The entire premise of a Secret Garden is to have it hidden to some degree. You want to create an intriguing, memorable feeling about it. I’ve always thought that, if space allows, you should never be able to view an entire yard in one glance. Rather consider having one or two places that you must get closer to, in order...
Why the apathy about growing debt?
Isolated? Bored? If the walls are moving in on you, maybe it is time to read the handwriting on them. What I am reading on my walls is not nearly as amusing as the messages left on bathroom stalls. We now live in a world where people are not concerned about debt and the impact of escalating debt on themselves...
Am I a COVID Jedi warrior? Or just a little unlucky?
Have you had your first COVID poke? As I write this, it has been two days (well, a bit longer) and I could still just crawl right into bed. I do not say this to frighten anyone away from being vaccinated. NO. But I’ve heard some people saying, “I didn’t feel a thing!” (which I didn’t either. The tiniest of...
I took my needle like a big boy
I have been vaccinated. It was such a relief after a year of living in uncertainty and, at times, fear. From what I saw on my visit, the Saskatchewan Health Authority has the procedure of getting us vaccinated down to a science. The only hiccup during my visit was being told I put my mask on inside out. I, um,...
Volker Gerdts leads VIDO’s charge against COVID
The news out of China was worrisome in late 2019. By the last day of December, alarm bells were ringing: a new and frightening disease seemed to be rearing its head. In very early 2020, the world was riveted on a virus that would be named COVID-19 — and no one more so than Volker Gerdts, director and CEO of...
Book Review: Scenic Bridges: A Collection of Bridge Motifs
by Fritz Stehwien Published by Landscape Art Publishing Review by Michelle Shaw $29.95 ISBN 9780991964987 Scenic Bridges, the latest release from the Fritz Stehwien Estate, is a delightful visual study of bridges around the world, in particular Saskatoon, and also reveals a gifted artist’s creative development and perspective through the years. Saskatoon is well-known as the City of Bridges (eight...
It’s a sellers’ market in Saskatoon
It’s time for another update on the real estate market here in Saskatoon. February was another busy month for real estate in the city and the surrounding area. The total number of sales in Saskatoon were up 230 units in February 2020 to 352 in February 2021, an increase of 53 per cent. New listings in Saskatoon were up by...
Does CFL need XFL to survive?
It’s rare that the Canadian Football League makes headlines — in two countries, no less — in March, but when there’s money and merger on the line, not to mention potential for salvation and/or demise, headlines come easy. The CFL, which abandoned its 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, was in infant stages of organizing the 2021 season when...
Province bears some responsibility for death of horse racing
It’s a shame that we will no longer have live horse racing in the province. It was announced recently that Marquis Downs in Saskatoon will be closed permanently. I have loved going to the races since I was kid. My dad would take me when the track was in front of the old grandstand on the Exhibition grounds. My love...
10 movement snacks and other small steps to well-being
Snacking is bad for you, right? Well, not necessarily. When we use the idea of “snacking” for exercise, or just movement, and other aspects of this, it can take us far on our daily goals to live better. We still need our full, well-balanced “meals” of gym workouts, running, etc. But these little “sneak ‘em in” tactics can help us...