If You’re Not From the Prairie

Driving west on the #1 Highway to Calgary I was reminded of the picture book by David Bouchard.  He talks about knowing the wind, the skies, the storms and the earth and how when you live on the prairie they are part of the heart and soul. 

I am a prairie girl.  I enjoy travelling and learning about other parts of the world, their customs and culture. I have lived along the Alaska Highway, in Manitoba’s north and in the Twin Cities in Minnesota. But as a child and for the past 23 years I have lived on the prairies.

On this trip west I found myself breathing in the beauty of the Saskatchewan and Alberta prairies.  The fields had transformed from green to gold. The sun was pouring down on us under an endless sky.  Miles of fence posts adorned the side of the road as far as the eye can see.  Dust clouds rose in the distance as farmers try to get their crops in before frost. Grazing cows and calves roamed their field. Railway cars that themselves are works of art stood motionless on the tracks. 

These sights bring what I am going to say is peace and tranquility to my soul. I remember feeling this way every time I returned to the prairies from wherever I lived. 

The prairies encounter snowstorms, mostly unwelcome. Even on the prairie, one doesn’t expect a snowstorm that drops 50 cm of snow in September. But on this fall weekend southern Alberta was hit hard. Driving was not recommended and even school was cancelled. Leaves were still in fall mode with their fall colours beautifully displayed. However after the storm they quickly dropped upon the white covered ground. The chill in the air was not one like in mid winter but in 36 hours the land had quickly transformed from fall to winter. 

  

As Bouchard says “on the prairies we know the wind, the sky, the earth, the storms and the snow”.