just a rant

Anybody else want to do anything good around here?  Be careful before you sign up since it may take you on a path you will be sorry you travelled.  We are just better off to live in the past, let the ideas that have been floating around this town for years and years be the best ones, and to hell with the new people since they bring on a whole set of problems.  We have lived in Alberta for 20 years.  Moved to Veteran in 1993 and I have worked in Coronation most of that time before we moved here in 2004.  I guess that's not long enough.  I suppose we shouldn't have put our history in the book, that was probably against some rule as well.  Sorry about that, didn't mean to rock the boat.  As for being on town council.  Go for it people, I mean really, for 500 bucks a month you can just take the money and run.  You can't pay me enough for all the bull and shit I have put up with.  And I can say this because it is my blog.

I think Coronation has a lot of potential.  I went to a conference called, "Growing Rural Tourism Conference" which was and has been held in Camrose for a few years now.  It was one of the best I have ever been to since each and every keynote speaker and session was packed full of information and held my attention.  Bernie also went, he paid his own way, since he is interested in this stuff and I needed some company!  We really enjoyed it and we took a lot of good ideas away with us to hopefully share with everyone back home. 

For the most part any ideas he or I may have and which are shared by a lot of folks around here are not met with much enthusiasm from the rest of the community.  Why?  Well I am not really sure.

This community and this council would rather spend 25 thousand dollars a year towards an organization called PEPS - Paintearth Economic Partnership Society - than spend that money at home and actually achieve some good bang for their buck.  We could use that money to promote and market Coronation to the rest of the province, to Canada, to the world!  The sky is the limit when you are talking tourism and development.

We have a lot going for us here:  Pro Rodeo, Professional Bull Riding, Agricultural Fair, a Campground with fully serviced sites (believe me we have travelled around and you don't always get full service and such huge campsites to boot!), lovely baseball diamonds, a soccer field, a hospital with acute care and 24/7 lab facilities complete with doctors and a committee that is actively recruiting doctors as we speak, a busy continuing care and supportive living facility, grocery stores, hardwares and building supply centres, a pharmacy, gas stations, restaurants, liquor stores, home decorating store, RCMP detachment, a beautiful community centre, bowling alley and rec. centre, curling rink, skating rink, a K-12 school, a new light industrial sub division, churches, lots of groups - everything from Communities in Bloom, to ChooseWell to Lions and Elks to church groups for young and old, Minor Sports, quilting groups, Hospital Foundation and Auxiliary, Chamber of Commerce, you name it we have it.  We have lots to be proud of and lots to promote. 

Yet, we send 25 thousand dollars to PEPS every year in the hopes that our Economic Development needs will be met.  Well guess what?  They're not met and we are not getting any value for our money.

I am tired of it.  I am tired of repeating myself.  I am tired of being tired.  As a Councillor who passed this year's budget I was ashamed to say that we are spending the taxpayers money this way.  I believe it should stop now.

We have people in this community who would be quite capable of putting forth fresh new ideas to promote Coronation, to make us a tourist destination, to promote us and our ideas just to our own residents.  We have the people with the skills, the knowledge, the education and the know how to do all of this and more.  We have groups right now in town who have brought provincial attention to our small town.  They know how to get it done and it was all done at the local level with no help from an economic development officer or anything like that.

So you ask - Why remain with PEPS?  Well it is complicated.  Part of the answer lies in how we are perceived by our partners in the neighbouring communities and in the county.  They actually treat us with little or no respect and do not value our opinion.  This was evident the last time we tried to leave PEPS.  We were basically threatened and told that if we pulled out then the financial support from them for other things here would be pulled out as well.  I wanted to say, "So what" and I guess I should have because we ended up going back to the fold anyway.  I wish we hadn't.

I know that my name is mud in some circles and I guess that is the way it is going to be.  I have done nothing wrong and just because I am outspoken and just because I speak the truth I will not be bullied.  Yes I use the word bully because that is what it is.  I know I get no respect.  Well, too bad since I want the best for my community and I will fight to the bitter end if that's what it takes. 

Why do I do this?  Because I am strong and a strong-willed person.  I haven't been through all the journeys my life has taken me through to just give up and roll over.  I am not a quitter and I don't believe I am as nasty a person as some would make me out to be.  I do things that no one is aware of to get this place on the map.  Why wouldn't I?  I live here for crying out loud.  I like it here, we chose to live here and we will probably stay here if we don't get run  out of town!  I say that jokingly because, can you just imagine what that would look like?!

On that note, I would end this rant. 

Read, educate yourself, ask questions, have an opinion based on knowledge.  It will take you a long way.

Royal runners and other ideas

I had more than one lightbulb moment this morning, and now it is afternoon.  My how time goes when you're having fun!

I am still off work and I will be until at least the end of August.  I am listening to my Doctor for a change and not attempting any of the other options that a lot of well meaning folks have suggested to me.  I appreciate all of your input, but for now I shall take my drugs, keep my doctor appointments and on August 16th I am going for a MRI which will then hopefully pinpoint the cause of all this nerve pinching that is going on! 

The reason for the picture and the title?  Well, last year at this time we were getting ready for and training hard for the 1/2 Marathon in Edmonton.  It was initially proposed by Bernie at a ChooseWell meeting in the spring of last year and he laid it on the table as a Challenge.  Well, as you can see by the picture the Challenge was taken on by 14 people, from Coronation and surrounding areas.  I smile when I see this since this is one of the reasons I go on when all around me people throw ignorant and harassing comments about me, my family, my yard, my involvement with council......yes, the list goes on.

I know there are so many more folks in Coronation and area who do not mind being associated with us so that makes me feel better!  I am done with trying to convince the naysayers and the negative nellies out there that we are not the scourge of the earth and the downfall of the community mainly because we happen to have ideas that have to do with success - not failure -, progress - not status quo-, positive results and ideas - not saying no to everything that comes along because it may upset how it already is -,.  Yes I am done with that and I am so done with all those people as well.

Just this morning Bernie was accosted in one of the local coffee shops where he was dropping off his weekly edition of Crown News.ca; which by the way the owner fully supports, pays for the advertising and pays to have a weekly paper copy. Anyway, the father and brother of a councillor and various assorted others, happened to be in the coffee shop and the father immediately started in on him and asked him, "So you think you're working for the Town now?"  Well, one thing led to another and before you know it the brother gets in on it and starts in about something I was supposed to have done to his sister.  Then dad gets in on it and starts in on Bernie about how he can't just show up at a council meeting and ask for his daughter's resignation!  LOL  Yes I am laughing out loud now.  He was actually on the agenda, just for the record.  The father also commented to Bernie about our yard which is none of his business and said, "This town has standards you know."  I wish people would get off of that one since one part of our yard is under construction.  Just look at the other parts, they look nice.  Anyway, I had an epiphany after he repeated some of this to me and I won't get into that because it is council business.

Well the long and the short of it is that I am sick of it, sick of everything.  We have done nothing but positive things for this community and I am sick of some people and their narrow minded ways. 

I will continue on but not without a very small chip on my shoulder for how Bernie has been treated.

A little over a year ago the ChooseWell Committee took shape in Coronation.  The purpose of this committee is to celebrate and promote Coronation as a Healthy, Vibrant community.  Bernie joined up immediately with enthusiasm and lots of ideas.  The goals of the committee are to provide various accessible and affordable wellness opportunities, to improve the well being of individuals through role modeling and engaging activities, encourage awareness and support of Healthy Eating Active Living for all, to build partnerships to increase community cohesiveness to achieve wellness.  He took part in all of this and tried to help this committee reach its goals.

Some of the achievements of the Coronation ChooseWell Committee to date have been:

Penny Jars Fundraiser - his idea

Walking Group, in partnership with Coronation Hospital and Primary Care Network - a continuation of a walking group we had started prior to this and considered to be a good idea by all involved.

Mother's Day Walk, in partnership with the Coronation Golf Course - his idea and it was well attended.

Edmonton Half Marathon Challenge - his idea.  He provided training tips, time, encouragement, moral support and guidance and 14 people signed up and completed the Challenge!  It brings tears to my eyes.  Kudos to all the Royal Runners.  We hope you were inspired and move on to challenge yourself in the future!

First Annual Turkey Trot - his idea.  It included many community partnerships.  At first people laughed but then they applauded when 115 signed up for the run.  It was such a roaring success that the ChooseWell Committee donated one thousand dollars of funds raised to the Fitness Centre.

Fruit Fridays in partnership with Coronation School - his idea, but not a new idea in that it has been implemented in many schools.  It was a successful venture but it lacked the volunteer efforts needed to keep it going.  Every child in school was given a bag of cut up fruit on several Fridays during the school year.  Just last week one of the graduates of Coronation School was commenting on how much the grade twelves liked all the fruit!

Fresh Florida Fruit Sales Fundraiser in partnership with Veteran Lions Club - his idea.  Thanks to those from the committee and to Diane Schmidt who carried through with this venture.  It was a bit of work and it was done very well.

Winter Walk Day, in partnership with Coronation School and CDSS - encouraged one hundred percent by Bernie and the committee.

Skate-A-Thon Fundraiser - appreciated by all those who took part and done in partnership with Coronation Minor Sports.

Heart Fair - in partnership with Coronation School.  The first Heart to Heart Market was in February 2012 and I can remember Bernie, first from a Dr.'s appointment before his heart surgery talking to people in Coronation on his cell phone, making arrangements for a partnership with Assisted Living  Then again there he was from his hospital room a few days after surgery, sending e-mails about the Market, hoping all went well.  I was fit to be tied since I thought he should be more concerned about his recovery from triple by-pass surgery and letting things happen.  But oh no, he needed to be part of it, come hell or high water.

Kids Activities and ChooseWell presence at Coronation Spring Market - he was there, signing people up for the Mini Golf Tournament that didn't happen.

Silent Auction in partnership with various places of businesses, the Coronation Spring Market and Ducks Unlimited - he moved the lovely donated framed print around town from one location to another and let people know where it would be via the ChooseWell Facebook page which we created.

Tour de l'Alberta bike Challenge - unfortunately he did not attend, due to a lot of things but mainly he just got busy with the house, the yard, me, and a lack of training on his part.

Memorial Park, in partnership with the Town of Coronation - a special project he wanted to be a part of.  Approval was granted by the Town of Coronation and the tree planting began at the Coronation Dam Campground for the Memorial Park.  The Choosewell Committee also proposed building a mini golf course and council also approved this in principal.  Bernie went to at least three Council meetings on behalf of ChooseWell to put forward this proposal.  None of the other committee members went with him, they left it in his capable hands to represent the committee and put forward the proposals.  For all his trouble he had his name dragged through the mud on several occasions and he was even taken to task about our yard which is nobody's  business.  The gist of it was that neither he nor I should take part in any beautification projects in this town because some people do not like our yard.  He was also accused of moving ahead on projects without the Coronation ChooseWell committee's approval.  Not true.
 
I ask you - how was he supposed to respond?  He resigned from the Committee and from all his obligations.  The committee did not want him to resign and at first he did not but when it just went on and on he decided to step back.  They accepted his resignation with regret and said to take the summer off and decide if this was what he wanted to do. 

After each council meeting where this was discussed something happened to our personal property.  We were also subjected to Facebook bullying, public humiliation at the hands of a councillor and now today Bernie can't even go in the coffee shop without being accosted.  And we thought it was over??

We can rise above it and think of the good times and of all the positive growth this town has seen.  Now I ask you if you are a resident of Coronation:  Do you want to move forward or do you prefer to just stay stuck in the same old same old and miss the boat entirely?  It is up to you.

The ChooseWell Committee epitomizes the vision of the Town of Coronation.  In April Council sat down for a weekend and came up with a Strategic Plan.  The vision?   "Our vision for Coronation is that we are a thriving proud and diverse Community that promotes positive sustainable growth, provides a safe and healthy environment and enhances the quality of life for our residents. "
This vision was reached by all councillors and all were present for the Strategic Planning.  Perhaps it should be reviewed.

And so I end this lengthy blog.  I hope I have enlightened some and for others you won't even read it anyway so it doesn't matter!  If you do read it just pass it along to others.  I post it all to Facebook so you can share it by hitting the "share" button.  easy peasy

Onwards and upwards I say!

The pig came back :)

The pig came back, but of course minus the flowers!  Many thanks to the RCMP officers who returned our pig two days after it went missing.  Now that's police work at its finest!  I was so happy just to get the pig back because it holds a lot of sentimental value to us, even if its nose is starting to get a little broken looking and the pink has faded.  I always sit it on the front step and plant portulaca in it since the step faces south and that flower doesn't require much water and likes the sun.  My mother-in-law thinks it is a weed (which is used to be), and she will have nothing to do with them!

I thought it was always kind of clever calling it my "Portulaca Pig". 

Anyway, we have the planter back now.  Whoever took it on Monday late into the night of July 22nd, please know that we are not amused but puzzled as to why you would do this.  Not only are the flowers gone but also a lovely little solar light was in this arrangement as well.  We thought we might go trolling the ditches late at night to see if it is there glowing away, lonely, rejected and wondering why anyone would steal and vandalize.

We are all into beautifying our yard and making sure it is as well kept as we can keep it.  Our front step looks rather bare these days because we are afraid to put anything else out unless we can chain it to the railing.  We should have chained down that Welcome Gnome now that I think of it, but it is too late.  We put a motion sensor light at the front so that might deter any thieves and vandals since I am not going to sit up all night scaring anybody away, thank you very much.

I'll tell you what is so ironic about this whole thing.  On Tuesday I noticed that Bernie had left the window open in the truck which was hooked up to the utility trailer in the driveway.  I went in the house to get the keys and noticed that there was only one set hanging there.  I never gave it much thought until I went out again to put the window up and lock the truck and there was the extra set of keys on the back bumper of the truck!  He had stopped working for the evening and forgotten to lock up and hang the keys in the proper place on Monday evening!  So whoever decided to steal the Portulaca Pig, you missed a better opportunity.  Let's see:  $5.00 front step ornament, $10.00 worth of flowers versus $40,000.00 truck and utility trailer. Too funny.

So I am putting out this challenge.  If you read this and you know who the guilty party is that took our stuff - tell me.  I would love to speak to whoever it is and hear their side of the story.  Then they can listen to mine.  Fair enough?  No pressure.