Jill Browne, from home and away

The shadow of a hawthorn tree, by Jill Browne. Calgary, February 13, 2011.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

That picture of the shadow of the hawthorn tree is from Sunday. Today I noticed the shadow again, but since we’ve had light fluffy snow all day, the branches’ shadows look twice as thick.

Wednesday is Breakfast With Suzanne Day!

Today: Cora’s in MacKenzie Town. Or maybe that was just MacKenzie. And maybe it’s McKenzie. Anyway, if you live in Calgary, you know what Mac or McKenzie is. The restaurant isn’t obvious but it’s in the same little corner on 130th just east of Deerfoot as The Keg.

The food today: Bacon, scrambled eggs, fruit, blueberry crepes and a latte. Beans as an extra (for the protein, dear).

What we found out when it arrived is there was also toast and potatoes.

Enough food for a day, in other words.

Nice food. Atmosphere better than Ricky’s, not as relaxing as Over Easy, my current #1 pick. I think I prefer Nellie’s in the Loop to Cora’s for the #2 spot, but only by a whisker, and it’s only if we get the right table. For the food, Cora’s, for the atmosphere, Nellie’s, so take your pick.

We were at about plus 12 on the weekend. Minus 17 today with snow.

And unfortunately when I went for a grit refill, the box was empty. Oh no! May have to buy cat litter if we don’t get grit, for our sidewalk.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Pictures from the past week or so.

Snow on the street. Photo by Jill Browne, Calgary, February 7, 2011.

There was more snow, though today a lot of it is gone, melted, lost.

Canadian flags at the arena, by Jill Browne. Calgary, February 7, 2011.

We went over to the local arena. There’s something about arenas that makes people want to hang things from the ceiling.

My toque and mitts to keep warm in winter, by Jill Browne. Calgary, February 7, 2011.

I put my hat (toque) and mitts on the table and thought, maybe for posterity I should snap their picture.

On Wednesday, I went to a restaurant on Edmonton Trail called Over Easy, liked it. Here’s what I et and what the restaurant looked like.

Omelette, potatoes, toast and fruit at Over Easy, by Jill Browne. Calgary, February 8, 2011.

Another day, I was down south doing some errands and saw some men working on the sign in front of a shopping centre. Not the job for me. Don’t like heights much.

You couldn't pay me enough to do this job, by Jill Browne. Calgary, February 11, 2011.

That was during the week. Then on the weekend I had to do another little errand at South Centre. (Seems like the week before everything was at Market Mall, in the north.)

When I came out of South Centre, the parking lot was empty, the moon was shining, and the sky was a beautiful evening shade of blue.

Field of lights, Calgary South Centre parking lot, by Jill Browne. Calgary, February 13, 2011.

Light standard, by Jill Browne. Calgary, February 13, 2011.

Evening, by Jill Browne. Calgary, February 13, 2011.

The shadow of a hawthorn tree, by Jill Browne. Calgary, February 13, 2011.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

I’m not sure how much imagination I have when it comes to finding a new breakfast spot every week but I’m going to need ideas by Wednesday morning, and the Wednesday after that, and the Wednesday after that, as long as we can manage.

Need suggestions.

Should serve breakfast, not just an early lunch.

Must have good coffee.

That’s about it.

Ideas? Please?

Thanks!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

When we were little kids in school, Valentine’s Day was such a big deal. First it was just the novelty and surprise of giving and getting these things, then it was a sense of relief when you actually got one (everyone in the class did, but there was always that element of suspense).
Then it was about boys and girls and who liked who, but only the girls were really promoters of that whole scene.
Big gap then suddenly the boyfriends are young men with jobs and the ability to pay for roses, dinner, a mortgage and somewhere in there, a wedding license.
Little babies come and so do pink fluffy toys, then those cute little Valentine’s cards that so amazed us with their novelty.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

One of the local news stories this past week was about our mayor going to Toronto and having a private firm pay for his trip. People tried to make hay out of the fact that the trip was paid for.

What I understand, based on no research, just listening to the radio, is that he was invited to go and give a speech. The people who invited him paid his expenses.

That seems quite acceptable to me, with one big caveat, and that is, we need to be clear on whether any elected people should accept invitations from the private sector, period, and what the rules for that should be. That is a discussion for another day.

The issue getting all the attention was, who paid for the trip to Toronto. Frankly that doesn’t concern me as much as who decides how the mayor should spend his time.

If going to Toronto and speaking at whatever venues he did is going to help the mayor advance Calgary’s interests in a meaningful way, then he was right to go. I would hope the decision to go was part of the mayor’s plan for Calgary, and that it advances a strategic objective.

Two or three days of the mayor’s time is very valuable. Was the trip worth the time?

This mayor seems to be an intelligent guy with common sense. I expect he determined it was in Calgary’s best interest that he go to Toronto and I’m optimistic that we got, or will get, some value out of that trip. Time will tell, I suppose.

One thing I’m sure of:  a working trip to Toronto in February is hardly a boondoggle.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Here is a typical winter scenario in Calgary.
Snow. Thaw. Snow. Thaw. Snow. Thaw.
When the thaw comes, the snow melts, of course.
This creates two things: the risk of ice on sidewalks and other dangerous places as soon as the melted snow, now water, freezes again; and dirty cars.
The slush and water from the melted snow mix with whatever dirt is lying around to create thin mud soup. This is just the right viscosity for car tires to spray around, and so all the cars out on the road get coated with brown mud.
The weekend can be a very popular time to go to the car wash and rinse it off.
Surprisingly, when we went today, there was absolutely no line-up. Yay, it was done in 10 minutes and feels so much better now.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

All I can say is it was a tiring week and I am really glad it’s Friday.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

OK, Christmas was almost two months ago. And yet, there is a stack of abandoned Christmas trees on the side of the road in a pull-through. Why? Because in years gone by, in the early weeks of January, the city has asked people to pile the trees there between stated dates. The city then took the trees away and ground them up for mulch. Excellent.

This year, the city did something different. They told us to put the Christmas trees out where the garbage goes, on certain stated days. They picked them up. They never whispered a thing about putting them in a big pile at the side of the road. They didn’t put up the little fences they had to mark where to put the trees last year. They didn’t put up a sign saying, “Christmas trees go here.” No, they told us what to do with the trees: leave them where the garbage goes.

Come on, people. You got the same notices I did. What are those trees doing at the side of the road?

I am open to hearing sensible explanations, but “Because they always did it” isn’t one.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

In addition to deciding to stop adding fluoride to Calgary’s drinking water, the City Council approved (by one vote, I understand) the building of a tunnel underneath the airport.

Without such a tunnel, the expansion of the airport will create a kind of barrier for those who want to get in and out of north-east Calgary.

The Mayor said it will cost more not to build the tunnel than it will to build it. I suppose the more comes from dealing with the stress on the rest of the infrastructure.

Now the city engineers and outside contractors have got a big job ahead, though in radio interviews the city’s engineer seems calm about it. Building a tunnel in and of itself is not an extremely difficult feat of engineering, and the city staff have already got a lot of the preliminary work done. The kicker is that the airport, which is federal property leased to the airport authority, is going to build the new runway starting soon. Barlow Trail closes in April 2011. It’s now February.

Expect lots of digging.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Home: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

I confess, I’m writing this after the fact and the events may not match the dates perfectly. History may never forgive me.

Calgary City Council voted to stop adding fluoride to the water supply.

This is one of the hottest issues, perennially, in Calgary. We got fluoride added after a couple of plebiscites said, “No” and then one said, “Yes”, about 25 years ago. Before then, people who wanted fluoride for themselves or their children had to get it in little bottles and add it in drops to their water at home.

I was taught that fluoride is essential for strong teeth and bones, but that too much or too little is harmful. There is an optimal range, and that is what the addition of the fluoride to the water supply was aiming for.

One lady called in to the radio and said that by boiling water for babies’  bottles, parents were changing the fluoride concentration, I think by a factor of 40. I don’t know how that fits within the optimal range, or whether it’s true, but it’s certainly something to check out if you’re in that position.

Which we now won’t be.

I expect the health unit will advise us to add fluoride into our water at home if we have kids or perhaps if we are at risk of osteoporosis.

I don’t mind. I want it, and I’ll add it. I am happy to let people who don’t want it make their own informed choice.

I also hope those same people are scrupulous about their children’s diets and dental hygiene, because the absence of fluoride will mean extra care is required to keep the teeth and bones healthy.

Wonder how long it will be before we have another fluoride discussion.