Which prompted me to get on it, already.

My aunt is alive today because of someone else’s heart. It takes all of two minutes to sign up – and you’ll be leaving the legacy of a lifetime.

So please, consider signing up for life!

There are a few new things around town to report on, so I thought it would be fun to write a follow-up post to share some of them, plus a few notes from the trenches of my own experience. As always, I’d love to hear any suggestions/recommendations you have for resources and services around town. Here we go…

Birth Centre

Winnipeg Birth Centre - St. Anne's Rd & St. Mary's Road (source: Women's Health Clinic)

Winnipeg is now home to a wonderful new Birth Centre, run by registered midwives and the Women’s Health Clinic. It is the first of its kind in our province and one of only a few in Canada! For those of you not familiar with this marvelous new facility, it offers a wide range of maternity-related services, including pregnancy, birthing, and post-partum care services along with counseling and education services.

I had the pleasure of attending the Birth Centre’s grand opening last October and it is an absolutely gorgeous, peaceful, and well-planned space that any family would be lucky to use. (Check out photos here.)

There is tons of info available on the Birth Centre at the Women’s Health Clinic website – be sure to check it out! But be aware that there is a severe shortage of midwives in Manitoba. If you’re hoping to get a midwife so that you can use the Birth Centre – or have a home or hospital birth – contact one of the local midwifery practices as soon as you know you’re pregnant. If you don’t get in right away, you can ask to be put on a waiting list.

St. Boniface Virtual Tour

Last month, St. B launched an online “virtual tour” of their maternity ward. Video segments show footage of the hospital’s maternity ward facilities including LDRP rooms, hydrotherapy tubs, and showers, along with the process of getting saline water injections and discussion of medication options such as nitrous oxide (laughing gas), narcotics, and epidurals.

This virtual tour is a good complement to the monthly in-person information session offered at the hospital, because it uses actual footage of the hospital facilities, showing a patient arriving at the hospital, going to maternity triage, and labouring**/recovering in an LDRP room. They also show scenes from the NICU and L&D rooms, as well as explain what happens during a more complicated birth such as forceps or C-section delivery.  The videos are actually really informative, and I commend St. B on giving women and their families a chance to really get a feel for the actual environment they’ll be in during labour and birth. Here’s the first in the series:

While I’m talking about St. B’s maternity ward, I’d also like to mention how valuable it was to have access to a lactation consultant while in hospital. While it would have been beneficial to see her sooner in my stay (we were told the policy was not to put in a request until 24 hours post-partum, so we didn’t see her until a full two days in), it was tremendously helpful and reassuring to have consultations with such a tender, knowledgeable, and caring lactation consultant (thanks, Susan!). I hope St. Boniface will do all they can to employ more LCs; they provide a much-needed, critical service to any new mother having difficulties with nursing.

Public Health Services: Postpartum Home Visits, Breastfeeding Support, Infant Nutrition Classes

After leaving the hospital, what I didn’t really understand was that we weren’t being left to our own devices, dazed, confused, and sleep deprived. The Winnipeg Health Authority has a truly amazing team of public health nurses who do home visits to new parents in the days following discharge from the hospital. We had the pleasure of visits from two different nurses who were outstanding in their gentle, patient, knowledgeable homecare of both me and my son.

When we left the hospital, the LC I’d been working with said “It breaks my heart that I can’t tell you to call me with questions or concerns” – she only works with hospital patients – but she gave me a sheet listing breastfeeding support clinics across the city, hosted through the WRHA.  You can either sit in on a support group meeting – where breastfeeding mothers and their babies meet for socializing and peer support – or book a time to have a consultation with a lactation consultant. I did both of these things and they were absolutely critical in surviving some of the major nursing challenges my little one and I faced. I cannot emphasize enough how wonderful these services (totally free, by the way) are.

Through the WRHA I was also invited to attend a class on “starting solids” at Access Transcona. This was a really helpful session that cleared up a lot of confusing advice regarding first foods, allergies, and breast & formula feeding. The class was taught by a nutritionist who gave us tons of tips and instructions and dispelled a lot of myths. I’d highly recommend this class to any new parent!

Purely Baby

When we took prenatal classes, one of our instructors was Becky Heather, who has since gone on to open Purely Baby, a centre offering prenatal education, fitness, massage, craniosacral and herbal treatments, and a variety of other programming including breastfeeding support groups, playgroups, etc. The centre is located on south St. Anne’s Road. I haven’t had the chance to visit or attend any of the programming yet (I’ve got my eye on the Moms Renewal Group!), but am thrilled to see more services being offered to expecting women and their families.

Birth Roots Doula Collective (which I have had several very positive experiences with) and the Manitoba Association for Childbirth and Family Education are two more options for pre- and postnatal programming and services.

Car Seat Inspections

Someone left a comment on my original post about the local firehalls offering free car seat installation checks. Thanks to that comment, we dropped in to have our seat checked at the Kimberley station, and were really glad we did. The guys who inspected our seat were super-friendly and gave us a lot of helpful tips. For a list of the locations that offer this service, their addresses and hours, check out the MPI Child Car Seat Installation page.

Winnipeg Public Library

I want to give another shout-out to Winnipeg Public Library. I mentioned in my original post that I’d made good use of the library’s extensive collection of pregnancy books, and that use has continued. Since giving birth, I have probably looked at every book on breastfeeding in the library’s holdings, and devoured countless books on infants and sleep, starting solid foods, entering toddlerhood, and of course, motherhood in general.  Each new phase of my little guy’s life brings lots of opportunities to read a new book, and I’m so grateful we have such a wonderful library system here in Winnipeg. A couple of points to mention, for those of you who aren’t regular library users:

• Library cards are free and easy to get
• WPL will quickly transfer requested books to your branch of choice (for free), and notify you by email or phone when they arrive
• I have had really good luck with suggesting new purchases – I think they have ordered at least half of the books I have suggested!
• Your library card also gives you access to WPL’s online resources, which includes Consumer Reports – very helpful for researching those big baby-related purchases

We haven’t registered for any library programming yet (there’s something for everyone, from infants to adults) but it’s great to know there are so many offerings in French and in English. See also Nadine’s recent post on Save Money in Winnipeg for more ideas on how to get the most of the library.

Baby Consignment Shops: MCP and Once Upon a Child

You can spend a LOT of money on clothes and gear for your little bundle of joy. Too much money, if you ask me, when so many barely-used items are available to purchase second-hand from one of Winnipeg’s fantastic babies & children consignment shops. My two favourites (mainly because they’re in my neck of the woods) are Mom’s & Children’s Paradise (MCP) at 990 Nairn Ave and Once Upon a Child at 1600 Regent Ave W. I’ve been amazed at the quantity and quality of items available for purchase at these two places. Once, at MCP, I bought a onesie and the next day saw it on clearance at Superstore – so you can imagine how lightly used some of these items are. For those of you in the south end of the city, Bug N Boo is another option for infant & kids’ consignment, though I find their prices higher than those at MCP and Once Upon a Child.

I think that’s it from me for now, but I’d love to hear your comments about what expectant mothers in Winnipeg should know about services that are available to them.

** Although I think these videos are a fantastic idea, having had a less than optimal hospital birth experience with a lot of unwanted (and in my mind, unwarranted) interventions, I am cynical about the portrayal of availability of drug-free labour support. I say this not specifically as a criticism of St. B; I think there are some pretty significant improvements to be made to maternity care system-wide. Every woman’s labour and birth is totally different and totally unpredictable, but there are some universal changes that would benefit everyone.

My advice to anyone preparing for birth – inside or outside the hospital – is to be as informed as you possibly can about labour and birth. I started off with reading all the “standard” pregnancy books like this post’s namesake, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. After coming across Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein’s book, Your Best Birth, at the library, my eyes were opened to another way of approaching birth – a woman-centered, demedicalized view that emphasizes choice and empowerment through informed consent and understanding. Soon after, I watched The Business of Being Born (available on Netflix!) and read a bunch of other great books. Among those I’d recommend: ”The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Better Birth” by Henci Goer, anything by Ina May Gaskin, and The Midwifery Option by Miranda Hawkins and Sarah Knox for an excellent Canadian resource (there aren’t many of them…yet!).

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention that having a doula was one of the very best decisions we made regarding pregnancy and birth. Our doula was a strong advocate for us when things got crazy during labour. She works out of the Birth Roots collective. 

My sister-in-law, who I lived with for a year in Kitsilano, suggested I post my list here and get suggestions on where to find equivalents in Winnipeg. Not a bad idea! But in writing them all out, I realized that half of what I miss about each of these dishes is the memory of the dining companion, the tradition, the setting – things that have nothing to do with the food itself.

So your challenge, kind readers, is to suggest the places around town that meet or exceed the deliciousness of each item on my list. Or just tell me about your own food memories – in Winnipeg or someplace else — I’d love to read about them. I’ll go first:

Cinnamon buns at Solly’s Jewish bakery and deli. My roommates and I used to walk down to Solly’s on sunny weekend mornings and get a coffee and cinnamon bun, then walk back and enjoy them on the beach. (On Sundays, it was better to sit and eat there, because they played the Vinyl Cafe.) Pretty much everything at Solly’s was amazing. Honourable mentions to the chocolate babka,  rugelach, and bagels and schmear.

Chickpea fries at the now defunct Delilah’s. I had these once and still dream of them. Salty, chickpea-y, crispy and hot – I’ve tried to make them at home but it’s tricky without a deep fryer.

Shawarma at Falafel King on Denman. Everyone had their favourite shawarma/falafel place; this was mine. The tabbouleh was nice and lemonny, the shawarma flavourful, and the hummus bountiful. Apparently Winnipeg will soon be getting a restaurant devoted to shawarma (made with local free range chicken!)  – can’t wait for that place to open!

The Tommy “wet roller” burrito at Steamrollers. Steamrollers is a local chain whose claim to fame is steam cooking. It sounds weird, but it’s amazing. The Tommy is a spinach tortilla stuffed with spanish rice, chicken, and jack cheese, topped with garlic yogurt sauce and the restaurant’s famous tomatillo sauce. Load this baby up with the freely flowing and choose-your-heat hot sauce, and voila – pure perfection. Sadly, I’ve never heard of another place that does steam cooked burritos.

Butter chicken at India Gate (Robson & Granville). So many fond memories of this place. The time the wiry, elderly waiter called my mum a baby because she only wanted a #2 spicyness level in her lamb vindaloo. Or the time we had India Gate cater a Friday office wind-down, and somehow got them to provide containers of butter chicken sauce (sans chicken) which everyone used as a dip for papadums, pakoras, and basically anything else that could be dipped into it. Seriously – this stuff is the best, the standard I hold all other butter chickens to. I know plenty will say there is much better Indian food available in Vancouver, but I never had a chance to go to Vij’s.

Roll Dip at Vina (Pacific Centre Food Court). For the longest time I didn’t know what this item actually was, I only knew that it was delicious. Turns out a “roll dip” is just a deep-fried spring roll. It came with some sort of amazing fish sauce-based dip and rice noodles. Not the healthiest thing to eat in the food court, but definitely the most tasty.

Fries & garlic mayo at the now defunct Café Waazubee. I must thank a shortlived Lavalife suitor for introducing me to this dish. I don’t know what they did to make this simple combo so outstanding, but it was their signature dish for good reason. Skinny, crispy, hot fries and super garlicky mayo. Simple. Scrumptious. I’m sad I’ll never get the chance to eat them again.

Slice pizza at Uncle Fatih‘s. When I lived with former WoMHer Laurel, this was the closest pizza place to our apartment on East Broadway, and conveniently located just across from the Commercial Drive Skytrain station, which made it perfect for stopping at at the end of a night out. Or before heading out for the afternoon. Or whenever. The pizza itself was fine, but what made it awesome was squeeze bottles of ranch dressing and hot sauce that you could use to doctor your slice up. Spicy goodness, especially on a slice of Hawaiian!

Burger n’ Brew (AND) Siamese Dream Pizza at Nevermind. Nevermind was my local pub for a couple of years when I lived in Kits. Burger n’ Brew was a weekly feature, where you’d get your choice of burger (I always chose chicken), sides (you could even order half fries, half salad for the best of both worlds!) and a pint of beer for 10 bucks. Laurel and I spent many a Wednesday night there having “angry browser rants” about Internet Explorer  [Yes, we're nerds like that] and ogling the hot bartender. The Siamese Dream (brought in from Hell’s Kitchen) was this amazing peanuty chickeny pizza topped with a spiral swirl of sriracha. We got to be pretty good at recreating it at home and now our little clan of friends has a bunch of variations of what we call “killer pizza” – check out Courtney’s here.

Tropical (coconut & pineapple) or Carribean (hot & spicy) dipping sauce from Flying Wedge. Dipping sauce for pizza? Evil genius. The extra calories from either of these dips were 100% worth it. Most pizza places offer dipping sauces but Flying Wedge is the only place I’ve ever noticed that makes theirs in-house. Mmmm.

Hummus from European Delicatessen (Davie). Former WoMHer Aaron once worked just down the street from European Delicatessen and introduced me to The Best Hummus in the World. I still dream of it. Insanely creamy, no overpowering flavours… would someone please bring me some?

Tuna melt at Benny’s Bagels (West Broadway). Who knew such a simple dish could be sublime? At Benny’s, you’d choose your bagel (I liked jalapeno) and they turned it into something stellar. I think they put a layer of cream cheese under the tuna salad, then topped it with more cheese. And probably sprinkled it with unicorn dust.  Not too many places you can get an out-of-this-world tuna melt, and a pint of beer, and listen to the Be Good Tanyas at 1am. Benny’s was that place for me.

Jalapeno Bottle Caps from Vera’s Burger Shack. Okay, almost forgot about this one – I don’t know how. The premise is simple: take jalapeno rings, batter ‘em, deep fry ‘em. Like onion rings only even more awesome. They’re served with a garlic mayo sauce. Grab an order, walk a couple blocks to English Bay and enjoy the ocean view – I only did it a couple times, but man. So good.

Okay, that was quite the trip down memory lane. If you’re still with me, I’d love to hear your suggestions for where I can some of these dishes locally. And which restaurants and dishes colour your memories of a particular stage of life – favourite ice cream shop as a child? Best value for dollar as a broke student? Go-to fast food place for late-night post-bar debauchery? I want to hear them all – Winnipeg or otherwise.

Fast forward a couple of years, and my then-boyfriend and I drove out to Manitoba for the 2000 Winnipeg Folk Fest – something that had been a dream of mine for years. It was at that year’s festival that I discovered Hawksley Workman and Martin Sexton, who became two of my favourite singers, and got to meet Dan Bern – what a thrill! I also heard Greg MacPherson for the first time, and we bought his Balanced on a Pin album and listened to it the whole way home. I loved the way he worked the province into stories told by song.

“I wore the sweater my father wore… the one he got from his girlfriend before he quit his job and met my mother. There’s a train that runs from here to Churchill. I never knew Churchill was really that far away.”

Something about these lyrics totally captivated me. I’ve always been a sucker for geographical references – especially Canadian ones – in songs (Martina Sorbara’s Bonnie & Clyde stands out: “And we’ll drive like bandits on the Queensway, we’ll hold hands like in the movies”), but to hear mentions of a place I’d always been drawn to felt like special insider knowledge. Like a siren’s sweet voice beckoning me.

Anyway, here are 10 of my favourite songs by Manitoba artists. Some of them have references to local places, and some of them are just plain great songs. Because musicians in Manitoba are insanely interconnected, there’s a bunch of overlap  between singers and bands. Big props to CBC Manitoba for exposing me to many of them!

1. Petition – John K. Samson

The first time I heard this song, I was driving and listening to the radio, and I actually cried. Something about it just really hit me. The song’s about petitioning to get Reggie “the Riverton Rifle” Leach into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“Whereas Reggie, on a playoff run, could make a dad go buy the new TV and put his youngest by the window, place the split antenna in her tiny hands.”

I don’t know. Just listen to it, and see if it doesn’t hit you hard, too. (Then go sign the petition!)

2. One Great City – The Weakerthans

Speaking of John K. Samson… I know, this one’s sort of obvious. But I had never heard it until I moved here. I remember exactly where I was: on Main Street driving towards St. Mary’s, just in front of the Commodity Exchange tower. Or maybe that’s a memory I invented to accompany the references to this lyric:

“A thousand sharpened elbows in the underground
That hollow hurried sound, feet on polished floor”

I’m really not sure, to be honest. And for a song to work its way into your consciousness like that is a remarkable thing, I think. I pretty much love every single verse, and it gives me goosebumps each time I hear it.

3.  Bébé Rouge - Johnny Cajun AND Des mots d’amour - Daniel ROA (tie)

 Bébé Rouge is a sweet little ballad, penned by Johnny Cajun singer Daniel Roy, about going for a date night at the  Bébé Rouge restaurant in St. Pierre-Jolys. The lyrics don’t translate super well into English, so I won’t bother. My husband manages this band, and we actually got engaged during this song at a gig they did in Langenburg, Saskatchewan.

“Emmène moi au Bébé Rouge
J’ai juste assez d’argent
Pour un milkshake, à vanille
Deux pailles dedans”

Daniel Roy’s solo act is Daniel ROA and he’s a killer singer/songwriter/performer. I’m biased of course (he’s another of my husband’s clients) but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love Des mots d’amour as soon as they hear it. It’s another love song:

“Si je ne te chante pas des mots d’amour
c’est parce qu’on se les dit a tous les jours”

Fun fact: Stuart McLean played this song on an episode of The Vinyl Cafe!

4. Invisible – Greg MacPherson

I already went into the reasons I’m a fan of this album, but I’d say Invisible is my favourite track. Windy and Churchill are great, too. Greg’s distinctive voice and thoughtful lyrics are a pleasure to listen to.

5. Rocket Girl – Doc Walker

Doc Walker’s been around for a long time, but they were riding a particular high when I arrived in Winnipeg in 2008. This song is 10 years old, but was getting a lot of play around the time I moved here, and this verse really caught my attention:

“She said, have you ever been to Alberta
Wheat fields as far as you can see
Have you ever seen the prairies
Someday I’ll take you there with me”

As a newcomer to Manitoba, I especially appreciated that lyric, because after years of nomadic living, it just reminded me of my original home.

6. Marjorie – Gomie

Gomie is the solo project of Dave Wasyliw of Doc Walker (Gomie is his nickname). His debut album You Are Here is only 31 minutes long, but those 31 minutes are packed with infectious, memorable, happy songs. It’s the sort of album you can just put on repeat, and before you know it, you’ve listened to it three or four three times in a row. All the songs are great, but Marjorie is probably my favourite. Bonus points: according to the Gomie website, the song Barber Shop is about growing up in Portage la Prairie.

7. Closer – Chic Gamine

Everything about this song is catchy and raw in the best possible way. The band’s trademark harmonies are gorgeous and lush. Just listen, if you haven’t already!

8.  Sinking Feeling – The New Lightweights

Alexa Dirks’ (also of Chic Gamine) distinctive voice made me take note of this song initially, but it’s the memorable melody that keep them playing over and over in my head. Bonus points for this lyric:

“I could walk
Down to the red, red river
I know you’d be there waiting
But I can’t deliver what you need”

So Hard to be Together is also on high rotation chez moi.

9. The Frost – Red Moon Road

My sister-in-law saw Red Moon Road at Festival last year and couldn’t stop raving about them… for good reason. With some seriously awesome mandolin and delicate, pure vocals, this track is my favourite off their EP.

10. Two Broken Legs – The Sturgeons

On Saturday mornings, I usually listen to the CBC Weekend Morning show, and it was this song that prompted me to try, for the first time in my life, to win concert tickets by calling in! I didn’t win tickets that morning, but the Sturgeons are definitely on my list of bands to try to see live. (These guys are only 23 years old. Crazy!)

So, there you have it. 10 (11) of my current and all-time Manitoba musical favourites. I’d love to hear all about yours!

Psst! Did you know that Manitoban musicians are invading the legendary South by Southwest music festival starting today? The Manitoban did a big write-up on all the bands who are attending, and you can check out videos from some of them thanks to Manitoba Music’s roundup here. 

It reminded me that I’ve also heard of Winnipeg-style cream cheese – but again, what makes it so? A quick Google search reveals something called “Co-op” style cream cheese, but again, I’m not sure what that is – a brand? A variety?

So, culinarily-inclined Winnipeggers, please fill me in! What makes rye bread or cream cheese “Winnipeg-style”? And for that matter, are there other food items specifically called “Winnipeg-style?”

Oh Ace Burpee Show, why you gotta be so funny?

(via James Hope Howard & Alex Reid)

I have to admit, it was a great feeling when I got to the end of the video and realized that I “got” every one of the inside jokes. My favourites are the ones about crossing at Portage & Main, store-bought perogies, and the special smell at Marion & Lag.

(See also S*** Saskatchewanians Say – funny too, but sorry Saskatchewan, lots of this is general prairie stuff!)

It started with a tweet from @diesellibrarian, who lives in my hometown of Lethbridge. It said,

“Concerned about recent pedestrian deaths in #Lethbridge? Join Look Out Lethbridge on fb! http://www.facebook.com/groups/172050302900195/“

The group Look Out Lethbridge was created to raise awareness of vehicular and pedestrian collisions and was spurred on by a number of recent deaths due to these types of accidents. The group is planning their first “Walkupy” (haha, pretty clever!) event tomorrow, where it will use critical mass to occupy a crosswalk for a short period of time.

Anyway, when I saw this group’s name, I immediately thought of our own city’s alliteratively-named citizen action group, WiseUpWinnipeg. What a contrast. One group dedicated to making streets safer for pedestrians, and the other, determined to put an end to what they consider unfair and profit-oriented photo radar speed enforcement.

I have no problem with photo radar. To me, it’s simple. If you want to drive, you have to abide by the law, regardless of whether you think it’s fair or reasonable.

A draft of this post had been in progress for a couple days when an article about WiseUp in our community newspaper, The Herald, caught my eye. I agree with much of what author Marlo Campbell had to say. The folks at WiseUp Winnipeg may have some legitimate concerns, but their heavy-handed language is extremely off-putting.

“So sure, let’s have a public discussion about ‘traffic infrastructure inadequacies.’ Maybe changes do need to be made. But let’s also assume some personal responsibility for our actions while behind the wheel – because really, the most likely reason people receive tickets for speeding or running reds is also the most obvious one.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Winnipeg has had way too many car accidents and pedestrian deaths lately, and I’ve got a few things to say.

Everywhere you go, people think anyone who’s got a different licence plate is a bad driver. When I lived in Alberta, it was “Those damn BC drivers.” When I lived in BC, the refrain was “Those damn Alberta drivers”.  In Winnipeg, people complain about anyone who they think isn’t used to driving on snow and ice.  But you know what? Everyone, everywhere, needs to take a little more care when they are behind the wheel.

I speak to this issue with some personal experience. I had a brother who was fatally injured when he was hit by a truck as a child. So when I am behind the wheel of a car, I always remember that it is essentially a several thousand pound weapon. Some may see this as paranoid or morbid, but it’s the truth. In vehicle vs. person, the vehicle almost always wins. Speed is never a virtue in my books.

The final straw for me was hearing that children from Dufferin School had to ask our mayor for a crosswalk near their school, because traffic makes it dangerous to cross.  I heard on the radio they also asked for a speed camera to catch drivers speeding around their school.

I would be thrilled to see Winnipeg establish lower speed limits for areas where children are often present — the speed limit in school and playground zones here is 50km/h.  There is a commonly (yet wrongly) held belief that you can go up to 9 km/h faster than the posted speed limit without being penalized. So this means that instead of 60 or 70 km/h, as people tend to drive in the rest of the city, drivers in school and playground zones are going 50 or 60. This seems totally insane to me, when in many parts of Canada, the limit is 30 km/h.

I’d also love to see Winnipeg participate in a pace car program, which exists in several Canadian cities including Edmonton, Humboldt, SK, Kanata, ON, and many communities in Nova Scotia.

So here is my plea to everyone reading this: slow down. Cars are accidents waiting to happen. No matter who you are or where you live, you could probably stand to take a little more care behind the wheel. Put your seatbelt on. Put your phone away. Take your time. Driving is a privilege, not a right. Human lives are in the balance.

No matter how I tried to explain it (friends and relatives nearby, summer lake life, affordable housing, arts, culture, music, NDP government, etc.) no one seemed to believe that I knew what I was doing, and that Winnipeg was what my heart longed for. But I moved here anyway.

Several of the senior partners at my old law firm in Vancouver had gone to law school in Winnipeg back in the day. And so when it became known that I was leaving the Best Place on Earth for Winnipeg, they all wished me well and offered me words of wisdom. As I’m sure you know, when people think of Winnipeg, they think of cold, and they think of mosquitoes. My favourite rebuttal to this came from one of these Manitoba Law School grads: “The best thing about Manitoba is that there are no mosquitoes in the winter, and no snow in the summer”. Looking back, I guess that’s sort of a backhanded compliment to the province, but somehow in perfect fitting with dry prairie humour and practicality.

My first weeks in the city, typical hot and sunny July days, were spectacular.  People actually talked to each other on the bus. Drivers give each other “the wave”. On Mulvey Street kids drew on sidewalks and neighbouring families had garage sales together.  The places in Carol Shields’ fine novels The Republic of Love and Larry’s Party suddenly came alive. Grosvenor, Ash.  I could actually walk along them!  Notices everywhere for the cleverly named “Dr. Hook Towing”. Stop signs that had the words “Hammer Time” spraypainted beneath “stop”. Everywhere I looked, something quaint, something wonderful. I also smelled malathion for the first time and learned that the mosquitoes are every bit as bad as “they” say they are. In spite of this, I felt as though I knew something the rest of Canada didn’t, some well-kept secret, a treasure trove of city life.

That summer, the Free Press ran a series called “Winnipeg from A-Z”, and it was a great introduction to the city.  One of my favourite lettters was James Turner’s piece, “V is for Vertical Height (or Lack Thereof)“, which theorizes about the reason for Winnipeg’s inferiority complex.

I went to Staples and bought a bookcase. They delivered it – free! – the next day. I was stunned. I’d heard Manitobans were cheap, but free delivery for an $80 bookcase was something I’d never encountered.

I learned that here, little desserts are called dainties. I found about socials and presentation and found them simultaneously fascinating and repellent. I heard about spongee and marvelled at a sport only known to this city.  Laughed at the word “yurt” – I’d never heard it before. Got laughed at when I used the phrase “gym strip” (guess it’s an Alberta thing?).  And secretly thought it was a bit trashy that what I’d call a duplex, Manitobans call a “side by side”.  I relished each of these linguistic discoveries, mundane as they are.

But also:

I’ve learned that people do just as many stupid things here as they do everywhere else. People are ignorant, racist, selfish. For every friendly Manitoban there is an arrogant jerk. (A lot of them hang out on the Freep website, leaving comments to prove they exist.)

I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why Manitoba doesn’t have a container deposit system – it’s ridiculous. I’m perplexed as to why the city is building a rapid transit bus line and not something more efficient, and well, major city-esque. I am appalled that Manitoba has one of the worst child poverty rates, and the second highest rate of child food bank users in Canada with 51% of food bank recipients being children. For every boast-worthy quality Manitoba has, it has another that’s strange or worse, shameful.

Ultimately, the city doesn’t seem that new or novel or exciting to me as it once did. A lot of the time, it just feels like the city I live in – nothing more and nothing less. Those rosy first impressions have become nostalgia – things I remember vividly but seem out of reach.

I’ve learned that no matter what city you’re in, you have to make the most of it – great things won’t just happen to you by osmosis. Truth be told, since the day I moved, there have been lots of days that I didn’t love Winnipeg as much as I thought I did. The longer I am away, the more I appreciate my hometown of Lethbridge. And I do miss a lot of things about my 20s stomping grounds of Vancouver.

There are still aspects and areas of Winnipeg and beyond the Perimeter that I have yet to explore. As I settle into a new life stage – I’m not a freewheeling single anymore! I have commitments and responsibilities! – I will come to know the city in different ways, and I look forward to seeing what they are.

I expect that I will become more philosophical on topics like community, parenthood, and public education – things that will probably start to play more of a role in my life than honey dill sauce, block heater cords, and ten-digit dialing. (Besides, I have been converted to the Church of Honey Dill Sauce, and I’m not ashamed to say it.) Will those meatier topics fit into this blog? There are times when I would love to share a recipe or a beautiful photo of my son but I don’t, because they are not relevant. Maybe all I need to do is change its tagline and release myself from the confines of “moving to Winnipeg” – I’m really not sure.

Writing Winnipeg O’ My Heart has been a wonderful experience, and I regret that I haven’t been able to devote more thought and time to it since the initial posting frenzy of its first year. This isn’t a blog about moving to Winnipeg anymore. It’s something else, and I’m not sure what. I no longer have the same level of civic pride (some called it boosterism, even) that I had three years ago, when I also shared the writing and idea load with two friends. It’s been a little lonely here since, even with the ever-increasing number of fantastic Winnipeg blogs out there, providing constant inspiration. At times, I’ve  found myself wondering whether I’m really contributing anything to that community, or  just trying to fatten thin ideas up just so I have something to blog about. Or worse, thinking, “If I could figure out how to make some money off the blog, I would write on it more often.” Not a great approach. It’s strange how having a blog gives you this weird sense of obligation when really, unless you’re being paid to blog, there’s no reason you should feel obliged.

This isn’t a farewell post, maybe just a way to explain where I’m at with Winnipeg and with this blog. Maybe I’m also giving myself permission to not worry about blogging more often. If you have thoughts on what direction to take this blog, topics you’d like to see written about, or thoughts in general about blogging malaise, I’m all ears and would love to hear from you

In Winnipeg at Christmas there’s lots and lots of snow,
Very clean, and crisp and hard
And glittering like a Christmas card
Everywhere you go;
Snow upon the housetops, snow along the street,
And Queen Victoria in her chair
Has snow upon her snowy hair
And snow upon her feet.

In Winnipeg at Christmas they line the streets with trees-
Christmas trees lit up at night
With little balls of coloured light
As pretty as you please.
The people hurry past you in furry boots and wraps;
The sleighs are like a picture book,
And all the policemen look
Like Teddy Bears in caps.

And oh! The smiling ladies and jolly girls and boys;
And oh! The parties and the fun
With lovely things for everyone-
Books and sweets and toys.
So, if someday at Christmas you don’t know where to go,
Just pack your bags I beg,
And start at once for Winnipeg;
You’ll like it there I know.

Source: River Gate Inn via Wayback Machine

For an interesting look at the poem and its author, check out this audio clip from CBC Radio.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Frigs Natural Meats -   3515 Main Street, West St. Paul, MB

This one’s a bit of a drive, but Frigs Natural Meats is a great butcher that sells a huge variety of naturally-raised meat and poultry that is antibiotic- and growth-hormone free. After watching a very alarming episode of Marketplace about superbugs on grocery store chicken, I knew we needed to make a change to the meat we eat. Some friends of our recommended Frigs (especially for their bacon!) and shortly thereafter I began buying all of our meat, poultry and eggs there. All fresh and frozen meat is 10% off on Wednesdays, so usually I go that day.  It is one extra stop in my grocery shopping, and requires a little extra planning, but we feel really good about supporting this business. And also, their Kubi-Dogs are amazing.

See also: Savour Winnipeg and Riverside Kitchen

The Crusty Bun - Unit H-1026 St. Mary’s Road, Winnipeg

My aunt introduced me to The Crusty Bun, and now whenever I am in St. Vital I try to swing by and grab some of their scrumptious bread! This little gem is a bakery cafe, and if I am there for breakfast or lunch,  I get the “Small German Breakfast”, which includes two amazingly soft yet crusty buns, cheese, ham, jam, and a coffee or tea. The Crusty Bun sells a wide variety of breads, buns, and other glutenny goodness (my favourites are the pumpkin seed bread and the salt pretzels) alongside tasty pastries, cookies, and cakes. There is often a lineup, but it’s worth the wait. They call it European-style, I call it delicious… check it out!

High Tea Bakery – 2103 Portage Avenue  Winnipeg

Though I have yet to complete part 2 of my quest for Winnipeg’s best Imperial cookie, I have a hunch that the High Tea Bakery will take the honours. This bakery is a little out of the way for me – it’s a ways down on Portage and not surrounded by a whole lot, but again, worth the drive. They make the most delicious, beautiful cookies and dainties, and custom cakes as well. The High Tea has made special Imperials for Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Winnipeg and in honour of the Royal Wedding. They’ve even been to the Golden Globes! They also sell a good selection of Murchie’s teas, coffee, and hot chocolate – I think it might be the only place in Winnipeg that does – correct me if I’m wrong.

Pineridge Hollow - Just outside Bird’s Hill Park

Pineridge Hollow describes itself as a “restaurant, boutique, furniture showroom and reception venue” but this doesn’t really do it justice. About a half-hour drive from my house in Glenelm, Pineridge Hollow is a wonderful place to escape for a few hours, summer or winter. There’s a restaurant that focuses on local food and a huge giftware and home decor shop open year-round. During the summer, there’s also a weekly farmer’s market and greenhouse. And randomly, there is a small section of farm animals: on a recent visit, we saw goats, sheep and a rabbit! Definitely one of my favourite places to zip to for a girls’ day out or just a nice destination for a country drive. I’m hoping someday soon I’ll be invited to a wedding at Pineridge – it is just the most beautiful setting. I only wish they had a small inn, too!

 Which local businesses do you love to shop at?