Today, several semi-trucks and trailers are in the ditch along Highway 3 near Lethbridge, blown over by strong winds. Snow is whistling past the windows at speeds of more than 65 km/h. Cattle are huddled against any available shelter that breaks the western wind.
Welcome to southern Alberta!
It is a region of extremes, with its Chinooks and quickly fluctuating temperatures, with slush changing to ice and back again, sometimes several times in a day.
I moved here a few weeks ago to open The Western Producer’s new Lethbridge bureau. For me, it’s a bit of a homecoming. I grew up about 90 miles west of here. After an absence of about 20 years, however, I find the climate does require some acclimatization!
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As a member of the Producer’s management team, I was one of the main proponents for expansion of the newspaper’s bureau system to include a southern Alberta location.
With all the diversity of agriculture across the south and the potential readership that we might be able to assist, a new bureau made simple sense.
At the time of my advocacy, I didn’t think I would be the one to staff the bureau. Then I thought about the enjoyment of meeting people and telling their stories; about getting away from the office to see what’s going on in the agricultural world; of the constant learning that the job of reporting requires.
Most of all, I thought about the benefits of being closer to family, all of whom live in southern Alberta, and the decision suddenly became easy.
No more eight-hour drives from Saskatoon to Pincher Creek for special occasions. No more white-knuckled skids over icy roads near Kindersley. No fumbling the car through thick fog around Jenner. No more arrivals at 2 a.m. and all-too-early departures.
In 20 years of residence in Saskatchewan, I estimate I’ve made the 16-hour return trip more than 250 times. The Jeep is showing the wear.
So, I’m back in Alberta. Back “home,” although I do miss the people and places in my adopted Saskatchewan home.
When I moved east in 1991, my Alberta friends and family wondered about my sanity. Saskatchewan was a have-not province then, perceived to be flat and full of gophers and poverty-stricken people. Why would anyone leave beautiful, booming Alberta?
Of course I found these perceptions weren’t accurate. Saskatchewan isn’t flat. Gopher numbers are limited. And the province is booming. People love it, and for good reason.
Here in Alberta, I’m reconnecting with people I knew and meeting new ones. I’m starting to file some stories about agriculture in the region.
And I’ll continue blogging, so check in with me once in awhile.
You can e-mail me at barb.glen@producer.com or call me in my new location at 403-942-2214.
