Canada Waits For Christmas – December 3rd

Hello there! As I write this, the sky outside my Saturday-morning window is a sunny blue and the wind is not howling. How nice! A bluejay has commandeered the bird feeder and is hustling all the sparrows away. He’ll need to leave some time and the sparrows, watching from afar, will take the opportunity to swoop in and eat. That reminds me. I’ll need to buy some more birdseed this week.

What’s behind the flimsy cardboard door on this third day of this Canadian art and culture Advent calendar? Surprise! It’s a folk song by James Keelaghan from his 1994 Juno award-winning album My Skies, later re-released on his compilation album called History: The First 25 Years. I love this album and it’s just dripping with sweet Canadiana. If you’re a fan of Canadian history, skilful storytelling, and folk music, then My Skies is for you.

Glory Bound by James Keelaghan

“Oh, we phoned the Mounties when he didn’t show
They found him in a ditch between here and Shaunavon
Roof caved in and it’s fifty below
Sirens wail, blizzard blows”

Edwin (Tex) Wiebe’s painting called Elevator Sunrise is of the old grain elevators at Coaldale, Alberta at — you guessed it — sunrise. It’s a great painting and I should know. We liked it so much that in September of 2015 we drove to a gallery in Fernie, British Columbia just to buy this special tribute to Prairie sentinels. It hangs here at home on our living room wall.

If you like large, bright paintings featuring locations ranging from Coaldale to Mazatlan, check out Tex’s work.

The image below is from Meanwhile in Canada. Visit them on Facebook for more pure Canadiana.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day and stay warm. (Unless you’re hot. Then stay cool.) – Lori