Radically Retired

Tag: My Town

  • I Won’t Ask

    I Won’t Ask

    On a recent daybreak walk, I noticed that our city’s historical court house (built in 1928 and designated as a provincial heritage property) was nicely framed on two levels by the foreground trees.

    There was no traffic at that time of day, so I felt safe to inch back and forth on the middle of the street, trying to get a balanced shot of the framing of both the main entrance with its front lawn fountain and the central cupola at the top.

    Unfortunately, the unruly tree branches didn’t fully cooperate for the photo I saw in my mind’s eye, but this was the closest one of several attempts.

    I wonder if the city maintenance crew would trim those branches on the left a bit for me.

    It’s fun to imagine that I could be so influential for the sake of a photograph, but no, I won’t ask.

  • Sometimes Nasty

    Sometimes Nasty

    Blue green is one of my favourite colours except when it applies to the type of algae on the river that meanders lazily through our prairie city.

    I still enjoy my early morning power walks on the trails and paths alongside the Souris River.

    I’m just not enjoying the views as much now that the annual algae bloom has set in.

    The Souris (turns into the Mouse River in North Dakota) is very shallow here. As a result, a rainy summer (which washes nutrients from nearby fields into the river) followed by heat in excess of 30°C (86°F) for an extended period, and an unusual zero wind for weeks on end, makes for perfect conditions for an extreme algae bloom.

    And blooming it is! This year, in places, the algae mat is so thick it looks like a wrinkled carpet.

    The next photo shows opposite sides of one of the bridges I walk across on my trails.

    It must get trapped under the bridge for a bit before it moves on

    Blue green algae is toxic to pets and livestock and the usual big flocks of ducks and geese have chosen elsewhere to have their last summer swims before making their way to warmer climes for the winter months.

    Thankfully, our drinking water supply isn’t sourced from the mighty and currently nasty Souris.

  • Happiness Is … Giving

    Happiness Is … Giving

    Community Living is an organization in our province that collects gently used clothing and small household items that are re-sold in Value Village thrift stores. Proceeds go to support those in the community with intellectual disabilities.

    The Yellow Bin website explains:

    The clothing and small household items you donate go directly towards helping people with intellectual disabilities. We take the money raised by your donations and use it to help fund the programs offered by Inclusion Saskatchewan. Thanks to your donations, people with intellectual disabilities are provided the support they need to pay rent, buy food, find employment, and be included and valued members of society.  

    Whenever we hold a garage sale, we contact Community Living when the sale is over. They send someone to pick up everything that’s left. Besides not having leftover items go to the landfill, it’s a convenient service and an easy way to donate.

  • Happiness is … Tatagwa Parkway

    Happiness is … Tatagwa Parkway

    Tatagwa Parkway is the name of the trail system developed in our small prairie city for hikers, bikers, and walkers.

    The system includes 180 acres of land adjacent to the Souris River and encompasses two large nature habitats.

    The paths that make up the trail also run alongside city streets, down a long lane towards health care facilities, and along the river boardwalk.

    The majority of the paths are peaceful and away from housing and city traffic, and even the ones that run alongside a street can offer something new to keep an eye on (such as the progress on our new hospital) and the many beautiful yards along the way.

    Slated to open fall 2026

    Because hubs and I live close to the centre of the city, I walk from our condo to all of the trail heads.

    I choose path combinations that add up to the 5 to 6 Km (3 to 3.7 miles) distance I aim for in each power walk. This allows me to have many different experiences vs walking the same route day after day.

    Tatagwa is a Cree word that means, “It is flat” … definitely apt for this area of our province.

  • There’s Dirt in the Air!

    There’s Dirt in the Air!

    Starting on Thursday this past week, an extreme low pressure system arrived here from the west.

    With it came winds with sustained velocity of 75 Km/h (46.6 mph) and gusts to over 100 Km/h (62.14 mph)

    We had mistakenly left our windows open after the night, and within a couple of hours of the wind starting, hubs mopped up enough dust from the floor, that it looked like the floor hadn’t been mopped in years.

    Winds aren’t uncommon here on the Canadian prairies and we’ve had tornadoes in Saskatchewan almost every summer for as long as I can remember, but this wasn’t that.

    It put me to mind of what it must have been like in the “dust bowl” of the “dirty thirties”. I can’t imagine dealing with something like this for a decade. Two days was plenty long enough.

    Hubs and I had to go out (to purchase a fan of all things) and I could feel and taste the dirt in my mouth long after returning home.

    My feature photo was sent to me by a dear friend. This was their farm yard on Thursday and that’s their topsoil in the air in the distance. They had just finished seeding that field.

  • Spring Has Sprung

    Spring Has Sprung

    On my most recent morning walk, signs of spring were finally evident.

    Greening grass
    and Canada Geese everywhere
    Red Winged Blackbirds are back
    (Robins too but I couldn’t catch one)
    Buds are opening

    This time of year brings the promise of summer, especially along the hiking/walking/biking trails and it always brings to mind the little verse I learned in my childhood:

    Spring has sprung

    The grass is riz

    I wonder where the birdies is

    The birdy’s on the wing

    Now isn’t that absurd

    ‘Cause everybody knows

    That the wing is on the bird

  • Wordless Wednesday April 29/26

    Wordless Wednesday April 29/26

  • Happiest Places

    Happiest Places

    After walking the same six streets over and over again in our south Texas park for the past six months, I’m loving being back to our walking/biking/hiking trails here at home in Sask, Canada.

    There’s just something about the trees getting ready to leaf out, the fresh air, the river, the variety of trails, and the familiarity of home that makes my morning walks here at home so peaceful, meaningful, enjoyable, and special.

    The winding trails are always inviting
    Bridges over the Souris River are plentiful and varied in design
    Our city does a great job of path management and maintenance
    The river views from the many bridges are always peaceful and grounding
    One of the many bridges on this trail – one day I’ll make a post about all of them
    You always wonder what’s around the next bend

    Do you have a place that’s your happiest?

  • Decorated Dugouts

    Decorated Dugouts

    I recently walked over to one of our many parks because I learned that this past spring, murals had been painted on the backs of some of the baseball dugouts.

    The one in my cover photo spells out our city (Weyburn) in symbols.

    These works have brought art, colour, and fun to the site.

    There are a few more dugouts in this park, slated for completion next year.

  • Murals at Home

    Murals at Home

    Sticking with my Monday Murals theme, I decided to feature a few from where we live.

    This mural was completed in panels by the community. The artist who created it, made it a paint by number, so that anyone who wanted to, could paint a part of it.

    That artist/designer won a $1,000 award for her idea and for including community involvement.

    Each hand is holding something that defines our community, and the tiger lilies scattered throughout the painting are our provincial flower.

    The sunset in the background gives a shoutout to our province’s motto “The Land of Living Skies” (our sunrises and sunsets are nothing short of spectacular).