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New Book Launch!!!!!

9/24/2020

My new book Thelma: A Life in Pictures is hot off the press and will be arriving in stores soon. So you're invited to a book launch!!! Virtual of course.

It feels a bit odd to launch a new book with no in-person encounters and no roster of events for a month of getting the word out. But life as it is requires that we do things differently and make the best of it. The great thing about a virtual book launch is that folks can join from anywhere in the world. That's big!

The book launch for Thelma is set for Thursday, October 15 @ 7 pm (Sask. time) hosted by McNally Robinson Booksellers on its online platforms Zoom and YouTube. You can get the watch details from their website by clicking the image below 👇

Please join us! I would love to see you there ♥

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Finding my Scandinavia

9/22/2020

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I only know one Swedish word but it's a good one. Fika. Fika is a cultural institution. A coffee break. A pause in the day. A time to slow down, enjoy good company (including your own) and (usually) a sweet bite to eat.

I first had fika (fee-ka) while visiting a friend in Stockholm three years ago. At the time, I did not know I had Swedish heritage. I have since discovered that I have Swedish genes through my paternal grandmother's grandmother. In other words, through the female line.

Foreseeing a long cooped up covid winter ahead, I have decided to embrace my inner Swede. Warm quilts, flickering candles, winter walks and, of course, fika.

Today I made a fika favourite ~ kannelbullar ~ Swedish cinnamon buns. Since they are best on the day made, I gave most of them away. Fika is for sharing, even in pandemic times. I feel more Swedish already. Note to self ~ October 4 is National Kanelbullar Day ☕️☕️

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Happy Birthday to Us

9/4/2020

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It's Saskatchewan's birthday. It officially became a province with a legislative ceremony on September 4, 1905. Doing the math 🤔 that makes Saskatchewan 115 years young. In honour of the day, here's a photograph of its biggest city, Saskatoon, as it looked in 1905.

I love this old photograph. Would you have guessed this little three-elevator-town is Saskatoon?

At the time, Saskatoon was not yet a city ~ it was three little towns of Saskatoon, Riversdale and Nutana. They amalgamated as a city on July 1, 1906, with a population of 4,500. Since Saskatoon was the largest of the three, they took that name.

Can you place this view? The photographer is standing on the east side of the river looking west over downtown. The three elevators stand on ground that is now the Midtown Plaza. Beyond the elevators, well, the entire west side of the city is so much farmland.

The Bessborough Hotel was not built yet, but it now stands on the river at the bottom right, but that's another photo for another day...