PRAIRIE WINTER

As this is our first winter in Saskatchewan we're having some adjustments to it. For instance, the sun doesn't come up till nearly 8:30 a.m. Today, it was -18 degrees with a windchill of -33C. If we were still in Ontario, this would've been called a "snow day" and I'd have had the kids under my feet all day. They don't let the kids stand out at bus stops in this kind of cold, and the bus companies won't run their buses for fear they'll damage their engines. Ha!

Here on the Prairies, you drive your kids to the bus stop (okay, I was the only mom to do so, because I'm a suck) in the dark, and wait in a warm truck till the bus comes. Most of the teen boys had no boots or hats on, even with the wind blowing that -33 degrees around. The kids were standing in the bus shelter, although a few stood outside to line up to be the first on the bus. As soon as it rounded the street corner, my two kids jumped out of the truck and raced over the snow bank to get in line.

A friend told me that the schools out here only close in winter if it's a) -40 degrees or b) if it's blowing snow over the highway so it's a white-out, or it's a howling blizzard. Last winter the kids only had 2 "snow days". No wonder the pioneers on the Prairies were such hardy stock. They had to be! I can't imagine surviving these temperatures in a sod shack, no better than a lean-to, with my cow in the living room.

Take that - you teenage posers for "Canadian Idiot" by Weird Al Yankovic! :) He's obviously never felt REAL cold before! (and we have elk up here as well as moose, Al, just so you know...)

Having Some Fun Today

I came across these two links and thought I'd share the laughs.

The first one is from YouTube. Search for "Canadian Idiot" and you'll get Weird Al Yankovic's song sung to the tune by Green Day. It's a hilarious parody that even mentions my home province of Saskatchewan. And while it's making some people angry on an eloop for the Globe and Mail newspaper, I think it's one of Weird Al's better songs in a long time. Glad to share with my American friends and family!

Try Oddities for a story about two Boise, Idaho ice rink employees who drove their Zambonis to Burger King for a late night snack. One has to wonder...

REMEMBRANCE DAY

I wanted to share two pictures from Camp Julien in Kabul, Afghanistan from their Remembrance Day Ceremony held November 11th.

LGeneral Rick Hillier, Commander of the Army was there to lead the ceremony and spoke of the 42 soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan since 2004.

On Saturday, November 11th, during Coaches Corner of the NHL Hockey Game, they played a musical tribute behind the pictures, names, and places of the 41 men and 1 woman who had died in combat. Don Cherry is an outspoken supporter of our Canadian military.

We attended our Remembrance Day ceremony in the local Civic Centre which was standing room only. I was surprised at the number of local people who took their children up and had wreaths to lay at the memorial cenotaph.

I realize this is a writing blog, and I've been absent for 10 days while my dh had my laptop. I just wanted to pause, before I get back to my writing, to remember those 42 courageous Canadians who gave their lives for doing what they believed in. God bless them.

PISCES ~ Feb.20 - March 21

I'm taking a page from Toni Anderson's blog today and running my daily horoscope, which is hitting my life so bang on it's scary...

Normal People Scare Me is the title of a documentary movie about high-functioning autistic people. It might also serve well as the title of your life story's current chapter. Ordinary everyday reality is your greatest enemy right now. It threatens to ensnare you in a numbing trance at the exact moment when you need to saunter off into the unknown. Habit and routine are exerting a seductive pressure that could distract you from the fascinating tests you really need to embrace. The ironic fact of the matter is that at least for the moment, you should be wary of your longing for security.

And who thought computers could just be random? Ha! What did I say yesterday about needing to put-butt-in-chair? I then emailed a gal pal to say that I wished I could just have a humdrum routine to get me through this stressful time. Well, if even a computer-generated horoscope is warning me against laziness, I'd better work through the hard time by throwing myself up against the wall of the pit and start climbing out of it! Shake it off and keep on going, as it were.

Thanks for posting that on your blog, Toni! I posted mine to remember to keep my eye on that end goal, as well as getting my family through this current phase. This too will pass. In the meantime, no moaning about security or being lazy!

PROVING YOU JUST NEVER KNOW....

A few days ago I was moaning about my book BA and deciding to take up my new WIP and get on with something new. Then I got my partial back from an agent. She had agreed to crit it as part of a Retreat. She didn't ask to see more, but she rated all the important stuff (to me, anyway) such as dialogue, pacing, characters, plot ("original") as "strong" and my writing as "vivid, strong - I loved it!". She loved it! And here I was thinking of trashing the whole thing!

There's my heroine up there. My bad guys are going to be beside her too, because I don't think Blogger will put them below my text. Bikers are bad guys, in fiction and in real life. Some time I'll write up some of my biker stories from my cop days. Right now, I have to do the mom thing and go make supper.

But, I'm delirious! She loved it! Even though this is a stressful time for my family - I should be brushing up on my spelling mistakes and sticking my butt in the chair to get this thing overhauled. And then I think I'll send it off to her again and see what she thinks of my reshaped plot. Music to my ears! She loved it. I think I'll tack that critique on the wall for those days when the snow and sleet are closing in. :-) And how was your Halloween?