City and colour

Markets of any sort draw me within, lulling me into an inner frenzy, excited at the prospect of buying and supporting locally, lessening our environmental footprint. However, local here in Calgary pretty much means that the produce is imported from British Columbia. It seems, although factually I am not entirely sure, that Calgary does not cultivate any amounts of vegetable fare. In my opinion, Alberta focuses solely on its animal and oil-sands byproducts. I am saddened by this … the environmental impact is huge, the human ramifications, prolifically evident.

The weekend Ogden market is very similar to many marketplaces across North America. Colourful and vibrant, alive with the buzz of farmers / vendors, families and weekend warriors. I reminisce to past experiences of visits to the markets of other exotic locales … Africa, India and Guatemala come to mind, as if I were transported there by the sounds and smells of my current positioning. The only missing element is the swathe of brooding insects on open-faced presentations of raw fish and meat.

What rings true worldwide is the vitality and beauty of the outdoor displays … every colour under the rainbow tickling my senses. Mountains of peppers are meticulously positioned beside a celebration of succulent apples; swathes of vegetables happily adorned with delectable soft fruits and berries culminating into a cascading waterfall of colour, from one stand to the next. Choices everywhere. Quality is the desirable, invoked partially though the trial and error of taste test here and there. Heaven!

Here’s a couple of my favorite photos from India that I’ve pulled from my journal archives, to splash your desktop with colour and cultural festivity!
Spice heaven! …. [ 209 kb ] DOWNLOAD for your Desktop.

Salaciously picante chilies … [ 347 kb ] DOWNLOAD for your Desktop.

After our shopping extravaganza, I opted to give my hair a healthy trim before joyously hitting a few yard sales on my bicycle ride home. Staying inside seemed a crime on my favourite of days, with the luxuriously warm sun beating itself into a last-ditch frenzy, before Summer’s end.

Well, on my first sojourn, I hit the mother-lode! Two stylish sisters were moving province / country and wanted to rid themselves of all their funky wares. Never a slave to fashion, I nevertheless dote on cute groovy clothes. I actually bought my first pair of ‘designer’ jeans. Seven jeans, that fit me like a glove. Her initial purchase price-tag of $250 left me gaping and speechless. How could anyone spend that much on denim? But intrigued by the tight stylish fit that worked wonders for my 40 year old butt, I bartered her down from the asking price of $20 with a few loonies to spare for other items. Unheard of, for me to spend that much on garage sale clothing, no matter the treasure value!

I actually did quite well walking away with an investment of less than $40, kitting out my wardrobe to new heights of fashion, this including a gorgeous Aldo leather attache / purse. Wicked!

After strutting my wares for slaDE~ to appreciate, we summoned enough energy to treat ourselves to Summer chillers at the local Second Cup. A strange and somewhat disturbing event was noticed after sitting down to read the papers, outside. Four police officers were enjoying their afternoon coffee, while one of their vehicles sat for at least 25 minutes idling. I get agitated when I see a vehicle idling for over 5 minutes in the inter, but for half an hour in the summer? Truly uncalled for, I think, regardless of the owner and badge. I actually had the nerve to approach them, asking why they let their cars sit in such an environmentally unfriendly state. I queried whether they needed it to be left running for the purposes of a quick escape? Their response was to keep their laptops cool, by way of air-conditioning. Do I sound alarmist in stating that such a matter is completely unnecessary, especially in 17 degree Celsius weather? Taxpayers hard earned dollars literally evaporating before our very eyes and noses, let alone taking a toll on the environment. Shouldn’t such public figures set a better leadership example in our shifting cultural and mental awareness? Global warming apparently was on the back-burner of their minds. Sadly appalling really! But unfortunately, all too common amongst us all 🙁 as we sit idling by.

Speaking of Mother Earth, slaDE~ and I watched a powerful pseudo-documentary on the worldwide tribulations of the effects of religion dividing the already segregated factions of our countries. The movie “Earth” by Deepa Mehta is an intelligent and deeply moving personal account of the partition between India and Pakistan in 1947, both astoundingly brutal, precise and cinematographically beautiful. Another must-see movie for those interested in World historical events, that continue to reverberate worldwide.