Jill Browne, from home and away

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Away: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Drove back home to Calgary

It was one of those blue Alberta days, the high-pressure, semi-euphoric air mass finally giving us an uplift. The winter dust and grime didn’t look so thick today.

Best of all, the little gophers, aka prairie dogs, Richardson’s ground squirrels, were standing by the road here and there. I didn’t see many, but there were a few between Edmonton and Red Deer.

The prairie dog life cycle includes a lot of time spent underground: all winter, much of the summer and fall, and at night.

Dr. Gail Michener at the University of Lethbridge has studied them closely. One of her many interesting findings about these little guys is that the dates of starting and ending hibernation depend on age (juvenile or adult) and gender. The boys and girls are not all upstairs at the same time, though of course there is some overlap of they would be the Shakers of the animal kingdom.

Here’s a link to Dr. Michener’s explanation of the yearly cycle of the Richardson’s ground squirrel.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Away: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

What a nice day to hang out with good friends doing nothing in particular.

It’s been a long time since I lived here. My Edmonton experience breaks into two periods. The first time, I was on my own, had just arrived in Alberta, didn’t know anything about anything, but had a job at a garden centre and that was all I really needed.

The old house where I rented a room and shared a kitchen and bathroom with two other women (strangers to me when I arrived) has long been torn down and a high-rise apartment put in its place. It’s probably just as well, because the nostalgia would be overwhelming.

I met one of the women years later at the wedding of a mutual friend, though of course I had no idea we had a friend in common. It’s that six degrees thing again.

Her secrets are still safe with me.

The day included a trip to Greenwood’s Books. Always a pleasant browse. I bought a book. I asked, “Do you have magazines?”

“No, sorry, we have no magazines.”

“Eighteen Bridges?”

“Except that one.”

Eighteen Bridges is a new Alberta-based Canadian literary mag. One of the two founders, Lynn Coady, is a friend. The magazine just won an award for best new mag of the year. If you support reading and literature in Canada, subscribe!

So, I bought a book and a magazine.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Away: Drove to Edmonton

I didn’t look forward to the drive north to Edmonton today.

OK, let’s get it over with, no one in Calgary looks forward to going to Edmonton, thanks to our inter-city rivalry. But, shock, horror, I’ve lived in both places and each has its charm. The drive between Calgary and Edmonton can be beautiful in the spring, as the migrating birds return.

Spring?

I woke up this morning to see on the AMA’s (Alberta Motor Association) website: Winter weather warning.

Fantastic! Just what I was hoping for!

I was lucky. The bad weather with the snow and wind and ice and all that was west and south of my route.

A calm and pleasant drive to our provincial capital.

Didn’t see any swans at Red Deer though. Too early, I guess.