It’s not every day you get the chance to interview your mother-in-law and your friend’s dad for an article you’re working on, but I did just that for a recent article I wrote for the spring issue of Cottage Life West magazine.

The article was about Emma Lake, Saskatchewan–where my in-laws have cottaged for more than two decades. Not that they’d ever use the term “cottage.” In Saskatchewan, they’re called cabins, whether they’re a modest, seasonal dwelling or a 3,000+ square-foot lakefront luxury home.

I also interviewed the local reeve, her husband (who is the water quality specialist for the lake), the commodore of the Emma Lake Sailing Club, and a sailing club member (aforementioned friend’s dad). They all had interesting tidbits to share–such as the fact that the sailing clubhouse is powered by solar panels. I’ve been visiting Emma Lake for over a decade now, and yet that was still news to me.  The article covers most of the things you’d need to know if you were considering buying or building a cabin (or cottage) in this beautiful part of Saskatchewan’s boreal forest.

I also enjoyed the opportunity to interview a Saskatoon woman who is using city boulevards to grow food that she sells to other Saskatonians and local restaurants, for a recent article in Saskatoon HOME. Since we have to weed, water and mow these prime pieces of urban property, we might as well put them to good use. The City of Saskatoon is now on board with boulevard gardening, and my article offers a step-by-step guide on how to get started. In fact, I’m going to be digging in and designing my own boulevard plot this spring.

Grass is out. Gardens are in.