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See you at the fair

Ruth Griffiths
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See you at the fair

Since 1883, Prince Albert Exhibition Association has been showcasing the best of agriculture at a summer fair. I enjoy watching the heavy and light horses, cheering on the chuckwagons and browsing the trade show in the Armoury. But for me, the best part of the PAEx is the horticulture show. I enjoy competing and seeing the entries others have brought for the various competitions.

One of the new classes in the horticulture section is Class 718 Ikebana flower arrangement. At the suggestion of committee member Ken Harder, this class was initiated last year and drew 10 entries! It’s not too late to enter this competition for this classic Oriental  flower arranging style. or any of the other competitions for fruits, vegetables and flowers.

You can enter the horticulture section up to the morning of July 31 but it’s a good idea to contact the Prince Albert Exhibition office now to get the Agriculture and Horticulture Prize Book and be assigned an exhibitor number.

Along with other members of the Horticulture committee, you’ll find me at the Exhibition Centre throughout fair week, July 30  to Aug 3. The horticulture exhibits will be judged on July 31 and then open to the public for viewing daily noon to 9 p.m.

For the first time, this year  you will be invited to cast a ballot for your favourite exhibit. The exhibit that receives the most votes will receive the People’s Choice Award sponsored by A&W.

Prince Albert is one of the last truly agricultural exhibitions in the province. The summer fair is an opportunity to see the best in agriculture firsthand. Of course West Coast Amusements will provide an action-packed midway. There will be plenty of free entertainment on the fair grounds, including chariot races and rock bands at the grandstand.

But for me, the summer fair is all about the Exhibit Hall.  I’ll see you at the fair!

Planting seeds for the summer fair

Ruth Griffiths
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Planting seeds for the summer fair

This is an exciting season for gardeners … planting seeds and preparing to put out tender plant starts. As you make your plant selections this year, give some thought to entering the horticulture competitions at the 2024 Prince Albert Exhibition.

I have participated in competition at the summer fare for a quarter century and it never loses its shine. Each year I learn something new about preparing exhibits for competition. I learn how to trim vegetables, how to select the best blossoms, how to create a prize-winning flower arrangement. But it’s never too late to start and there is lots of room for novice competitors.  If you’ve never been part of this exciting garden show perhaps you could do it this year for the first time.

There is no entry fee and every winning entry gets a cash prize or a gift certificate. Each entry must have an official tag attached witth the class name, the variety and the exhibitor’s number and name written on it. You can get your entry tags in advance at the Exhibition office or when you bring your entries to the show on the evening of Tuesday July 30 or the morning of Wednesday July 31. You can learn more details by visiting the Exhibition office or calling 306 764-1711.

You can pick up a complete prize list at the Exhibition office that will give you all of the information about each class. For example there are separate classes for different types of potatoes: pink and red, white and gold, blue and purple, Russet, and novelty. Four mature, evenly matched potatoes are required for each entry. The first prize in each class is $5, up from $3 last year ,  making it worth your while to enter. If you have always thought you had better potatoes than those shown at the fair, this is your year to shine.

There are separate classes for children. Last year the children’s class for a bouquet of wildflowers was well contested. With the top prize of $8 this year, it is well worth the effort! Another popular children’s class is a model made from fruit, vegetables, roots etc. Maybe your child’s imagination can turn a zucchini into a submarine!

If you are a first-time participant in the horticulture competition you will find many experienced committee members willing to help you find the right place for your entries. Just make sure that you have your exhibitor number on each entry or else it cannot be judged. You can get your exhibitor number when you bring your entries to the main hall at the Exhibition Center.

As I tour the garden centers this week I will be keeping in mind my possible entries for the Prince Albert fair. It is the highlight of my year and I’m looking forward to seeing you there too!

What to do for the “Two-Four” weekend

Ruth Griffiths
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What to do for the “Two-Four” weekend

“The Twenty-Fourth of May is the Queen’s Birthday.

If we don’t get a holiday, we’ll all run away.”

You might remember that little ditty if you grew up in the post-war era. Celebrating the Sovereign’s Birthday was popular with children because it usually meant a day off school.

After the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, the Canadian government set aside a day to honour her, thus establishing Victoria Day as May 24.

But this year, Victoria Day is May 20. That’s because in the 1950s, Canada moved Victoria Day to the Monday preceding May 24. Our King, Charles III, was born Nov.14, 1948,  but a year ago a proclamation declared Victoria Day as the date on which to celebrate his birthday in Canada.

Canadians love Victoria Day, but often don’t do much to celebrate the monarchy beyond enjoying an extended weekend. It has become a weekend for opening up the cottage, barbecues or gardening. It is a  federal holiday and a provincial holiday except in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

In Saskatchewan, Victoria Day will be celebrated in Regina with a family friendly birthday party at Government House. There will be a car show in the parking lot, a petting zoo, facepainting and cookies.

According to  the Canadian Royal Heritage Trust website the King’s Birthday celebration in Canada started with a military flavour. “It was the occasion when the local militia, all the able-bodied men in a community, undertook their one day of compulsory training, if one could call it training. Basically they marched around for a couple of hours on the village square carrying their own muskets or rifles or pitchforks, then went for a beer at the local pub. The promotion of the Victoria Day weekend by a Canadian beer company as the Two-Four (acase of 24 beer) Weekend actually has historic roots therefore.”

Whether you are in the garden, out at the lake or opening a case of beer this Victoria Day, take a second or two to wish the King a “Happy

Birthday”!

Column continues despite disability

Ruth Griffiths
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Column continues despite disability

Mother’s Day is the 27th anniversary of my column in Rural Roots.

Rural Roots was created by Prince Albert Daily Herald in 1990 and distributed free to homes in North Central Saskatchewan. It’s an area that I know well, having grown up in Tisdale.

I moved to Prince Albert as a bride in 1969 and worked for a year in the lab at Victoria Union Hospital, before returning to classes in Saskatoon to finish a Bachelor of Science degree. I interned at the Prince Albert hospitals and became a Registered Laboratory Technologist. My first job was in the lab at Prince Albert Medical Clinic. In 1975 I left behind my science career to become a stay-at-home parent.

I started work in 1981 at the Daily Herald as the Women’s Editor. I thought it would be for just a year or two, but I ended up working 29 years for the Herald. I moved to being Assistant City Editor, then City Editor and finally Rural Roots Editor in 1997 and began to write this weekly column. 

After my husband died in 2006, I became a certified fitness instructor. My first regular class was with seniors at the Heritage Centre. It’s an age group with whom I feel a special kinship.

In 2009, I became the instructor for the Easy Adult Fitness program offered by the City of Prince Albert at the Margo Fournier Centre and later the Alfred  Jenkins Field House. Due to arthritic knees and failing eyesight, I retired from working for the City in 2022. However I have continued to lead chair-assisted yoga at Abbeyfield House and Calvary United Church.

In May 2010, when the editorial and composing functions of the Daily Herald were centralized in Moose Jaw, I was laid off along with eight other people. I continued my relationship with readers by writing this column. You can see that the continuous thread through the last 27 years has been writing this column, which I do from home. Writing this column has been a special privilege. With the help of assistive computer technology to compensate for failing eyesight I hope to be able to continue writing this column for years to come.

As certain as death and taxes

Ruth Griffiths
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As certain as death and taxes

Benjamin Franklin said it first: “… in this world nothing is certain except death and taxes.”

Personal income tax returns were due on April 30.

If you don’t file your taxes by the due date, CRA will charge a penalty of 5% and an additional 1% for every month until you file your tax return.

But it wasn’t always like this in Canada.

Income tax was first introduced in 1917 when Canada was struggling with mounting debt due to wartime spending. Canada did more than its fair share during The Great War. When Canada had exhausted its borrowing power with Great Britain and the United States, the nation looked inward for financing. The Wartime Tax Act was passed by the Borden  government as a temporary measure. Income tax  was levied mainly on businesses profiting from the war.

It was not until 1949 that the Income Tax Act as we know it today (in modified form) came into effect. During the post-war years about 4% of Canadians paid income tax; today 80% are paying income tax.

Before 1917, the federal government’s major sources of revenue were import and export taxes. The first recorded taxes levied in Canada were in 1650 by Louis XIV. the King of France. He charged a 50% export tax on beaver pelts and a 10% tax on moose hides!

According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, the Canadian tax structure changed profoundly during the Second World War. By 1946 direct taxes accounted for more than 56% of federal revenue.

Personal and corporate income taxes accounted for 72% of the total tax revenue for the federal government in 2022.

It’s clear that after more than a century, the temporary measure of income tax isn’t going away!

As it was in 1917, when income tax was introduced, Canada is involved in wartime spending through NATO and other alliances. As it was in 1917, Canada is deeply in debt. It’s no wonder that the  recent federal budget has introduced new taxes.

Some think Canada’s tax rate is too high. However, Canada had a tax-to-GDP ratio of 33.2% in 2022 compared with the OECD average 34%. In 2021 Canada was ranked 23rd out of the 38 OECD countries in terms of tax-to-GDP ratio.

Although I struggle every year to complete the income tax forms, I am grateful that I have enough income that I an required to pay taxes. Those taxes pay for the services that I need. Taxes provide me with a lifestyle that is enviable around the world. Canada consistently ranks as one of the best places to live.

I’m not a financial expert and I’m sure you will have arguments with some of the statements in this column. I can only tell you that because of taxation Canadians live longer and more fulfilled lives. Death comes for us all, and taxes are just as certain, but for Canadians taxation makes life better.

How about that weather!

Ruth Griffiths
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How about that weather!

Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it! All joking aside, weather is one of our favourite topics of conversation.

What would we talk about if the weather was the same every day?

We are unable to control the weather or even predict it with any great accuracy. Despite that, or perhaps because of that, weather is often a  great conversation starter.

Conversations about the weather are often peppered with aphorisms. For example, on a recent sunny, dry April morning, someone suggested we weren’t done with winter yet, citing the saying,”Three snows after the crows.” Three days later we awoke to a blanket of thick wet white stuff.

Another oft quote piece of folklore is, “Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning; red sky at night, sailor’s delight.”

On the Prairies, the predominant wind is from the west. A red sunrise can indicate a high pressure system (good weather) has already passed, indicating that a storm system (low-pressure) may be moving in from the west. The opposite is true of “red sky at night”, thus the “delight.”

The red sky at dawn or dusk is caused by sunlight reflecting off the underside of clouds. Dust, smoke or moisture in the air can affect the colour of the light from the sun at the horizon, for example scattering the blue light and allowing the red light to predominate. If the morning sky is fiery red, it can indicate there is high water content in the atmosphere and precipitation is coming soon.

Some people say, “If there is a halo around the moon, the rain will come soon.” For a halo to appear around the moon there needs to be high cirrus cloud which are made up of ice crystals. These icy clouds reflect the light of the moon,

allowing us to see a halo of light around the moon.  The high moisture content may indicate that rain is on its way. In winter, we can sometimes see a halo around the sun, also indicating icy particles in the upper atmosphere. Weather folklore illustrates our universal delight in discussing the weather. Sometimes our weather folklore is backed up by science and sometimes it just gives us something to talk about. So if you didn’t like our spring blizzard, blame it on the crows.

Kudos to columnists today

Ruth Griffiths
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Kudos to columnists today

Did you know that today is National Columnists Day? I didn’t know that either until I was searching for a topic for today’s column. When I run out of column ideas, I search for special or historical events that have happened on the date on which the column will be published. (So now you know my secret.)

I have been writing a weekly newspaper column since 1981, first as the Women’s Editor for Prince Albert Daily Herald and then, from 1997 to 2009 as editor for Rural Roots. Since retiring, I have continued as a contributor to the newspaper on  a freelance basis. But this is the first time I have celebrated National Columnits Day, probably because it is a US holiday!

The National Society of Newspaper Columnists created National Columnists Day. It was established on April 18 in memory of the life and work of columnist Ernest Taylor Pyle.

In this era of fake news spread at lightning speed by social media, traditional journalism is more important than ever. It is often difficult to find a trusted news source.

Columns fall under the category of opinion. A column may, or may not, be a balanced presentation of facts. Columns may be intended to inform, to entertain, to persuade. In journalism, columns are distinguished from hard news which ideally is a balanced and unbiased reporting of facts of interest to readers. 

I’m glad to see that my friend Lorna Blakeney has begun to write a monthly column for the Daily Herald. It is refreshing to have a multitude of voices contributing to this newspaper.

So how can we celebrate Columnists Day? If you see a columnist or journalist today, let them know you appreciate what they do and that you like their articles.

  • Send them an e-card.
  • Post a Happy National Columnists Day note on tr social media.

Read the newspaper and articles in other media.

CFUW book sale springs into action

Ruth Griffiths
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CFUW book sale springs into action

For more than three decades, the University Women’s Club (CFUW Prince Albert) has been selling used books to raise money for local scholarships.

This local affiliate of Canadian Federation of University Women keeps a low profile. Members meet monthly for friendship and to learn about local and global issues. For example, at a recent meeting, members toured the new palliative care facility, Rose Garden Hospice.  Through the national organization, members learn about issues affecting women in Canada and around the world. 

CFUW is not a service organization and fundraising is kept to a minimum. The spring book sales is the club’s only means of raising money for a music festival scholarship and five $500 scholarships intended to help local female Grade 12 graduates who are furthering their education.

This year’s sale begins April 19 and 2010 a.m. to 5 p.m. at South Hill Mall.  The sale continues  Monday to Saturday, April 22-27, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Anyone can afford to shop at this book sale because there are no fixed prices. Pick out the books you want and  give a donation to the scholarship fund. It is as simple as that.

In this age of e-readers, people are still eager to buy books.  The CFUW book sale is the perfect opportunity to pick up a few books that you think you might like to read.

Some people are even more eager to donate books. Books in  good condition can be dropped off during the sale.  An enthusiastic group of women and men volunteer their time to help put on the book sale. If you wish to volunteer contact Gail Syverson at (306) 764-3556. You’ll be helping a good cause and meeting lots of other people who love books too.

Today is World Carrot Day

Ruth Griffiths
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Today is World Carrot Day

Today is World Carrot Day, a day to spread knowledge about the carrot and its good attributes.

Carrots are part of the cuisine of cultures around the world. Everywhere I have traveled, carrots were on the menu in one form or another.

Carrots are the most popular vegetable in the UK, edging out the potato in popularity. China produces half the carrots grown worldwide. In 2022, approximately six kilograms of fresh carrots were available for consumption per person in Canada.

Carrots are used in many cuisines both cooked and in salads. For the past 40 years, baby carrots (carrots that have been peeled and cut into uniform cylinders) have been a popular ready-to-eat snack food in local supermarkets.

The carrots we grow today, Daucus carota sativus, have been cultivated for centuries. They are thought to have been selected from the wild carrot, Daucus carota carota (Queen Anne’s Lace), which originated on the Iranian Plateau, an area that now includes Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. Wild carrot grows in temperate regions around the globe, particularly Western Asia and Europe, and is widely distributed across much of North America.

Carrot flowers, seeds and roots were first used for medicinal purposes. The domestic carrot has been selectively bred for its greatly enlarged, more palatable, less woody-textured taproot.

According to Wikipedia, carrots appear to have been introduced into Spain by the Moors in the 8th century. In the 10th century, in West Asia, India and Europe, the carrot roots were purple. The Jewish scholar Simeon Seth describes both red and yellow carrots in the 11th century. Cultivated carrots appeared in China in the 14th century, and in Japan in the 18th century. Orange-coloured carrots appeared in the Netherlands and England in the 17th century. European settlers introduced the carrot to colonial America in the 17th century.

Carrots are a healthy vegetable, high in Vitamin A, but eating carrots will not help you see in the dark, contrary to what many of us were taught years ago. According to Wikipedia, this myth was propaganda used by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War to explain why their pilots had improved success during night air battles, but was actually used to disguise advances in radar technology and the use of red lights on instrument panels.

Carrots are relatively easy to grow. Because they take only 90 days to mature, carrots can be grown almost anywhere below the tree line in Canada. Pulling a carrot root from the ground and eating it fresh is one of the great pleasures of gardening. As you plan your garden this summer, don’t forget the carrots.

Washing machine tops the wish list

Ruth Griffiths
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Washing machine tops the wish list

One of the first things we bought for our first house  was a portable washing machine. You rolled it up to the kitchen sink and attach a hose to the faucet to fill the tub on the left where you washed the clothes. The dirty water drain into the sink. Then you lifted the clothes into the tub on the right which spun water out of the clothes. They were fairly dry by that time and easy to hang on the line to dry completely.

Two decades later while we were vacationing in Cuba, we visited a store where the featured item was the same type of washing machine. Our Cuban friend told us that it was the most popular purchase when people could scrape together enough money.

Today much more elaborate washing machines are considered essential but a century ago most laundry was done by hand. Just ask Grandma about scrubbing on a washboard!

According to Wikipedia, a washing machine design was published in 1767 in Germany. In 1782, Henry Sidgier was issued a British patent for a rotating drum washing machine. In 1797, Nathaniel Briggs received the first US patent for his invention. His creation was his wife’s birthday present.

Romance artists painted scenes of groups of women washing their clothes in a stream. Laundry day might have been a rare opportunity to gossip with the neighbours, but it was cold, back-breaking work.

My mother’s first wringer-washer on the farm was powered by propane. Water was heated on the stove to fill the wash tub.  Square metal wash tubs were balanced on kitchen chairs for rinsing the clothes after they were passed through the wringer to expel the dirty, soapy wash water.

Even as a young child, while I watched my mother hanging heavy laundry on the line in freezing weather, I vowed never to do that job. By the time my first baby arrived, I had an electric washing machine and natural gas dryer for laundering the piles of wet and dirty diapers that tiny baby created.

It’s no surprise that families around the world purchase washing machines as soon as their economic situation improves. What will laundry day look like for my grandchildren when they become parents?

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