Land of the Living Skies

A couple of weeks back I had the good fortune to take yet another business trip to the Province of Saskatchewan.  This was my first visit without snow on the ground.  Awesome!  Everything was green and the sky was HUGE.  I can see why license plates say “Land of the Living Skies.”  I took the picture above with my wee point and shoot (so please forgive the graininess) from my hotel window in Regina.  In the prairies, you can literally see for miles which is likely the reason why the sky is ever-present.

I do find that when I travel to Saskatchewan I get a tug at my heart-strings for my first home back in Southwestern Ontario…also known as The Henderson Farm.  The skies there always seemed vast and as farmers, we were eternally watching them to see what the weather might bring.  I was reminded of this pull for home and my rural roots this morning while reading one of my favourite publishing magazines, The Quill and Quire.  I found a new-ish book that I plan to rustle up for my Dad (and I may just read it when he is done) called Country Roads:  Memoirs of Rural Canada by Pam Chamberlain.  This is an anthology of rural memories told by such Canadians as Pamela Wallin and NHL coach Brent Sutter.  Just reading a few snippets from this anthology brought back wonderful sensory memories of life growing up on the farm.  Sigh.

Which reminds me.  The next time I do head back home to Forest (next week I hope), I plan to listen to a new album that seems to me perfect for driving country roads in Lucy, the orange Jeep: The Early Widows by local talent Justin Rutledge.  Give it a listen if you can.  Great summer driving tunes.

Happy long weekend everyone!