All work and no play? - football rivalry in the workplace

It’s game day!

That could mean that it is the day for the annual Advocate-sponsored bus trip to see the Edmonton Eskimos game. Or it could mean that Ken will wear his hoodie all day to promote his Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Or maybe Edith will be sporting her green capris with white t-shirt and Saskatchewan Roughrider shoes, socks and pendant.

Everyone knows that Fred, the publisher, is a Hamilton Tiger Cat fan. He displays his colors, at least verbally, on a regular basis. There are several Calgary Stampeder fans among the staff, balanced by the ever-loyal but quieter Edmonton Eskimo supporters.

Whichever is the case, there is a fun rivalry through the Canadian Football League (CFL) season at the Red Deer Advocate.

Of course, when I was a new employee I was not aware of these individual loyalties. I started in September, and into October the peer pressure was mounting to participate in the Halloween ritual of a costume contest. I don’t usually have much to do with Halloween, so to humor my co-workers, I dressed up – in ‘Rider gear. The judges took a look, laughed and shook their heads.

The next year, I searched the internet for an inexpensive costume idea. I wore black, covered the shirt with “Dollar Store” fake spider web, spiked my hair and presented myself as the Web Site. Fred, who was one of the three judges, commented, “Well it’s better than last year’s ‘Rider gear!”

I gave up on accommodating Halloween, but it certainly established my status as a Roughrider fan. The teasing continues, and I still cheer for those Saskatchewan Roughriders!

Merry Christmas, summer style

Last weekend was Christmas at our place. The day was fun and the turkey dinner was delicious!

Most of the preceding week was spent in preparation. The small Christmas tree and some decorations were retrieved from storage and set up in the vacant house in the farmyard we are tending. The appliances are still in the house, so we used the stove and fridge and set up a folding table for our meal. It was arranged with Christmas tablecloth and placemats, napkins and place cards for the occasion.

There was a gigantic garage sale taking place on Friday, so at lunch hour I found a little more décor to supplement my meager supply. Santa hats and Christmas stockings add a festive flair to a bare wall.

The kids arrived in the afternoon, eager to display their latest “toys” and new tent. They discovered several small frogs in the grass in the “back 40” which kept them occupied for awhile. “I’ve never caught frogs on Christmas Day before!”

When an afternoon rain shower came, we took shelter in the house and looked at the photos I had been scrapbooking while we munched on mandarin oranges, peanuts, cookies and holiday rice krispie cake. Yes, colored rice krispies are only in the store in December, but we had saved enough for one cake!

Then it was time for final Christmas dinner preparations.

The cook was at his finest, with turkey, stuffing, potatoes & gravy (lots of it), corn, cranberry sauce, jello, and homemade buns. It was everything we had anticipated and more. Conversation lulled as “the bird” and its trimmings were devoured.

The kids then washed the dishes while Lyle sat by for a well-deserved rest and Edith cleared the table.

The evening was spent in a rousing game of Mexican Train, a domino game that is easy to learn but hard to predict. The competition was fierce, although nobody could find a working pen so we didn’t keep score.

All too soon the day was over and we had to come back to reality and prepare for another work week. But having Christmas dinner in July makes for a great excuse to cook a turkey!