of my tablet when we travel, and my “smart phone”, (used for talking, taking pictures and texting, even though I’m still a one-fingered instead of a two-thumb typist). I wanted to learn how to use these “tools” to keep in touch with family, especially grandkids who are now young adults.

One more ‘f’ word that we hear far too often these days… fake! It’s used all over the place; in advertising, religion, manufacturing, health, politics, and relationships. It could be fascinating at times, but rarely funny. We need to be aware that even though the stuff we read may be fascinating and funny, it is not always the facts.

Tags: Opinions News Technology

2 comments View Entry

Tags: Shop Hobbies Sports

2 comments View Entry

Last year, I had the opportunity to reconnect with a former neighbor. She had introduced herself when we moved into our new house, next to her home, and we connected immediately. However, both of our families moved several times, and we lost touch.

Delores was a talented seamstress, a group leader for Weight Watchers for many years, and after surviving cancer herself, spent many hours as a volunteer at a Hospice. After our  surprise meeting and exchange of loving and enthusiastic hugs, we went to a Tim Hortons for a coffee and a chat. It’s hard to catch up on what has happened in our lives for the past 25 years, but she did tell me that she is now a recognized expert in the making of reborn dolls. I had never heard of such a thing, so she invited me to come to their home for tea some afternoon, and she will introduce me to some of her dolls. I was able to visit her a couple of months later, and when she gave me her address, I discovered that I drive past her trailer park on the way to the city. Pleasant surprise, number two!

When she introduced me to some of her dolls, I was overwhelmed with her creative talent. She told me that she has made over 800 dolls in the last 10 years, and her expertise is in creating life-like dolls from photos that are given to her by customers. Many of them are parents or grandparents, giving her photos of the latest arrival to the family (child or grandchild).

Here are two of her dolls… (L to R) Delores with "Happy Babe", the larger doll in the center photo was made from photos of Baby Prince George; and mutual friend with a newborn baby.

Tags: Reborn Dolls Friend

3 comments View Entry

I have been hit with a bit of nostalgia this evening. We’ve had so much hot weather in our area this month, and we’re not used to it. I can cope much better when it is cold. I heard this  statement a long time ago… “When it is cold, we can always put on another layer of clothes; when it is hot, we are limited to how much we can take off before we could be arrested.” I have a feeling that doesn’t always apply these days. Even on moderate days, we can see far more that we need or want to, thanks to the fashion styles. Sorry, I digress!

We were in the city for a short time this afternoon, and were tempted to stop for an ice cream cone. After considering the high price, we decided that we could wait until we got home because there was ice cream in our freezer. That sparked a conversation about enjoying ice cream when we were growing up on the farm.

To have an ice cream treat was quite an ordeal. We didn’t have electricity so Dad would make sure that he would have ice in our “ice house”, where blocks of ice were covered with lots of straw, in an underground cellar. Dad would chop the ice in small pieces, pack it around the metal container that Mom had filled with a custard mixture that would become vanilla ice cream. We took turns at the crank that kept the container moving so there would be no lumps, while Dad kept adding salt to the ice. I realize that if someone would ask me why he would add the salt, I would not be able to answer because I didn’t know. I went to Google, and surprise… I found the answer. Click on this link because the answer includes the kind of ice cream maker we used. Wow… another ‘c’ word… computer!

In season, Mom and I would walk to pick some wild saskatoon berries by the creek, or pick strawberries from her garden, and if there was no fruit available, we loved to pour some Rogers Golden Syrup on our ice cream. It was better than caramel (in my opinion), but we do have some in our pantry today.

The one thing that is missing is a freshly baked cookie, like my Mom made. I stopped baking cookies a long time ago. We rarely include desserts in our meals, and if we do hanker for something baked, we go to Costco. It works for us!!!!!

Tags: Memories Treats

1 comments View Entry

I made my weekly trip to the town closest to us, to deliver a pile of clothes that are much too large for me now, since I changed my eating habits, to the “slightly used” clothing store in town. I also bought groceries because we anticipate some guests later this week. I enjoy the 25 minute drive on the off-freeway road, to view the mountains in the distance, the farmland, and the activity at the small aircraft airport. On this trip, I suddenly realized that I was enjoying material for my next blog.

It has been an excellent year for the ranchers because the hay crops are tall and thick, and the machines were busy cutting and baling their crops… lots of feed for their cattle this coming winter. On the opposite side of the road, a large herd of buffalo were up against the roadside fence. More often now, we here about the bison ranch just west of us, but they are still buffalo to us. I was also reminded of the fields of barley we saw when we traveled to our hometown last weekend. They were green, tall and thick, and so far have not been visited by hail, heavy winds, or downpour of rain. Farmers are dependent on the weather. No wonder they are always making comments … it’s either too hot, too cold, not enough rain, too much rain, etc. We’re hoping the crops will be undamaged at harvest time.

If you haven’t visited my page lately, drop by to see the photos that I took of the bales and buffalo in our area. I finally have a summer theme on my page. I hope all of you are enjoying a great summer so far.

Tags: Farming Ranching Crops

1 comments View Entry

It's been a few months since I have done a bit more than browse The Hill to check on my friends. I still love this Social Network, but a combination of events and circumstances has limited me from participating as I have done in the past.

After receiving a number of private messages, asking me why I haven't written any blogs for some time, I decided to give it a try. Many may not find my topics very interesting, and that's fine with me, but working on an Alphabet Challenge make me think, and helps to keep up my typing skills. I'm not much of a fan of texting yet... I love the convenience of it but I don't type with my thumbs, only with my index finger on my dominant hand.

I still love to learn new stuff on my computer, and am feeling much more comfortable with Windows 10. I still prefer to use Chrome as my main browser, probably because I am a HUGE fan of Google. I much prefer WORDS to graphics, which I have explained on my main page, because sparkling graphics don't tell me anything about my new friends on NOTH. I have noticed that lately, more and more people on The Hill have almost nothing but graphics on their page, list their age as over 100 years, and no indication of where they live. That doesn't do anything to help connect with a friend... no likes or dislikes, no hobbies, no favorite books, movies, or music, nothing in the “About Me” section. We used to learn a lot more from our Pen Pals when we were in school. I find it so interesting to learn about other places in the world... customs, favorite foods, family etc. Even when I put “important” information on my page in red type, it is often either not read or ignored. I have very good friends here on The Hill, and my only regret is that I will never meet them in person. The next best thing is having great conversations in private messages and personal emails.

Now you have an idea of who I am, here on The Hill. This is my anecdote for this time. When I think of a 'B' topic, I'll be back. In the meantime, here is a link to where we spent last weekend, my birthplace in eastern Alberta, Canada.

Enjoy your week! 
Mona

Tags: Alphabet Returning Story

2 comments View Entry

I’ve never been a big fan of zoos, unless I could go with young children, especially our grandchildren. Watching ‘little people’ delight in animals, no matter the size or reputation, seems to show a mutual respect between animals and children. I don’t like watching animals pacing back and forth in their enclosure. I suppose for many people, it is a treat to see real live animals from far away places; animals that they would normally only see in photos books.

We have visited one exotic animal “attraction” on a family vacation, including our grandkids, which I did enjoy very much. It is an animal park near Escondido, California, that is quite different. San Diego Zoo Safari Park is an expansive wildlife sanctuary, home to more than 3,500 animals representing more than 400 species. The animals have large fenced areas where they can roam to their heart’s content; it is the visitors who are ‘caged’. To see the animals, we boarded an electric train that toured the 1800-acre park. The grandchildren had so many questions, and we were treated with squeals of delightful laughter.

What can I say about zippers? Thank goodness somebody had the smarts to invent such a useful item. If I had to rely on buttons on my jackets, my housecoat, and my wallet, I likely would be short a button or two (or more), and my cash would probably be in a draw-string sack. Now, when I’m shopping at my favorite Thrift Store, looking for an item of clothing that is so cheap that I can’t afford not to buy it, I look for a zipper closure, if appropriate. My favorite “treasure hunt” is for leather and nylon handbags. Quality leather is one thing, nylon is easy maintenance, but zippers are a must. Zippers keep stuff organized and secure, so that I won’t lose anything, should I drop or mishandle my purse. It’s hard enough to forget stuff, but even worse to lose important items.

I’ve said enough. It’s been fun participating in this A-Z Blog Challenge, second time around. How many blogs do I still need to write to complete the whole alphabet? ZERO!

Tags: Challenge Blog Complete

3 comments View Entry