It's been a heck of a winter. And it's not over yet.

The calendar can tell me it's spring now, and the commercials on TV flaunt colourful skimpy clothes, and the horses are shedding clouds of loosened winter hair, but I'm not buying it.  The wind is still whipping across the corral like it's trying to kill me and it still feels like winter.

But you know what?  I AM SURVIVING IT.  Every November I'm pretty sure I'll freeze to death before March.  I know I've blogged about it but I'm too lazy to look it up and link it.  If you've been around here any length of time, you know how this goes...  I'm Canadian; it is my patriotic duty to alternately complain bitterly about winter and brag about how tough we are to simply live through it year after year.

This is what my lessons looked like during March Break this year:

Oddly enough I don't have any pictures of lessons during March Break last year, because I only had one student.  And THIS is what it was like outside then:

NO SNOW.  It was actually warm. The grass was turning green.  I have videos of the kids and I off checking out a really interesting spot on a dirt road a few miles away from home, now that the Girl is always on the search for photo shoot locations.  All three of us were wearing shorts and T shirts.  In March.  In Canada.  It happens maybe once every ten years or so.  We've had a few mild winters, but this year reminded us what the deal is.  

Here, my daughter and I hopped on bareback and bit less.  That's my favourite way to go in winter - body warmth and no cold metal in the horse's mouth.  But as you can see, we didn't venture away from the barnyard! And yes, I am riding in my thermal coveralls.  Until somebody invents winter riding gear that doesn't look like I'm off to a hunter-jumper show, I'll be wearing coveralls from November to April. 

See - proof that I did get on and ride in the snow! I don't know what's going on with my hand on the reins there.  That don't look proper.  Maybe my fingers were too frozen to hold them with any kind of effectiveness.  Ah heck who cares.  It was minus-freezing-degrees celsius and I was on a horse - yay me regardless, I figure.

This is the path I dug from the house to the lane.

This is the trench I dug from the lane to the barn.

This is the trench I dug around the snowdrifts so the horses could get to the hay feeder.

And finally, the trench I dug to the manure pile.  Sigh.

But y'know, these guys seemed okay.  I am not one for pampering my horses.  I believe in taking care of them and keeping them from becoming stressed.  But they will choose to stand out there in the wet snow.  Everything runs down their hides and ends in little icicles dripping off their bellies, and they look pretty okay with the whole set up. They've got hay, they've got shelter, they've got a water source that doesn't freeze thanks to modern technology. 

It's just us humans who have the problem!

These pictures were taken by my friend Leslie, my former neighbour, who came with her younger son (aka Cute Stuff) to visit the farm during March Break. She's pretty tough too.  Every morning she takes a 120 lb dog for a loooong walk so she gets the concept of good outerwear.  She took these pictures through the dining room window.  

Dig me in my fashionable thermal coveralls.  That's western, people.  Quit screwing around and get to work.  

So yeah, my rider and I are pretty tough and all.... but our actual ride was about twenty minutes.  

It'll get better.  I mean, it'll get worse first, now that everything that was frozen is melting, and my mares have decided to hate each other because there's a gelding involved, and I'll need more hay before the pasture comes back.  My riders are coming back to me despite the cold and lingering snowbanks.  We're going to be okay.  Repeat after me: WE'RE GOING TO BE OKAY.

More sunshine! Less mud!

Maybe that's why I'm less miserable this year!!!

(Excuse me for a second, I'm going to be insufferably Canadian and talk about the weather.)

I'm still irritated by the wind.  It's been a mild winter but I'm still complaining, because what good does above-zero temperatures do when the wind blows all the hay away and damn near rips your coat off?  I walk across the yard and the wind pushes my breath back in!  I don't want to hear the term "wind chill" ever again!

But.  Less mud in the corral means cleaner horses and riding boots instead of rubber ****boots.  They're not really mud boots.  They're ****boots.  It's not just mud.  If you know what I mean.

Yes people.  My life revolves around weather and horse manure.

And I promise I'll have something more funny, interesting, or cool for you SOON!

(in the meantime, feel free to share the misery and tell me what the weather problems are this time of year in your neck of the woods.)

The Will & Kate Show goes to the Stampede! Plus - Bucky's birthday! Plus - Heidi goes off on a rant!

First thing I said to the kid this morning was, "You are a lot bigger now than you were when you came out." He rolled his eyes in disgust.  At least I didn't remind him that he came out with racing stripes.

Yesterday I bought the kid new shoes.  They are size 11 so he's only got another three sizes to go and he and his Dad can swap shoes.  That should save me a couple hundred bucks for a few years.  Also, last space shuttle EVER launched today.  Bucky used to draw pictures of the space shuttle and give them to his Kindergarten teacher, Miss Leonarrrrd.  Awww.  Space shuttles.  Bye.  (nostalgic tears)

Big news - THE ROYAL COUPLE GO TO THE STAMPEDE!  You know what, I give up - I love Will & Kate.  Yeah I know their little 9 day whirlwind tour of Canada is costing me - that all of us Canadian tax payers are funding this trip.  I know they didn't actually DO anything useful other than like, do a smudging ceremony (smoke!  feathers!) and eat BBQ caribou.  Whatevs.  It was very entertaining.  And she wore the same dress on Canada Day that she wore in her engagement pictures.  See?  Like a real person and all.

It's worth having them here to get fun pictures like this!

So of course the animal rights groups are upset about this visit to the Stampede.  

Listen folks.  You know me. You know I love critters.  I grew up surrounded by critters.  I am the caretaker of seven, including the two barncats.  I'd like to think my critters are well taken care of, respected and yes, loved.  I'm disgusted by animal cruelty. (Except lab rats.  I hate rodents.)

However.  Most animal rights groups set my teeth on edge.  I keep getting the impression that most members of these groups don't really understand that there is a huge massive difference between abusing animals, and living and working with them.  

For example.  Saddling a horse and riding him for a few hours.  NOT ABUSE.  Working a horse until he sweats.  NOT ABUSE.  Saddling a severely overweight horse who hasn't been ridden in a year on a 5 hour trail ride with no breaks for water while kicking him mercilessly because you don't know how to actually ride a horse and have no clue how to ask him to move forward, all the while sawing away at his mouth with a 5-inch shanked curb bit because it makes you look cool and bitchin like a cowboy.  ABUSE.  

Riding a bronc for less than eight seconds?  Okay kinda crazy but not abusive.  TO THE HORSE.  Where the hell is People for the Ethical Treatment of Cowboys????  Huh?   

On that note, here are Mr & Mrs Cambridge watching the mutton busting.  Yep, start 'em young.  

The sheep is the size of the average family dog, doesn't run very fast,  and the kid's wearing a hockey helmet. Most kids get way more damage doing organized sports.  Mind you if the kid grows up to be full-on adrenaline junkie crazy, he'll get into bull riding at which point, you can't tell him anything.  Just let him hit the ground and run a few times until he gets sick of it or can't walk without all his bones screaming.  (And he don't even have a PETofC to complain to the media about how meeeen this is.)  

Honestly, I've been to lots of rodeos (okay yes they were all Ontario rodeos so they weren't anything like the Stampede, Albertans please don't laugh at me...) and being the kind of person who just has to know everything, I like to have a good look around.  Ever seen the bucking horses load up after a rodeo?  They plod up into that trailer like nothing.  They stand there with their eyes contentedly half closed.  They have the best job in the equine world... get fed, get cared for, and only work for eight seconds.  

Also.  Horses like to work.  My hot little red half-arab half-QH was the perfect example.  He friggin well knew that the keyhole race was the last gymkhana event and he trotted in there like, "YO!  Champ is HERE people.  Here to WIN! Yeah, you know you love me!!!  CUZ I'M THE BEST!"

And another also.  Any cowboy who intentionally harms a cow or calf or bull is an idiot.  You don't harm the animals you make your living off of. Of course there are a few bad ones.  Hey, there are bad farmers and bad soccer moms too.  Nobody likes them and nobody wants to work with /for them.  

And one more also.  Seriously you see a bull rider in action and you think the bull is the one suffering?  I'm sorry, I can't help you.

Wow, A RANT! Yay!  I must be feeling better! O my gosh I wonder if I'll get hate mail!

But back to the real reason why we're here.  WILL AND KATE.  The Duke and Duchess.  The Hope For The Future of a Good Looking Monarchy.  

William.  Way to wear a plaid shirt.  Those are some shoulders, Your Highness!

I'm of the opinion that almost everybody looks good in a cowboy hat. 

But don't call these Stetsons.  They're not. They're  Smithbilt.   Canadian. 

Now it's time for one of my of my favourite Hick Chic features: WHAT ARE THEY THINKIN'?

I've been across this giant country and back in just over a week.  It would have taken two weeks to drive from one side to the other.  I've done fourteen events per day.  I am knackered.

However that overnight stay in the isolated cabin up in the mountains with no electricity was quite... relaxing.  Yet also invigorating. Yes my darling?  You are smashing in that cowgirl attire.  (If it's a girl, shall we call her Alberta???

Side note from Heidi - Prince Swagger!  I think he looks slammin' like that!  Anybody need some cattle worked?  The guy already knows how to ride a horse!

Here's a good one:

PRIME MINISTER HARPER: Darnit, even in a cowboy hat I still look slightly dorky.  Okay fine, just dorky.  I already tried public performances of Beatles songs.  Still not cool?  Geez.  Oh well, I am the Emperor Prime Minister of Canada, so...yeah.


PRINCE WILLIAM DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE PILOT OF RESCUE HELICOPTERS:  I feel so...stunningly handsome in this attire.  Shall I keep the cowboy hat, Kate?


CATHERINE "KATE MIDDLETON" DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: Ha!  I've already arranged to have the entire outfit shipped back to our home in remote Wales where we live like normal people!!"






And since this blog is called "Hick CHIC" as opposed to "Hick No Sense of Style Whatsoever" I gotta say... I like what she's wearing!!!  Not very flashy, but in her line of work, flashy is not smiled upon.

But as much as I adore Kate - and I do, I give up, I give in, she got me - I just don't think she has enough, um, substance, uh, weight, to really make this work. To really pull off this look, I think a girl's gotta have more backside.  When have you ever seen a legit cowgirl with minimal backside? I'm not even a legit cowgirl and I've got some.  But she's got legs a mile long and makes everything else look like a million bucks so she's good.

And then poof they're gone. 

So Los Angeles, you're next.  

I know, it'll be all over the news that The Royals Go To L.A. and nobody will even know they were in Canada let alone had not one but two romantic wilderness getaways and the rest of the world will wonder why the heck their first kid's name is Canada.  But it's okay.  Cuz they were wearing jeans and cowboy hats so things are right in my world.  

Now I just have to whip up a cake for the boy's birthday, make sure he and his friends don't shoot an eye out on the "target range" and then try to find a channel with some rodeo coverage!!!  

Yee Frickin' Haw!

Winter and I might have to break up.

It's just too cold for me.

I claim the right to complain.

My nose is frozen.  Seriously - the snot is freezing inside my nose.

The horses actually want to come into the barn in the evening - and STAY there.  No more of the usual chewing down the grain and then gazing out the barn door, waiting to get out.  They sigh with contentment and spread the hay all over the clean shavings in the stall.

Cars don't want to start.  When they do start, the gear shift coldly and reluctantly moves into place.

My truck lost the ability to produce heat inside the cab a couple weeks ago.  Only today I have had the ability to pay to have it fixed.

The water tap in the barn froze.  I cannot even tell you how much I HATE that.

The Pug doesn't even want to go out.

The inside of the screen door is frozen.

I can't take this anymore, Winter.  I could stand it when it was just cold, but this is too much.  Once the temperature falls into the minus-double-digits I start feeling abused now and I won't stand for this abuse. I've often doubted our compatibility but I have just had enough of the cruelty.

Thaw out my water tap before you leave.

Don't let the gate hit you in the ass on your way out.

(And let the Winnipeg people go too, you polygamist torturer! Seriously, they are so much nicer and easy-going than us Ontarians.  Minus 50????  You are cruel - no, sadistic!  Stop this now!)

Sometimes I think I feel sorry for The Biebs.

You might wonder how I could feel sorry for a kid who's on top of the world.  Well, other than being unable to walk down a street without being attacked and feeling that nobody really knows him?  He's sort of missing out on a regular teenage life.  

I am alarmed and concerned that he does not have any concept of big and small towns. 

I didn't watch the American Music Awards on Sunday night because it was more important to me to attend a baby shower.  (Yep, I love my god-daughter more than I love rock stars!) I heard all about the awards the next morning on the radio.  I heard The Biebs tell the adoring audience something that sounded like this:

I come from the smallest town in the world, like 30,000 people...

I have so many problems with this statement.  So, so many problems!

First of all, in what universe is a population of 30,000 SMALL?  That is only small if it's a city.   And technically, Stratford Ontario is a city.  A small one.  

And seriously, smallest town in the world?  IN THE WORLD?  Really Biebs?  Really?

Honestly when I heard this I didn't know whether to smack my forehead... or his.

According to the Kitchener news, Stratford is #219 on the list of smallest populations in Canada. But that didn't sound right to me.  They must have meant small cities. Then of course if we take into consideration all the villages and hamlets, calling Stratford small is just ridiculous.  When your town is composed of three houses and a tiny church, then we can start talking about the smallest town in the world.   

To be fair, in the last couple years the kid has only been in cities large enough to support a giant arena to hold his hordes of screaming fans.  But at any time in the first decade of his life, did he not venture outside of Stratford?  Did he never drive through, like, Tavistock?  St Marys?  New Hamburg?  And those are just medium size towns; how about Shakespeare?  Harmony? Gads Hill? Amulree?  Geez, you want small, Biebs?  Shingletown!  Haysville!  Harmony!  

Man, has the kid been anywhere????

He's probably never heard of this writer guy called William Shakespeare either.  That "smallest town" happens to have a huge tourist trade thanks to a few little plays Will wrote.  

The kid would have to know this.  He used to play his guitar on the street corner so the tourists could fill his guitar case with cash.  As legend would have it.

I will say this: he's talented.  And he's driven.  He is not a superstar by accident.  He works for it.  He wants it and he's out to get it.

Next reason I feel sorry for him: he's a 16 year old boy.  He's surrounded by Kardashians and Katy Perry and Rhianna.  Up until about a week ago, he looked like a nine year old.  That's borderline tragic.

And of course the old radio station got hold of a clip of the boy's voice cracking during Sunday's performance.  Yeah.  There could be some rough years ahead.

Biggest reason I feel sorry for The Biebs?

THE COMBOVER.

JUNO AWARDS SHOW! Good show and best red carpet EVAR!

Edited: got home, had a nap, got on with my day and realized I could have done a better job of this.  New improved with more pictures and possibly more verbal coherence!

Most award winners got stranded elsewhere due to either St Johns fog or Iceland volcanic ash (and the mysteries of airports and flight schedules).  We were lucky to be there and we worked it!  It was a super awesome amazing fun day at the Juno Awards!

Before we get to the news and stuff, here's my dress!!

Who am I wearing?  Well I'm glad you asked!  SWERVY by Cara Winsor Hehir!

And how do you like our sweet home for the weekend?  I know - gorgeous!  Opulent!  (Believe it or not, less expense than a hotel.  Shop local, people, avoid the uniculture!)


Okay, first of all, this is Jethro's fourth consecutive nomination and as long as we're we're involved, he gets all the engineer nominees together for the red carpet.  He'll contact as many engineers and producers as he can can and convince them to crawl out of the shadows and be terrified by the crowds and cameras.

Yesterday, we rolled up to the red carpet in... wait for it... A YELLOW SCHOOL BUS!  Oh but that's not all, oh no, are ya ready for this?  It was... THE SHORT BUS!!!!

Oh man it was hardcore fun.  All these fans are lined up along the street trying to get a good look at the Famous People and here comes a bus, not a limo but a bright yellow school bus, so of course they all freak out expecting somebody Famous to get out.  It must be one of those wacky edgy irreverent rawk bands.  And then, out gets us!

All the kids screamed anyways, just in case I was hiding Drake or the Biebs in my jacket. Ha.

Wait, we're not nobodies!  This guy gets nominated for awards!!!

I love this guy.  I'm his biggest fan.  I'm the president of his fan club.  I'm serious.

Here's the other great thing: usually us nobodies get dropped on the red carpet way before the Famous People, but yesterday afternoon, our hilarious short bus deposited us just before Michael Buble!  So yeah, I knew who they were screamin' for and it wasn't us!

But we spent a good long time there soaking it up.  We managed to get Cara's husband Kevin a ticket for the concert.

Yessss!  I loved this because he's a guy who's all about St John's.  He technically is "from away" but this guy knows his stuff and loves his Newfoundland.  He gave us so much history and info on the province and the city, which made it so much fun to bring him along for the crazy red carpet ride!  Plus he ran into all kinds of people he knows, of course, him being a local and all. I hope this totally boosts his cred up at the high school he teaches at.  Hey kids- your Mr Hehir is cool!!

He's lifting the horns and I'm holding up my cute little Led Zeppelin clutch purse.  It matches the fakey-snakey jacket!  I am so easily thrilled.  Makes life interesting. 

I got to walk past Mulroney and all the guys from Alexisonfire!   I love Alexisonfire.  I was standing there mentally processing that I was mere feet away from them and could talk to them, but they looked so rockstarry and it would have been really awkward to try to strike up a conversation right there when Ben Mulroney is doing his interview and basically my brain sort of fizzled.  So I just stared at them like a moron but I didn't drool so I'm okay.  And then a voice announced Hedley's arrival, and you might know I have a goofy enthusiasm for that band, like, I love that band, so I got over my awkwardness and pulled on Jethro's jacket to slow him down a little -- we have to stop to say hi to those guys.  It's tradition!!

I was rather irritated to find out that the network didn't air a red carpet show.  I mean, even though I didn't manage to photobomb a camera and mouth "Hi kids!" I was hoping they'd be at home and see their parents.  I figured it'd be good for a laugh.

No we did not get anywhere near the Bieber and therefore I still don't know if he's bigger than me.  Jethro is really worried that the kid has a combover.  The screaming was deafening, I'm not kidding.  I gotta admit, I don't get it.  He's adorable and cute and he's a pretty good little singer, but I don't get his music.  Is it because I'm not 12 anymore?  Is it because my kids don't listen to pop?  The place seemed overrun with weeping red faced pre-teen girls.  Wow.  OH well, the world has recovered from hordes of crying fangirls before, right?

I'm sure I'm forgetting something I wanted to share with the world, but I find it hard to remember all the things I liked from the concert.  Honestly I think Billy Talent's performance of "Saint Veronica" was nothing short of awesome.  Best show of the whole concert, in my opinion.  Those guys are always, consistently, a great live band, and this current record is one hit after another.  If you don't know them, check them out!

I really liked the Metric performance too.  I think Emily Haines is one of the coolest chicks in music right now.  She's unique and knows how to rock a sparkly silver dress with matching high heels.

Anyways, by the end of the concert I was all Biebered-out and totally over-Draked.

As for the afterparties?  The usual: go to a sponsored party at some club, try to grab as many free snackies and drinkies as possible, don't grab too much or you'll feel ill.  Yell over the loud music.  Hang at the edge of the crowd to avoid getting squished.  Wonder who the heck all these people are.  High five the ones you know.  And make sure you pick up for free bag o swag when leaving.  It's costly to do this weekend thing.  Grab the swag.

Know what's funny?  The contents of the swag bags fall into three general categories: snacks (Vitamin water, Sun chips, energy bars, hopefully some chocolate, all of which becomes Monday morning's breakfast), shampoo and stuff (wow, lotions, make up, razors, shampoo, styling stuff, and all full size bottles too), and... condoms.  Which made me laugh, because basically what the corporate sponsors are telling us music biz types is that we need to eat better, wash and take care of our hygiene, and make sure we don't reproduce ourselves.

And that's my report on the 2010 Juno awards.  (But we weren't quite done with NFLD yet...)

THIS will NEVER get old and boring!!! JUNO AWARDS!!!!!!!

Just when our beleaguered family needed some good news...

HE'S IN!  FOURTH YEAR IN A ROW!  Every year he says he won't get nominated, there are so many guys making good sounding records, blah blah blah, and then he sounds all sheepish when he gets the call.

Ha!  Amazing how a guy so arrogant wise-ass can sound so humbled/giggly when he's proven wrong and gets himself another nomination!

We're going to the Juno Awards! 

So now he says he won't win and dude, so what.  He's won it once already.  I'm good with that.  I love it that he gets some recognition for the work he does.  The music industry is brutal, folks.  The hours are long, the dues are never fully paid, and the pay is just not as good as it should be.  Add to that the fact that most recording engineers are self employed, either freelance or on contract to a studio, and that means you pay your own taxes and get no employee benefits program.  This job can be hell on your health, not to mention the stress it can put on a marriage and family.

The only comparison I can make is farming.  In order to do the work, a huge amount of assets are required.  Land, giant tractors, livestock quota, feed, seed... and long hours... really not enough pay if you take all the labour into consideration... yet the average person looks at the situation and goes, "Wow, you guys got some bigass tractors and a couple hundred acres, you must be all fulla scratch!" Or, the average person assumes, "OMG your dad owns a recording studio?!?!  You guys must be loaded!"  Meanwhile the child is growing out of her sweater and her jeans are too short.  Oh, and the whole concept of "ownership" is fuzzy when it comes to farming or recording studios.  It should be called "bankership" or "deepindebtorship"

So yesterday morning I called my man about three times, what with us currently sort of not exactly living full time in the same house.  A buddy was at the press conference texting him the nominees as they were announced.  I had work to do, which is why I was standing in the corral with a manure rake in one hand and the iGadget in the other, grinning and laughing.

Mr I'm Pretty Sure I Won't Get Nominated This Year assured me that somehow we will find a way to pay for plane tickets to get to Newfoundland.  Nominees get free tickets to the three events but have to find their own way there.  Our attitude is, if you get the call, you go.  Show up.  Support.  Wear last year's suit jacket, borrow a dress, sweet talk the hotel into a discount on the room whatever, just find a way.

It's Canada's biggest entertainment celebration and it ends up being just a big giant rock concert. Love it.

I am SO excited!  In case you don't know, NOOF-enland is the party capital of Canada.  All Newfies are awesome people. This is documented proven truth.  It just IS.

Also???  This is a once a year treat for us.  As much as we love our younguns (and it would be fun to bring them some day!) this is the only time we get to spend a whole weekend together.  Don't kid yourself, it is a work trip, but at least we get to hang and have fun.  Yes, even work trips can be fun!

We can get all dressed up and purty.

He gets to sleep without worrying about who's waiting for him at the studio.  I get to sleep without worrying about letting the dog out for a whiz or making sure the kids get to school on time or getting the horses out of the barn before they start chewing it apart.

(Plus I get to stay in a room that gets magically cleaned while we're out for the day!)

If I'm really lucky there will be cut flowers at the fancy dinner, which I can't be trusted with, because I will take them and it can lead to goofy things like, Zoolander faces.

That's my Le Tigre.

This is my Blue Steel.

I'm still working on my Magnum.

Or wait, is it the other way around???  I think I've got time to work on it.

They let us go on the red carpet!!!!  With Mounties!!

And sometimes, the crowd gets so excited and hyped, they think we must be Somebody Famous and they scream and yell and it's hilarious!!

LOOK!  It's Brangelina!  No it's not!  Bwa ha ha ha ha!  Silly breathless fans!

We are allowed to have fun!  One word: AFTERPARTY!

We get to sweet talk our way past the bouncers because we are actually allowed to be there!  Us two hicks, in the same building with rock stars and lots of people we don't recognize and might actually be nobodies like us!!!

Hey, Nobodies?  I think not!

Getting to the awards event requires a form of travel that I am generally NOT HAPPY ABOUT.

We do it like the Ramones.  I wanna be sedated.  By the time the Ativan sinks in, he pushes me into the plane and when I wake up we're there!  He's kind enough to take pictures while we're up there so I don't miss anything, like last year, flying over the Rockies.

Oh my gosh, we are so lucky.

I mean, I grew up on a pig farm and he grew up in the big house in town behind the feed mill.  I'm pretty sure I could attend these things for the next twenty years and never get over it.

Glowing Hearts

The airport in Vancouver has cleared, but it feels like Canada is still on a collective buzz.

Even me, the girl who thinks barrel racing should be an Olympic sport but be televised annually, me who doesn't really get sports.  I who wonder if the event damages the land and causes pollution.  I watched eagerly.


Part of it for me, actually most of the appeal, is the story behind the athletes.  I like the human drama.  I love seeing the short features on TV about the people in a star athlete's life, the support and drive and inspiration that go into years of training.  I admire that perseverance these people carry with them.  Any of us can use that.  It takes bravery.

Joannie Rochette, who grieved for her mother while skating her way to bronze.  

I love the characters this brings out!  

Jon Montgomery (who my kids have enthusiastically named JONNYMONTY) our gold medal winning skeleton racer, who did the best victory walk ever through the town of Whistler with a pitcher of beer in hand, high-fiving, hugging, signing babies and throwing the finger cannons!

He's an auctioneer from Manitoba.  This guy rocks so chill.  We're fans.


Okay, so I didn't get to watch much the last week because I was at the house in town with no TV.  I still haven't watched the tape of the closing ceremonies.  And I think I was one of maybe ten Canadians who didn't watch The Hockey Game.

I was loading the Jetta with boxes to move to the farm when I heard happy shouts around the neighbourhood, and car alarms going off.  Yep, that would be the sound of a gold medal... within minutes cars were cruising around tooting horns and spilling yelling passengers out the windows.


I don't know if anyone who isn't Canadian can really understand how badly "we" WANTED IT.  I mean, even people like me who say they don't care really, really wanted to win hockey gold in Canada.


I never thought of us as being a particularly patriotic nation.  I wouldn't want to live in any other country in the world and am thankful for the luck that had me born in this country, but figured we just don't really make a big deal.  We don't make big deals out of much of anything.  Except maybe hockey.  And not me.  Canadians seem like the kind of people who don't brag up our country but won't let anyone talk mean about it.


Anyways.


It's not true.

We're patriotic.


We just maybe didn't realize it.


I think part of it comes from being the dorky little sister in the North American family.  We're younger.  We are often overshadowed by our glamorous, outgoing and extroverted big brother, America.  Sometimes we're kinda jealous of America cuz he gets all the attention and everybody seems to like him better.  But then every now and then we get some kind of validation that yes, we are liked too, you like us, you really like us!


We go out of our way to prove that we are Canadian.  We're not American or British.  We spell COLOUR with a U in it, but we drive on the right side of the road.

The speed-skating Hamelin brothers finally got their gold in the relay.  We like them.  They're cute too.

We crack jokes about our Canucky image.  We tell people from the southern states that we live in igloos and ride snowmobiles to work, then chuckle about it.  We invite our politicians onto our comedy shows.

Buble!  He's funny.  Anybody catch him and Colbert mash two national anthems?  Who knew the words would fit the music like that?  

We have an annoying habit of creating stars we can't really support, who move to Los Angeles, and then we want to remind everyone that they're OURS.  (Except in Quebec- there's a star system!)

Yep, Alanis.  She's one of ours.

So is Michael J Fox.  Anybody see him cheering at hockey games?

And, SHATNER!  He's one of ours too!!

Every Olympic year, the debate comes up: why aren't our athletes doing better?  We're not a third world country, shouldn't we be hauling in the medals like Russia and Germany and the USA?


Yeah, we don't want to be them, but we want to keep up with them... and most of Canada does an eye-roll while the rest start bawling about wanting to be included.  Some of us snidely remark that we don't have the money to spend on athletes when we're giving away life-saving medical procedures, labour and delivery, and visits to the doctor's office for free.  Actually, that was me who made that remark in Sunday school last week.  Yep, I said it.


Vancouver is the third time we held an Olympics in Canada.  Until 2010, no Canadian had ever won a gold medal in the home country.


Also the men's hockey team got spanked last time around...


There was a huge push to get some action this time.  We were inundated with "Do You Believe" ads and ran a crazy zigzagging torch run that got within an hour's drive of 95% of Canadians homes.  Canada went into this thing like we meant business.

You know, I'm the person who cheers for the underdog.  Heck, I generally am the underdog.  But I admit, I wanted this.  I wanted some national self esteem and I wanted the world to come away from this two week event feeling like Canada knows how to party.


So.  Did we succeed????


I feel pretty good about it!


How could I not?


(More gold medals than any host country ever?  Records broken?  So many firsts I forget?)

But because I'm Canadian (and also a mostly-modest Mennonite and all that) I'm not going to make too big a deal out of it!


Years from now, my country will still claim some pretty great memories, but I doubt this hot streak of success will last forever.  Why should it?  It's not natural to stay on top permanently.  We'll be losers again.  And then we'll kick ass again.  It's what we do.


Also, you may have noticed that we love us a good party, and the best way to party Canadian style is to throw a big honkin rock concert.

Come on, you KNEW there would be Nickeback!  And, PYRO!  We can't throw it down properly without the world's favourite rock n roll hosers!

I heard Neil Young was the last act of the night.  Were there any dry eyes left at that point?

I do love this country, despite its huge flaws and problems.  Now, I must get on my dog sled, mush over to the Tim Horton's to get some coffee and donuts, put some maple syrup on it, then share a beer with a moose.  Eh?

The mittens even Oprah couldn't keep her hands out of!  I love these.  Annyong has a pair.  So does Grandma.  

Hey World, hope you enjoyed the party!!!  I know I did!