Prairie Sky

Today I went hiking at Beaver Creek, and was greeted by an amazing cloud formation on the sky.

Two months ago I took the exact same route.  Here are a few pics I took then.  Two short months, and such an amazing transformation of creation...

Nasser

I have a new housemate.

This past winter I realized that owning a house is expensive.  Because of the cold prairie winters, I was paying upwards of $400 on utilities some months.

The right way to deal with this unexpected expense is obvious: 1- finish the basement of my new house, or 2- get a housemate.

I opted for #2.  I put in an ad in kijiji 2 months ago and didn't get many bites, but late last week I did get one.  We met last week, he looked at the house, I asked him some probing questions, and here he is, now he's my housemate.  I pray that this was a good decision.

Spain Beckons

 What struck me about yesterday's performance was that it included student performers, young and old.  Watching kids - especially this one little boy - doing the moves, snapping their fingers, tapping their fee, was just amazing.  They had us roaring in approval...

Of course it wasn't just students, but some professionals too.  Here's the only picture I took of the evening:

At the end of the performance they had a Q&A session, and one of the questions asked by a crowd member was whether or not the guitarist offered lessons.  He smiled and nodded in approval...."Yes.  Give us a call", he said.  My heart lept.  I wonder whether I should...

All this talk about flamenco and music - Jesse Cook, Gipsy Kings, etc... - is convincing me more and more that I need to return to Spain. Places like Malaga and Sevilla are beckoning.  That's where greats like Carlos Montoya, Camaron, and Paco de Lucia hail from.  Now, more than ever, I want to go there and immerse myself in flamenco culture...

I also want to walk the Camino again.  Maybe take a different route...like the Portugués; or if I have less time, maybe the Inglés; or maybe I need to re-interpret my last walk - so many things have changed - and re-do the Original.

Potatoes Are Up!

Here's proof!

Other veggies are up too: onions, zucchini, and green beans.

One of the most interesting things I've learned about myself since moving to the prairies is how much I enjoy gardening.

Jesse Cook x 2

What a treat.  I saw Jesse Cook twice this week: Thursday night here in Saskatoon, and last night in Regina.  That's worth celebrating...

He released his latest album, One World.  Musically, he tries to combine music from a number of cultures, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and then adds some modern elements and sounds.  I like the result much more than his last album, but I much prefer his stuff from 10+ years ago, like Nomad or Frontiers; even The Rumba Foundation has more appeal to me than his new stuff, but still, Jesse is Jesse, and whatever he tinkers with in the studio usually comes out sounding like genius.  And he's such an amazing musician and performer.

He played the same set on both nights, and it was something along the following lines:

Cafe Mocha

Gravity

Taxi Brazil

Once

Bogota by Bus

Incantation

Gaita

Havana

Baghdad

Intermission

Shake

Bombai Diner (or was it Bombay Slam?)

Azul

Luna Llena

A lengthy medley (Mario Takes a Walk, Closer to Madness, Air, Jumpstart, Matisse the Cat, Gipsy, and I think there were at least 3 or 4 other mixed in there)

Fall at your Feet

Cecilia

Saskatoon pictures:

Regina picturres:

I am thankful that I got to see this wonderful performer not only once but twice in the past few days.  I find that his music inspires and calms me in a way that little other music does.

Here is the ending of one of his best songs, in Regina: Fall at Your Feet.  This was the second to last song they played, and they came out into the middle of the crowd to sing it.  Wonderful.

A Warm Day in Saskatoon

Finally...my seeds are sprouting!  Ten days after short cold spell, my plants are on their way up and out of the ground.

Corn's up.

Patatoes are up.

Beans and zucchini too.

No carrots yet, though.  And tomatoes are struggling...I planted them too early.

Today I did some weeding and watering, and it was nice not having to leave home to do it.

I'm really enjoying my front porch and back deck.  Friday night after the memorial service at work I had some coworkers over for some drinks on the deck.  This morning I sat out in my front porch and did some reading before the sun got too hot.  And once it got too hot I just switched to the back and continued there.  Now, as I'm writing this, it's too hot in the back so I've switched back to the front.  Later on I plan to bbq some beef kabobs and grill some veggies.  

Someone once told me that I'm a home body (it was a compliment), and at the time I wasn't sure she was right, but I think she was.  I love being at home. Of course sometimes it'd be nice to have more company but overall, I'm content at home.

 It's safe to say that spring's here to stay (or give way to summer) now.  Today's high is around 26, yesterday was 25.

Spring And Fall

Here are my two latest paintings, about half/three-quarters done.  I should be able to finish them up in 3 weeks' time.

I almost bought a painting to put up on one of the many still-empty walls in my house, but I just couldn't do it.  It was $900, and that with a 35% discount.  I can swallow $500, but that's about it.

Hiking Saskatchewan Landing

One of the biggest adjustments for me over the past 2 years has been the lack of hiking in Saksatchewan.  Because of the flat terrain, extreme weather, and sparsely populated areas there's just not much of a hiking culture here.  And compared to BC, there just aren't many established hikes around.

On the other hand, there are some interesting factors that make one think hiking would be more  popular here.  People don't freak out over the extreme weather - extreme is normal - so weather's not really an excuse.  People love driving - cars are a huge part of the culture: people have no qualms about driving long distances by car to go camping or "to the lake" - and so going on a day or weekend hiking trip by car shouldn't really be a deterrent.

Anyways, whatever the case may be for the lack of hiking culure here, today was Victoria Dy and the weather's warm and sunny (albeit a bit windy), so Eric and I got into my Jetta in the morning and drove south today, towards Swift Current.  We wanted to go explore this beautiful province on foot.  About 35 minutes north of Swift Current we stopped at Saskatchewan Landing for some great hiking.  We stopped at the local information centre but they were closed (another sign of being in Saskatchewan - why on earth were they closed on basically the first hot weekend of the summer!).

It was a rather short hike, only around 6kms, but still, we enjoyed the surrounding scenery, had a good chance to catch up, and the hiking was good.  Below are a few pictures.  I like the contrast: dry hilltops, lush valleys, blue water in the distance, and of course, the main character of any prairie setting, the sky.

When we first began hiking, after 11am, there was still a cold breeze around us, so we wore long sleeves.  But by 1pm it was hot.  It was a clear day, not a cloud in sight.

We finished our hike around 3pm, and afterwards we stopped in at a golf clubhouse nearby for dinner.  The food was decent and with a variety of choices - sandwiches, wraps, tacos, and burgers - but unfortunately they all fit the "fast food" category.  How I'd have loved to have a nice pasta dish with a glass of wine....

What salvaged the clubhouse experience though was our waitress - a girl in her late twenties - friendly, talkative, a great sense of humour, and very easy on the eyes.  She'd just moved here from Vancouver, full of life, enthusiasm, and optimism.  Eric and I didn't want to burst her naive, innocent bubble, but we did feel it our duty to gently inform her that moving to a new place is exciting, until the novelty wears out and you have a few experiences that bring you back to the real world.  Still, her enthusiasm was contagious and admirable.  I left the clubhouse with a smile on my face.

We arrived back in Saskatoon around 7pm, tired, but energized by a good day trip, solid hiking, and some thought-provoking conversation.

Tomorrow it's back to work.  The next 3 weeks are quite busy, highlighted by a tour to the cathedral with our residents and an anniversary party for the Monsignor in early June, and a memorial service this Friday.

Gardening Day

Yesterday I planted my garden.  I got outside around 10:30am, after sitting on my front porch and reading Pope Francis' The Church of Mercy for a while.  It was enjoyable reading, sipping my coffee, soaking and in the warm rays of the sun.

It took me awhile to work out the garden layout.  I wanted to make it a beautiful space, not just a functional place.  To accomplish this I planted some pampa grass, sunflowers, lavender, and an Asian lily in the corners.

I also incorporated some walking space, so that I have a place to stand on when tilling and weeding the ground.

Below's the layout.

The weather's still rather chilly, particularly at night.  I trust that in the coming days it'll warm up.

After finishing the garden I mowed both my front and back lawn.

Then, Amanda - my newly found neighbour-friend - and her friend Dan dropped by for a bbq.  I cooked up some burgers and put some veggies on the grill too.  Amanda brought a salad, and together we had a nice evening meal and conversation.

Thank you Lord for the simple pleasures of life.  I pray for a grateful heart to recognize more of these moments.  Amen.

Forest Scenes

I went for some more painting classes in Moose Jaw yesterday.  I find I'm getting faster, more comfortable "in my skin" when holding a paint brush.

I'm working on 2 paintings at the same time, both of a forested scene; one is set in the spring, the other in the fall.  I'll go back in 3 weeks' time to continue working on them.

Late Snowfall...Again

Yesterday it snowed 30cms.  

The past 5 weeks have been surprisingly warm, and I thought maybe that's it, no more snow for this winter.  I got my garden box built, hauled in nutrient-rich topsoil, bought seeds and even planted some of them indoors, in preparation for growing season.  Then the cold weather returned...

Incidentally, this is the 3rd winter in a row where we've had snowfall in the last week of April.  Big snowfall; like one last horray.  I guess it's true: spring doesn't arrive here until May.

By mid-next week temperatures are supposed to hit 21C.

Below is my 2nd-favourite cafe in the city.  My favourite place - Little Bird - is closed today.  Maybe because of the a power outage last night...

Repainting Furniture

I've never been much of a do-it-yourselfer.  If my car is broke I take it to a mechanic.  If my fridge door squeaks I get the fridge guy to fix it. If the doorbell doesn't work I get a new one.

I'm not mechanically inclined, for one thing, and so I never really considered "fixing things" as a skill to foster.  This is opposite my dad, actually, who plays with his computer for hours before seeking help, and tinkers with other stuff - especially electronics - for days, trying to figure out how they work and how to fix them if broken.  Case in point, he converted a gas vehicle to an electric vehicle about 8 or so years ago.

But the one area I feel relatively comfortable with around the house, is paint.  After all, I painted for an entire summer while in university.

So a few days ago I took on the challenge of repainting old furniture, rather than selling it online and then buying new furniture.  Owning a house is proving to be more expensive than I thought...

Here are a few pictures of my dining chairs and table that I'm hoping will fit in with the rest of my living room interior once this project is finished.

Signs Of Life

I hiked Beaver Creek yesterday.  Signs of life are appearing, after a long cold winter...

It's been almost a year since I moved to Saskatoon.  I'm very grateful.

Ode To Flamenco

Last night was one of those evenings that I will not soon forget.  I went to a flamenco act and left completely blown away.  Dance.  Song.  Art.  Story.  The performers - Miguel Infante, Celedonio Garrido, and Ricardo Diaz - are from Spain, and together with local performers they put on a show that stole my heart.

Flamenco captivates my soul like few other things.  Canto (singing), toque (guitar playing), baile (dance), jaleo (vocalizations and rhythmic sounds), palmas (clapping), and pitos (finger snapping) are all part of the flamenco experience.  Add to this the elements of traditional dress and musical instruments, and the experience becomes intensely physical.

Something from the spiritual realm draws me into the experience, I'm sure.  Maybe it's the human story that's told in this beautiful art form.  Stories of delight and ecstasy, and stories of loss and despair; stories of connection and stories of loneliness; stories of triumph and stories of defeat; stories of thriving and stories of suffering.  

Come to think of it, it's the stories of heart wrenching hardship that resonate deeply within me.  Mysteries.  The unresolved and unresolvable.  The broken.  The stuff of this world.  These are realities I'm well familiar with not only in my life but also in what I see all around me.  Longing - for connection with the world around me, with my fellow neighbour, and with God.  Longing for the next world.  Heaven.  These are good desires that I yearn to have fulfilled.  And yet, they are not...yet.

I haven't read or studied much about the origins of flamenco but I''ve heard there are Indian, Arabic, and Spanish links.  The wailing sounds of jaleo, for example, are present in all 3 cultures.  This is, in my mind, a great example of the fluidity in space and time of ideas and ways of living.

Equally intriguing is the gipsy connection.  The Roma or gitanos are nomadic, always on the run, never settling, never finding a place to call home.  This makes for an easy connection with people of faith.  We too are nomads, pilgrims, on the run.  On our way somewhere else. One could also state it positively: pilgrims are at home everywhere.  They are resilient, able to deal with whatever comes their way.  The world is their home.  Whatever the case may be, pilgrims are on the go.

Flamenco is a celebration of life.  The colours of the dresses, the powerful guitar riffs, the intense clapping, finger snapping and foot tapping, the trance-inducing rhythms, the stories shared, the elegance and dignity in dance movements, the "oles" and smiles of approval by and between both, performers and audience, these are all attributes that in a simple yet profound way encapsulate the human experience: in good times and in bad, we're all in this together, let's make the best of it...

And to that I would add the exhortation: ...pursuing all that is good, true, and beautiful.

Gardening...Almost Ready

This past week I've been shoveling topsoil into my new garden box virtually every evening after work: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and yesterday afternoon.  In total, I shoveled 297 buckets of 15 litres each (4 yards) into the box.

Here's what I plan to plant this time around:

* corn
* zucchini
* potatoes
* tomatoes
* red peppers
* garlic
* carrots

I'm also considering:
* beans
* peas
* pumpkins


To give the garden some colour I'm adding:
* lavender and pampa grass, both perennials
* sunflower

The weather's still a bit too cold at night so it's not quite planting season yet, but based on the warm temperatures lately I might be ready to go in two weeks' time.

Vegetable Garden

So about a week ago I had a local landscaper build me a vegetable garden.  About 16' x 6' by 1'.

I figured that I'd need roughly about 4 square yards of topsoil to fill the box.  Earlier this week the topsoil - a 'triple mix, of earth, manure, and peat - was delivered, and today, after 230 buckets of hard shoveling, carrying, and dumping, the box is now filled.

Each bucket was about 15 litres worth, and much to my surprise, I still have about a yard of dirt left.

I'll sell it on kijiji.  Or maybe my neighbour'll buy it off me.  She needs to do some yardwork too...

$13,177.78

That's the amount of my tax return this year.  That is, that's the amount I GET from Revenue Canada.  And I thought last year's return - about $10,000 - was high!  What to do with so much money!

Then again, when I divy it up it won't go that far...

A few thousand towards the mortgage.

A few more towards RRSPs and TFSAs.

A thousand towards MasterCard.

Another thousand for tithe.

And the rest for savings.

Still, $13K ... better than a kick in the a$$.

Back to Painting

Moving to Saskatoon from Moose Jaw was a good decision in every way, except for one: I miss Lloyd and Judy's painting lessons.

About two months ago I decided to take advantage of their presence here in the prairies while I still can (they're moving back to Parksville at the end of the summer) and take some more lessons.

So on March 14th I drove down, and painted to my heart's content, for about 3 hours.  Judy fed me lunch, and that gave me good energy.  Below was the result.

Note the painting on the left, a painting by Judy.  I was trying my bestest to copy her great work of art.

Anyways, fast forward to today, and another 3 hours of work, and voila, the result:

It took me 6 hours in total to complete it.  I'm very pleased.  Painting is tremendously therapeutical.  I wish I could do it on my own, without so much need for guidance.  But then, painting is no different from any other skill - sports or music for example - it requires much patience and practise.

Before Judy and Lloyd move back to BC I'd like to do 3 more paintings:
* one of a west coast scene
* one of the badlands
* and a "set" of two, with a forest scene

Brunch, Seeds, And A Hike

Today was a day of self-care.  I needed it, after a busy month of work and RCIA classes culminating in the Easter Vigil.

I slept in until about 9, and then slowly got my day going.

Around 1pm I went to the Berry Barn, a lovely little restaurant and greenhouse tucked away along the river south of the city.  I had a burger there for brunch and then took a few pictures of the surroundings.  The temperature was warm with a slight cloud cover and with a chilly breeze, especially along the river.

After brunch I drove to Dutch Growers and bought seeds in preparation for gardening this summer.

Then around 3:30 I went to Beaver Creek for a 2.5km hike.  The terrain was varied, including flat prairie stretches as well as a few ups and downs along the river.  I hiked at a brisk pace, completing it the stretch in 45 minutes.  

Beaver Creek's just 10 minutes from my place so I'll be sure to return there and explore some more.

Pay Raise On April Fool's Day

I was told today that I got a small pay raise.  I thought it was a joke, since it's April 1st.  But nope, not the case, I really did get a raise.

-----

I told one of our nurses at work that all the nurses are in trouble because we'd discovered that somebody's been giving "expired" medication to our residents.  A big meeting was planned for later on in the day, and the riot act was going to be read to the nurses.  She believed me and panicked.  And then I said the terrifying words: "Happy April Fool's".

Daytrip To Monastery

After my recent breakup with Michelle, I felt the need today to get out of my house.  So I did.  I drove to Muenster, and visited a monastery.

I met an interesting priest there, Fr. Paul, and we had a good conversation.  After a few years of not really being in a heads pace to make my oblation and join a monastic community while living "outside the walls", today the thought of becoming an oblate resurfaced.  I will do some thinking and hopefully come back in a few months' time.

Here are some pictures I took of the monastery.

Catching Up

Well it's been 7+ months since I last wrote something in my journal.  Busyness, I guess.  As they say, "life happens", you get into this lull, this zone, you get involved in life, and before you know it months have passed, and nothing's done, no updates, no writing.

And it's not like nothing's happened in life.  Actually, the opposite is true.  New connections have been formed by way of friendships, relationships, at work, outside of work, and at church; and events have come and gone too, celebrations, parties, and so on.

When I lived in Moose Jaw I had a journaling routine that worked very well for me.  Every Sunday morning, after the 8:30am service at church, I went to Encounters or Java Express to reflect and write down the thoughts on my heart, while enjoying a nice cup of coffee.  But ever since I moved to Saskatoon that discipline has gone by the wayside.

I used the word discipline above, and that is truly the right word.  Writing is a discipline.  I remember speaking to my spiritual director in Regina about this last year, and saying to him that my way of doing lectio divina was to journal on Sundays, and he responded with resounding affirmation.  The amount of energy required to journal is surprisingly high.  Reflecting on my life, my actions, the things that are going well and the things that are horribly awry, take energy: time, and physical, emotional, and spiritual effort.

Part of the reason it takes a lot of energy for me to journal is because I use it as a way of not only documenting my life, but evaluating my actions and experiences too, and in a way that is prayerful, reflective, propelling me forward to be a more faithful follower of Jesus.  

And it goes without say that journaling implies a certain amount of vulnerability too: allowing others to see not only the things I do well, but also the things I botch up.

So in the coming days and weeks I intend to not only keep up with the present, but catching up with the past too, all the way back to July of last year.  There will be some gaps, but they will hopefully be minimal.

 

Here are the areas I will focus on:

* work / vocation - new life at St. Ann's

* home - private space at a high cost

* relationship - from idealism to realism

* family - distance and disconnect
* faith and church - the switch to Rome

* prairie life - peaceful, yet active

* travels- to Banff, Vancouver, Seattle, and Mexico

Backdated posts can be seen in the corresponding month.

Lord, give me the energy to be reflective on the life that I live, so that the events of my past can be a catalyst to better serve you and my neighbour in the future.  Amen.

Friends And Flamenco

Tonight I went out for dinner with some of my special friends in Vancouver, Alfonso, Sanjit, and Vero.  We met at another favourite, Marcello's, and stuffed ourselves with pasta.

Currently my thoughts are quite occupied with work and friendships in Saskatoon, so I don't often think about "what I'm missing" here on the west coast.  After all, I felt let down by friendships here a few years ago.  That was part of the reason I moved to the prairies.

But when I experience the warmth of community, and being with interesting, thought-engaging people with whom I have lots in common, I end up missing the west coast.  These things - community, thought-engaging friends - I don't have in Saskatoon yet, with the exception of Eric and Francis.

What got me thinking even more about the benefits of living on the west coast, was visiting the Kino Cafe, where Alfonso, Sanjit and I went after dinner and enjoyed just a fantastic evening of rhythm, music, dance, and singing - flamenco.  And to think that I lived within walking distance of this Cafe for 10 years and only visited it a handful of times....incredible.

In the coming days and weeks I will see how things work out with Michelle.  Things have been good, but there are storm clouds on the horizon.

My gut tells me that I will come back and live on the west coast.  But I think that's still a few years away.

Daytrip To MJ

I went to MJ today, to visit some old friends.  Rick, Alison, and I went out for dinner.

Boy, healing takes time.  Poor Alison is struggling, having been chased out of Providence Place by a monster.  Rick, on the other hand, while retired and seemingly happy,  My own healing too is taking time.  Things are going well - so much positive in my life currently, what with a new job, new coworkers, new friends, a new house, a new church, a new worshiping community, and a new girlfriend - but I can't deny that my heart still aches from my experiences at my previous workplace.

God, continue to heal your broken children!

I also dropped by Lloyd and Judy's art gallery to say hello.  I had a good conversation and caught up on all the gossip in town.  Tha's MJ, everyone talks about each other.  But I spent some serious money too, buying two paintings which I will be my feature art in my living room walls.  

The first painting is a farming scene set in the prairies.  This painting highlights the simplicity and peacefulness of prairie life.  The second painting is of the west coast, probably Parksville.  It has ocean, a rocky beach, evergreens, mountains, and of course, clouds in the distance.

I connect strongly with both of these picture.  The first one because of where I live now, and because of the simple beauty the prairies communicate.  The small hut in the shed, the fence, and the overgrown path reminds me of the footprints of previous generations, and how life is always in flux.  The second picture touches me because I miss the west coast - the ocean, the rocky, log-strewn beaches, and the cloudy sunsets.  I kind of sehnsucht for the coast pervades me when I look at it.