Green is the color, football is the game

 As a child and teenager I paid no attention to the football season, Canadian or American.

That was before I became a resident of Regina. By the time training camp was over, it was obvious that to have any connection with the talk in the office, or anywhere else in Regina for that matter, some fundamental football knowledge was in order.

At that time, remembering the score was often sufficient. The Roughriders were not winning games. In fact, the crowd roused with excitement if the team escaped past their own end of the field! The quarterback was “J.J. Barnagel”, the sharing of halves between Joe Barnes and John Hufnagel. The prospect of any real news to cheer about was slim at best, but in Saskatchewan no one ever considered any other team. The 'Riders are owned by their fans. They were, and still are, the only professional sports team in the province.

After a few years of growing my roots into the die-hard following of the Roughriders, I had become a part of their “13th man,” an avid fan. It had nothing to do with the advent of Gainer the Gopher, but his rising stardom did not deter my enthusiasm.

There is a common saying that you can leave Saskatchewan, but you cannot leave the ’Riders. They are known to have more fans in more cities across Canada than any other team.

I had moved to Alberta by 1989, and my boss had visited Regina on a business trip. On my desk Monday morning was a package wrapped in a Regina Leader Post and tied with baler twine. It was my “stubble jumper kit” – T-shirt, pin and other ’Rider memorabilia. I asked if I could wear the shirt to work if the team won the Grey Cup. The answer was, “Yes.”

On Nov. 20, 1989, I wore my shirt and covered the walls with banners. It was the second Roughrider Grey Cup in history, and a time to celebrate!

I continue to be an avid Saskatchewan Roughrider fan. I follow the schedule and watch or listen to most of their games. I wear ’Rider gear. But I have never attended a game in person. In Regina days, we were always penny-pinching or busy hosting company. When we moved to Alberta I was promised a game but my husband, a chef, was usually working on weekends. Now his health problems preclude attending such an event.

Someday I hope to experience the excitement of cheering for my team with thousands of other fans at a game. In the meantime, I will continue to follow the Saskatchewan Roughriders and proudly wear my green and white! Go ’Riders!

"Green is the color. Football is the game.

We're all together and Winning is our aim.

So Cheer us on through the sun and rain.

Saskatchewan Roughriders is our name."

A funny thing happened at the wedding

Almost every bride I have ever met has wanted her wedding day to go smoothly. They desire perfection.

But life is not perfect. The spontaneous things that happen on a wedding day are what people are most inclined to remember. If you want some happy memories, be ready to react to everything with a smile.

I attended a wedding where, in the middle of the sermon, the groomsman fainted. He suddenly dropped backwards to the floor. While someone made sure he was okay, someone else fetched a chair. He sat on the chair beside the best man for the remainder of the ceremony.

At one outdoor wedding. the bride was standing in the archway at the top of the hill, ready to make her way to the “altar”. A whirlwind came just at that moment and lifted her headpiece and veil completely off her head! Without missing a beat, she grabbed it and carried on down the “isle”. I couldn’t help but wonder what she was silently thinking about the half hour she had just spent putting that headpiece in place.

I was entertaining on the keyboard at another outdoor wedding celebration when, again, a small whirlwind blew through. My music book blew down onto the keyboard, hitting the “demo” button. What an abrupt change of music style that was!

As I was playing the organ for a church wedding, I could see glimpses of the bridesmaids in the foyer, but nobody was moving into place to start proceeding up the isle. I improvised (and perspired a lot) for another twenty minutes before things began to happen. I later discovered that the bridal vehicle had had a flat tire on the way to the church. Even more interesting, it happened near my home and my brothers were the ones who helped the bride out of her dilemma, wondering all the time how little sister was managing the delay!

One wedding I was involved in was held on the Labour Day weekend. That is a weekend one can usually count on some decent weather, when many people enjoy a last camping trip for the summer. However, we woke up on the appointed morning to six inches of snow! The bridesmaids nearly froze in their spaghetti-strap dresses.

Perhaps the best/worst experience of playing for weddings was one held in the chapel of a university. The event had been planned as a small, quiet evening, but during the final week those plans grew. Three days before the wedding, I was asked to play the organ. Since I had some music somewhat prepared from previous occasions and could not think of a sufficient excuse, I agreed. I arrived early, only to discover that the organ would not switch on. Shortly before start time, some guys pushed in a piano from the hallway. Talk about “winging it”! With little visibility and only a hymn book for piano music, the wedding went on. It really is true that, generally, people don’t think of what the song is as long as there is music!

After observing these and other minor bloopers, I have learned that there is no reason to fear a special occasion. Memories are made from well-executed plans with hiccups.

Nerds and nice guys along the trail

Now that I have had my bicycle for a while, I’m building leg strength and becoming braver about where I ride.

Red Deer is known for its scenic trails, so while spending the weekend at the Lions Campground I decided to take a longer ride and try them out. What a pleasant surprise! The six km. round trip to Bower Ponds was so much fun, I retraced the route and went another 2.6 km. to Heritage Ranch and back. No doubt my muscles will remind me tomorrow.

Along the way were several sights I was not aware of before. Riding underneath the bridges was unique, with a couple corners one would not want to take too fast or one would land right in the river!

Then there was the old railway bridge, now a pedestrian/biking bridge. I went across and back just for the experience (it was not really part of my route).

Bower Ponds was bustling with people of every age – children in the playground, paddle boaters and canoeists, families watching the geese with their goslings, people just enjoying the view. Heritage Ranch was similarly busy.

However, there were a couple groups along the trail, the “nerds” of the day, who need to learn trail etiquette. Ringing a bell seemed to mean nothing and made the coming hill especially hard to climb. Parents, teach your children to stop when a bike passes, not run all over the trail! I was not the only one to apply the brakes and walk past them.

One jogger must have been listing to music, with no comprehension of his surroundings. Just as I stated to pass him, he veered left right into my path! The trails are for everyone, but some don’t seem to realize that they hinder the flow of traffic.

The opposite is also true. At one point I came upon three “nice guys” with skateboards, riding the hills. Their appearance would make an almost-senior wonder, but as I walked my bike past them on the bridge, they said hello and smiled. I was admiring the scenery at the end of the bridge before riding a sharp corner and descending a steep grade. As these guys came by, one turned and called, “We won’t hold you up on the hill!” And they certainly did not. My wheels were up to 36 km/hr, but they had already disappeared!

Another pair of “nice guys” on a tandem bike passed me as I stopped for some pictures. They graciously asked if I had a bike problem. That offer may have been welcomed earlier, when my chain jumped off the sprockets. But my cycling friend at work had briefed me on what to do in that situation, so I knew to stop pedaling immediately and the chain went back on without wedging tight.

Now I already looking forward to the next time we spend a weekend in the city so I can explore more of Red Deer’s scenic biking trails, avoid more “nerds” and meet more “nice guys”!