Rain & old farmers
They’re building arcs in the rest of southern Alberta, but it’s sunny again here for only the second or third day I remember in my 3 weeks. They’re calling it the worst floods in Alberta history, more than 3,000 evacuated, Calgary declared it’s first state of emergency ever. Apparently the worst of the rain has stopped but some rivers have yet to peak. Of course the farmers here are complaining we didn’t get enough of that rain.
The old farmers are characters. Generally great, friendly guys who’ve been working hard their entire lives and are still at it, but they bring the Canadian obsession with weather to all new heights. It’s always either too dry or too wet or too hot or too cold – rumour has it there was a good day in 1957. And they all remember exactly what the weather was like years ago and how this is the most rain we’ve had since 1994 or the earliest spring since 1976 etc.
Drivers are so strange here too. The highway speed limit is usually 100 km/h, which is plenty for my 22 year old car, but when I drive that fast on the highway—where speed can be a matter of life and death—every car (or pickup rather) I see races past me at 140 looking at me like I’m an asshole for going so slow. But then in town when I let my speed drift up toward the speed limit of 50, everyone gawks at me like I’m some kind of speed demon with a death wish.
It’s a daily occurrence to see old guys in pickups stopped in the middle of the main drag facing opposite directions carrying on a conversation. There’s room to go around so it’s not a big deal, but the other day I drove past guys doing that, went 5 blocks down grabbed something at the store and came back to find them still there.
Speaking of old guys, that seems to be about all there is in this town, kids and middle age to older people. I’m not sure where all the 17-40 year olds hide but I never see them. The few younger adults you meet are settled homeowners with families, aspiring to being 49 years old.
Anyway I’m headed out to catch some of that sun again.
3 comments:
Ah Auren, you are making me homesick for small town Alberta. Hanna eh! Say hi to Brian for me.
I think maybe your boss didn't want you to take pictures of people in mid swing cause you know how angry Tiger gets when he hears a camera in mid swing.
That's a small town for you. All the young - middle aged people go where all the excitment and room for advancement in the employment industry is. Then when they get sick of the noise of the big city, they go back to the country.
I laughed at the remarks about the farmers. Ain't it the truth. And do they, as senior citizens do, have the ability to string together mulitiple topics without taking a pause and leave you standing too polite to interrupt or walk away from them.
Glad to hear you aren't on evac notice.
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