On a visit to my Pipestone Flyer office in Millet recently, with an out-of-town guest, I decided to go visit Kilborn Antiques as my friend and I love looking at antiques. I hadn’t been in that particular store for a few years, so with the eyes of a first-time visitor, I was amazed and fascinated by the large collection of quality antiques we found there. That cozy house hosts superb antique furniture, farm tools, precious glass and other collectibles, and what made it more fun was the warm hospitality of Chief Kilborn –oops! I was told I could call him Al.         Since his retirement as the long-time fire chief of the Town of Millet, Al has returned full-time to running his antique store, with his wife and partner: He told me candidly that he never advertises, and that since his museum-like antiques store is several decades-old, he has a clientele that spans far and wide to buy from Kilborn Antiques…
    Well, I came home with a few new pieces of brass, one of my collections richer by some nice and useful dishes that I shined up with a product that Al recommended. While I was at it, I shined up a few more brass ornaments, and they are now all shiny, reminding me each day of that nice visit to a business that I consider to be a definite tourist destination in that town.  On that day, we finished our Millet visit with a light lunch at The Old Bank, where collectibles, hand-knitted items and garden ornaments competed for my happiness with the fresh fare we were served… The owner is a sweet lady who reads our paper faithfully, and I am grateful for people like her who greet me with: “Hi !! Nice to have you here Dominique, and I am so happy to read how well your daughter Michelle is doing….”. I was touched!
    As I had an invite (and a challenge) from Mayor Fisher to discover the Town of Devon’s trails, I did just that a few days ago, on a sunny and warm winter morning. With a couple of friends who love the outdoors as I do, minus our snowshoes, we made our way to Voyageur Park, where the boat launch is behind the Chrysler dealership.  Within ten minutes of leaving our vehicle, as promised, we could not hear any sounds of traffic, and felt like we were in the mountains. The view of the red-clay cliffs was awesome, and we enjoyed the few benches that are perched on top of the riverbanks. We took lots of pictures, met some friendly people walking their dogs, and had a beautiful hour of hiking and sightseeing.  
    I hear there is a new gym in the City of Leduc, and I am not sure where SNAP is located, but I intend to check it out!      Talking about fitness matters, I am keen to join a few friends who have already taken their bikes out in anticipation of the cycling season. Hard to believe isn’t it, that in just a few weeks, we will be able to cycle all over town? Some friends are already training in the country, adding this activity to their walking and running: I need to get fitter, and as I love my cycling, that is something I will add to my ‘must-do list’: get my bike ready for spring treks! I have a new fitness ‘thing’ I do that reminds me of my younger years, growing up in the country near Montreal: rope-skipping! I showed it to my grand-daughter Hailie the other day, and she liked it.
    A word to curling fans: hope you are enjoying the Brier either in person, or on TV… I discovered the TSN app for my iPad and iPhone, and I am excited to share that wherever I am, I can check the current status of my favorite teams. I sincerely hope that Kevin Martin makes his way out of his funk, as I am attending the semi-final and final Brier games, and would like to see him there… can’t wait! I see that the Quebec team is doing well, not sure how this will turn out by the time you read this.
    I had meant to include in this column news of a topic that is dear to me, but with our Publisher’s support, I will instead give you a glimpse of it and next week we will publish an interesting report on the CARE’s 2013 Alberta Recycling Spring Seminar: so if news of solar panels for homeowners, plastics-to-oil process and the use of leftover hotel soaps and bedding tickles your curiosity and your recycling mindset, make sure and read our Pipestone Flyer’s next edition! (albertacare.org)

    Stay in touch, Friends! You’ll find me at dominique@pipestoneflyer.ca. Be safe and enjoy the approach of Spring!