Gardening most popular summer activity

I did a poll. An informal one, but a poll all the same.

Apparently, gardening is the most popular summer activity in Manitoba. Perhaps not always the number one choice, but according to my poll, I found that more people "garden" than any other activity. Golf fared well.

Fishing still ranks high. Camping, Folk Fest, Fringe, Folklorama... all popular, but gardening is king.

This doesn't mean everyone who claims to garden also rates this activity as their most all-consuming pastime.

Local corn!

No two words in the English language cause me to instantly pull over faster than Local Corn. It doesn't matter where I'm going, or what I'm late for... I will always instantly pull over for a sign proclaiming "Local Corn". Up until I have seen the sign, it has never occurred to me that I am in great need of corn right that second, but apparently that is the case. A sign that says simply "Corn" is just another sign. Local Corn means break lights.

-- Ace Burpee / It's a Winnipeg Thing

Softball is the greatest

Big thanks to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation for putting together Batting Against Breast Cancer this past weekend. Not only was it in support of a great cause, but it reminded me that playing in a softball tournament is among the greatest things in the world.

For starters, playing in a softball tournament means being outside all day. That simply doesn't happen enough. Outside is the new inside. It's the place to be. Nothing interesting happens indoors in the summer.

Secondly, softball is hilarious. Spending a day at a softball tournament lends itself more to funny moments than most other activities. People fall. New nicknames are created. Sayings are screwed up and therefore replace the intended original saying. People who never run anywhere run as fast as they can for one day of the year. You see people you thought you knew in an entirely different light.

Then there is the actual game. If you haven't played in a while, you forget how awesome it feels to swing the bat and track down fly balls. To turn a double play like they do on TV. To dive for something.

The great Baldy Mountain climb!

Baldy Mountain is in the Duck Mountains, north of Dauphin. It is beautiful, and on July 4th I climbed it in a world record setting 5 minutes 58 seconds. Someone even added it to Wikipedia which is awesome. Here's the entire Wiki entry. 

Baldy Mountain is the highest peak in Manitoba. It is located in the Duck Mountain Provincial Park, northwest of Dauphin. It is 832 m (2,730 ft) tall, making it the highest mountain in the 563 km (350 mi) long Manitoba Escarpment. Winnipeg radio DJ Ace Burpee reported, live, to have run up Mount Baldy on July 4, 2011 in a time of 5 minutes 58 seconds.

We're lucky. We have a beautiful province. Check out the video and pics.

-- Ace Burpee / It's a Winnipeg Thing

Fishing rules. Period.

There are few things I like more than fishing. Period. The photo of me with the pike is from a couple of weeks ago, a great start to another great year of fishing.

I think fishing might be one of those activities that have a strong "totally in" or "totally out" aspect to it. That's cool. I get it. Not everything is for everyone. I also know what life is like on the other side. The side that thinks fishing might be the single greatest thing in the world. I'm well into my 30's, and I can't think of many things which get me so pumped that I can barely sleep the night before. So pumped you barely sleep, yet you still jump out of bed with more energy than you do any weekday after 8 solid hours. At some point in your life, that ability so get over the top excited about, well, anything really... just sort of fades. That's not good. Fishing still provides that for me, and I'm thankful I live where I do. The problem in this province is not finding a lake to fish, it's choosing one of the 100,000 lakes. There are literally hundreds of great options within a few hours of home, and catching fish once you arrive is never a problem.

From Crowduck to the Duck Mountains, from Little Limestone to Flintstone. LDB to LOTP. 100,000 options for awesome.

-- Ace Burpee / It's a Winnipeg Thing

In response to Carole re: her favourite thing about summer.

Carole posted the following to www.winnipegfreepress.com/ace.

"Summer means going to the cottage at Grand Marais with my parents. No TV or telephone just a radio. No electricity but kerosene lamps. Early to bed and early to rise. A morning walk to the Point along the lake."

Here’s what I like about Carole’s post: everything. Summer is not about plugging in, it’s about logging off. At home and in every day life, the world is always trying and buying things that are supposed to make life easier. It takes summer to realize that no TV, no electricity, no phones = bliss. I think we might have everything backwards. Great job Carole.

Cutting the grass: My favourite thing about summer.

The lakes, the festivals, the patios... all great features of summer in Manitoba. While a certain lake or one of a handful of festivals could easily end up taking top spot as Manitoba’s most iconic summer "thing", from this point forward I would like the following activity to be considered. Mowing the lawn. Yes. Cutting the grass. I’m on the panel that will decide the final list that goes to a vote... and I can guarantee you I will be throwing my support behind grass cutting.

I grew up in Cooks Creek, Manitoba. We had plenty of grass to cut. A yard on the farm is not a yard in St. Boniface. I also grew up without a riding lawn mower. We pushed. And walked. To mow the entire lawn at my home would take around 5 hours. Then, two days later... you’d do it all again. On top of my own lawn, I cut grass at various houses for miles around for a "living". (People in the country didn’t pay much for having their grass cut. Reason being was that if they were paying someone to cut their grass, it meant that they were too old to do it themselves. The rural elderly do not part with large sums of money. Ever.) For some that may seem like a real chore, but I think it honestly changed my life. Cutting the grass is the most peaceful, satisfying, and fruitful activity summer has to offer. There are no distractions, just the soothing hum of the mower and your thoughts. Every great idea I’ve ever come up with in my life came while cutting the grass. It’s where tough life decisions are pondered. Where you dream of the future. Where you remember the name of that song you couldn’t think of the other day, and where, when you’re 14 and in your first band, you come up with what you determine to be the greatest song ever written.

These days, finding moments totally free of distraction are rare. Even when you’re not working and just chilling out at home... you’ve got your laptop open, you’re logged into Facebook and Twitter, your Blackberry keeps beeping and for some reason there is no way we won’t check it. The TV is always on. It’s relentless. And it distracts you from all the great solitary thinking, planning, and dreaming time you get while cutting the grass.

On top of all that, there is the satisfaction of seeing a freshly cut lawn. Not all jobs come with the added bonus of actually SEEING what you have accomplished. Not only do I love mowing the lawn, I love mowing the lawn well. Perfectly. It looks exceptional, and is very satisfying. It also meant, 20 years ago, time to play. Time to take that feeling of freedom and inspiration built up while mowing and put it into action.

Gene Simmons has a key to the city? So does Shannen Doherty.

Judging by what I was reading yesterday, people were either upset, baffled, and even angry about Gene Simmons receiving a "Key to the City" of Winnipeg. I did some digging around for a list of those who have received a similar honour so I could compare if Gene was indeed worthy when compared to those who have previously received "The Key". (It used to be called the "Honorary Citizen Scroll". Same type of thing. The "Key" to the City is new-ish)

Joan Rivers (Honorary Citizen 1997) vs. Gene Simmons (2011)

From what I know about Joan Rivers she has a foul mouth and pokes fun at people’s clothes. Gene Simmons has a mouth featuring a long tongue and a fashion sense that includes huge boots and massive shoulder pads. Both wear roughly the same amount of make up. People find Joan Rivers funny, people think Kiss rocks. We’ll score this one a draw.

Shannen Doherty (Hon. Citizen 2002) vs. Gene Simmons (2011)

Last year I said Winnipeg would win a Stanley Cup before Vancouver.

I got the following e-mail on June 5th, when the Vancouver Canucks were up 2 games to 0 in the Stanley Cup finals.

Hey Ace

I remember you saying last year during the stanley cup playoffs that "Winnipeg would win the stnaley cup before Vancouver would". Hoiw’s that going? I hope you will man up and take it back. Look forward to hearing you eat your words. kevin.