I love travelling and learning about new places. I've always loved living in Saskatchewan and often find myself comparing the places I visit to home.
I've eaten at some amazing places around the country and the world, but it seems the food always tastes best at the table set by my grandmother, mother, siblings or cousins. I feel we have the best of the world growing out of the soil right here, and when I hear about recalls for meat I can bet it isn't from the cows from the farm just down the road or from the wild meat brought home by the hunters in the family.
At this time of year there are still a few fresh vegetables trickling in and with the cooler weather I'm more inclined to do some baking to heat up the kitchen and fill the house with delicious scents. It feels like home, a prairie home and a simple life just the way I like it.
I spent some time in Montreal this summer. It was during the heat of the season and, although I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, there were things I couldn't comprehend.
I know Montreal is an old city but I figured with its reputation for beauty and educational institutions it would be a smart and modern place as well. One of the first things I noticed was the running toilets. They seemed to be everywhere, in restaurants, the college we stayed in and even in the airport. I was reminded of recent campaigns in the Battlefords to reduce water waste through the use of dual flush toilets. It seemed so easy to conserve water by using less per flush and stopping the running with new fixtures.
Here in Saskatchewan we seem to have an abundance of fresh water, but many people also realize how important the resource really is. Comparing Montreal to the smaller communities in our region can seem silly, but if doing something simple and relatively inexpensive such as changing toilets can save so much water here, just imagine how much water could be saved in a place where millions of people live.
I like living in an area with fewer people. It seemed to take ages to get across Montreal by subway and bus. Although I was fascinated by the changes in architecture along the route, I'm happy to be able to travel from town to town in less time than it takes to cross the city, with time and means to stop for a quick visit or coffee stop along the way.
I guess for me, home is where my heart is, and my stomach, and my sensibilities and that home is Saskatchewan.
