For many of us, a flower given in a bouquet or grown in a flower bed is the quintessential gift from Mother Nature to us.  Not only do we delight in the beauty of the flower, but we enjoy the scent and the way the greenery of the plant can flourish and spread as we tend it and nurture it.  This has always been what draws me to plant flowers in my garden… whether it be annuals, bi-annuals or perennials, flowers are sure to be a focal point of my front, back and side yard.  And since I do spend so much time outside in the warm months, I often feel like my home IS the outside.  However, with that being said, I guess I have standards when it comes to flowers and there is a line I’ve drawn in the soil that I will never cross.  Unless someone sneaks one in as a joke (that could have our relationship irrevocably severed, should it occur!), there will never be a carnation growing in my garden.

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to help the Métis Addictions Council of Saskatchewan, Prince Albert chapter, celebrate their fiftieth anniversary.  MACSI has been a key component in helping people heal from addiction through in-patient and out-patient services in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert.  This past weekend, the celebration of MACSI’s success was hosted in Prince Albert at the Exhibition Centre.  

It stands to reason with the longer days of summer drawing upon us, most of us are thinking of spending at least one of the upcoming long weekends either traveling to the lake, a family gathering, wedding or just getting away to relax and recoup.  After carefully planning, packing and beginning our journey, the last thing we want to be unprepared for is a potential breakdown on the road.  Most of us already have CAA but in the event we’ve hit that one elusive spot on the freeway without cellular access, I thought I’d take advantage of this time before the May long weekend to suggest some things you may want to carry in your emergency car kit, in case of an emergency while you’re traveling.

The smell of sweet grass and sage filled the air as I stepped from the bright outdoors into Prince Albert’s Historical Museum on the afternoon of April 26th.  There was a hum of conversation and a pleasant atmosphere giving an inviting welcome to all who were attending the unveiling of the murals created by Kevin Pee-ace, Leah Dorion and residents of the community of Prince Albert at large.  

When I was a girl growing up, my siblings and I shared a secret "language" that allowed us to have a completely private conversation even when we were in public.  I never gave it a second thought until one day my niece looked at each of us, a look of confusion marring her otherwise beautiful features, and her mother advised her she would get used to it as she hadn't learned to break the code either.  By this time she'd already been my sister-in-law for well over fifteen years.  Our "language" was something my siblings and I had never considered unique.  Somehow we thought everyone had one.  And when we couldn't articulate what we needed to say, we had a series of signs, taps and codes we used to converse by drawing in each other's palms.  My younger sister and I found this especially useful when we "needed" to communicate during public talks at church.  The secret was to never get caught laughing at what either of us had to say.  Our "language" is a huge part of our sibling family culture.  I simply can not imgine who we would be without this part of ourselves being a part of our present and past.  The truth is, we will always fall back on our "language" to keep us close and communicating, no matter where we are and what we're doing.