Liberal Fenders

The Alberta Liberal Party is a longtime political sadsack. Unlike its much more successful federal version, the centrist Alberta Liberals are perpetual underdogs, it seems, having never formed government in this province. For the longest time they could blame it on the genetic conservatism of Albertans; but that explanation no longer works, given that the leftist New Democratic Party under Rachel Notley leapfrogged over the Liberals in the 2015 election and took power.

Still, though, I have a soft spot for the Alberta Liberals (for the same reason that I’ve always loved the Leafs). That’s probably why I agreed to put a Liberal sign on my lawn when candidate Donna Wilson knocked on my door a month before the election. I liked her and had heard good things about her work. The Liberals went on to lose the election, of course, and in the end, I’m embarrassed to admit, I didn’t even vote for Donna Wilson. (Sorry, Donna, really! I got swept up in the orange wave like everyone else.) But it may be some consolation to Donna and her party that, while the campaign was a failure, her lawn sign lives on.

Worm Carnage

Rained all day here on Saturday, so even though the sun was shining yesterday, the roads were still damp, even bepuddled in places. Which means our Sunday road ride was worm carnage. 

I can't say that I noticed many worms on the asphalt as we pedalled, but when we finished and looked at our bikes, this is the gruesome spectacle we witnessed: tiny, noodly corpses attached to pretty much every surface of our bicycles. Tires, of course, rims, spokes, cables, down tube, brakes--even one affixed somehow to Val's headset. ("The horror!" I can almost hear Chris King whispering.)